0:09
Tottenham Hotspur drops $133M on Sandro Tonali in club-record deal
So Tottenham just spent a huge amount of money on Sandro Tonali, a whopping 133 million dollars. What's interesting here is that this is their most expensive signing ever, and it shows how transfer fees just keep going up and up. This deal is making people wonder if all this spending is actually going to lead to better performance on the field, or if it's just going to put a strain on the club's finances. It's a pretty big risk, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
0:43
Trump Set to Travel to Turkey for NATO Meeting
Trump is heading to Turkey on Tuesday, where he’ll sit down with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. The meeting is set for the morning, and it’s the first time the two leaders will talk face‑to‑face since the summit was announced.
Later that day, Trump is also slated to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two will discuss NATO’s role in supporting Ukraine’s defense and how the alliance plans to coordinate aid and security guarantees.
Both meetings are part of the broader gathering of NATO members, which kicks off on Tuesday and runs through the weekend. The agenda includes talks on collective defense, strategic deterrence and the alliance’s response to the war in Ukraine.
Analysts say the Turkey stop could shape how the United States positions itself within NATO, especially as the group looks to reaffirm its commitments amid rising tensions in Europe.
1:40
Cloudflare and AWS Embed x402 Agent Payments at the Edge
Cloudflare and AWS both rolled out the x402 stablecoin micropayment system on their edge networks within a fortnight, and the speed of that rollout is what caught my eye. The protocol, sitting under the Linux Foundation’s umbrella, essentially brings back the old HTTP 402 status code, but now it’s being used for tiny, sub‑cent transactions between agents and services. It’s a neat little twist on something that’s been around for ages, repurposed for a very modern use case.
What’s striking is how quickly the ecosystem is moving. Coinbase says they’ve already logged 169 million of these micro‑transactions in the first year alone, which suggests the network effects are kicking in faster than many expected. The payments are stablecoin‑based, so the value stays predictable, and the edge‑centric design means the latency is minimal—perfect for the kind of real‑time interactions developers have been craving.
The only big hiccup left is the back‑office side of things. Enterprises are still wrestling with how to fit these micro‑payments into their existing tax and invoicing frameworks, and that gap hasn’t been closed yet. It’s a reminder that while the tech can be slick, the surrounding processes often lag behind. Still, the groundwork is there, and the next steps will probably focus on tightening those compliance loops.
3:00
Thomas Tuchel salutes ‘heroic’ England players and says it feels like winning a final
Coach thrilled by heart, belief and ‘pure will’ in Mexico
Jordan Henderson in hospital after injury in celebrations
A drained and delighted Thomas Tuchel paid tribute to a “heroic performance” from England after they emerged from Estadio Azteca with a historic 3-2 win over Mexico, handing them a World Cup quarter-final against Norway.
Many of England’s players fell to the turf at the end of a highly charged, emotional night ton which they repelled waves of pressure for most of the second half after Jarell Quansah’s red card. Tuchel said the victory felt similar to winning a final and piled praise on the attitude of his exhausted side.
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3:45
Albertine
Albertine is a vintage‑sounding, slightly aristocratic French name that peaked in early‑20th‑century France and made the U.S. Top 1000 from the 1880s through the 1920s. It fell out of common use, but it shares the same clunky charm as Alma, Dorothea, and Clementine, and it feels both spirited and substantial.
The name’s recent buzz comes from Instagram mom Rebecca Woolridge, who paired Maya with Albertine for one of her triplet girls. That exposure has sparked interest in its nickname possibilities—Bo, Bertie, Alba, Albie, Bernie, Betsy, Allie, Bina, Berry—giving it a modern, flexible edge despite its old‑world roots.
If you like names that blend a French aristocratic vibe with a playful, “bouncy” sound, Albertine might be worth a second look. It’s a solid, slightly off‑beat choice for anyone who enjoys a name that feels both historic and fresh.
4:37
Building strength and muscle mass: how to optimize training, nutrition, and more for longevity (AMA #71 rebroadcast)
Large cohort studies link higher muscle mass to lower mortality, and a meta‑analysis of resistance‑training trials shows modest gains in strength and insulin sensitivity across ages.
