Weekly Market Recap | Aug 04 – Aug 10

Analyst Highlights

• S&P 500 gains 1.88% for the week, with tech and financials leading market momentum.
• Bitcoin dips 0.86% to $116,500, consolidating after nearing record highs.
• Carry trades rebound strongly, fueled by weaker dollar and Fed rate cut expectations.
• Global credit spreads tighten, leaving investors with fewer value opportunities without higher risk.
• Bolivia’s crypto payments surge to $300M, as inflation and dollar shortages push businesses toward USDT and BTC.
• NATO signals Ukraine concessions may be discussed, ahead of high-stakes Trump–Putin peace talks.

IPO’s in the week

• CTW Cayman (CTW, Nasdaq Capital) raised $12M on Aug 6, 2025, offering 2.4M shares at $5.00. The Tokyo-based firm runs G123.jp, the world’s largest anime IP-based HTML5 gaming platform, with 27 live titles and 11 in pre-registration.
• Quantumsphere Acquisition Corp (QUMSU, Nasdaq Global) raised $72M on Aug 7, 2025, via 7.2M shares at $10.00. The Cayman Islands–based SPAC, led by Ping Zhang, seeks sector-agnostic targets with strong growth potential.
• Firefly Aerospace Inc. (FLY, Nasdaq Global) raised $868.3M on Aug 7, 2025, selling 19.3M shares at $45.00. The Texas space and defense firm provides launch vehicles, spacecraft solutions, and mission services, achieving the first U.S. commercial Moon landing.
• WhiteFiber, Inc. (WYFI, Nasdaq Capital) raised $159.4M on Aug 7, 2025, offering 9.38M shares at $17.00. The New York AI infrastructure provider operates Tier-3 HPC data centers and GPU-powered cloud services, targeting 76 MW capacity by late 2026 with a 1,300 MW pipeline.
• Avidbank Holdings, Inc. (AVBH, Nasdaq Global Select) raised $60M on Aug 8, 2025, selling 2.61M shares at $23.00. The California bank holding company will use proceeds to boost capital, expand lending, and optimize its balance sheet.
• DarkIris Inc. (DKI, Nasdaq Capital) filed to raise $6.9M via 1.5M shares at $4.00. The Hong Kong–based mobile game developer publishes and operates titles across card, ARPG, and MMO genres, focusing on overseas growth after exiting mainland China operations.
• Etoiles Capital Group Co., Ltd. (EFTY, Nasdaq Capital) filed to raise $9.66M via 1.4M shares at $4–$6. The Hong Kong–based investor relations firm serves listed and pre-IPO companies in Hong Kong and the U.S., with revenue rising from $0.1M (2023) to $2.5M (2024).
• Heartflow, Inc. (HTFL, Nasdaq Global Select) filed to raise $316.7M via 16.67M shares at $19. The California-based medtech firm offers an AI-powered 3D heart imaging platform for diagnosing and managing coronary artery disease, used in 400K+ patients to date.
• Starry Sea Acquisition Corp (SSEAU, Nasdaq) plans to raise $57.5M from 5M shares at $10.00. The Cayman Islands–incorporated SPAC, led by Yan Liang, will seek a merger or acquisition target without industry or geographic limits, leveraging management’s ties to the PRC for deal sourcing.

Markets Weekly

1. S&P 500 closed at 6,389.45, up 117.74 points and 1.88% for the week.
2. Russell 1000 ETF closed at 349.70, up 3.05 points and 0.88% for the week.
3. Russell 2000 closed at 2,218.42, up 6.12 points and 0.28% for the week.
4. Russell 3000 closed at 3,625.24, up 28.87 points and 0.80% for the week.
5. CBOE (VIX) closed at 15.15, down 2.37 points and 13.53% for the week.
6. Dow Jones closed at 44,175.61, up 451.59 points and 1.04% for the week.
7. NASDAQ closed at 21,450.02, up 396.44 points and 1.88% for the week.
8. Bitcoin closed at $116,500.36, down $1,005.02 and 0.86% for the week.
9. Ethereum closed at $4,263.60, up $551.70 and 14.86% for the week.
10. Solana (SOL) closed at $180.18, up $18.22 and 11.25% for the week.
11. XRP closed at $3.2279, up $0.1551 and 5.05% for the week.
12. Gold closed at $3,439.10, up $64.70 and 1.92% for the week.
13. Silver closed at $38.417, up $1.225 and 3.29% for the week.
14. WTI Crude closed at $63.88, down $2.41 and 3.64% for the week.
15. Brent Crude closed at $66.59, down $2.41 and 3.49% for the week.

