I like to trade stocks that are relative leaders and belong to industry groups that are leaders as well. For the past 2-3 months, much has been written about and discussed with respect to semiconductors ($DJUSSC), software ($DJUSSW), electrical components & equipment ($DJUSEC), electronic equipment ($DJUSAI), recreational services ($DJUSRQ), travel & tourism ($DJUSTT), etc. These groups were laggards prior to showing absolute and relative strength and, many times, it’s the absolute strength (think breakout) that triggers money flows into that particular area of the market.
With that in mind, where’s one area that we could see upcoming strength during the summer months?
Computer Hardware
I know this group has been out of favor, but that seemed to change last week:
Its absolute downtrend seems to have been broken and we saw a glimpse of solid relative strength. Seasonality also leads me to believe that this run could very well just be getting started. Check this out:
Over the past 20 years, the DJUSCR has crushed the S&P 500 during the months of July and August. It’s easily been the group’s best two calendar months historically. These two months have consistently been great months for computer hardware stocks as they’ve each gained ground in roughly 3 out of every 4 years. Apple, Inc. (AAPL), the leading computer hardware stock, absolutely loves the months of July and August.
I expect last week’s rally to continue right up to AAPL’s earnings report on July 31st, and possibly beyond.
I’ll be featuring one other computer hardware stock in our FREE EB Digest newsletter on Monday morning that has CRUSHED the S&P 500 during July and August historically and it boasts one of the strongest charts in technology since the April low. If you’re not already an EB Digest subscriber, simply CLICK HERE to provide your name and email address. I’ll get that chart out to you first thing tomorrow morning!
CIRO can make a decision to impose a temporary suspension (halt) of trading in a security of a publicly-listed company. Trading halts are implemented to ensure a fair and orderly market. CIRO is the national self-regulatory organization which oversees all investment dealers and trading activity on debt and equity marketplaces in Canada .
SOURCE Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) – Halts/Resumptions
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2025/07/c5804.html
Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Monday (July 7) as of 9:00 am UTC.
Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.
Bitcoin and Ethereum price update
Bitcoin (BTC) is priced at US$108,960, trading flat in the last 24 hours. The day’s range for the cryptocurrency brought a low of US$108,077 and a high of US$109,574.
Bitcoin price performance, July 7, 2025.
Chart via TradingView
Ethereum (ETH) is priced at US$2,581.84, up by 1.8 percent over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation as of Monday was US$2,513.50 and its highest was US$2,598.09.
Altcoin price update
Solana (SOL) was priced at US$152.49, up by three percent over 24 hours. Its highest valuation as of Monday was US$153.27, and its lowest was US$148.10.
XRP was trading for US$2.27, trading flat in the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency’s lowest valuation was US$2.25 and its highest was US$2.29.
Sui (SUI) is trading at US$2.91, trading flat over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation was US$2.88 and its highest was US$2.96.
Cardano (ADA) is priced at US$0.5877, up by 1.2 percent in the last 24 hours. Its lowest valuation as of Monday was US$0.5776 and its highest was US$0.5922.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission took a major step toward regulating crypto exchange-traded products with its first formal guidance on crypto ETP disclosures, according to a Reuters analysis.
Issued last week, the 12-page document clarifies how issuers should describe risks and custody arrangements in “plain English,” which could speed up approval of dozens of new crypto ETFs tied to Solana, XRP, and even Trump’s meme coin.
The SEC is also developing a more standardized listing rule to replace the case-by-case exemptions that currently delay launches. That change could shrink approval timelines from 240 days to as little as 75.
Insiders expect the next round of SEC guidance, potentially out by autumn, to fully reshape how crypto funds come to market.
Musk’s America Party goes all-in on Bitcoin, calls fiat ‘hopeless’
Elon Musk confirmed that his newly formed America Party will officially embrace Bitcoin after declaring that “fiat is hopeless” in a post on X.
The move follows Musk’s earlier hints at increasing his own Bitcoin exposure and praising Bitcoin as a hedge against traditional currency.
