Tonight's Highlights: Treasury Yields Retreat, U.S. Stock Futures Climb, Bitcoin Touches $80K

U.S. stock index futures advanced broadly on Tuesday, with Nasdaq 100 futures rising nearly 1% as Treasury yields declined for a second consecutive session. Major European equity benchmarks traded mostly higher.

 

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell more than 3 basis points to 4.666% on Tuesday, building on Monday's declines.

 

The pullback followed reports indicating the U.S. Treasury Department may tap its $1 trillion Treasury General Account (TGA) to finance planned bond buyback operations.

 

Semiconductor shares rallied across pre-market trading: AMD and Micron Technology each climbed over 2%, Intel gained more than 3%, while Broadcom and Nvidia each rose over 1%.

 

Bitcoin briefly broke above $80,000 during intraday trade, marking its first move above the threshold since May.

 

Data from SoSoValue shows that the world's largest spot Bitcoin ETF—the iShares Bitcoin Trust—recorded net capital inflows for six consecutive trading days through yesterday. Over the past week, Bitcoin has surged more than 20%.

 

Efforts by the administration to suppress long-duration Treasury yields have reignited discussions surrounding the "dollar debasement trade."

 

Concerns that persistent inflation and unconstrained government spending could erode the purchasing power of fiat currencies have long underpinned the institutional thesis for Bitcoin, which was fundamentally designed as an alternative to sovereign monetary systems.

 

The Canadian government is scheduled to unveil its formal response to U.S. tariff measures at 11:00 AM Eastern Time on Tuesday, following President Trump's announcement that the U.S. will impose 50% tariffs on Canadian automobiles and auto parts starting next January.

Company News

Apple Reportedly Preparing First New Mac mini in Two Years

 

Apple is preparing to introduce a redesigned Mac mini desktop computer, marking the model's first major hardware refresh in nearly two years, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

Sources indicated that the new desktop could be unveiled as early as the coming days, potentially preceding the company's flagship iPhone launch event in September.

 

Musk: SpaceX Plans Q4 Launch Next Year for Nvidia-Powered AI Satellites

 

Elon Musk stated on social media on August 24 that SpaceX's first batch of AI satellites powered by Nvidia silicon is scheduled for an initial launch in the fourth quarter of next year, targeting scaled orbital deployment by 2028.

 

Musk noted that SpaceX collaborated with Nvidia to engineer a space-hardened Vera Rubin NVL72 architecture tailored specifically for orbital operational environments.

 

Amazon Hikes U.S. Hardware Device Prices by Up to 60% on Component Costs

 

Amazon implemented steep price increases across its consumer hardware lineup over the weekend, with select products seeing price jumps of up to 60%.

 

The price hikes impacted Fire TV streaming devices, Echo smart speakers, Kindle e-readers, and Eero mesh routers. Notably, the entry-level Echo Dot jumped from $49.99 to $79.99, a 60% increase.

 

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the changes, stating that the consumer electronics sector is contending with substantial cost inflation across memory and storage components.

 

After absorbing these cost pressures for as long as possible, the company adjusted pricing across product lines, noting it will continue to offer promotional events throughout the year.

 

SK Hynix Union Rejects Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement

 

The labor union representing SK Hynix employees rejected the tentative wage and collective bargaining agreement recently reached with management, according to industry sources.

 

The deal was narrowly defeated with 50.08% voting against and 49.92% voting in favor, on a 93.81% voter turnout.

 

Labor and management are expected to return to the negotiating table, with the structure of profit-sharing performance bonuses expected to remain the primary point of contention.

 

Musk: SpaceX to Phase Out Falcon Fleet Once Starship Achieves High Cadence

 

Elon Musk stated on X that once Starship achieves a stable cadence of several flights per week, SpaceX will redirect its engineering and manufacturing capacity toward scaling Starship to multiple flights per day, which will entail phasing out operations for the Falcon rocket family.