Indian defence equities exhibited notable strength in early trade today, defying the broader market’s downward trajectory. While benchmark indices Sensex $^BSESN and Nifty 50 $^NSEI opened on a weak note amid elevated geopolitical tension in the Middle East, stocks in the defence sector surged, indicating selective investor appetite for domestic strategic industries.
Circle $CRCL, the issuer of the USDC $USDCUSD stablecoin, continued its market rally on Friday after the U.S. Senate passed the GENIUS Act, a bill focused on regulating stablecoins. Shares jumped nearly 17% in premarket trading, adding to significant gains earlier in the week. The legislation, designed to set compliance standards for fiat-backed digital currencies, now moves to the House of Representatives. Its Senate passage has amplified investor interest in Circle, which is seen as well-positioned under the proposed regulatory framework.
Uber $UBER and Lyft $LYFT shares experienced downturns, registering declines of 2.5% and 3.75% respectively, following news of Waymo's bid to test autonomous vehicles in New York City. This move signals potential competitive pressures in one of America's largest transportation markets.
Amazon Ads $AMZN and Roku, Inc. $ROKU have entered into an exclusive collaboration, granting advertisers access to the largest verified Connected TV (CTV) audience in the United States. According to ComScore, this integration spans roughly 80 million logged-in U.S. households, amounting to over 80% of the national CTV footprint. Through this agreement, Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP) becomes the sole programmatic gateway to this scale of authenticated inventory. This advancement marks a significant step in refining audience targeting, enhancing planning strategies, and enabling more precise campaign performance analysis.
Shares of GTL Infrastructure Ltd $GTLINFRA.BO rallied 42% over two trading sessions, closing at ₹2.16 on Thursday, June 13—an 18.7% gain on the day. The sharp move came despite the absence of corporate disclosures or regulatory filings, suggesting the price action was driven by speculative positioning and technical triggers rather than fundamentals. The surge follows Wednesday’s 12.5% rise, when the stock became the top gainer in the BSE Group "A" segment, reaching ₹1.71 by mid-morning. Trading volumes surged to 39.08 million shares, well above the one-month average of 8.75 million, reflecting heightened retail and momentum-driven interest.
Bellway Plc $BWY.L revised its annual housing delivery guidance upward, reflecting signs of stabilizing affordability and improving buyer demand in the UK residential sector. The company now expects to complete between 8,600 and 8,700 homes by July 2025, compared to a previous baseline of “at least 8,500”. The new target remains well below pre-pandemic peaks exceeding 10,000 units, but marks a significant rebound from the ~7,600 completions reported in the prior 12-month period. The updated projection suggests measured recovery, supported by lower mortgage rates and gradual return of consumer confidence. CEO Jason Honeyman emphasized Bellway’s readiness for growth, citing a robust order book and active site expansion strategy.
A strategic shift is underway among Japanese investors as higher domestic yields and a gradually normalizing monetary policy weaken the appeal of U.S. assets. Nomura Holdings, Inc. $8604.T estimates that the Japanese yen (JPY) could strengthen by roughly 6% against the U.S. dollar (USD) over the coming months, pushing the $USDJPY pair from 145 to 136 by the end of Q3.
After over half a decade under a strict asset limitation, Wells Fargo & Co. $WFC has secured a regulatory green light that redefines its trajectory. The Federal Reserve’s decision to remove the seven-year cap on assets, imposed following a series of scandals, allows the lender with $1.95 trillion in assets to pursue growth initiatives previously out of reach. This milestone ushers WFC back into direct competition with leading financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. $JPM and Bank of America Corp. $BAC, especially in the lucrative Wall Street domain.
Toyota Motor Corporation $TM, the world’s leading car manufacturer, is set to acquire major auto parts supplier Toyota Industries Corporation $TYIDF in a deal valued at $42 billion. According to sources reported by Nikkei, the offer is expected to be formally accepted as soon as Tuesday, with other group affiliates participating in the buyout. The acquisition will transition Toyota Industries from public trading to private ownership, reinforcing Toyota’s grip on its supply ecosystem.
A dynamic shift is underway in the American ETF landscape as investments move away from gold-based funds toward Bitcoin $BTCUSD equivalents. Over the past five weeks, US-listed Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows exceeding USD 9 billion, with BlackRock Inc.’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF $IBIT attracting the lion’s share. Simultaneously, gold-backed ETFs experienced outflows surpassing USD 2.8 billion, underscoring changing asset preference among institutions and private investors.
Toyota Motor Corp. $TM has executed a $250 million capital infusion into Joby Aviation Inc. $JOBY, marking the completion of the first segment in its previously pledged $500 million support. This move boosts Toyota’s stake in Joby to 15.3%, positioning the Japanese automaker as the startup’s largest shareholder—surpassing even CEO JoeBen Bevirt’s holding.
GMO Internet Group Inc. $9449.T abruptly canceled its anticipated public offering for one of its registered subsidiaries after a rapid increase in the unit’s share price significantly boosted market capitalization. The transaction, valued at approximately 284 billion JPY (2 billion USD), involved the sale of 91.7 million shares of GMO Internet Inc. Originally planned for pricing by June 5, the deal was put on hold due to shifting market conditions and heightened valuation metrics.
