News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
China Wants To Cripple Anthropic
China's President Xi Jinping wants to build a better AI mousetrap. He made the claim at a large gathering at the World AI Conference in Shanghai. China can dominate the world's AI progress. Among his comments was "AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation." It may be a coincidence that this comes as Anthropic is about to launch its IPO. The New York Times reports that all signs point to Anthropic's plan to go public amid many challenges to its model. "The artificial intelligence lab is said to have taken more steps that are consistent with a company aiming to go public in the fall," the newspaper reported. China is not the only hurdle. Stiff competition from a number of other companies, which include OpenAI and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG | GOOG Price Prediction), means that its technology needs to stay one step ahead of the industry. And, the stock market has shown skepticism about the future of companies that need hundreds of billions of dollars to build out data centers, and whether they remain on the cutting edge of what may be the most important technical advance in history. Anthropic's value after its large round of funding was $965 billion. Its annualized revenue is about $47 billion, based on recent estimates. There is ample evidence that China has made impressive advances in AI. According to Bloomberg, "Chinese models are winning over companies worldwide, with their share of US firms' AI usage nearing a record 60% on the popular marketplace OpenRouter." Xi also said China wants to dominate the setting of standards for AI use worldwide. His comments also come with news that a new model from his country's Moonshot, a private company, can match the strengths of Anthropic's models. The brutal battle over which company has the most advanced and useful AI also comes at a time when corporations are asking whether AI products are worth what they have to pay for access to them. In June, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) said Anthropic's Claude AI models were too expensive compared to others and that companies are starting to look for alternatives. Of course, as an Anthropic competitor, Microsoft's objectivity needs to be questioned. Today, really today, companies need to decide who is right and who is wrong. Does China's technology come close to Anthropic's? By almost any measure, it is less expensive. Or is Anthropic's technology so much better that its high prices are justified? It is among the major questions that the company faces as it goes public. Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
SpaceX's only problem is finding more space to work with
SpaceX's IPO marks the moment the space dream became a mainstream capital markets story. For decades, it has sold a vision of interplanetary civilization on behalf of the wider space industry. In one sense, not much has changed. That vision remains central to its identity. What has changed is that the market is no longer treating that ambition as distant science fiction. No company raises more than $85 billion on vision alone. SpaceX has reached the public markets as something rarer: a company whose long-term mission is extraordinary, but whose near-term infrastructure is already becoming essential. That belief is not built on hype. It is built on a refusal to accept the old aerospace consensus and the ability to execute a new vision. SpaceX put reusability at the center of launch architecture and forced the rest of the industry to rethink what a rocket company could be. Then it built Starlink, and forced the world to rethink telecommunications too. Now, as it moves into orbital data center, it will need to rethink the orbits at which satellites fly as well. The vast majority of the more than 10,000 satellites in space currently operate in low Earth orbit (LEO), roughly 500 to 700 kilometers above the Earth. That number is set to increase dramatically, with SpaceX applying to put up to 1 million new satellites into space. The reality is that, if orbital data centers are to become viable, we will need to think seriously about operating satellites even lower, in very low Earth orbit, or VLEO, roughly 200 to 300 kilometers above the Earth. That is because LEO is already becoming crowded. In addition to the satellites already in space, tens of thousands of pieces of debris are being tracked in orbit, with millions more fragments too small to track. Starlink satellites executed around 300,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in 2025, a 50% increase from 2024. If we move from 10,000 satellites to one million in LEO, the number of maneuvers needed to avoid collisions could become extraordinary. That is not an argument for writing off orbital data centers. The investment case is compelling, given the pressure AI is placing on the world's electrical grids. Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, has predicted that AI could account for 99% of total electricity generation, while some estimates suggest annual spending on grids will need to double to $970 billion by 2050. If SpaceX is right that orbital data centers can help solve this problem, it could end up controlling a significant share of global AI infrastructure within five to ten years. SpaceX is also likely to hold that advantage for a long time, given no other company can yet match the scale, complexity and cost profile of its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. However, there has been far less discussion about where these satellites will go, and what happens if they collide with space debris. The Kessler effect, long discussed as a theoretical risk, describes a scenario where one collision creates thousands of pieces of debris, which then cause further collisions and still more debris. In the worst case, this could create an exponential cascade that makes parts of the orbit around Earth virtually unusable. For years, this has felt like a distant problem. But with more satellites being launched every day, governments and industry need to think seriously about how it could become a reality. They need to agree where satellites go, how long they stay there, and how to remove them once they have outlived their usefulness. This is why SpaceX, and the wider space industry, will need to operate satellites in VLEO as well if the orbital data center vision is to become reality. Historically, that has proved almost impossible. Atmospheric drag pulls objects at these altitudes back to Earth within weeks, making it commercially challenging to keep satellites there. But that same drag is also a safety mechanism. It means any debris is cleared from orbit within weeks too. In other words, VLEO is the first "self-cleaning" orbit we can use, and it dramatically reduces long-term collision risk. At NewOrbit, we have developed a unique electric propulsion system that makes it possible for satellites in VLEO to operate not just for a few weeks or months, but for more than five years. That changes the commercial case for VLEO, turning what was once seen as an impractical orbit into one that can support long-duration, high-value space infrastructure. For expensive hardware like orbital data centers, that should not only reduce repair costs over the long term, but also help reduce insurance costs. Much like SpaceX's own mission was once dismissed as a dream, the technology needed to make VLEO viable is advancing fast. In a world where megaconstellations are becoming the norm, VLEO flight will become essential. This orbit does not just reduce collision risk. It can also unlock sharper imagery from smaller, cheaper spacecraft and direct-to-device connectivity that could make phone signals reliable even in remote regions. The SpaceX IPO should therefore be seen as both a milestone and a warning. It proves that space infrastructure has entered mainstream capital markets, but it also raises the possibility that LEO could become a permanently congested operating environment. We need an alternative. That will require regulators, agencies, investors and companies to treat orbital sustainability as a design requirement, not an afterthought. There will need to be different satellites, different orbits and new incentives to encourage lower-altitude operations. SpaceX has shown what happens when a company moves quickly and thinks at enormous scale. But the challenge now is not just to show what can be unlocked by putting more satellites into space. It is to do so in a way that is sustainable and useful for hundreds of years to come. Increasingly, that future will be lower than we think. Anatolii Papulov is the CEO and co-founder of NewOrbit.
