Circle (CRCL) Falls 17% on Open USD FUD; Most Editors See Buying Opportunity
Last Friday, Circle (CRCL) came under heavy FUD after Open Standard, backed by 140 companies, announced plans to launch OUSD to compete in the stablecoin market. The stock dropped 17%. Several Odaily editors shared similar views: OUSD is unlikely to pose a serious threat to USDC in the near term. Editor A noted that the model of distributing stablecoin reserve yield to partners was already tried by Paxos with USDG, which has accumulated less than 3 billion in issuance since 2024 (just 4% of USDC's market cap). The prospects for OUSD are exaggerated. Additionally, USDC's compliance moat gives it a lead of at least one cycle; competitors would need over 5 years to replicate the same commercial path. For now, CRCL is the only pure-play stablecoin stock available. Editor B suggested buying CRCL in the 56-60 range, targeting a bounce to 85-90, with a long-term target of 150, contingent on the Clarity bill's passage. However, Editor C was more cautious, pointing out that Open USD has strong backing from Stripe (the Bridge founder is CEO of the OUSD issuer), and Stripe has actively challenged Circle. Circle's CEO gave a weak response, so investors should watch for defensive moves. Overall, most editors favor accumulating CRCL on dips, but acknowledge near-term volatility.
Semi Equipment Giants Hit New Highs; Expansion Cycle Is a Clear Winner
Semiconductors remain the market's main narrative. Lithography leader ASML, etching champion LRCX, deposition giant AMAT, and inspection leader KLAC all hit new all-time highs. Editor D emphasized that while these stocks are expensive, the upside is highly certain: trillions of dollars in expansion orders will flow to equipment suppliers, referencing Korea's 800 trillion won expansion plan. Meanwhile, SK Hynix is about to list in the U.S., and its recent price weakness may be intentional (to allow for a better post-IPO performance), presenting a good buying opportunity. Editor D is avoiding Micron (MU) because SK Hynix's listing will dilute MU's scarcity premium as the only HBM stock in the U.S. In memory, Editor B agreed that memory is more important than graphics, and companies like Micron, SanDisk, SK Hynix, and Samsung are still monopolists. The upcoming IPO of ChangXin Memory (CXMT) and a 20-25% correction from highs could be a buy-the-dip opportunity.
Strategy (STRC) Unveils $1.25B BTC Sale Plan; Rocket Lab (RKLB) Jumps on Iridium Deal
Strategy (STRC) announced a $1.25 billion BTC sale plan. Editor B expects STRC to re-anchor as the market absorbs the selling pressure and dividend payments progress. It may recover somewhat, but he suggests only a small trial. For Rocket Lab (RKLB), Editor D bought a small position at 80-85, intending to add more, but the stock surged on the Iridium acquisition news. RKLB is still in a CEO filing window for stock sales; if it pulls back, he will add.
Robinhood (HOOD) Records Highest Stock Trading Volume; Prediction Markets Become Focus
Robinhood (HOOD) set a new all-time high in stock trading volume in just 3.5 weeks in June. Revenue from prediction markets is also surging, providing strong earnings support. Editor D continues to hold HOOD. Editor E, who is mainly focused on prediction markets, plans to keep his focus there for the second half of the year. Predict.fun, deeply tied to Binance, has clear airdrop potential. Polymarket, combined with the PPP copy-trading tool (recommended reading: 'From Signal Monitoring to Strategy Copy: How PPP Lowers Polymarket Entry Barrier'), is used for profit generation, though results are mixed so far. He treats Predict bets as airdrop farming and Polymarket trading as income generation.
Crypto Market: Awaiting Bottom; Clear DCA Plan
Editor E is not heavily involved in U.S. stocks, preferring to wait for a crypto market bottom. He believes the U.S. stock market shows late-cycle characteristics and doesn't want to catch the last uptick. For crypto, he will start dollar-cost averaging when BTC drops below $50,000 and ETH below $1,400. He will also DCA into altcoins with high real revenues, such as HYPE and PUMP.