For most people, two to three full‑body sessions per week, each with 3‑4 sets of 6‑12 reps, hit the sweet spot—enough stimulus without overdoing recovery. Progressive overload—adding a little weight or a rep each week—keeps muscles adapting.
Protein matters: about 1.2–1.6 g per kilogram of body weight daily, spread over meals, supports synthesis. Timing isn’t critical, but a dose soon after training can help.
Don’t forget sleep and mobility work; quality rest and regular movement preserve joints and keep the nervous system responsive, which together support long‑term strength and health.
5:31
Standing Out From the Single-Stock ETF Crowd
As the Architect in The Matrix Reloaded put it: “the problem is choice.”
That’s particularly the case nowadays for leveraged and inverse single-stock funds, which are coming to market en masse to take advantage of some of the hottest companies on the market. Most recently, a flurry of single-stock ETFs have launched offering exposure to SpaceX, but similar treatments have been given to NVIDIA, Tesla, Apple, Coinbase and MicroStrategy. With Anthropic and OpenAI IPOs on the horizon, we can expect to see more soon. It’s making for a complicated and confusing menu of funds for advisors looking to add leverage.
“Marketing is huge in this space,” said Steve Foy, senior vice president of trading at Tidal Group. “Awareness is really the true differentiator.”
These types of funds have a short-term nature, so investors aren’t committing to an investment they’ll hold beyond a day or so. But they still have to decide between funds that are essentially offering the same thing, and often, for the same price. Morningstar analyst Zachary Evens agrees that brand awareness is key for issuers jostling for a spot in an investor’s portfolio.
“There are a handful of single-stock providers that are fairly popular in the retail community, and the assets reflect that,” he added. “Brand awareness would make it potentially likely for a trader to go to one brand first over another brand just because they’re aware of this brand over another that might offer the same or competing product.” Morningstar’s database shows that there are 430 single-stock ETFs in the US, with the largest providers being Direxion, GraniteShares and AXS Investments.
But branding isn’t the only differentiator:
- Speed to market is another major factor “for everything that’s not the biggest stock story of the day,” Foy said. “It’s about being there first and being available.” That could mean offering a single-stock fund for a stock that’s not yet hotly watched, though it also means focusing on new, in-demand areas of the market.
- Volume also matters, since investors want to be invested in a tight market. Tax management can play a role, too, Foy said, since investors typically don’t want to catch a dividend when only owning a fund for a few days.
Risky Business: Single-stock ETFs can generate high returns, especially when offering 200% (or more) of the performance of an underlying stock that’s taking off. But they come with plenty of risks, including the potential for outsized losses. Evens said to also be wary of volatility decay, a phenomenon where even if the underlying stock price goes up over time, the ETF doesn’t gain the same amount and might actually lose money. “That’s why these products should not be held for extended periods of time,” he added.
The post Standing Out From the Single-Stock ETF Crowd appeared first on The Daily Upside.
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8:17
Cyclicality Beyond Crypto, Fading the Masses and More
Welcome Avatar! So far so good. We’re seeing another bear market rally and suspect that there will be at least one more leg down. Overall, we’re more focused on the social interest, on chain movements and time based capitulation vs. the monthly moves. Many people got sucked into BTC when it went from 70s to 90s again then 60s to 80 again (so on and so f…
8:42
Questioning the hype around Uttar Pradesh’s “revenue surplus” in 10 charts
Yogi Adityanath’s talks about a revenue surplus in Uttar Pradesh sound impressive, but the numbers behind the claim tell a different story. The state’s books show a modest surplus on paper, yet spending on subsidies, salaries and capital projects keeps climbing, outpacing the extra cash it reports. Meanwhile, the fiscal deficit has barely shrunk, and debt levels keep rising, suggesting the surplus is more bookkeeping than real cushion.
The charts also reveal that tax collection isn’t keeping up with the growing economy, so the surplus is partly a result of lower revenue expectations rather than stronger earnings. In short, the headline figure masks a budget that’s still stretched thin, with structural gaps that could bite later.
