🏛️ FCC greenlights mega-ISP mergers if DEI dumped | 🤖 Foxconn + Nvidia unveil 100-MW AI data hubs | 🌐 Google I/O teases Gemini everywhere

Wall Street’s caffeine drip hasn’t worn off: the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) coasts near $595 while Big-Tech mega-caps flirt with fresh highs. Treasury yields eased after a tame PPI read, nudging risk-on algos to rebalance into growth. In commodities, copper’s rally cooled as Chile signaled higher output targets. Bitcoin steadies above $105 k, and traders note basis spreads creeping toward 9 percent—carry desks are licking their chops. Watch Nvidia’s GTC follow-through and Wednesday’s Fed minutes; a surprise hawkish nugget could smack today’s AI euphoria.

S&P 500: $SPY ( ▼ 1.12% ) 

DowJones: $DJI ( ▼ 1.79% ) 

Nasdaq: $QQQ ( ▼ 1.26% ) 

German DAX: $DAX ( ▼ 1.69% ) 

Indian NIFTY: $NIFTY50.NSE ( ▲ 0.92% ) 

Bitcoin: $BTC.X ( ▲ 1.29% ) 

Ethereum: $ETH.X ( ▲ 3.61% ) 

Bitcoin ETF Bonanza

TL;DR: Spot-bitcoin ETFs raked in $667 million Monday, their biggest one-day haul this month. Fidelity and Ark hoovered up half the cash while basis trades fattened to 9 percent, juicing hedge-fund appetite. Volumes popped 40 percent and BTC held above $105 k, hinting fresh institutional legs. Options desks priced higher skew but short-dated IV barely twitched, suggesting disciplined positioning.

Why it matters: Robust ETF flows legitimize bitcoin’s “digital gold” pitch and reopen the narrative that retirement funds are still under-allocated. A resilient basis keeps arb desks long spot—tightening supply across exchanges.

Further read: https://decrypt.co/321026/fidelity-ark-funds-pull-in-343m-as-bitcoin-etf-flows-spike
Deep dive: https://cointelegraph.com/analysis/did-etfs-actually-tame-bitcoin-volatility

Genesis vs DCG Grudge Match

TL;DR: Bankrupt lender Genesis slapped parent Digital Currency Group and Barry Silbert with a $3.1 billion lawsuit, alleging fraudulent asset shuffles and dodgy intercompany notes. The filing claims DCG siphoned prime collateral before Genesis froze withdrawals last year. Creditors—already nursing 70 cent haircuts—want the court to claw assets back. Mediation talks collapsed over valuation gaps and voting-right demands.

Why it matters: A court-forced unwind could ripple into Grayscale and broad GBTC arbitrage flows, re-inflating discount risk. It’s also a stress test for crypto’s nascent bankruptcy playbook.

Further read: https://www.theblock.co/post/315940/genesis-lawsuit-dcg-barry-silbert

Cardano Treasury Drama

TL;DR: Charles Hoskinson promised a full audit after critics flagged opaque oversight of Cardano’s $600 million treasury. IO Global will publish a third-party review next quarter, detailing wallet controls and grant processes. ADA fell 4 percent intraday before retracing on Reddit reassurance threads. Community reps push for on-chain votes to hard-cap discretionary spending.

Why it matters: Cardano advertises itself as the slow-and-steady chain; any treasury trust wobble could scare the academic-leaning dev base and dent its DeFi expansion.

Further read: https://crypto.news/cardano-treasury-concerns-spark-governance-debate

Merger? Sure—just drop the diversity stuff

TL;DR: New FCC boss Brendan Carr signaled he’ll green-light big ISP tie-ups if companies sunset diversity, equity & inclusion programs he deems “shareholder waste.” Lobbyists cheered, civil-rights groups threatened lawsuits, and Wall Street modeled fresh cost-synergy numbers overnight. Analysts predict a Verizon-Charter mash-up pitch within weeks.

Why it matters: The agency is teeing up a philosophical pivot from consumer-centric policy to laissez-faire consolidation—one that could redraw broadband’s competitive map for a decade.

Further read: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/16/24345174/tech-leaders-companies-support-donald-trump-presidency

Foxconn + Nvidia = 100-MW AI playground

TL;DR: At Taipei’s Computex presser, Foxconn unveiled plans for a multi-city AI data-center network powered by Nvidia’s GB300 GPUs, eventually juicing 100 megawatts. Phase one (20 MW) spins up next spring, piggybacking Taiwan’s grid upgrades; later phases hinge on fresh renewables permits. Local startups get first dibs on cycles; Nvidia bags another showcase customer.

Why it matters: Taiwan cements itself as the densest AI compute hub outside the US, even as power-supply warnings grow louder. For Nvidia, it’s more proof that “sell shovels in a gold rush” still prints money.

Further read: https://venturebeat.com/games/nvidia-launches-ai-first-dgx-personal-computing-systems/
Deep dive: https://www.ft.com/content/8f2c3a0e-foxconn-ai-power-grid

Google I/O 2025: Gemini everywhere

TL;DR: The Shoreline Amphitheater keynote (10 a.m. PDT) promises Gemini 2.5 updates baked into Android 16, Chrome, and even Project Moohan smart glasses. Expect demos of AI-search “Answer Mode,” XR APIs, and a surprise “Gemini Agents” SDK for automated tasks. No Pixel hardware this round—save your F5 key for October.

Why it matters: Google’s scrambling to prove it can ship cohesive AI experiences, not just flashy labs projects, ahead of Apple’s WWDC reveal.

Further read: https://www.androidcentral.com/news/live/google-i-o-2025-live-blog

Gen-Z fintech Affiniti nabs $17 M for mom-and-pop expense cards

TL;DR: Six months after an $11 million seed, Affiniti closed a $17 million Series A led by SignalFire to bring Brex-style corporate cards to HVAC shops and pharmacies. Their hook: industry-specific rewards and a ledger that syncs directly with QuickBooks. Revenue tripled quarter-over-quarter, and the wait-list tops 4 000 small firms.

Why it matters: Vertical SaaS plus embedded finance remains VC catnip—proof that “unsexy” SMB back offices still hide massive TAM.

Further read: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240603937045/en/i2c-Inc.-and-Affiniti-Finance-Partner-to-Expand-Financial-Access-for-Americas-Underserved-Small-Businesses

Asus goes RTX 5060 crazy

TL;DR: Seven refreshed ROG and TUF laptops grab Nvidia’s entry-level RTX 5060, slicing sticker prices by up to $400 while keeping 240 Hz panels and Ryzen AI 9 chips. Asus claims DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation push AAA titles past 120 fps even at 1440p. The Strix G18 still weighs more than a housecat but now ships with 288 W USB-C charging—handy when you forget the brick. (Why did the dev bring a ladder to the data center? The cloud was too high.)

Why it matters: Lower-cost AI-capable GPUs widen the funnel for on-device inferencing and gaming, pressuring rivals to drop prices before back-to-school season.

Further read: https://arstechnica.com/civis/threads/nvidia%E2%80%99s-rtx-5060-arrives-on-may-19-with-a-hypothetical-299-price-tag.1507214/