SpaceX Starship launch aborted after engines fail to start
* A SpaceX Starship launch was automatically aborted on Thursday after some engines failed to ignite. * The launch attempt was the 13th test flight for the Starship rocket from Starbase, Texas. * CEO Elon Musk stated that two of the Raptor engines would be replaced out of caution. * The next launch attempt will not occur until next week at the earliest. The countdown clock hit T-0. Some engines ignited. Steam surrounded the rocket. But SpaceX's massive Starship rocket stayed on the pad. The much anticipated Thursday, July 16 liftoff from Texas was aborted. While a new launch date has not yet been set, it won't be until next week at the earliest. "Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort. Now offloading propellant," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X shortly after the abort. The engine visual on the SpaceX webcast showed four out of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super-Heavy booster did not start up. Musk later updated that two of the Raptor engines would be replaced out of caution. This 13th Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas marks the second test overall of the new Starship V3 (Version 3), which is the same model of the ship expected to someday launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. Starship will later also launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base's Launch Complex 37, where SpaceX is building two launch pads -- 37A and 37B. SpaceX claims that a debut Florida launch for Starship could come as early as later this year, however that depends on how well the upcoming test flight goes. When this second test flight of Starship V3 does happen, the goals are: successful launch, controlled booster landing, ship coasting in space, a relight of a single ship engine, deployment of 20 Starlink satellites, and a splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean. Six of the Starlink satellites are outfitted with cameras to assess the ship's heatshield while it coasts in space. The Super-Heavy booster will not be caught back at the launch site for this mission, as SpaceX is still testing the performance of the engines. It is targeting a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico, after stage separation. The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live coverage of Flight 13 at FloridaToday.com/Space on launch day. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
SpaceX Starship launch aborted after engines fail to start
The countdown clock hit T-0. Some engines ignited. Steam surrounded the rocket. But SpaceX's massive Starship rocket stayed on the pad. The much anticipated Thursday, July 16 liftoff from Texas was aborted. While a new launch date has not yet been set, it won't be until next week at the earliest. "Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort. Now offloading propellant," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X shortly after the abort. The engine visual on the SpaceX webcast showed four out of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super-Heavy booster did not start up. Musk later updated that two of the Raptor engines would be replaced out of caution. This 13th Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas marks the second test overall of the new Starship V3 (Version 3), which is the same model of the ship expected to someday launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. Starship will later also launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base's Launch Complex 37, where SpaceX is building two launch pads -- 37A and 37B. SpaceX claims that a debut Florida launch for Starship could come as early as later this year, however that depends on how well the upcoming test flight goes. When this second test flight of Starship V3 does happen, the goals are: successful launch, controlled booster landing, ship coasting in space, a relight of a single ship engine, deployment of 20 Starlink satellites, and a splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean. Six of the Starlink satellites are outfitted with cameras to assess the ship's heatshield while it coasts in space. The Super-Heavy booster will not be caught back at the launch site for this mission, as SpaceX is still testing the performance of the engines. It is targeting a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico, after stage separation. The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live coverage of Flight 13 at FloridaToday.com/Space on launch day. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
Can India finally get its own Elon Musk, SpaceX? Skyroot's Vikram-1 launch could change space ecosystem
Is India getting ready for its own SpaceX or Elon Musk? The question may appear to be preposterous, but the recent development has paved the path for daring private sector entrepreneurship in the space sector. After the Union government launched the Indian Space Policy 2023, the doors for Non-Government Entities (NGEs) were opened, and they were allowed to undertake end-to-end space activities, creating a level playing field for private companies. The next watershed moment came a few days back when Skyroot Aerospace announced to launch India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, Vikram 1. India's first private rocket: Vikram- 1 It will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 11.30 AM ON July 18, 2026. It will be a test flight, named Mission Aagaman, to check the rocket's performance before commercial operations begin. It will also carry a handwritten note from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The company said in a note, posted on the social media platform X, "Among the payloads on Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 is something truly special -- a handwritten postcard from Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi with the words, "Vande Mataram." Mission Aagman can carry a payload of up to 350 kilograms and place the satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The propulsion of the rocket is made up of three solid-fuel stages and one liquid-fuel Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM) for precision payload insertion. Skyroot Aerospace, Mission Aagaman If the mission succeeds, Skyroot Aerospace will become the first Indian private company to put a rocket into orbit from Indian soil. It will reflect the development of India's private sector space industry ecosystem. The success of the mission will show the private launch capability alongside ISRO. This will enhance India's capacity to serve the growing global small satellite market. It will throw open a big and expanding space launch business in India, where private companies can offer reliable, cost-effective launch services for international customers, particularly those from Europe. The Mission Aagman aligns well with the government's mission of encouraging Non-Government Entities (NGEs) to undertake end-to-end space activities and drive commercial growth. * The private companies can use ISRO's infrastructure, testing facilities, technical expertise, and launch support. * In an attempt to encourage the private sector and support it, the government has come out with a liberalised FDI policy, IN-SPACe authorisation guidelines, and a Venture Capital Fund of Rs 1,000 crore. I * t has also allowed startups discounted pricing for ISRO facilities. However, all is not hunky-dory. There are challenges, risks and the uncharted future that may go wrong and take an unexpected turn.
