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This week, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and OpenAI’s once tight alliance showed signs of strain, while Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) continued to source artificial intelligence (AI) talent from rival companies. Meanwhile, SoftBank’s (TSE:9434) CEO is considering a new chip and robotics venture in Arizona, and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is looking to bring AI solutions to American cities. Read on to dive deeper into this week’s top tech stories. 1. OpenAI and Microsoft partnership faces tension Microsoft and OpenAI’s once-close partnership is reportedly entering a tense period of renegotiation as OpenAI restructures into a public-benefit company and seeks more autonomy. According to sources for The Information, recent negotiations have centered on reducing Microsoft’s long-term revenue share in exchange for a 33 percent stake in the newly formed entity. Additionally, OpenAI would like to limit Microsoft’s access to future models such as Windsurf, which OpenAI acquired in May. The company has competitive concerns with Microsoft’s GitHub…

Investing

Editor’s Picks: Silver Price Hits 13 Year High, Gold Takes a Breather

Gold was on the decline this week, closing just below US$3,370 per ounce, after tensions in the Middle East pushed it past the US$3,430 level toward the end of last week. All eyes were on the US Federal Reserve, which in a widely expected move left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday (June 18) following its two day meeting. The central bank cut rates in December 2024, but has kept them steady for its last four gatherings. US President Donald Trump wasn’t pleased, calling Powell ‘too late’ in a Thursday (June 19) post on Truth Social. While speculation that Trump will fire Powell has died down, the president did recently say he intends to announce his next pick for the Fed leader position ‘very soon.’ Of course, Fed meetings are never just about rate decisions — experts often look to Powell’s post-meeting commentary to read between the lines of what’s said…

World

Bodies of three hostages – an IDF soldier and two civilians – recovered from Gaza

The bodies of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and two civilians killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks have been recovered from Gaza in a military hostage recovery operation. In a special operation carried out by the Israel Security Agency (ISA) and the IDF, the bodies of civilians, Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the ISA and IDF said in a joint statement Sunday. Ofra Keidar, from the kibbutz Be’eri community, was killed by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023. The 71-year-old’s body was taken to Gaza, where it had been held since. Keidar was a wife and mother of three. Her husband was also killed in Hamas’ attack. “On that dark Saturday Ofra went, as usual, for a walk in the fields she loved – and never returned,” her kibbutz said in a statement. “Ofra was one…

World

These former USAID staff are working to match donors to urgent, lifesaving aid projects that had their funding slashed

In a warehouse in northeast Nigeria, a nonprofit’s stocks of food to treat malnourished children and pregnant women are running low. The organization, Action Against Hunger (ACF), is running a project to combat malnutrition that had been relying on funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to procure much-needed therapeutic food sachets. But the project was intermittently suspended, leaving ACF unable to procure enough of the nutrient-rich food during the peak season of malnutrition. It’s one of the many urgent, lifesaving aid projects left in limbo and in need of additional resources following the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID. But now, a group of former USAID staff has come together to connect big donors with cost-effective projects like this, which desperately need cash to carry out operations already in the pipeline. The primary goal is “to save as many lives as possible,” said Robert Rosenbaum, a former USAID…

Stocks

The NASDAQ 100, On The Brink Of A Breakout, Needs Help From This Group

U.S. stocks are on the cusp of a very impressive breakout to all-time highs, but are still missing one key ingredient. They need help in the form of a semiconductors ($DJUSSC) breakout of its own. When the DJUSSC reached its all-time high on June 20, 2024, one year ago, a nasty bearish engulfing candle printed on extremely heavy volume, I wrote an article, “The Semiconductors Have Topped; Look Elsewhere for Opportunities”. Simply put, it was buyers’ exhaustion”. I looked for a 20% drop in the index, providing this chart at the time: There’s now been a lengthy period of sideways consolidation on the semiconductors as you can see from this updated chart as that 20% drop immediately occurred: Semiconductor leadership has been held firmly in check by the overhead price resistance just below 22000. Until that resistance is cleared, the QQQ has a lid on it. Let’s keep in mind…