9:31
100 A-Listers’ Summer Reads; A24-Google DeepMind Fears; NBCU Breakup
Happy birthday, USA! Here’s to making the most of this historic weekend, whether you’re glued to the World Cup drama or chilling poolside with a great book — and in case you’re still looking for that perfect summer read, we’ve got 100 for you to choose from, recommended by some of the biggest names in showbiz, media and beyond. Sony Pictures CEO Ravi Ahuja to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Jason Blum to Molly Shannon, Jay Ellis to Sherry Lansing, Amelia Dimoldenberg to Franklin Leonard all reveal what’s on their bedside table — and why.
Plus, we’ve also collected our top feature stories of the year so far — from Sean McNulty’s and Claire Atkinson’s excellent analyses of Paramount’s move to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (and what might still get in the way) to Matthew Frank’s searing take on Hollywood nepo babies and Degen Pener’s memorable report on why cigarettes are making a comeback. Catch up on our 2026 hits!
And finally, as the industry grew increasingly quiet ahead of the holiday, Matthew made some noise with his scoop about an Academy shakeup — the exit of org veteran Teni Melidonian in a restructuring from CEO Bill Kramer. As AMPAS readies itself for the 100th Oscars and a transition from ABC to YouTube, expect more ripples ahead.
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Save Our Sets: A Microdrama Lifeline Arrives — With Jobs Elaine Low toured the newly built sets at Sunset Las Palmas, where an L.A.-based microdrama studio is betting that vertical series — werewolves, steamy bedrooms and all — can buoy production.
Anne Rice, Zombies — and Netflix? AMC’s Plan to Outlast the Streaming Giants AMC’s chief content officer, Dan McDermott, tells Lesley Goldberg about the platform’s premium-for-adults strategy, Walking Dead plans and a new A24 sports show.
Vive L’NBCU! Hollywood works best when entertainment is the main event, says Richard — not a side hustle for a corporation. So, yes: He’s optimistic about Comcast spinning off NBCUniversal.
A24, Google DeepMind and the Dangerous Business of Selling Cool Much of Hollywood doesn’t just have questions about a new pact between the AI giant and the indie film stalwart — it wants it to fail. Erik Barmack analyzes the implications for both sides, but particularly A24 and its brand.
Christopher Nolan & the Short List of Directors Whose Names Open Movies The Odyssey sold out before a single review. Thank its director clout for that. Matthew reveals the three ingredients that turn a filmmaker into a box office draw today.
Hollywood’s Hopecore Summer: Doom on Pause As America turns 250 under a dark cloud, Katey Rich reflects on how culture — from the World Cup and the Knicks to Toy Story 5 and Project Hail Mary — is having a deeply optimistic moment.
Plus, Katey and Christopher Rosen check in on the coming Oscar race, with contenders like Project Hail Mary and Fjord already on voters’ minds:
Taylor Swift: First Comes Love, Then Marriage, Then Oscar in a Disney Carriage? In her quest for an EGOT, Taylor Swift is gunning for an Academy Award via her Toy Story 5 track. Rob LeDonne assesses the strategy.
Sean dives into the nitty-gritty of what NBCU’s split from Comcast will mean for both companies — and whether Netflix will follow its failed WBD merger with an NBCU pursuit:
Wednesday → Hollywood Stocks Q2 Winners & Losers
Tuesday → NBCU-NETFLIX & the Wild Card M&A in the Mix
Sunday → Supergirl, Jackass Fall Flat As Toy Story 5 Rolls On
Elaine, Natalie Jarvey and Sean dig into The Ankler’s inaugural summer reading list and unpack why book-based IP is hotter than ever:
Janice Min and Natalie break down who broke through in a week at Cannes Lions where subtlety was not the name of the game:
Can you explain 250 years of our nation’s history through movies? Richard and Chris debate the films that best capture the American experience, from 12 Years a Slave to Armageddon:
WSJ reporter Ben Fritz joins Sean to break down why Supergirl opened to just $38 million domestically, and what the result means for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC strategy:
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
Summer House Scandal — and the Summer Reality TV Took Over
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
