👷‍♂️ Tech Layoffs Top 90 K | 🪙 Hong Kong Switches On Stablecoin Rulebook | 🍎 Apple’s ‘Solarium’ UI Leak

• US exchanges are closed, but Friday’s close tells the story: Big Tech handed back last week’s froth—Apple (-0.03 %), Microsoft (-0.01 %) and Alphabet (-1.4 %) all slipped, while Nvidia cooled to $131 after a blistering month.

• Big Tech Barometer: Options pricing implies a 5 % move for NVDA around next week’s GTC keynote—watch data-center suppliers.

• Startup Thermometer: VC term sheets are clustering around agentic-AI infra; average Series A pre-money hit $74 M, a 12-month high.

• Infrastructure Watch: Cloud spot prices for H100 instances eased 6 % on the week as European demand paused on tariff headlines.

• Wild Card: Europe’s utility-scale battery makers popped after Brussels teased a fast-track permit scheme—keep an eye on Northvolt.

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 ( ▲ 2.03% ) 

Ethereum: $ETH.X ( ▲ 4.47% ) 

Hong Kong's Stablecoin Power Play Gets Real

What Happened: Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed comprehensive stablecoin legislation requiring fiat-backed stablecoin issuers to obtain licenses from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. The law covers everything from reserve asset management to redemption protocols, positioning Hong Kong as a serious player in the digital assets race. Companies must now meet stringent requirements before selling stablecoins to the public, with the framework expected to go live later this year.

Why It Matters: This isn't just regulatory housekeeping—it's Hong Kong making a strategic bet to become Asia's crypto capital while mainland China maintains its restrictive stance. The move could attract major stablecoin issuers looking for regulatory clarity, potentially shifting significant digital asset activity to Hong Kong's financial ecosystem.

Further Reading: coindesk.com/policy/2025/05/21/hong-kong-joins-global-race-with-new-stablecoin-licensing-bill

Bitcoin's $110K Recovery Proves Crypto Whiplash Is Real

What Happened: Bitcoin bounced back to just under $110,000 after weekend chaos triggered by Trump's EU tariff threats, which had knocked it down to $108,600. The recovery came after Trump extended his tariff deadline to July, with Cardano's ADA and Dogecoin leading the charge with 3% gains. Over $500 million in long liquidations got wiped out during the weekend selloff, but options traders are already buying September $130K Bitcoin calls.

Why It Matters: This weekend's roller coaster perfectly captures crypto's schizophrenic relationship with macro events—one tariff threat can evaporate half a billion in leveraged positions, but one deadline extension brings everyone racing back. The speed of both the crash and recovery shows crypto markets are still essentially emotional teenagers with access to unlimited leverage.

Apple's "Solarium" Interface Could Make Everything Look Like Vision Pro

What Happened: Leaked reports suggest Apple will unveil a new interface called "Solarium" at WWDC 2025, bringing visionOS-inspired transparent effects and glass-like elements across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The unified design language aims to create visual consistency across Apple's entire ecosystem, with transparency and depth effects becoming the new normal.

Why It Matters: If true, this represents Apple's biggest visual overhaul since iOS 7's skeuomorphism purge. More importantly, it signals Apple's commitment to making spatial computing feel natural across all devices, not just the Vision Pro. Your iPhone might finally start feeling like it belongs in 2025 instead of 2017.

Further Reading: iclarified.com/97422/apple-to-unveil-new-solarium-interface-at-wwdc-report

Tech Industry Hits 90,000 Layoffs Milestone

What Happened: The tech sector has officially shed over 90,000 jobs in 2025, with Intel and Microsoft leading the charge in what's becoming a systematic restructuring rather than panic cutting. The layoffs span everything from traditional software roles to emerging AI positions, suggesting companies are realigning their workforce rather than simply downsizing.

Why It Matters: Here's the plot twist nobody saw coming—these aren't recession layoffs, they're efficiency layoffs. Companies are discovering that AI tools can genuinely replace certain roles while creating demand for others. It's creative destruction in real-time, and the workers caught in the middle are paying the price for this technological transition.

Further Reading: capacitymedia.com/article-tech-industry-layoffs-soar-2025

Monarch Raises $75M to Replace Your Dead Mint App

What Happened: Personal finance app Monarch secured $75 million in funding to capitalize on Mint's shutdown, boosting its valuation to $850 million. The company is betting that former Mint users are hungry for a premium alternative that doesn't sell their data to advertisers. Monarch offers subscription-based budgeting tools with bank-level security and no ads—basically everything Mint users wished they had.

Why It Matters: This funding round proves that sometimes the best business strategy is simply not sucking when your competitor implodes. With millions of Mint refugees still searching for a new financial home, Monarch's timing couldn't be better. Plus, it's a rare example of consumers actually willing to pay for privacy—assuming they follow through.