Wednesday 23 September 2026 | Join Free | Upgrade

Hi there, this is your daily ☕️ Finpresso.

In today's newsletter:

🚀 ₿ Bitcoin leads crypto back above $3 trillion

🤖 OpenAI unveils cheaper GPT-6 Sol and Luna

💰 Anthropic launches Claude Opus 5.5 at 40% lower cost

📈 Nasdaq closes at a record high as AI stocks rally

💳 Airtel Money nears $9B London IPO

Plus: 🌍 11 macro news, 🏢 10 corporate news, and 📑 6 research & reports.

📊 Before The Bell

Markets, last 24 hours: S&P 500 +1.49%; Nasdaq +2.72%; FTSE 100 -0.16%; Bitcoin -0.38%; Gold -0.64%.
Change over the last 24 hours · as of Sep 23, 2026, 5:58 AM ET

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🚀 ₿ Bitcoin leads crypto back above $3 trillion LINK
  • Digital assets have climbed back above $3 trillion in total market value for the first time since January, driven by a sharp Bitcoin rally that has also pulled altcoins including Zcash and Hyperliquid's HYPE token higher.
  • The advance is being amplified by leverage in perpetual futures, with more than $920 million in bearish bets liquidated Monday as prices surged, while rising open interest signals fresh speculative positions replacing the shorts being squeezed out.
  • Analysts warn the setup cuts both ways: with leverage running ahead of actual buying, a modest reversal could trigger forced selling of long positions, and US spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $999 million Monday, the biggest inflow since October 6.
🤖 OpenAI unveils cheaper GPT-6 Sol and Luna LINK
  • OpenAI launched two new models, GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, priced at least 50% below the GPT-5.6 versions they replace, as developers increasingly pick AI systems on cost-per-task rather than benchmark scores.
  • Sol now costs $2 per million input tokens and $10 for output, half the prior rates, while Luna drops to $0.10 and $0.50; OpenAI credits cheaper processing and says, unlike GPT-5.6's promotional pricing, these rates are permanent.
  • The cuts landed the same day Anthropic trimmed Claude Opus 5.5 by 20% to $4 per million input tokens, though Gartner warns cheaper tokens may still raise total AI bills as more complex workflows consume far more of them.
💰 Anthropic launches Claude Opus 5.5 at 40% lower cost LINK
  • Anthropic rolled out Claude Opus 5.5 on Tuesday, saying its new flagship model costs 40% less to run than Opus 5 on typical workloads, a pricing move aimed at customers weighing cheaper alternatives.
  • The cost cut lands as software firms increasingly turn to open-weight models, including Chinese ones, to escape the expense of proprietary US systems, with the model now available across Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
  • The launch comes as Anthropic prepares an initial public offering reportedly slated for November, later than the October debut some investors expected, timed partly to showcase strong third-quarter results and counter OpenAI's momentum from its GPT-Astra release.
📈 Nasdaq closes at a record high as AI stocks rally LINK
  • The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.45% to a record close of 27,243.24 on Tuesday, driven by Micron and other AI-linked chip stocks, while the S&P 500 slipped a fraction to 7,764.27, just shy of a record.
  • The rally traced back to strong demand for Meta's new AI assistant, Muse, which can send emails and complete transactions for users, though the same tool dented consumer software shares on fears it could displace retailers, brokerages and insurers.
  • The moves came with oil trading near $100 a barrel and the 10-year Treasury yield around 4.94%, as investors weighed Trump's UN threat over the Middle East and a US-China summit on Thursday that could extend the trade truce.
💳 Airtel Money nears $9B London IPO LINK
  • Airtel Money, the African mobile payments arm of Airtel Africa, is preparing to file for a London IPO that could raise at least $800 million at a $9 billion valuation, with paperwork possible this week.
  • The targeted raise is well below the $2 billion previously reported, and London won out over a Middle East listing partly because of regional unrest, drawing on a customer base of more than 56 million across Africa.
  • The debut would rank among London's biggest in years, offering relief to the LSE after a stretch in which firms, including fintechs, favored New York for their listings.

Don’t Be The Last One To Know.

Knowledge is everything to Founders & CEOs. That's why Max's CEO Report gives 250,000 of them the end-of-day, quick, and easy-to-read biz news recap that keeps you informed and ahead of most. You build your empire all day. We catch you up on what matters at the end of it!

🌍 Macro News

  • Six Canadian banks explore tokenized deposits for faster, programmable payments nationwide. LINK
  • CFTC chair warns mass tokenization will transform markets over coming decade. LINK
  • European shares rise as easing oil prices calm supply concerns. LINK
  • Boston Fed's Collins says inflation may remain notably above 2% target. LINK
  • Ineos idles three Hull chemical plants as gas prices undermine competitiveness. LINK
  • IMF urges advanced economies to cut borrowing and impose tougher spending discipline. LINK
  • India's Russian crude imports fell 16.5% in August, likely declining further. LINK
  • Copper nears record as shrinking Chinese inventories fuel scarcity concerns. LINK
  • European central banks oppose requiring stablecoin reserves in bank deposits. LINK
  • Libya's Sharara oilfield cuts output two-thirds after armed group blocks pipeline. LINK
  • Kalshi seeks CFTC approval for leveraged trading on prediction contracts. LINK

🏢 Corporate News

  • Binance buys $100 million Circle stake, strengthening ties to USDC. LINK
  • SoFi begins settling all card transactions with its own stablecoin. LINK
  • Snorkel AI raises $350 million at $3.5 billion valuation. LINK
  • DoorDash will pay $131.5 million to settle New York worker claims. LINK
  • Google will fund upgrades at Georgia Power nuclear plants to expand capacity. LINK
  • Berkshire builds nearly 10% Lennar stake, boosting the homebuilder's shares. LINK
  • BitMEX ends trading after 11 years, allowing withdrawals from remaining balances. LINK
  • Verda reaches $1 billion valuation after raising €164.8 million for expansion. LINK
  • Alibaba expands cloud footprint with new regions and data centers worldwide. LINK
  • PayPal enables purchases through Meta's Muse AI assistant at merchants worldwide. LINK

📈 Stocks

▲ Biggest winners
Rambus rose 9% after strong Q2 FY2026 results with revenue of $207.38 million up 20.4% year over year and non-GAAP EPS of $0.77 beating estimates by 7.69%. LINK
Dick's Sporting Goods rose 8% after directors purchased shares on the open market. LINK
Monolithic Power Systems rose 8% after StoneX initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $1,800 price target. LINK
 
▼ Biggest losers
Bending Spoons fell 7% after announcing a $1.4 billion acquisition of Miro. LINK
Charles Schwab Corporation (The fell 6% after Vanguard-backed AI threat to brokerage business. LINK

📑 Research & Reports

  • Free wealth protection kit: walks through moving part of a retirement account into physical gold, with the paperwork and tax rules laid out. Get the free kit
  • Bernstein forecasts prediction markets reaching $10 trillion annual volume by 2035. LINK
  • BlackRock says AI agents may use stablecoins for autonomous payments. LINK
  • OECD cuts 2027 UK growth forecast to 1%, citing higher energy costs. LINK
  • Goldman says $100 oil will limit China's potential purchasing rebound. LINK
  • Treasury trading increasingly clusters around daily index pricing times, especially month-end. LINK
  • Federal Reserve review links SVB collapse to balance-sheet weaknesses, not social-media panic. LINK

📅 Market Calendar

This week's market calendar — Thu: COST.
Earnings  ·  Economic events

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