‘The Big Short’ Michael Burry: U.S. stocks may peak within 9 months, and is heavily shorting the Nasdaq 100 index and semiconductor sector.

Google (GOOG.O) announced the launch of Gemini 4 Argon to developers and enterprises worldwide via the Gemini API. Gemini 4 Argon is accessible through the paid Gemini API and Google AI Ultra subscription service.

Ripple has partnered with Stripe-owned wallet infrastructure firm Privy to integrate support for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) into Privy’s developer platform. The integration eliminates the need for developers to build their own wallet infrastructure, allowing them to add XRPL wallets to their applications with features including wallet creation and management, transaction signing, plus support for XRP, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, and other assets on the network.

NVIDIA will announce a $2 billion artificial intelligence investment in Europe this week.

According to official announcements, Solana research and development firm Anza has announced that Alpenglow will launch on Solana’s mainnet-beta at approximately 22:50 UTC+8 on October 21. The 18-month-long upgrade will complete the migration in a single slot, cutting block finalization time from several seconds to roughly 150 milliseconds. Alpenglow will replace the TowerBFT consensus protocol that Solana has used since its mainnet launch. The upgrade combines the latest consensus research advancements with erasure-coded data distribution technology, aiming to boost block confirmation speeds across the global network to as close to physical limits as possible. Alpenglow is expected to deliver a more efficient underlying infrastructure for 24/7 global capital markets, supporting high-throughput transactions and near-instant settlement. For institutional users, the protocol will reduce transaction settlement time from the typical 1–3 business days to around 150 milliseconds, while providing cryptographic guarantees and enabling direct on-chain payment processing to cut down on intermediaries and reconciliation requirements. For developers, faster confirmation speeds will improve Web3 application responsiveness, reduce wait prompts and retry logic, and bring on-chain app interaction experiences closer to those of traditional internet applications. Additionally, Alpenglow will offer a more suitable on-chain transaction environment for AI agents to execute high-speed operations. Combined with payment tools like x402, AI agents will be able to complete payments and other on-chain operations more efficiently without permission, lowering transaction friction. This upgrade will further strengthen Solana’s support for use cases including high-frequency trading, institutional financial services, Web3 applications, and the AI agent economy.

According to BIT (bit.com) market data, Apple (AAPL.O) stock has hit a new all-time high, currently trading at $346.1, up 1.5%.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has downplayed recent rumors of a possible leadership transition at the firm, describing them as just "noise". Goldman's Chief Operating Officer John Waldron has long been viewed as a potential successor to Solomon. Recent reports suggested Solomon could step down as early as next year, bringing the timing of Goldman's leadership handover back into the market's spotlight. Solomon stated Tuesday during an earnings call with analysts: "I want to be clear: there are no ongoing succession transition arrangements at Goldman Sachs, nor any related timeline. The board and I are fully focused on the company's growth strategy and continue to deliver outstanding services to our clients." He added that he is satisfied with the company's development progress, which in turn makes him enjoy his current role more.