SpaceX Starship launch aborted after engines fail to start
Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The countdown clock hit T-0. Some engines ignited. Steam surrounded the rocket. But SpaceX's massive Starship rocket stayed on the pad. The much anticipated Thursday, July 16 liftoff from Texas was aborted. While a new launch date has not yet been set, it won't be until next week at the earliest. "Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort. Now offloading propellant," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X shortly after the abort. The engine visual on the SpaceX webcast showed four out of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super-Heavy booster did not start up. When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? SpaceX, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida Musk later updated that two of the Raptor engines would be replaced out of caution. This 13th Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas marks the second test overall of the new Starship V3 (Version 3), which is the same model of the ship expected to someday launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. Starship will later also launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base's Launch Complex 37, where SpaceX is building two launch pads -- 37A and 37B. SpaceX claims that a debut Florida launch for Starship could come as early as later this year, however that depends on how well the upcoming test flight goes. When this second test flight of Starship V3 does happen, the goals are: successful launch, controlled booster landing, ship coasting in space, a relight of a single ship engine, deployment of 20 Starlink satellites, and a splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean. Six of the Starlink satellites are outfitted with cameras to assess the ship's heatshield while it coasts in space. The Super-Heavy booster will not be caught back at the launch site for this mission, as SpaceX is still testing the performance of the engines. It is targeting a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico, after stage separation. The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live coverage of Flight 13 at FloridaToday.com/Space on launch day. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Starship launch aborted after engines fail to start
SpaceX Buying Tesla at Current Valuations Would Not 'Pass Muster,' Gary Black Says as SPCX Retreats From
Musk Control Does Not Erase Board Duties "Those who think $SPCX will buy $TSLA don't understand the concept of board fiduciary duty," Black wrote on X. Black put Musk's control at 82% of SpaceX's voting power and 42% of its equity. SpaceX's prospectus shows Musk retained overwhelming voting control, including power to elect the board, while public shareholders have limited influence over corporate decisions. "That doesn't magically let the SPCX board off the fiduciary hook," Black said. Dilution Math Undersells A Tesla Takeover His central objection is dilution. SpaceX shares traded near $131 Friday, below their $135 IPO price and far below their post-listing peak. Buying Tesla with stock would require SpaceX to issue substantial new shares, reducing investors' ownership. "At $132 and sinking, SPCX can't just buy TSLA in a 25% dilutive equity deal," Black said. "The math won't pass muster." Wall Street Weighs Merger Logic And Risks Wall Street has examined the idea. Jefferies estimated that a nil-premium transaction could leave Musk with 55.3% voting control while preserving room to offer Tesla shareholders a premium. JPMorgan called a combination "strategically coherent on paper," pointing to integration across artificial intelligence, robotics, energy, transportation and space, while warning of governance, execution and regulatory complications. The debate comes before Tesla reports second-quarter results on July 22. According to Benzinga Pro data, Wall Street expects earnings of 32 cents per share and revenue of $26.02 billion. Tesla has already reported 480,126 vehicle deliveries for the quarter. Price Action: Tesla stock is trading 2.03% lower at $383.30 during pre-market hours on Friday. Benzinga edge rankings indicate TSLA stock as a Momentum score in the 42nd percentile and a Growth score in the 88th percentile. Image via Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.
AI Is Becoming a Commodity, and That's a Problem for OpenAI and Anthropic
A handful of remarkable things that recently happened in the world of artificial intelligence all point in one direction: AI is becoming a widely available commodity. First, the price of AI good enough to accomplish most everyday tasks has dropped precipitously. This is due to lightweight models that run in the cloud and on our devices, including new ones from Google, Apple and Chinese AI companies. Most Read from The Wall Street Journal Second, Meta Platforms showed the world it could potentially compete with the two leading AI labs, OpenAI and Anthropic, on their own turf, delivering high-performing models for the lucrative coding market. And third, the current computing-power bottleneck appears set to ease as more data centers come online, and engineers figure out how to deliver AI more efficiently. For some applications, the supply of tokens -- the basic unit of AI use -- is catching up with demand. These developments are great for the world. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman hailed intelligence "too cheap to meter" as a goal just a year ago. And rather than taking all the jobs, AI might actually boost productivity of many workers and potentially reduce digital friction in our modern lives. But is this good news for OpenAI and Anthropic? Poised for IPOs, both depend on maintaining a competitive edge over incumbent tech companies for future profitability. If AI models turn out to be a general-purpose technology like the automobile or electricity, what can they uniquely offer? Competition and price wars As of March, global consumer market share of OpenAI's ChatGPT, measured by unique users across mobile and web, fell below 50%, according to the market-intelligence firm Sensor Tower. That's mostly due to competition from Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. As for enterprise customers, Chinese AI models can now match the leading U.S. models by some measures, at far lower cost. On the OpenRouter leaderboard, which tracks business consumption of AI tokens on its platform, the top five models are all Chinese, and approximately 45% of all tracked tokens now flow through Chinese models. Thinking Machines Lab, led by Mira Murati, former OpenAI chief technology officer, just released a free-to-use open-weights model it says will balance power and running cost. Translation: Who needs an AI Ferrari to get to work when the AI Honda Civic is right there?
SpaceX IPO earns millions for US Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler - CNBC TV18
US Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler multiplied the value of her investment in Elon Musk's SpaceX after she was nominated for the job, earning millions of dollars from the company's record initial public offering, a Reuters review of her financial disclosures showed. Loeffler invested between $1 million and $5 million as of January 3, 2025, in xAI, Musk's AI and social media firm that has since merged with SpaceX, according to a required financial disclosure submitted before she became SBA's administrator. Later in 2025, Loeffler invested again in SpaceX and xAI between $1 million and $5 million, according to a separate financial disclosure covering her investments for all of 2025 that she signed on May 14, 2026. Reuters obtained the form from the SBA on June 12. Loeffler's second investment has not been previously reported. Two independent government ethics attorneys agreed with Reuters' assessment of Loeffler's disclosure. Cabinet members use ranges to declare the value of their assets on their required financial disclosure forms, and they do not disclose the dates of their investments before taking office. SpaceX is a military contractor for the U.S. government. Federal law prohibits cabinet members from participating in decisions involving a company in which they have a financial interest. Public records do not show a financial relationship between SBA and xAI or SpaceX. xAI was not included on the public list of AI tools used by SBA employees in 2025. Loeffler and her team did not respond to multiple requests for comment about her SpaceX investment. Loeffler's bet on SpaceX paid off. The company priced the biggest-ever US IPO on June 12, valuing the space, satellite and AI provider at $1.77 trillion. Her first investment in xAI would have been worth between $7 million and $2.6 billion on the day of the IPO, depending on the exact amount she invested and the date she made it, said Franco Granda, analyst at data provider PitchBook. The second investment would have been worth between $2.2 million and $25.4 million that day, he said. The earlier the investment, the more it would have been worth at the IPO, he said. xAI's valuation increased by more than 7,000% between its first investment round and January 5, 2025. SpaceX's valuation more than doubled in 2025. At least 10 Trump administration officials listed investments in SpaceX or xAI on their 2025 financial disclosure forms. None of those officials works for the Defense Department. Billionaire Musk, a former Trump adviser, is the founder and CEO of SpaceX. Loeffler initially invested in xAI via a private placement, according to her disclosure form. Private placements are typically open to select individuals and institutions with significant financial resources. Loeffler is a wealthy businesswoman. She was the founding chief executive at Bakkt, a bitcoin trading platform, and spent 16 years working at Intercontinental Exchange, the firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is married to Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeffrey Sprecher. Loeffler briefly represented Georgia in the Senate. The SBA helps entrepreneurs start and build their small businesses, according to the agency website. It connects business owners with lenders and funding to help them recover from natural disasters, among other responsibilities. The Senate confirmed Loeffler as SBA administrator on February 19, 2025.
