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BlockBeats News, July 7th. According to Visa on-chain data, in the first half of 2026, Circle's stablecoin USDC accounted for approximately 70% of the adjusted stablecoin transaction volume, further expanding its lead over competitor Tether's USDT. Meanwhile, USDT accounted for about 25% during the same period. The data shows that the adjusted stablecoin trading volume in June rose to a record-breaking $1.79 trillion, a 63% increase from May's $1.1 trillion and a 125% increase from around $795 billion in June 2025. When calculating the adjusted transaction volume, Visa excludes bot activities, exchange transfers, and other blockchain transactions that do not reflect real economic activities. At a time when the data was released, banks and other financial institutions are expanding the use of stablecoins in payments, settlements, and fund management. Standard Chartered Bank and BNY Mellon have recently enhanced services around Circle's USDC instead of building their own infrastructure, reflecting the trend of financial institutions increasingly utilizing mature stablecoin networks amid the growing demand for digital assets pegged to fiat. In the first six months of this year, the total adjusted stablecoin trading volume reached $8.82 trillion, surpassing the full-year 2024 volume of $5.8 trillion but still lower by about $2 trillion compared to the record-breaking $10.8 trillion in 2025. In 2020, USDT accounted for nearly 90% of the adjusted volume, with USDC at less than 10%; by 2022, USDC's share had risen to around 45%.

Goldman Sachs prime brokerage business data shows that as of last Thursday, long-short hedge funds primarily focused on systematic trading fell by 2.1% last week after having dropped 3.1% over the previous five trading days, marking their worst performance since December 2023. Meanwhile, as hedge funds cut leverage, performance among fundamentally driven managers also declined last week, with technology stocks being among the most heavily sold sectors.

Golden Ten Data, July 7th — European stock markets edged down from record highs on Monday as investors digested a series of merger and acquisition announcements. The STOXX Europe 600 Index closed down 0.4%, with utilities and healthcare stocks leading the declines, while financial services and banking stocks performed best. The UK M&A market was particularly active that day. ITV Plc rose as much as 2.4% before trimming its gains after agreeing to sell its media and entertainment business to Sky. British low-cost airline easyJet accepted a takeover offer from private equity firm Castlelake LP, sending its share price up 9.3% to its highest level since 2022. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has risen over the past four weeks as falling oil prices eased inflation concerns and improved the outlook for European economic growth. A global rotation of funds from technology stocks into other sectors has also boosted European markets, while the upcoming second-quarter earnings season will be crucial in testing whether this rally can continue.