China’s July 10 ban on helium exports has drawn fresh attention to a material that rarely makes semiconductor headlines but remains essential to advanced chipmaking. Helium is used in plasma etching, leak detection, purge processes and thermal management inside fabs, with electronic-grade helium requiring purity as high as 99.9999%. The move comes as the global helium market has tightened sharply in 2025. According to the source material, Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial hub — a major global helium production center — was hit by attacks that halted output and damaged export capacity, while roughly 200 liquid-helium containers were stranded in the Middle East. Russia has shifted helium exports outside the Eurasian Economic Union to a government licensing regime starting in April 2026, and the US previously sold off its federal helium reserve. China remains heavily dependent on imports. In 2025, the country’s total helium supply was about 5,818 tons, including 4,913 tons of imports and around 905 tons of domestic output, implying external dependence of 84.4%. Against that backdrop, Beijing said the export ban was aimed at securing domestic supply. The episode also highlights China’s slower but ongoing push to produce high-purity helium from LNG boil-off gas, even though local self-sufficiency remains below 20%.

U.S. oil and gas executives have sold close to $400 million worth of company stock since the outbreak of the Iran war tightened energy supplies and lifted oil and gas prices, according to a New York Times report cited by BlockBeats. The figure comes from an analysis by environmental group Friends of the Earth, which reviewed Securities and Exchange Commission filings and said insiders at U.S. fossil fuel companies collectively unloaded shares worth nearly $400 million during the period. Among the companies mentioned, ConocoPhillips executives posted the largest total at about $96 million, followed by executives at LNG exporters Cheniere Energy and Venture Global. The report said stock sales by executives at all three companies have already exceeded their full-year 2025 levels. ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance alone sold nearly $80 million in shares through two transactions in March this year, while Cheniere Energy executives also sold shares around a period when the company’s stock hit a recent high. The report said some analysts view the sales as consistent with normal market incentives because energy company shares have climbed alongside surging energy prices. Critics, however, argue that part of the profit growth stems from higher consumer energy costs linked to geopolitical conflict, and they are calling for a windfall profits tax on energy companies. Such proposals have not won Republican support in the U.S. so far.

PPP’s prediction-market tracker shows NIP as the slight favorite in a predict.fun market tied to the LPL third stage matchup against LNG, with the probability of a NIP win standing at 56% at the time of the update. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. Beijing time today and will be played as a best-of-three series. The market update comes as both teams enter the third stage from outside the top group. NIP had previously been placed in the Summit group during the second stage but failed to hold that position and dropped into the Nirvana group. LNG, for its part, did not qualify for the Summit group. That sets up a direct meeting between the two sides in the opening round of the third stage. The figures cited in the update are taken from PPP’s monitoring of predict.fun and reflect the market’s pricing at the time, rather than a match result.

Bitcoin slipped below $76,000 after the UAE said it would leave OPEC and OPEC+ effective May 1, 2026. The move hit risk sentiment as traders also tracked supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and sharp swings in oil prices.

The EU proposed its 21st sanctions package on June 9, blacklisting 11 crypto platforms and introducing the possibility of a full third-country ban on crypto-asset services. It also freezes assets of nearly 90 banks and tightens the oil price cap.

A two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran pushed bitcoin above $72,379, triggering over $400 million in short liquidations; analysts caution the rally may be short-lived.

The Iran conflict has entered a third week, weighing on markets, LNG, fertilizers, aluminum and chip-related supplies. Trump said the US has struck more than 7,000 targets and is seeking help over Hormuz.

Reuters reported that Iran has proposed allowing ships safe passage through the Oman-side waters of the Strait of Hormuz under certain conditions, a move seen as a softer position in talks with the United States.