Anthropic is launching its own drug discovery programs for rare diseases using Claude...
The news landed like a thunderclap in a San Francisco conference room on June 30, 2026. Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind the cutting-edge Claude model, announced it will launch its own preclinical drug-discovery programs targeting neglected diseases, including rare conditions, while simultaneously unveiling Claude Science, an AI workbench built for researchers and drug-makers. This development could become a direct challenge to the pharmaceutical establishment, a sector that has spent decades perfecting the art of maximizing profit margins while leaving millions of patients with rare and overlooked conditions to suffer in silence. If we're betting on humanity's best intentions, Anthropic is in a position to unleash super-intelligence that could upend decades of corporate greed and Big Pharma's exploitation of human patients. But the super-intelligence could go both ways and be leveraged by Big Pharma to continue making customers for life. The deeper question remains: Will this super-intelligence be used to genuinely heal, or will it become the most sophisticated tool yet for manufacturing lifelong customers? Key points: Anthropic will run its own preclinical drug programs for neglected and rare diseases, targeting conditions that are ignored for economic reasons. The company launched Claude Science, an AI workbench for researchers, on June 30, 2026, at a San Francisco event. Eric Kauderer-Abrams, Anthropic's head of life sciences, stated the company needs to "live it along with all of you" to build the right tools. Rare diseases offer clearer biological targets, often stemming from single damaged genes, making them more amenable to AI-driven solutions. Anthropic acquired Coefficient Bio for $400 million and placed Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan on its board, signaling deep industry entanglement. The dual-agent approach used in tools like Cursor Code demonstrates AI's growing capacity for complex, multi-step tasks like drug discovery. The hard truth about why your disease gets ignored To understand what Anthropic is really doing, you must first understand the brutal economics that dictate which diseases get researched and which get abandoned. Major pharmaceutical companies operate on a simple calculus. Developing a single drug can cost anywhere from $1 billion to $2.6 billion when factoring in the cost of failed trials. The process takes ten to fifteen years. And even then, the Food and Drug Administration approves only about ten percent of drugs that enter human trials. For a company like Pfizer or Merck, investing that kind of money into a condition that affects 10,000 people worldwide is financial suicide. The math simply does not work. This is why thousands of rare diseases have no approved treatments at all. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are more than 7,000 known rare diseases, and approximately 95 percent of them lack any FDA-approved therapy. Patients are told to manage symptoms, to hope, to wait. Behind closed doors, executives admit the truth. The return on investment is too low. The patient populations are too small. The Wall Street analysts would revolt. Anthropic's Jonah Cool, the head of life sciences partnerships and deployment, put it bluntly when speaking to STAT. "These are areas that normal drug development economics don't incentivize or favor." He added, "The idea here is that the biology is often clear; the economics, if you're trying to run a drug development business, are challenging." People are dying, suffering, and deteriorating because the profit motive has failed them. Utilizing super-intelligence, drug researchers could find solutions that don't depend on these profit motives.
SpaceX (SPCX) Faces A New Risk After Iran Named Starlink A Military Target
Never miss an important update on your stock portfolio and cut through the noise. Over 7 million investors trust Simply Wall St to stay informed where it matters for FREE. * Iran has declared Space Exploration Technologies' Starlink infrastructure and its Middle East ground station as military targets. * This move introduces defense-contractor-level risk to SpaceX, extending beyond its traditional commercial space and connectivity profile. * The designation raises questions about insurance coverage, security requirements, and operational continuity for Starlink assets in the region. Space Exploration Technologies, traded as NasdaqGS:SPCX, now sits at the center of a new geopolitical flashpoint that goes beyond launch cadence or satellite deployment metrics. With the stock at $131.11 and shares down 13.8% over the past week and 35.0% over the past month, investors are already contending with sharp short term volatility. The recent returns may prompt readers to reassess how exposure to SPCX fits alongside more traditional aerospace, defense, and communications holdings. This development effectively shifts part of SpaceX's profile toward the type of risk typically associated with critical defense infrastructure. Readers may want to think about whether to classify SPCX closer to a pure commercial growth story or as a hybrid exposure that carries geopolitical and security sensitivities. Future analysis will likely focus less on launch headlines alone and more on how this new risk category filters into insurance costs, capital allocation, and long term resilience of the business model. Stay updated on the most important news stories for Space Exploration Technologies by adding it to your watchlist or portfolio. Alternatively, explore our Community to discover new perspectives on Space Exploration Technologies. Is Space Exploration Technologies's balance sheet strong enough for future acquisitions? Dive into our detailed financial health analysis. Quick Assessment * ✅ Price vs Analyst Target: At US$131.11 versus an average analyst target of US$240.29, Space Exploration Technologies trades about 45% below consensus. * ❌ Recent Momentum: The stock has fallen 35.0% over the past 30 days, suggesting sentiment has turned sharply cautious. There's only one way to know the right time to buy, sell or hold Space Exploration Technologies. Head to Simply Wall St's company report for the latest analysis of Space Exploration Technologies's Fair Value.
Starship launch fails to take off as SpaceX stock plunges to new low
SpaceX was forced to abort its latest Starship launch just seconds before lift off on Thursday after some of the engines on the world's biggest rocket failed to start. The scrubbed launch came just hours after SpaceX shares fell below their initial public offering (IPO) price of $135 for the first time, marking a 40 per cent drop in value over the last month. The share price fell a further 6 per cent in pre market trading in the minutes following the Starship launch failure. The IPO on 12 June saw SpaceX founder Elon Musk become the world's first trillionaire, though the latest stock slide has seen his net worth slip to $833 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. SpaceX's valuation is strongly tied to the success of Starship, though it is yet to prove itself to be mission ready. The company is relying on the rocket to fulfill a multi-billion-dollar contract with Nasa to send astronauts to the Moon, as well as to grow its own Starlink internet network, which is SpaceX's largest source of revenue. Thursday's launch attempt from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas was the first to carry a payload of next-generation Starlink V3 satellite, which are twice as big as earlier versions and capable of delivering more than 10 times the capacity. "Starship is planned to deploy 20 satellites which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers," SpaceX wrote in its mission brief. "The Starlink satellites will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment." The most recent Starship launch in May saw the 124-metre-tall rocket lift off successfully, before the second stage deployed dummy versions of the Starlink V3 satellites. During the descent of the first stage, multiple engine failures meant the giant rocket crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, leading the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to order an investigation into public safety. The latest engine failure will require some of the engines on Starship's Super Heavy booster to be replaced, according to Mr Musk. "Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort," the SpaceX CEO wrote on X following the failed launch attempt. "To be confident of a good flight, two Raptors will be removed and replaced." SpaceX said the next Starship launch attempt will take place "as early as next week", though no specific date has been set.
Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, SpaceX, Netflix, Apple, Tesla, Alphabet, 3M, Moody's & more
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Friday: Wells Fargo upgrades SBA Communications to overweight from equal weight Wells says buy the dip in the cellular tower company. "Upgrading SBAC to Overweight; PT to $210 ($220 Prior). Collapsed take-private headlines and a broader towers pullback sent shares sharply lower." Bank of America reiterates Netflix as buy The firm lowered its price target to $105 per share from $125 on Netflix following earnings. "While results were largely in line, they were not strong enough to fundamentally alter the debate. Netflix's decision to move engagement reporting to an annual cadence (from semiannual), coupled with softer-than-expected UCAN revenue appears to be weighing on shares despite continued subscriber growth." William Blair upgrades BJ's Wholesale to outperform from market perform The firm says it sees sales momentum. "We are upgrading BJ's to Outperform as we believe sales continue to build momentum with the potential for significant upside to consensus expectations this year and next on both the top and bottom lines." Jefferies initiates Moody's as buy Jefferies says it sees earnings growth. "We initiate on credit ratings and analytics provider MCO at Buy." Jefferies initiates MSCI as buy Jefferies says the company is a "high-quality compounder." "We initiate on index, data, and analytics provider MSCI at Buy." Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as buy Bank of America says Nvidia remains the most-owned semis stock. "In the S & P 500, NVDA r emains most-owned semi at 77.8% of funds, followed by AVGO at 75.1%; least-owned are SWKS at 3.0%, MCHP/ON at ~5%" Citi names Fox a top pick Citi says the company is a new top idea. "We believe weakness in Fox following the Roku announcement is overdone" Mizuho initiates Zentalis as outperform Mizuho says the biopharma company is at an inflection point. "We initiate ZNTL at Outperform, $8 PT..." BMO initiates Silgan Holdings as outperform BMO says it likes the company's transformation. "Silgan has transformed its business mix with faster-growing, higher-margin dispensing categories, specialty packaging, and pet food. It is no longer just a human food can company." HSBC upgrades Apple to buy from hold HSBC says it sees a "strong cycle ahead." "Apple's strong product pipeline and improved AI capabilities to support hardware revenue growth, we increase 2027e by 7%.We also expect AI applications to boost higher margin Services revenue: we increase 2027 estimates by 5.4%" Read more. Bernstein reiterates SpaceX as outperform Bernstein urged clients to remain calm following the delay of the Starship launch for SpaceX. "We have watched scrubbed launches before, as they are not unusual. Our modeling assumptions have been that Starship launches are on a timeline through 2031 that is slightly more than one year behind our understanding of company plans." JPMorgan upgrades Emerson Electric to overweight from neutral JPMorgan upgraded Emerson ahead of earnings and says investors should buy the dip. "The stock has underperformed the sector by 3% over the last three months, by 14% over the last six months, and by 15% over the last 12 months. We upgrade to OW and are long into the quarter." JPMorgan upgrades Arcos Dorados to overweight from neutral JPMorgan says shares of the fast food LatAm franchisee of McDonald's are compelling. "For Arcos, we see SSS accelerating in Brazil in 2Q following a weak 1Q, with 2H also expected to improve." Stephens initiates Dutch Bros as overweight Stephens called the company a "high growth drive through beverage platform." "We are initiating coverage on Dutch Bros with an Overweight rating and $80 PT." BMO initiates Crown Holdings as outperform BMO says shares are too attractive to ignore. "We see CCK as an attractive beverage can and cash flow story trading at a discounted valuation." JPMorgan upgrades 3M to overweight from neutral The firm upgraded the stock ahead of earnings. "We think 3M can start to turn the dial on positive earnings revisions as growth takes hold, which should support the multiple, with improving trajectory into 2027; we raise our organic growth/EPS outlook in 2026/2027 with further room for upside, raise our PT to $180 (from $178), upgrade to OW and are long into the quarter." Canaccord initiates Jazz Pharmaceuticals as buy Canaccord says it has "greater visibility" for the biopharma giant. "We're initiating coverage of JAZZ with a BUY rating and $290 price target." Bank of America reiterates Tesla as buy Bank of America says it's bullish on Tesla earnings next week. "We think investor focus for TSLA 2Q earnings will remain on its robotaxi deployments, particularly the pace of fleet scaling and new markets." Raymond James upgrades EchoStar to strong buy from market perform Raymond James says shares are compelling. "We upgrade shares of EchoStar to Strong Buy, from Market Perform. We calculate that ECHO is currently trading at a ~40% discount to our full sum-of-the-parts valuation and sitting at its YTD low." Bank of America upgrades ERock to buy from neutral The firm upgraded the power company on valuation. "We upgrade ERock (EROC) to Buy from Neutral and maintain our $16 PO." Bank of America upgrades PPG Industries to buy from neutral Bank of America says it sees organic growth for the specialty chemicals company. "We are upgrading shares of PPG to Buy from Neutral and increasing our PO to $134." Bank of America upgrades Fervo Energy to buy from neutral Bank of America upgraded the geothermal energy company on valuation. "We upgrade Fervo Energy (FRVO) to Buy from Neutral with a revised $36 PO." Oppenheimer upgrades Ecolab to outperform from perform The firm says it sees an attractive entry point. "We're upgrading Ecolab from Perform to Outperform. The primary drivers are: 1) Ecolab's core business performing well across the vast majority of its portfolio, poised to garner volume/pricing growth in excess of expenses. 2) The company's four 'growth engines' are ramping strongly delivering accretive margin contribution." BMO reiterates Alphabet as outperform BMO says Alphabet is the "best way to own AI." "Reiterate Outperform and top pick; raise target price to $455 from $435."
