Category: Stock Market

Ripple’s Blockchain Blitz: How SWIFT’s 90% ISO 20022 Pivot Cements XRP’s Victory

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

SWIFT anticipates that by the beginning of 2026, 90% of all transactions will transition to ISO 20022.

XRP Eyes $5 Target Soon as Institutional Access Expands

The organisation responsible for overseeing ISO 20022 compliance is the Registration Management Group (RMG), which includes a range of members or parent companies associated with well-known Layer 1 blockchains. Notable members include Algorand (ALGO), Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), Stellar Lumens (XLM), and Ripple (XRP), the latter two of which joined in 2020.

Stellar’s participation has provided both original altcoins with an opportunity to improve interoperability with SWIFT and other major financial institutions.

Financial giants like BlackRock and JP Morgan are actively accumulating coins that comply with ISO 20022. Stellar (XLM) boasts significant partnerships with companies like MoneyGram and IBM World Wire; however, its trading volumes fall short compared to those of XRP. Ripple has established active partnerships with over 300 banks and financial payment solutions, including Santander and SEB, and is in the process of integrating its own RLUSD stablecoin.

Ripple’s (XRP) spot market volume consistently exceeds $2 billion, making it reasonable for the altcoin to grow with relatively low transaction fees. However, this $2 billion in spot trading is quadrupled by its futures market volume. XRP’s demand in perpetual contracts has reached $8 billion in a single day, indicating a new trend among traders seeking potentially larger gains.

 

Stellar Lumens (XLM) typically maintains a daily trading volume ranging from $100 million to $200 million, although both Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) chains process a block in an average of five seconds.  XRP’s ledger handles an average of 40 million transactions daily, far surpassing Stellar’s 7 million average daily transactions.

Intel Brushes Off TSMC Tech Theft Fears—But Shares Plunge 4% Anyway

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Lip-Bu Tan, the CEO of Intel, denied rumors that a recent hire had stolen trade secrets from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to his business, stating that the US chipmaker respects the intellectual property of other companies.

Investors Cheer Intel’s Resurgence Amid Talks with AMD and Strategic Partners

Intel’s shares (NASDAQ: INTC) fell by 4%, closing at $33 per share. This drop aligns with the ongoing volatility in the sector, exacerbated by U.S.-China trade disputes and funding delays related to the CHIPS Act. Nevertheless, retail investors remain cautiously optimistic; some view the hiring efforts as a talent acquisition rather than a risk.

The 75-year-old Lo Wen-jen’s transition from retiring from TSMC earlier this year to joining Intel in recent weeks was covered by Taiwanese newspapers throughout the week.

An executive is accused of stealing confidential information from his previous employer, but these claims are based on conjecture and gossip. At the Semiconductor Industry Association Awards in San Jose on Thursday, Tan stated to Bloomberg News, “We respect intellectual property.”

 

TSMC’s CEO, C.C. Wei, was honored at the event, along with former Chairman Mark Liu, receiving the Robert N. Noyce Prize. With a valuation of over $1.15 trillion, TSMC has surpassed semiconductor pioneer Intel to become the global leader in contract chipmaking.

 

In response to the allegations, TSMC has launched an internal investigation to determine whether Lo stole trade secrets without authorization. An anonymous source, citing the confidential nature of the information, mentioned that it is uncertain if TSMC has assessed any potential impact on the business.

Lo was responsible for corporate strategy and played a key role in overseeing research and technology development. He was instrumental in helping the company produce cutting-edge chips in large quantities, including those used in AI accelerators. Lo is also a recipient of an esteemed award from the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan. Before joining TSMC in 2004, he worked at Intel, where he focused on advanced technology development and managed a chip factory in Santa Clara, California. He holds a Ph.D. in surface chemistry and solid-state physics from UC Berkeley.

 

 

Oracle’s AI Bubble Bursts: ORCL Eyes $150 Plunge in November—2011 Flashback Looms

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) has been under pressure and has been declining for the entire month. Shares have since extended losses into the low $200s after closing at roughly $210 on November 21, down by more than 6% yesterday

Oracle stock still holds above $200

This puts ORCL on track for its worst monthly performance since 2011, representing a roughly 19–20 percent decline from its mid-November highs, which were close to $263. The stock is still up about 35% so far this year, but the recent decline has wiped out most of the post-earnings gains from earlier in 2025.

A significant downgrade from Piper Sandler on April 23, 2025, which reduced their target from $190 to $130 and changed to Neutral, aligns with a $150 target. Citing worries about cloud competition and margins at the time, this was an anomaly amid more general bullishness.

