D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) stock rose Wednesday after it announced a major merger agreement.D-Wave agreed to acquire Quantum Circuits Inc. in a $550 million deal.D-Wave said it will pay $300 million in stock and $250 million in cash.The company said the deal combines two key quantum computing approaches under one company.D-Wave said the transaction strengthens its reach across the broader quantum market.Strategic RationaleD-Wave said the acquisition adds Quantum Circuits’ error-corrected gate-model tec ...

For most of 2025, I was writing about Getty Images ( GETY ) and their encouraging prospects with the planned merger to Shutterstock ( SSTK ), which was initially meant to close later inI’m Jason Ditz and I have 20 years of experience in foreign policy research. My work has appeared in Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times and the Detroit Free Press, as well as American Conservative Magazine and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. I have been writin ...

Group 1: Market Trends and Inflows - U.S. crypto ETFs experienced significant inflows, pulling in $443 million on December 30, with Bitwise and Grayscale filing for Bittensor ETFs targeting AI and DeFi for 2026 [1][6] - Bitcoin ETFs reversed a seven-day outflow streak with $355 million in net inflows, led by BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust with $143.8 million, ARK 21Shares' ARKB with $109.6 million, and Fidelity's FBTC with $78.6 million [2][3] - Ethereum spot ETFs recorded their first positive flows in over a week, attracting $67.84 million in net inflows after previous outflows exceeding $102 million [4] Group 2: Institutional Demand and New Filings - Bryan Courchesne, CEO of DAIM, indicated that the net inflows signal a positive rebound from recent de-risking pressures, highlighting resilient institutional demand [3] - Bitwise filed applications for 11 new cryptocurrency ETFs targeting tokens across AI and DeFi sectors, including Aave, Ethena, and Uniswap [6][7] - Grayscale filed a registration statement to convert its Bittensor Trust into an ETF, marking the first attempt to launch a U.S. spot ETF offering direct exposure to Bittensor [8] Group 3: Future Predictions - Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan predicts Bitcoin will hit new all-time highs in 2026, driven by falling interest rates and accelerating institutional adoption [10]

Core Viewpoint - Dan Tapiero believes Bitcoin is in the mid-stage of its current cycle and will eventually align with the recent growth seen in precious metals [1] Group 1: Market Maturity and Developments - The cryptocurrency space has matured significantly since 2021, with more tested and diversified companies generating increased revenue [2] - The upcoming IPOs of successful private Digital Asset Ecosystem (DAE) companies will open new liquidity avenues in traditional finance [2] - The approval of cryptocurrency companies by traditional financial markets like NYSE and Nasdaq enhances legitimacy and confirms proper governance [2] Group 2: US Market Dominance - The "Americanization of crypto" is just beginning, with the US equity market capitalization being 65% greater than that of Europe and Asia combined [3] - The US capital market is further reinforced by a substantial increase in stablecoin volume, reaching $25 trillion this year, compared to nearly zero five years ago [4] - The dominance of the US market is expected to accelerate as more global crypto/blockchain businesses seek to enter US financial markets through SPACs, RTOs, and IPOs [4] Group 3: Future Projections - Tapiero anticipates at least 50 more significant crypto/blockchain public companies will emerge in the next five years, further solidifying US dominance [5] - Price forecasts include silver reaching $85 per ounce, gold at $5,500 per ounce, and Bitcoin at $180,000 [5]

Investors planning ahead for the 2025 holiday season should be aware of the upcoming stock market closures and shortened trading days.  The SPY is climbing into Christmas. See the chart here. President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order closing federal agencies on both Wednesday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 26, creating a five-day holiday weekend for government employees. Read Next: Trump Sends Space Stocks To The Moon (Literally)Despite these federal closures, the NYSE and Nasdaq have confirmed ...

During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga's extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yield ...