Musk previously supported Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and even headed the Department of Government Efficiency before splitting with Trump over his budget bill, leading to the creation of the America Party.
The shift could inject more digital asset discussions into US politics as Musk tries to build a third-party movement.
Despite hype from Dogecoin supporters, no plans for DOGE adoption were announced.
Metaplanet boosts Bitcoin stash past 15,500 BTC in aggressive buying spree
Japan’s Metaplanet disclosed this week that it purchased another 2,205 BTC at an average price of 15.64 million yen per coin, spending around US$213 million.
This purchase brings the firm’s total bitcoin holdings to 15,555 BTC, making Metaplanet one of the world’s largest corporate holders of the asset.
The company tracks a proprietary metric called BTC Yield, measuring the effect of share dilution on per-share bitcoin value.
For the second quarter, Metaplanet reported a BTC Yield of 95.6 percent, down from 309.8 percent the previous quarter, but still strong enough to highlight aggressive growth.
Metaplanet’s total BTC investment now tops US$1.38 billion.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Indonesia’s rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted Monday, sending a column of volcanic materials as high as 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky and depositing ash on villages.
The volcano has been at the highest alert level since last month and no casualties were immediately reported.
Indonesia’s Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) down the volcano’s slopes during the eruption. Observations from drones showed lava filling the crater, indicating deep movement of magma that set off volcanic earthquakes.
The column of hot clouds that rose into the sky was the volcano’s highest since the major eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens, said Muhammad Wafid, the Geology Agency chief. It also erupted in March.
“An eruption of that size certainly carries a higher potential for danger, including its impact on aviation,” Wafid told The Associated Press from Switzerland where he was attending a seminar. “We shall reevaluate to enlarge its danger zone that must be cleared of villagers and tourist activities.”
The volcano monitoring agency had increased the alert status for Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki to the highest level after an eruption on June 18, and more than doubled an exclusion zone to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius since then as eruptions became more frequent.
After an eruption early last year, about 6,500 people evacuated and the island’s Frans Seda Airport was closed. The airport has remained closed since then due to the continuing seismic activity.
The 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain is a twin volcano with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the district of Flores Timur.
Monday’s eruption was one of Indonesia’s largest volcano eruptions since 2010 when Mount Merapi, the country’s most volatile volcano erupted on the densely populated island of Java. That eruption killed 353 people and forced over 350,000 people to evacuate affected areas.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
The owners of a pet lion that jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in the Pakistani city of Lahore have been arrested.
The woman and her two young children, aged 5 and 7, were taken to hospital, after being attacked in an alleyway when the lion escaped from a farmhouse in the neighborhood of Johan town on Thursday.
Security camera footage released by police showed the lion leaping over a concrete wall and pouncing on a woman from behind, knocking her to the ground. A man can be seen running out of the property the lion escaped from with an object in hand and chasing the lion away from the woman, before the wild cat takes off further down the road where the children were attacked.
They sustained injuries to their faces and arms but are now in stable condition, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Lahore police said in a video posted to social media that the lion had escaped from an open cage at the farmhouse and that it was recaptured by the owners, who promptly put it in a vehicle and went into hiding in another district.
Muhammad Faisal Kamran, Deputy Inspector General of Lahore Police Operations, said three people were arrested on Friday morning. “We’ve also captured the lion and transferred it to Wildlife authorities,” Kamran said.
Lahore police shared an image of three men in a police cell and video of the lion in a cage.
Owning wild cats as pets is seen as a status symbol in Pakistan and is not uncommon, but a license is required, and large cats must be kept outside city limits.
“This unfortunate incident highlights how wild animals are often kept in such places without a license, or permission — with no legal procedures followed — endangering the lives of many people,” Kamran said.
The Punjab government announced Sunday that it was undertaking a province-wide crackdown on those keeping lions without a license. So far, 13 lions have been captured and five individuals arrested in connection with violating wildlife regulations.
Chinese chain Luckin Coffee opened its first two U.S. locations this week, betting that mobile-only ordering and creative flavors can lure customers away from Starbucks.