However, none of the big companies have recently reaffirmed or clustered around $150; instead, most have increased their goals following AI deals. With more than thirty analysts predicting significant upside, the consensus remains a moderate buy. The average 12-month target ranges from approximately $322–$344, up 46–56 percent from $220.

Range: $130 to $175 (conservative, e.g., The g. Stephens at $167); high $410–$430 (bullish on AI, Citigroup).

Bernstein has raised its target to $364 for September 2025, while TD Cowen targets $275 for July 2025 after OpenAI’s expansion. Long-term projections are positive, with a model predicting a decline to $212 by November 2025,  recovering to $230 by December, and growing to over $313 by the end of 2026, driven by cloud and AI interest.

 

 

 

Cathie Wood Grabs Nvidia for First Time in Months as Stock Eyes $250 Target

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Nvidia was acquired by Cathie Wood’s flagship fund in response to the company’s spectacular earnings, confirming the bullish position of her company, ARK Investment Management, on the chip bellwether.

From Peak to Pullback: NVIDIA’s Rally Stalls as Risks Mount

The US-based actively managed exchange-traded fund ARK Innovation ETF purchased 93,374 Nvidia shares on Thursday, according to daily trading data provided by the ETF provider. That was the first time an ARK fund had bought Nvidia stock since August. 4,

A rally in Nvidia shares fizzled out on Thursday after investors dismissed a higher-than-expected revenue forecast and guarantees that the AI economy isn’t in a bubble

The stock closed down 3.2 percent at $180.64 in New York after initially rising more than 5 percent. As investors reduced their bets on a potential December interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, the overall market also fell.

ARK Investment owned over 1.1 million shares in the most valuable company in the world before Thursday’s acquisition. 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The management team’s active decisions are the only ones displayed in ARK’s daily trading updates; creation or redemption activity by investor flows is not included. From a peak in October, the price of ARK’s flagship ETF has decreased by more than 20%, while the Nasdaq 100 Index has decreased by 4.3% during the same time frame.

The bet might be validated if AI adoption accelerates. Risks: As of early 2025, ARKK underperformed in high-rate environments, declining about 20 percent YTD with $2.3 billion in outflows.

Wood’s timing is mocked by X critics as “buying the top,” echoing past mistakes like selling Nvidia before the 2023 rally. Stock Target: Wall Street’s median 12-month price target for NVDA ranges between $200 and $220 after earnings, with bulls like Goldman at $250,

Although Wood’s strategies suggest a much higher long-term outlook—potentially over $1,000 by 2030 based on her AI models—ARK does not issue public targets.

 

Will APLD Stock Slip Below $20 As Borrowing Grows While AI Hype Fades?

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

As investor trust erodes because to escalating expenses and strategic uncertainty, Applied Digital’s sharp retreat is revealing further fissures in the company’s AI story.
Continue reading “Will APLD Stock Slip Below $20 As Borrowing Grows While AI Hype Fades?” →

Oracle Heads Below $200 as Big Contracts Can’t Stop ORCL Stock From Diving

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

Growing worries that the company’s aspirations for cloud computing and artificial intelligence would fall short of the high standards established by the industry are reflected in Oracle’s recent decline.
Continue reading “Oracle Heads Below $200 as Big Contracts Can’t Stop ORCL Stock From Diving” →

QS Stock Breaks the Support as Downgrade and Investor Fatigue Weigh QuantumScape Down

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

The combination of technical weakness, analyst downgrades, and persistent skepticism about QuantumScape’s business plan is putting significant pressure on the company’s stock once more.
Continue reading “QS Stock Breaks the Support as Downgrade and Investor Fatigue Weigh QuantumScape Down” →

RGTI Stock Resumes Downtrend – Rigetti’s Financial Doubts Kill Quantum Dreams

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

As interest in quantum computing declines, Rigetti’s rapid rise has reversed, underscoring the gap between aspirational objectives and the current reality of the economy. Continue reading “RGTI Stock Resumes Downtrend – Rigetti’s Financial Doubts Kill Quantum Dreams” →

Nvidia Q3 Earnings Reality Check: NVDA Stock Gives It Back on Strategy Shift Path

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

The market’s lack of confidence in the broader AI boom is starting to show in Nvidia’s volatile share price, despite the company’s most recent results being clearly remarkable. Continue reading “Nvidia Q3 Earnings Reality Check: NVDA Stock Gives It Back on Strategy Shift Path” →