Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - CME Group generated revenue of $1,700,000,000, up 10% from Q2 2024 [10] - Average rate per contract for the quarter was $0.69, resulting in the highest quarterly clearing and transaction fees of $1,400,000,000, up 11% year over year [10] - Adjusted operating income reached a record $1,200,000,000, up 14% year over year, with an adjusted operating margin of 71%, up from 69.1% in the same period last year [11] - Adjusted net income was $1,100,000,000, and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $2.96, both up 16% from the previous year [11] - Capital expenditures for the quarter were approximately $19,000,000, and cash at the end of the quarter was $2,200,000,000 [11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Average daily volume (ADV) for the quarter was 30,200,000 contracts, a 16% increase year over year, with records in interest rates, agricultural commodities, and metals [4][5] - Financial products volume grew by 17%, while commodity sector volume grew by 15% [5] - International business had an ADV of 9,200,000 contracts per day, up 18% from the prior year, with EMEA up 15% and APAC up 30% [6] - Over 90,000 new retail traders participated in CME markets for the first time, a 56% increase compared to the same period last year [6] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Open interest increased by 7% from the end of Q2 2024 and 10% from year-end 2024 [5] - Nasdaq 100 futures and options trading volume climbed to more than 2,500,000 contracts per day, up 22% versus last year [7] - Record activity in gold and crypto markets, with gold up over 37% among retail and micro Bitcoin up 94% [40] Company Strategy and Development Direction - CME Group focuses on expanding its retail trader base and enhancing market access through partnerships with new futures brokers [6][39] - The company is optimistic about the growth of its crypto franchise and plans to continue participating in that market [33] - CME Group announced a ten-year extension of its exclusive license to offer futures and options on NASDAQ indexes, ensuring continued access to these products [8][9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management highlighted the resilience of markets amid global uncertainties, including record levels of debt and geopolitical tensions [18][20] - The company anticipates continued demand for risk management products due to macroeconomic factors [20] - Management expressed optimism about the retail segment's growth and the increasing sophistication of new traders [29][30] Other Important Information - CME Group's adjusted effective tax rate was 23.3% [11] - The company paid dividends of $455,000,000 in Q2 and approximately $3,000,000,000 over the first half of the year [11] - CME Group's total adjusted operating expenses for the year are expected to be approximately $1,635,000,000, which is $15,000,000 below prior guidance [12] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the key drivers that can sustain strong hedging activities going into the second half? - Management noted the difficulty in predicting volumes but emphasized the need for risk management due to global uncertainties, including high debt levels and geopolitical unrest [17][20] Question: Can you discuss the recent take-up of retail traders and their trading behavior? - Management reported a significant increase in new retail traders and expressed confidence in their continued participation across various asset classes [27][29] Question: How is the company thinking about capital deployment given the cash balances? - Management stated that capital deployment strategies remain opportunistic, balancing buybacks and dividends based on market conditions [51][53] Question: Can you discuss the impact of tariffs on the physical commodities business? - Management indicated that tariffs are leading to market dislocations, creating opportunities for increased trading activity across various client segments [58][60] Question: What is the status of the trial with former floor traders? - Management refrained from commenting on pending litigation but confirmed no accruals have been made for potential damages [90] Question: What are the hurdles for bringing 24/7 trading to the marketplace? - Management acknowledged the costs associated with staffing for 24/7 trading and indicated that demand will dictate the feasibility of such an initiative [96][100] Question: How has the FX Spot Plus product performed since its launch? - Management reported strong initial performance with significant trading volume and participation from new entities, enhancing market quality [107][109]

Remittances are shifting to crypto faster than expected.Jake (@immutablejacob):Remittances are shifting to crypto faster than expected.Bitso Business moves more than 10% of the US-to-Mexico corridor (≈ $64B/yr) using stablecoins. https://t.co/aCpfwFftCT ...

Stablecoins are reaching escape velocity.The total market is projected to 5x by 2030, reaching $1.4T.At that scale, it's clear why Sei is becoming the preferred base layer for stablecoin expansion.Markets Move Faster on Sei. ($/acc) https://t.co/htIRQiOiBw ...