Core Viewpoint - Shutterstock is positioned as a high-income opportunity within the growing AI sector, despite recent stock price declines and challenges in its older content segment [3][4][14]. Financial Performance - The company has a market capitalization of approximately $718.8 million, with 35.5 million shares outstanding, and offers an annual dividend of $1.29 per share, resulting in a yield of 6.37% [1]. - The stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 6.87x, significantly lower than the sector average of 15.01x, indicating that investors are discounting future earnings [2]. - In Q3 2025, revenue increased to $260.1 million from $250.6 million, while net income decreased to $13.4 million from $17.6 million, and diluted EPS fell from 0.50 to 0.37 due to higher costs [6]. - Adjusted net income declined from $46.4 million to $36.4 million, and adjusted EPS fell from 1.31 to 0.99, indicating margin compression [7]. AI Integration and Growth Strategy - Shutterstock is enhancing its offerings by integrating AI tools and services, allowing customers to create content more efficiently [3][8]. - The company is transitioning from being a data supplier to a partner in model design, training, and evaluation, providing tailored content and insights [8]. - The global AI market is projected to grow from nearly $260 billion in 2025 to over $1.2 trillion by 2030, highlighting the potential for Shutterstock's growth in this sector [5]. Analyst Perspectives - Analysts project a growth rate of 14.94% for the full year 2025, with expected earnings of $3 per share, up from $2.61 in 2024 [11]. - Consensus among analysts is neutral, with a "Hold" rating and an average price target of $27.57, suggesting about 30% upside from the current price [12]. Conclusion - Despite trading at a steep discount and facing challenges, Shutterstock is seen as a misunderstood income play in a growing AI environment, with potential for gradual returns driven by its high dividend yield and ongoing investments in AI [13][14].

Group 1 - Grayscale has launched the first Dogecoin spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the U.S., which began trading on NYSE Arca [3] - The Grayscale Dogecoin Trust ETF (NYSE:GDOG) has accumulated inflows of $2.16 million and total assets under management of $3.92 million as of November 26 [3] - Bitwise has also launched its Dogecoin ETF (NYSE:BWOW), which achieved a trading volume of $2.83 million on its first day, surpassing Grayscale's debut volume [4] Group 2 - Combined, the Grayscale and Bitwise ETFs have total assets under management of $6.48 million, representing 0.03% of Dogecoin's total market value [4] - Following the launch of the new ETFs, Dogecoin's price increased by 1.39% to $0.1542 over the last 24 hours, with a weekly gain of 4.4% [5] - The Grayscale ETF closed 1.60% higher at $18.29, while the Bitwise DOGE ETF closed at $25.51, up 3.1% [5]

Core Insights - Bitwise launched its Dogecoin ETF under the ticker BWOW on the NYSE, aiming to provide regulated access to Dogecoin for investors [2] - Grayscale's Dogecoin ETF, GDOG, experienced its first inflows of $1.80 million after a slow start, bringing total net assets to $3.50 million [4] Group 1: Bitwise Dogecoin ETF - Bitwise's Dogecoin ETF began trading on the NYSE, certified by NYSE Arca, allowing investors to gain exposure to Dogecoin in a regulated manner [2] - The ETF structure is designed for long-time holders seeking ease of custody and transparency [2] - Bitwise CEO highlighted Dogecoin's sustained relevance and cultural influence, reinforcing the decision to launch the ETF [3] Group 2: Grayscale Dogecoin ETF - Grayscale's GDOG ETF had a flat debut but saw improved activity with $1.80 million in net creations, indicating growing interest [4] - The initial trading volume of $1.4 million was considered solid for an average launch but low for a first-ever spot product [5] - The early inflow suggests that institutional investors may be monitoring the performance of DOGE-linked products before making further investments [5]

Group 1: ETF Launch and Institutional Demand - Grayscale has launched the Grayscale XRP Trust ETF on NYSE Arca under the ticker GXRP, converting it from a private placement introduced in September 2024, aimed at providing straightforward exposure to XRP [2] - The launch of the ETF broadens access to the growing XRP ecosystem, following similar XRP ETF rollouts by Canary Capital and REX Shares, indicating a wave of new offerings tied to digital assets [2][3] Group 2: Regulatory Developments - The regulatory landscape for XRP has improved after Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ended their long-running court battle, with a ruling stating that Ripple's programmatic sales on exchanges did not violate securities laws [4] - The SEC's changed posture under the second Trump administration has led to accelerated ETF approvals and conversions across the sector, including several Grayscale products tied to other cryptocurrencies [5] Group 3: Price Action and Technical Analysis - XRP is currently trading near $2.09, up about 2% on Monday, but remains trapped inside a large descending triangle that has guided price action since August [9][10] - The price is defended by sellers at a down-sloping trendline, while buyers are stepping in near a rising support base around $1.9, which is a key level for investors [11][18] - A clean break below the support at $1.9 could lead to a new leg lower toward $1.7 and potentially $1.5, while buyers need to reclaim $2.19 and close above the descending trendline near $2.4 to regain momentum [19][20]