SpaceX Starship launch aborted after multiple engines fail to start
Here's everything to know about the scrub of Starship's 13th flight test, and when it could next get off the ground now. SpaceX was unable to launch its massive Starship rocket on a crucial flight test from South Texas after multiple engines failed to start when liftoff was imminent. The countdown to launch had proceeded as planned throughout much of the day as SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by tech mogul Elon Musk, worked toward Starship's 13th mission since 2023. But after millions of pounds of propellant were loaded into the world's largest rocket and the engine startup sequence had begun, the system triggered an automatic abort of the launch. The trouble, as Musk revealed on social media soon after, appeared to be multiple engines failing to start. The delay could extend into next week at a time when SpaceX is on the clock to have Starship ready not just for a potential Florida debut in 2026, but for a vital NASA mission in 2027. That mission, known as Artemis III could set the stage for a historic human moon landing the following year. Here's everything to know about the Starship launch abort, and when it could next get off the ground now. Did Starship launch today? Flight 13 scrubbed SpaceX was working toward a Thursday, July 16, launch of its Starship rocket, with a 90-minute launch opening at 6:45 p.m. ET at its Starbase company town and headquarters in Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The launch, though, was scrubbed at the last minute. Elon Musk says engine issues triggered last minute auto abort The delay in the launch came after "some of the engines" failed to start on Starship's first stage that provides the initial burst of thrust at liftoff, known as Super Heavy, Musk, SpaceX's chief executive, said in a post on social media site X. The issue triggered an automatic launch abort. Before another launch is attempted, Musk added in a follow-up post that two of the booster's 33 Raptor-class engines will be removed and replaced. When could Starship launch now? SpaceX targets early next week Neither Musk nor SpaceX have announced a new target launch date. In his posts, Musk only alluded to an attempt coming in "a few days," or "early next week." When a launch date is set, a 90-minute launch window will open at 6:45 p.m. ET, SpaceX says on its website. How to watch Starship launch live The launch will be available to stream on SpaceX's website beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff. SpaceX will also provide updates on social media site X. What is Starship? Starship is the massive rocket that SpaceX, the commercial company founded by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, has been testing since April 2023. SpaceX is developing the rocket to be a fully reusable transportation system that can carry huge satellites and other payloads to space, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions. Musk's vision has long been for Starship to be an interplanetary vehicle that takes humans to Mars, where they can establish a self-sustaining colony. While the world's richest man has indicated that SpaceX will focus on building a lunar city first, the company has already announced a human-led expedition to Mars' orbit - though it has not set a target date. SpaceX is also under contract with NASA to develop a lunar lander configuration of its Starship, known as the Human Landing System, to ferry astronauts to the moon under the U.S. space agency's Artemis program. How tall is Starship? Is it the world's largest rocket? Starship's most recent flight test in May marked the debut of SpaceX's third-generation prototype of the rocket. Standing at 407 feet tall when fully stacked, the new iteration of Starship - known as Version 3, or V3 - became the largest and most powerful rocket SpaceX has ever launched. Similar to previous designs, the fully integrated Starship spacecraft is composed of both a 236-feet-tall lower-stage booster known as Super Heavy, as well as a 171-feet-tall upper stage simply called Starship. What is Starship flight 13? What to expect For the next Starship test flight, SpaceX said it is aiming to complete similar objectives as the last launch in May in which it debuted its Version 3 prototype. SpaceX plans to push the performance of the Super Heavy booster - responsible for the initial burst of thrust at liftoff - before it lands in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed in the U.S. under executive order as the Gulf of America. The upper stage, which is designed to eventually fly in orbit, will also be put to the test as it flies halfway around the world ahead of a landing in the Indian Ocean. In a major first, Starship will be carrying 20 larger versions of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites that it will attempt to deliver into suborbital space. The satellites will deploy solar arrays and antennas while attempeting to connect with SpaceX's larger Starlink constellation higher up in orbit before they fall toward the ground and burn up in the atmosphere about 20 minutes later. If this sounds familiar, that's because SpaceX has deployed mock Starlink satellites during previous Starship flight tests. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
SpaceX AI Satellites Will Have 250 Kilowatts of Power
GPU average power consumption if it's doing inference over the course of 24 hours is ~2/3 of its peak power, even if you're super efficient. SpaceX AI Sat V1 peak power spec has been raised to ~250kW (battery-assisted), with average power of ~160kW. Will be able to handle an NVL72 Ruben rack. The satellite is designed to handle one full NVL72 Ruben (Rubin/Vera Rubin-era) rack, whose power draw is in the ~190-230+ kW range depending on the exact configuration and power profile (Max Q vs. Max P). 100 kW extra power, at 220 Wh/kg average pack density, ~40% usable DoD for safety/longevity). 10-minute boost (600 s, common short inference spike or thermal buffer): Energy = 100 kW × (10/60) h ≈ 16.7 kWh Battery mass ≈ 16.7 kWh / 0.22 kWh/kg ≈ 75-85 kg (depending on exact DoD and overhead). 30-minute boost (more conservative for sustained high-load periods) Energy ≈ 50 kWh Battery mass ≈ 225-280 kg. 5-minute boost (very short peaks): Energy ≈ 8.3 kWh → ~35-45 kg.