Both new Luckin stores are based in Manhattan, and at the midtown location on Wednesday, Sam Liu took a sip of her jasmine cold brew.
“I’ve never tried anything like it,” she said.
I thought I just order at the counter, but I realized everyone was standing around looking at their phone.
Luckin Customer Sam Liu, New York City
Liu said she’d hoped for more seating — the small shop has only three tables — and was initially confused by Luckin’s in-app ordering system, which means customers can’t order directly from a barista.
“I thought I just order at the counter, but I realized everyone was standing around looking at their phone,” Liu said.
Luckin is China’s largest coffee chain, with more than twice as many locations as Starbucks there. Its two New York City stores are its first foray outside Asia, where it has over 24,000 locations across the region. By comparison, there are over 17,000 Starbucks in the United States.
Its CEO, Guo Jinyi, called the U.S. “a strategically important market” for the company’s expansion in a press release heralding the two new locations Wednesday. “We are excited to introduce a diverse and unique coffee experience to American consumers.”
The company, which didn’t respond to a request for comment, has touted its ambitions to expand globally but hasn’t publicly detailed its next moves in the U.S. or other markets.
The chain has gained success overseas through creative drinks like alcohol-infused coffees and fruit lattes, along with its smartphone-centric ordering model. The app-based approach makes it easier to track inventory, send personalized appeals to consumers and serve drinks quickly, said John Zolidis, an analyst who tracks Luckin and Starbucks at the brokerage firm he founded, Quo Vadis Capital.
“Luckin was able to develop an incredible muscle with regard to product innovation, and they have been very creative in China,” he said.
Drink orders ready for pickup or delivery inside one of the Manhattan Luckin shops on Monday.Anthony Behar / Sipa USA via AP
Zolidis said how Luckin fares on Starbucks’ home turf will depend on its ability to differentiate its menu from other major U.S. coffee chains and smaller, independent cafes. Its American lineup already includes distinctive drinks like blood orange cold brew and coconut lattes.
“These orange drinks, or one of their most successful, a coconut cloud latte — that’s how you get trial [customers] from the U.S.,” Zolidis said.
Luckin faced financial troubles during the pandemic. It was delisted from Nasdaq in 2020 after its stock plunged following an internal investigation that found an executive had falsified revenue reports. The company filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. the following year but emerged from proceedings in 2022 and its sales have soared since, reaching $4.7 billion worldwide in fiscal year 2024, a 38.4% increase from 2023.
Luckin was able to develop an incredible muscle with regard to product innovation, and they have been very creative in China.
John Zolidis, Founder, Quo Vadis Capital
Starbucks, by contrast, is struggling in both the U.S. and China. Its same-store sales in the U.S. declined 2% and its sales in China 8% in fiscal year 2024, and it reported in April that its quarterly profit was half of what it pulled in for the same period last year. The Seattle-based chain is reportedly looking to partially sell its business in China while revamping its U.S. strategy to focus on customer experience and human connection, in contrast with Luckin’s model.
“We veered away from, I think, owning the idea of the ‘third place,’ the coffeehouse experience, making sure that the customer was front and center,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol told NBC News in June.
A Starbucks spokesperson declined to comment.
Zolidis said that whereas Starbucks aims in both the U.S. and China to appeal to customers looking for higher-end coffee served in an inviting setting, Luckin has successfully positioned itself as the “everyman’s coffee” in China, with low prices and small, grab-and-go storefronts.
After taking the train in from Hoboken, New Jersey, to check out the new one in midtown, Samantha Coy said the trip was worth it. She had enjoyed Luckin in China previously and was eager to order one of its fruit drinks.
“I’m surprised Starbucks hasn’t tried to bring that over to the U.S.,” Coy said. “I hope they stay open.”
Zolidis said he thinks Luckin is well-positioned to gain a foothold in America.
“They’ve been able to operate and grow incredibly quickly in the Chinese market, much faster than I would have thought possible, and they’ve been able to sustain it and develop a strong financial model so they can fund their expansion in the U.S.,” Zolidis said. “They wouldn’t be coming here to try it if they didn’t think they had a shot of owning part of the market.”
