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The stablecoin issued by SoFi has surpassed a supply of 300 million USD, with most of the growth coming from the Solana blockchain. (Cointelegraph)

On July 1, the commodities market concluded the first half of 2026, with precious metal prices mostly retreating after earlier highs. Spot gold has fallen over 7%, dropping more than $1,500 from its historical peak reached earlier this year. Spot silver has seen a cumulative decline of about 18%, with its price more than halved from its historical high this year. Spot platinum has dropped over 24%, and spot palladium has decreased nearly 25%. In contrast, base metals like copper reached a new high this year, with a cumulative increase of 7% in the first half; aluminum rose by 3.7%. Despite a significant pullback from its peak due to geopolitical tensions, oil prices have maintained their gains for the year, with WTI crude oil up 21.6% and Brent crude oil up 20%.

On July 1, Michael Burry, the inspiration behind the movie "The Big Short," disclosed a new round of bearish bets focused on the artificial intelligence and semiconductor sectors. He stated that he has shorted Tesla (TSLA.O) at around $416.22 per share, describing this as part of his assessment of an 'AI bubble.' Additionally, he has established short positions on Nvidia (NVDA.O), Caterpillar, Applied Materials, and a semiconductor ETF. Burry mentioned that these trades are part of his overall hedging strategy against the overheated valuations in AI and semiconductors, but he did not disclose specific sizes, only indicating that he entered the short position after a rebound in Tesla's stock. The market showed clear divergence in response, with related tech stocks generally rising during the trading session.