SpaceX Aborts Starship Test
SpaceX has rapidly expanded its satellite internet business and outlined ambitious plans to build artificial intelligence data centres in orbit. SpaceX called off a planned Starship test flight on Thursday just as the rocket's booster began firing, after several engines failed to start. "Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort. Now offloading propellant," company chief Elon Musk wrote on X. Musk later said two Raptor engines would be removed and replaced, with another launch attempt most likely early next week. The mission was due to be Starship's 13th test flight. Its objectives largely mirror those of the mostly successful May mission, which marked the debut of the third-generation version of the powerful spacecraft. That flight demonstrated several elements of the updated design but encountered technical problems. Engine issues on the Super Heavy booster forced it to crash into the Gulf of Mexico instead of completing a controlled return. SpaceX said it had since introduced several hardware and software changes to address the problems identified during the previous test. The next mission will seek to complete the launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback manoeuvre and offshore landing burn without complications. Starship's upper stage is expected to deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX also plans to restart a Raptor engine in space and test upgrades to the spacecraft's heat shield. The flight will be the company's first since SpaceX went public in June through a record initial public offering. Its shares closed at USD 131.11 on Thursday, below the IPO price of USD 135. SpaceX has rapidly expanded its satellite internet business and outlined ambitious plans to build artificial intelligence data centres in orbit. The progress of Starship is also crucial for NASA, which has contracted SpaceX to develop a modified version of the spacecraft as a lunar landing system. | BGNES
Polymarket puts Putin-out-by-2027 at 18.5% as ladder prices tilt later
predict.info -- Premium Domain For Sale Domain only: USD 200,000. Prediction platform technology priced separately. predict.info Polymarket Reprices the "Putin Out by 2027" Ladder as Election-Integrity Narratives Test Risk Pricing Polymarket traders are pricing the "Putin out as President of Russia by...?" ladder with 18.5% Yes / 81.5% No for the June 30, 2027 strike, on $17,731,261 in volume. The contract's pricing comes as a separate news cycle centers on renewed election-fraud claims in the US, offering a case study in how prediction markets continuously reprice risk versus slower narrative updates. Key Takeaways * Polymarket's leading strike implies an 18.5% chance Putin is out by June 30, 2027 (Yes 18.5% / No 81.5%). * Despite the broader political-news noise, the ladder is steep: near-term "out by 2026" probabilities stay in low single digits while longer-dated risk concentrates in 2027. * The market resolves on June 30, 2027, and recent trading shows a 24h and 7d move of -4.0 pp with bearish, strong momentum in the summary stats. A fact-check report reviewed a primetime speech in which President Donald Trump repeated unverified claims about the US electoral process, including alleged Chinese interference and voter-fraud allegations. The report says official assessments found no indications that foreign actors altered technical aspects of voting in 2020, while noting intelligence-community views that Russia and Iran ran influence efforts and that China did not deploy interference aimed at changing the outcome. It also described how declassified documents cited in the speech do not support the broad claims made. Odds Ladder and Flow: $17.73M Volume with 3.95% (Sep 30, 2026), 9.0% (Dec 31, 2026), 18.5% (Jun 30, 2027) and -4.0pp Mov This is a price-ladder market: each date is its own binary, where "Yes" means Putin is out by that strike date (not a single shared settlement price). The curve is highly time-sensitive: September 30, 2026 sits at Yes 3.95% / No 96.05%, December 31, 2026 is Yes 9.0% / No 91.0%, and the longest listed strike, June 30, 2027, rises to Yes 18.5% / No 81.5%, signaling traders see the risk as more back-loaded than imminent. Volume is substantial at $17,731,261, but the historical summary points to a bearish tape in the near term (change_24h -4.0 pp; change_7d -4.0 pp) even while consensus is labeled "strengthening," which fits a market converging toward "No" on earlier exits. The latest odds in the summary (8.5%) versus an average of 16.3 over the last five observations highlights how quickly this contract can gap, underscoring the difference between continuously traded probabilities and slower-moving political commentary cycles. Settlement is anchored to the June 30, 2027 resolution date, so traders are effectively expressing a time-bucketed view of leadership-change risk rather than reacting to any single headline. Watch whether pricing compresses toward the longer-dated June 30, 2027 strike or re-steepens toward the near-term dates (July/August/September 2026). A sustained move in the latest odds back toward (or away from) the recent avg_last_5 of 16.3 would confirm whether the current bearish momentum is persisting or fading ahead of the 2027 resolution window. Cross-Contract Watchlist: How Traders Hedge Leadership-Change Risk with Macro and Crypto Polymarket Markets Zooming out from this ladder, Polymarket traders often cross-check leadership-change risk against adjacent geopolitics contracts that can move on the same headlines and liquidity flows. One closely watched neighbor is 8.5% on "Will Ukraine recapture Crimean territory by...?" (December 31) with $3,273,172 in volume, a kind of parallel timeline bet that some participants use to sanity-check broader escalation and negotiation probabilities. Scanning these side markets alongside the main contract can help contextualize whether a price move is idiosyncratic to one resolution criterion or part of a wider repricing across the platform. Odds Trend By the Numbers * Platform: Polymarket * Market: Putin out as President of Russia by...? * Contract type: Price strike ladder: each rung has separate Yes/No; Yes means the spot price is above that USD strike at settlement. * Resolution window: Jun 30, 2027 (UTC) * Status: Active (open for trading) * Volume: ~$17,731,261 Top strike rungs +1 more strikes not shown
SpaceX (SPCX) Faces A New Risk After Iran Named Starlink A Military Target
Never miss an important update on your stock portfolio and cut through the noise. Over 7 million investors trust Simply Wall St to stay informed where it matters for FREE. * Iran has declared Space Exploration Technologies' Starlink infrastructure and its Middle East ground station as military targets. * This move introduces defense-contractor-level risk to SpaceX, extending beyond its traditional commercial space and connectivity profile. * The designation raises questions about insurance coverage, security requirements, and operational continuity for Starlink assets in the region. Space Exploration Technologies, traded as NasdaqGS:SPCX, now sits at the center of a new geopolitical flashpoint that goes beyond launch cadence or satellite deployment metrics. With the stock at $131.11 and shares down 13.8% over the past week and 35.0% over the past month, investors are already contending with sharp short term volatility. The recent returns may prompt readers to reassess how exposure to SPCX fits alongside more traditional aerospace, defense, and communications holdings. This development effectively shifts part of SpaceX's profile toward the type of risk typically associated with critical defense infrastructure. Readers may want to think about whether to classify SPCX closer to a pure commercial growth story or as a hybrid exposure that carries geopolitical and security sensitivities. Future analysis will likely focus less on launch headlines alone and more on how this new risk category filters into insurance costs, capital allocation, and long term resilience of the business model. Stay updated on the most important news stories for Space Exploration Technologies by adding it to your watchlist or portfolio. Alternatively, explore our Community to discover new perspectives on Space Exploration Technologies. Is Space Exploration Technologies's balance sheet strong enough for future acquisitions? Dive into our detailed financial health analysis. Quick Assessment * ✅ Price vs Analyst Target: At US$131.11 versus an average analyst target of US$240.29, Space Exploration Technologies trades about 45% below consensus. * ❌ Recent Momentum: The stock has fallen 35.0% over the past 30 days, suggesting sentiment has turned sharply cautious. There's only one way to know the right time to buy, sell or hold Space Exploration Technologies. Head to Simply Wall St's company report for the latest analysis of Space Exploration Technologies's Fair Value.
