Payment War Begins🔥

PAYMENT WAR BEGINS 🔥 

Swipe. Fee. Swipe. Fee.

The big players in retail have had enough. So what are they doing about it?

Retail monsters Amazon and Walmart might be cooking up their own stablecoin payment systems. They want to stop paying fees to the credit card overlords and run their own show. That tiny whisper was enough to send shockwaves through the finance world.

The aftermath looked like this:

• Visa $V ( ▲ 0.12% )  : down 5.3%

• Mastercard $MA ( ▲ 0.48% )  : down 4.9%

• PayPal $PYPL ( ▲ 1.31% )  : down 4.4%

• Paysafe $PSFE ( ▲ 4.28% )  : down 3.8%

• Shift4 Payments $FOUR ( ▼ 1.44% )  : down 3.7%

• Block $SQ down 2.1%

• AmEx $AXP ( ▲ 1.11% )  : down 2.1%

• Bread Financial $BFH ( ▲ 2.49% )  : down 2.8%

• Synchrony $SYF ( ▲ 2.14% )  : down 1.3%

Basically, if your business model relies on skimming card fees, Friday was not your day.

What’s behind the move?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon, Walmart, and even Expedia want to launch their own stablecoins. Why? Simple. Cut out the middlemen, reduce transaction fees, and take control of the payment process.

They didn’t just cook the idea up this morning. They’re waiting on Congress to pass something called the Genius Act. It’d finally give stablecoins a legal framework. The bill is inching forward in the Senate.

Why does this matter?

• Right now, banks and payment giants get a slice of every transaction.

• If big retailers ditch the current system and use stablecoins, those slices vanish.

• It’s like building a highway that skips every toll booth in the country.

Even U.S. banks see the writing on the wall. JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo. They’re all talking about launching a joint stablecoin. JPM already has one for internal use. PayPal even launched its own earlier this year.

And just to spice things up…

Geopolitics also added fuel to the fire. An Israeli strike on Iran spooked investors and piled more “What if?!”s on top of an already shaky market. Oil up. Inflation fears rising. And now retail giants threatening the financial status quo.

Big Tech is coming for Big Finance’s lunch. If Congress greenlights stablecoins, the payments game changes overnight.

Bull Moves 🧠

1. Bet on Blockchain Infrastructure Winners
If retail giants launch stablecoins, they’ll need reliable blockchain rails. Projects powering stablecoin issuance and transactions will see a surge in demand.
📌Action: Build or add to positions in blockchain infrastructure plays like $COIN ( ▼ 4.33% ) , $SQ, or Layer 1 crypto assets like $ETH.X ( ▼ 1.45% )  

2. Reallocate Away from Vulnerable Fintechs
Legacy payment stocks might face structural headwinds if stablecoins become the new standard. Reduce exposure to these names and shift capital toward more resilient or disruptive alternatives.
📌Action: Trim holdings in payment stocks like $MA ( ▲ 0.48% ) , $V ( ▲ 0.12% ) , $PYPL ( ▲ 1.31% ) , $AXP ( ▲ 1.11% ) . Avoid doubling down on fintechs with high fee-dependence. Reallocate to digital-native platforms or diversified tech plays with stronger growth optionality (e.g., $GOOG ( ▼ 0.27% ) , $MSFT ( ▼ 1.08% ) )

3. Accumulate Retailers Before the Flip
Amazon and Walmart aren’t just retail kings. They could become fintech giants. If they launch their own stablecoins, it’ll boost margins and lock users deeper into their ecosystems.
📌Action: Buy long-term positions in $AMZN ( ▲ 0.49% ) and $WMT ( ▲ 0.47% ) as potential winners of the next-gen payment revolution

MASTER THE ROBOTS 🤖 

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NVIDIA JUST CUT CHINA OUT THE PICTURE 🚫

Nvidia just made a big move.

CEO Jensen Huang said Nvidia’s not including China in its financial forecasts anymore. Why? Because the U.S. keeps tightening the screws on AI chip exports to China, and Huang isn’t betting on that changing anytime soon.

Nvidia's planning like China doesn't exist. If the door opens? Great! If not, they’re moving on.

The Backstory 📖 

• The U.S. slapped restrictions on high-end chip sales to China, especially the kinds that power AI systems.

• Nvidia, (being the king of AI chips), got caught in the crossfire.

• Now, instead of guessing what the U.S. might allow, Nvidia is straight-up removing China from the equation.

Huang’s message to investors is clear. We're building this rocket without counting on China’s fuel.

It’s brave. It’s clean. And it tells you how serious the U.S.–China tech split is getting.

Bull Moves 🧠

1. Buy the Dip on Nvidia’s China-Free Forecasts
Nvidia cutting China from forecasts might spook investors in the short term. But if relations ease even slightly, China comes back on the map. And so does upside that isn't priced in.
📌Action: Buy $NVDA ( ▼ 2.97% ) DA on dips triggered by cautious guidance. Treat China’s return as a free future rally.

2. Rotate from China-Exposed to US-Focused AI Plays
The AI boom is still real, just less global. U.S.-centric AI players will benefit more as China gets sidelined.
📌Action: Overweight $SMCI ( ▼ 3.69% ) , $PLTR ( ▼ 4.14% ) , and other U.S.-dominated AI names with low China risk.

3. Hedge with Semiconductor Diversifiers
Don’t put all your silicon in one basket. Broader chipmakers with mixed market exposure help balance out geopolitical volatility.
📌Action: Add names like $AVGO ( ▼ 3.96% ) , $TXN ( ▲ 1.36% ) , or $AMD ( ▼ 4.08% ) to spread your semiconductor bets.