Investing

Crypto Market Recap: Bitcoin Price Stalls as Fed Holds Rates Steady, Circle Shares Jump

Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (June 20) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC. Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news. Bitcoin and Ethereum price update Bitcoin (BTC) is priced at US$103,366, a decrease of 0.9 percent in the last 24 hours. The day’s range for the cryptocurrency brought a low of US$102,624 and a high of US$106,042 as the market opened. Bitcoin price performance, June 20, 2025. Chart via TradingView. The Bitcoin price stalled after reaching around US$106,500, then sank below US$104,000 as an unusually large expiry of options and futures contracts worth US$6.8 trillion occurred on US stock indexes. The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday (June 18), but Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, said a cut is possible next month if inflation remains controlled.…

Investing

Top 5 Canadian Mining Stocks This Week: Royalties Inc. Jumps 183 Percent on Legal Win

Friday (June 20) was the last day for the spring session of Canada’s parliament before its summer break. On the agenda for the day was a vote on bill C-5, “The One Canadian Economy Act,” which was introduced on June 5. The bill is in part a response to the recent shift in US trade policy under Donald Trump’s administration. It will provide a new framework to fast-track projects of national interest, including mining and energy projects, to boost Canada’s economy. However, it hasn’t been without controversy. Primarily, it has been met with opposition from some Indigenous groups, who feel it will override treaty obligations and environmental review processes. In parliament, it also met some resistance from the conservative opposition, who amended the bill to close loopholes they felt would allow the government to skirt conflict of interest and lobbying laws. The bill is widely expected to pass the House…

World

Pope Leo praises work of journalists in first public comments on clerical abuse scandal

Pope Leo XIV has said the Catholic Church must establish a culture that refuses to tolerate abuse in “any form,” as he thanked a Peruvian journalist for reporting on allegations of abuse inside a powerful Catholic group. Leo’s remarks, the first he has made publicly on the church’s abuse scandals since his election to the papacy on May 8, were contained in a message sent for the performance of a play which dramatizes the work of an investigative journalist, Paola Ugaz, who has faced a long campaign of legal actions and death threats due to her reporting. “It is urgent to ingrain throughout the Church a culture of prevention that does not tolerate any form of abuse — neither of power or authority, nor of conscience or spirituality, nor sexual,” Leo wrote in a message read on 20 June. “This culture will only be authentic if it is born of…

World

Death cap mushrooms killed three lunch guests. Was it murder or a ‘terrible accident’?

A meticulously planned meal prepared in the home of an alleged killer is at the heart of a triple murder trial that’s nearing its dramatic conclusion in rural Australia. For eight weeks, audiences have been glued to daily news reports and podcasts on an unusual case that alleges the world’s most toxic mushroom was used to kill. A jury will soon decide if Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old mother of two, deliberately added death cap, or amanita phalloides, mushrooms to a Beef Wellington lunch she made for her estranged husband’s parents and his aunt and uncle in July 2023. Three guests died within days of the meal, while a fourth recovered after spending several weeks in an induced coma. Patterson denies three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. The prosecution and defense agree death cap mushrooms were in the meal. The question is, how did they get there? During…

Stocks

RRG Alert Tech Vaults to ‘Leading’—Is XLK Signaling a New Rally?

This week, Julius breaks down the current sector rotation using his signature Relative Rotation Graphs, with XLK vaulting into the leading quadrant while utilities and staples fade. He spotlights strength in the technology sector, led by semiconductors and electronic groups that are outpacing the S&P 500. Microchip heavyweights AMD, NVDA, and AVGO are displaying bullish RRG tails, reinforcing the trend. Communication Services and Energy are gaining momentum as well, rounding out a playbook that rewards disciplined trend-following amid risk from geopolitical headlines. This video was originally published on June 20, 2025. Click on the icon above to view on our dedicated page for Julius. Past videos from Julius can be found here. #StayAlert, -Julius