Polymarket odds keep Starmer exit near 99% as Trump outcome stays at 0.15%
Trump-Focused Commentary Fails to Move Polymarket's "Next Leader Out Before 2027" Pricing Polymarket traders continue to price a near-lock outcome in the "Next leader out of power before 2027? (No Orban)" market, with the leading selection sitting at 98.75% on $66,557,134 in volume. The move comes alongside a Trump-focused political commentary hook, while the contract's multi-outcome pricing shows where conviction is concentrated versus ignored tails. Key Takeaways * Prediction market pricing favors "Starmer - UK PM" at 98.75% (No 1.25%) as the next leader out before 2027. * The Trump-focused catalyst did not translate into meaningful probability for "Trump - USA President," which remains 0.15% (No 99.85%) in this multi-outcome book. * This market resolves on 2026-12-31, and the latest tick shows the leader easing from 99.1% to 98.75% (0.35pp down). A commentary piece framed Donald Trump as overly fixated on elections and argued that this posture is a liability for midterm politics. The item is presented as political analysis rather than a discrete event update, and it broadly critiques strategy and incentives rather than reporting a new resignation, removal, or formal process. Odds and Liquidity Snapshot: Starmer at 98.75% on $66.6M Volume as Trump Stays at 0.15% This is a multi-outcome Polymarket contract: each named leader is a separate outcome for who will be the next to lose power before 2027, and the prices represent the implied chance that specific outcome is the one that happens. The market is extremely concentrated, pricing "Starmer - UK PM" at 98.75% Yes / 1.25% No, while "Trump - USA President" trades at 0.15% Yes / 99.85% No -- so even with a Trump-centric news hook, traders are not assigning Trump meaningful likelihood to be the next leader out in this particular field. The leader's price has edged down from 99.1% to 98.75% (0.35 percentage points), a small softening that still reads as overwhelming consensus given the $66,557,134 volume. The historical summary flags bullish, moderate momentum with strengthening consensus, alongside a +29.6pp move over both 24h and 7d and an average of 94.53 across the last five readings -- signaling that the big information move was earlier, and current trading is about fine-tuning an already-dominant selection rather than reopening the race. Watch whether the leader continues to leak below ~99% while volume remains high, which would indicate growing disagreement despite the current concentration; also monitor if any non-leader outcomes (e.g., Trump at 0.15% Yes / 99.85% No) start lifting off the floor ahead of the 2026-12-31 resolution window. Related Polymarket Contracts Traders Watch Next: 2026-2027 Leadership Turnover, US Election Odds, and Macro Risk Markets Beyond this leadership-turnover book, Polymarket traders are also clustering into big-liquidity election markets and a handful of headline-driven event contracts. In "Presidential Election Winner 2028," the current front-runner sits at 19.85% (JD Vance) on $662,464,437 in volume, while "Republican Presidential Nominee 2028" is led by 49.0% (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) on $675,754,345 -- both showing how quickly odds can reprice when narratives shift. For a tighter, nearer-dated signal, "Trump out as President by July 31?" is pinned at 99.45% No on $1,247,278, and on the more speculative side "Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2026" has 13.0% on Yulia Navalnaya with $22,709,799 traded. Odds Trend By the Numbers * Platform: Polymarket * Market: Next leader out of power before 2027? (No Orban) * Contract type: Price strike ladder: each rung has separate Yes/No; Yes means the spot price is above that USD strike at settlement. * Resolution window: Dec 31, 2026 (UTC) * Status: Active (open for trading) * Volume: ~$66,557,134 Top strike rungs +20 more strikes not shown
SpaceX IPO earns millions for US Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler
US Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler multiplied the value of her investment in Elon Musk's SpaceX after she was nominated for the job, earning millions of dollars from the company's record initial public offering, a Reuters review of her financial disclosures showed. Loeffler invested between $1 million and $5 million as of January 3, 2025, in xAI, Musk's AI and social media firm that has since merged with SpaceX , according to a required financial disclosure submitted before she became SBA's administrator. Later in 2025, Loeffler invested again in SpaceX and xAI between $1 million and $5 million, according to a separate financial disclosure covering her investments for all of 2025 that she signed on May 14, 2026. Reuters obtained the form from the SBA on June 12. Loeffler's second investment has not been previously reported. Two independent government ethics attorneys agreed with Reuters' assessment of Loeffler's disclosure. Cabinet members use ranges to declare the value of their assets on their required financial disclosure forms, and they do not disclose the dates of their investments before taking office. SpaceX is a military contractor for the US government. Federal law, opens new tab prohibits cabinet members from participating in decisions involving a company in which they have a financial interest. Public records do not show a financial relationship between SBA and xAI or SpaceX. xAI was not included on the public list of AI tools, opens new tab used by SBA employees in 2025. Loeffler and her team did not respond to multiple requests for comment about her SpaceX investment. Value of SpaceX investment soars Loeffler's bet on SpaceX paid off. The company priced the biggest-ever U.S. IPO on June 12, valuing the space, satellite and AI provider at $1.77 trillion. Her first investment in xAI would have been worth between $7 million and $2.6 billion on the day of the IPO, depending on the exact amount she invested and the date she made it, said Franco Granda, analyst at data provider PitchBook. The second investment would have been worth between $2.2 million and $25.4 million that day, he said. The earlier the investment, the more it would have been worth at the IPO, he said. xAI's valuation increased by more than 7,000% between its first investment round and January 5, 2025. SpaceX's valuation more than doubled in 2025. At least 10 Trump administration officials listed investments in SpaceX or xAI on their 2025 financial disclosure forms. None of those officials works for the Defense Department. Billionaire Musk, a former Trump adviser, is the founder and CEO of SpaceX. Loeffler initially invested in xAI via a private placement, according to her disclosure form. Private placements are typically open to select individuals and institutions with significant financial resources. Loeffler is a wealthy businesswoman. She was the founding chief executive at Bakkt, a bitcoin trading platform, and spent 16 years working at Intercontinental Exchange, the firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is married to Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeffrey Sprecher. Loeffler briefly represented Georgia in the Senate. he SBA helps entrepreneurs start and build their small businesses, according to the agency website. It connects business owners with lenders and funding to help them recover from natural disasters, among other responsibilities. The Senate confirmed Loeffler as SBA administrator on February 19, 2025.