• Geopolitical uncertainty over U.S.–Russia negotiations weighed on sentiment, with investors watching for potential shifts in energy and defense markets if talks advance.
• Computer-driven traders are bullish, but human investors stay cautious amid growth, inflation, and tariff concerns, Deutsche Bank reports.
• Carry trades are rebounding as a weaker dollar and expected Fed cuts spur demand for high-yield currencies like Brazil, South Africa, and Egypt.
• Ether topped $4,000 for the first time since December, boosted by $6.7B ETF inflows and $12B corporate buys, up 190% since April.
• Genius Act bans stablecoin interest; regulators to define “interest” as firms explore rewards and collateral options to compete with banks.
• OCC to decide if Circle, Ripple can get national trust bank charters, bypassing state licenses. Banks warn of loopholes; crypto firms see legitimacy boost.
• Bolivia, hit by 25% inflation and dollar shortages, saw crypto payments surge to $300M in H1 2025 as businesses turn to USDT and Bitcoin.
• Oil fell after its biggest weekly drop since June, with Brent near $66 and WTI above $63, ahead of Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine that could boost supply.
• US gold futures slipped as traders awaited White House clarity on tariffs after a surprise ruling that bullion bars would face duties, easing Friday’s record price spike.
• China boosts soybean oil exports and tests Argentine meal imports to cut reliance on US soy amid trade tensions.
• Schonfeld CEO Ryan Tolkin, 38, revived the fund after losses by cutting staff, decentralizing decisions, and refocusing on quant trading, bringing assets back to $14B.
• Global credit markets are stretched, with record-low spread differences between bonds, leaving investors little room to find bargains without taking on more risk.

Politics Weekly

• NATO chief Mark Rutte signaled Ukraine’s territory may be discussed in U.S.–Russia peace talks, as Trump meets Putin in Alaska Friday and Zelenskiy rejects concessions.
• Zelenskiy vowed not to cede territory to end the war, as European leaders reaffirmed borders must not be changed by force ahead of Trump–Putin peace talks this week.
• EU leaders seek talks with Trump before his Putin meeting, as Moscow demands Ukraine cede Donbas and Crimea in exchange for a ceasefire.
• Nvidia and AMD will pay the US 15% of China chip revenues to regain export licenses after a sales freeze amid US–China trade tensions.
• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expects most trade talks to wrap up by October, with Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland still seeking deals.
• Trump’s tariffs risk widening India’s $6.3T market gap with China, as MSCI India lags 10% this quarter and foreign investors pull $3B in July.
• Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir visits the US for the second time in two months, signaling stronger ties after Trump lowered tariffs on Pakistani imports.
• Iran opposes a US-backed Azerbaijan-Armenia corridor near its border, calling it a threat to Armenia and warning it would be “a graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries.”
• Iran will deny IAEA inspections until a new agreement is reached, FM Araghchi said, adding talks continue with Europe but not the US.
• India claims it downed five Pakistani jets in May using S-400 missiles; Pakistan denies losses and seeks independent verification.
• Putin and Lula vowed to boost Brazil-Russia ties and BRICS cooperation, with Brazil seeking new trade partners amid US tariffs. 

Technology Advancements in the week

• Palo Alto Networks is in talks to buy CyberArk Software for over $20B to boost its position in the $24.6B identity-security market.
• DeepX hires Morgan Stanley for funding ahead of 2027 IPO; partners with Baidu on industrial AI.
• C3.ai posts Q1 sales of $70.3M, far below estimates; shares drop 10% as company overhauls sales leadership to revive growth.
• Pacific Equity Partners is close to buying 50–70% of Spark New Zealand’s data center unit in a deal valuing it at over NZ$600M, positioning for AI and cloud growth.
• Sea Ltd.’s Shopee has jumped 300% since early 2024, boosted by its hyperlocal SPX Express network, cementing its Southeast Asia e-commerce lead.
• Bitcoin surged 3.2% to $122K, nearing its $123,205 all-time high, as institutional inflows, ETF demand, and new U.S. gold tariffs boost appeal as a store of value. Ether jumped above $4,300, its highest since Dec. 2021, with bullish options positioning for $6K by year-end.
• Malaysia’s Zetrix AI is launching “NurAI,” a Sharia-based AI chatbot using DeepSeek tech, offering lifestyle, legal, and financial guidance in multiple languages.

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