Company Overview - Western Union (WU) shares increased by 6.2% to close at $8.6, supported by strong trading volume, contrasting with a 4.1% decline over the past four weeks [1][2] - The company is focusing on stablecoins as a growth area, aiming to enhance cross-border money transfers and maintain value stability in volatile markets [2] Earnings Expectations - WU is projected to report quarterly earnings of $0.44 per share, unchanged from the previous year, with revenues expected to be $1.04 billion, a decrease of 2.9% year-over-year [3] - The consensus EPS estimate has been slightly revised higher in the last 30 days, indicating a potential for price appreciation [4] Industry Context - Western Union operates within the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry, which includes other companies like Shift4 Payments (FOUR) [5] - Shift4 Payments has seen a 13.2% return over the past month, with its EPS estimate for the upcoming report revised down by 1.2% to $1.23, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 28.1% [6]

Why Amazon and JPMorgan Are Launching Their Own Stablecoins？ https://t.co/KBOnS8Pwgg ...

RT Tamar 天马 (@tamarincrypto)Really enjoyed diving into @MessariCrypto’s State of Stablecoins report.This slide in particular caught my eye.Stablecoins velocity is highest on @solana, a strong signal of actual medium-of-exchange usage.We should lean into stablecoins that move. Why?TVL + Velocity = UtilityTVL = trust and capital base.Velocity = actual usage.Together? Not just parked capital but actual value in motion on-chain.s/o to @artemis and @Perena__ teams! ...

Bitcoin & Crypto Market Trends - Bitcoin保持在118,000美元的水平，Trump媒体购买了价值20亿美元的比特币，成为第五大比特币公司金库[1] - 美国证券交易委员会主席Paul Atkins表示，鼓励上市公司采用比特币和加密货币作为储备资产[1] - Tether CEO出席白宫活动，稳定币被认为是增加美元全球主导地位、推动美元在全球的采用、成为传统金融系统的重要组成部分以及更便宜和更快速的未来[1] - Tether拥有约4亿链上用户，且以每季度3000万用户的速度增长，但仅占全球人口的约1/16，而美元占全球贸易交易的近50%，稳定币的使用有巨大的增长空间[10] Regulatory Landscape - 美国通过了Genius Act，为支付稳定币创建了首个联邦监管框架[1] - Clarity Act 帮助确定数字资产是证券还是商品，解决美国证券交易委员会或商品期货交易委员会之间长期存在的管辖权混乱[1] - 反中央银行数字货币法案禁止美联储发行中央银行数字货币，解决对隐私和政府过度干预的担忧[1] Stablecoins & US Dollar - 稳定币将成为市场的重要组成部分，降低摩擦，增加速度，最终将更多资本投入比特币[10] - 各国都在寻求摆脱美元，但人们实际上想要美元，稳定币将继续在国际贸易中变得越来越受欢迎[10] Retail vs Institutional Investors - 散户投资者在4月份股市下跌时买入，并在市场反弹时获得回报，而机构投资者则持观望态度[12] - 散户投资者在特斯拉、Palantir、GameStop、Open Door和比特币等投资上是正确的[13] - 机构正在关注散户，因为他们意识到散户有能力影响市场[25] Self-Directed Investors - 自主投资者通过互联网学习，直接进入市场，不依赖金融顾问或股票经纪人[11] - 自主投资者可以承担更多风险，因为他们不是在管理别人的钱，他们关心的是绝对回报[13] Open Door Case Study - Eric Jackson认为Open Door的股票被低估，并预测其股价可能达到82美元，这引起了散户投资者的关注[16][17] - Open Door的股票交易量创下纪录，并多次因波动性过大而暂停交易[19] - Open Door可能会利用投资者对股票的兴趣来筹集资金，以加强其资产负债表[20][21] Athletes as Investors - 运动员有责任利用自己的财富创造世代财富，而不是浪费掉[47] - 运动员通常具有竞争性，并且喜欢通过学习和分析来找到表现优于其他资产的投资[50] - 联盟正在努力教育运动员有关财务管理和投资的知识[54]

Promotion Details - Trust Wallet's promotion of sending stablecoins with zero gas fees on BNB Chain is ending soon [1] - USDT and USD1 transfers remain free until July 31 [1][2] - Free transfers for FDUSD and USDC end on July 1, 00:00 UTC [1][2] Supported Actions - Users can withdraw, bridge, or transfer stablecoins with zero gas fees during the promotion period [1][2]

Stablecoin & Dollarization - Stablecoins, particularly Tether/Tron, are facilitating global dollarization [1] - Stablecoins are enabling improvements in DeFi, e-commerce, and payments [1] Key Players - Tether (Tether_to) and Tron (trondao) are central to the stablecoin narrative [1]

PayFi 🤝 StablecoinsHuma Finance 🟣 (@humafinance):JUST IN: @MessariCrypto releases their 128-page State of Stablecoins report 📊We’re honored to be featured alongside leading banks, payment giants, and valued partners shaping the future of finance.The report highlights stablecoins as crypto’s strongest use case, powering https://t.co/yGzLojVmCL ...