Latest news with #Paradigm
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What Are Savvy Bitcoin and Ether Traders Preparing For as Summer Approaches?
Savvy bitcoin BTC and ether ETH traders are shoring up their defenses as the broader market continues to foresee bullish price action over the summer. That's the message from an options-based strategy called 25-delta risk reversal, which involves the simultaneous purchase of a put option and sale of a call, or vice versa. At the time of writing, risk reversals based on Deribit-listed bitcoin and ether options indicated that investors were positioning for downside volatility over the summer. BTC's 25-delta risk reversals for June, July, and August tenors were negative, indicating a preference for put options, which offer downside protection, over calls or bullish bets, according to data source Amberdata. In ETH's case, puts were pricier out to the July end expiry. Traders typically buy put options to hedge their long positions in the spot and futures markets, protecting themselves from potential price declines. "Risk reversals in both BTC and ETH continue to show a preference for downside protection across June and September tenors. This suggests that long holders are actively hedging spot exposure and preparing for potential drawdowns," Singapore-based QCP Capital said in a market note. The nervousness is evident from the over-the-counter liquidity platform Paradigm, where the top five BTC trades for the week include a put spread and a bearish risk reversal. Meanwhile, in ETH's case, a long position in the $2,450 put crossed the tape alongside a short strangle (volatility) trade. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market value, has spent over 40 days trading back and forth above $100,000, according to CoinDesk data. According to analysts, profit-taking by long-term holders and miner selling have counteracted the strong uptake for spot ETFs, leaving prices directionless. "Bitcoin has recently tracked sideways, suggesting its current price may be too high for many retail investors. Open interest in BTC options has risen, with a positive and rising 25 delta put-call skew on 30-day contracts, which may imply that market participants are seeking short-term protection through put options," Coinbase Institutional's weekly report noted. On Friday, BTC closed (UTC) below the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) to trade below the key support for the first time since mid-April. The breakdown may lead to more chart-driven selling, potentially resulting in a drop below $100,000. Some observers, however, expect a rally to new record highs. According to market observer Cas Abbé, BTC's on-balance volume continues to indicate strong buying pressure, suggesting that prices could rise to $130,000-$135,000 by the end of the third quarter. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands and Wildcard Announce $9M Fundraise Co-Led by Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and Paradigm
MCKINNEY, Texas, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands, a revolutionary web3 protocol that transforms word-of-mouth marketing into a universal attribution infrastructure - together with sister company The Wildcard Alliance - today announced a joint $9 million fundraising round co-led by Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and Paradigm. The companies, founded by co-CEOs Paul and Katy Drake Bettner whose past work includes Words With Friends, Lucky's Tale, and Age of Empires, have secured $6.5 million to date and expect to close the remaining funding over the next 60 days. This new funding builds on the companies' $46 million Series A raised in 2022, and will be used to accelerate development of their integrated ecosystem of products, utilizing the Thousands protocol and platform to unlock new channels of creator-centric user acquisition and help launch their own upcoming game, Wildcard. "It's simple," said Paul Bettner, co-CEO. "Wildcard only succeeds if its creators and community succeed. So we need a better way to reward these incredible contributors who drive immense value to the game. Thousands gives us the on-chain 'rails' to solve this problem, to record and reward user acquisition and conversion at every step of the funnel." "It's simple," said Paul Bettner, co-CEO. "Wildcard needed a better way to reward the incredible contributors who drive immense value to the game – the creators, the influencers, the super fans. Thousands gives us the on-chain 'rails' to solve this problem, to record and reward user acquisition and conversion at every step of the funnel." The synergy between Wildcard and Thousands has already demonstrated explosive growth. The Thousands network recorded over $800,000 in revenue in May 2025 alone, with an average revenue-per-stream of $50k, average viewer-to-payer conversion of 77%, and a new all-time-high revenue record at $134k — metrics that far exceed industry standards. The Thousands network addresses an untapped, trillion dollar word-of-mouth economy, by making influence and attribution transparent, programmable, and incentive-aligned. The Thousands network enables creators and communities to earn instantly when their content drives conversions, while IP owners benefit from significantly lower customer acquisition costs compared to traditional channels. "Thousands is redefining how games and content reach audiences," said Rick Johanson, Founding Partner at Arbitrum Gaming Ventures. "Their web-native streaming layer – think Twitch meets WalletConnect – allows every connected viewer to become an active participant in an on-chain economy, transforming spectators into engaged users." "We believe in this game and we believe in this team," said Dave White, Research Partner at Paradigm. "Paul, Kate, and team have created one of the most eagerly anticipated games in crypto and we're very excited for what comes next." Since their initial funding, both platforms have achieved significant milestones. Wildcard was recently approved for release on Steam, where the 100k+ community are now playtesting Alpha builds of the game weekly, in preparation for Wildcard's Early Access release later this year. These playtests are broadcast on several times a week, helping to demonstrate the Thousands' network's ability to sustain engagement and monetization, with an average revenue _per viewer_ of $141 dollars. "Thousands doesn't feel like streaming. It's no longer a one-way street.", said Payton Kaleiwahea, content creator and founder of WolvesDAO, "Fans and creators are interacting; you're not just watching the game. You're connected to it. You're inside it. With Thousands, being there matters, and that changes everything." About The Wildcard Alliance and Thousands The Wildcard Alliance and Thousands are building the future of interactive entertainment, powered by communities. Founded by industry veterans Paul and Katy Drake Bettner, the companies are building disruptive new products at the intersection of cutting-edge technology, beloved IP, and fun. The Wildcard Alliance previously raised $46 million in 2022 from investors including Paradigm, Griffin Gaming Partners, and Sabrina Hahn. Learn more at and Media Contact:Leah Schultzpress@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Wildcard Alliance, Inc.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Trump DEI attacks have changed how companies celebrate Juneteenth
Trump DEI attacks have changed how companies celebrate Juneteenth Major corporations rushed to observe Juneteenth as racial justice protests swept the nation in 2020. Today they are still commemorating the federal holiday but not with the same fanfare. Show Caption Hide Caption What is Juneteenth, America's newest federal holiday? Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. It became a federal holiday in 2021. As protests against racial injustice gripped the nation in 2020, major corporations rushed to observe Juneteenth and give their employees the day off. Five years later, they are still commemorating the holiday but not with the same fanfare. 'For the past few years, companies were using Juneteenth as an opportunity to share commitments to advance racial equity,' said Joelle Emerson, CEO of culture and inclusion platform Paradigm. 'In the current climate, I imagine we may see fewer of these high visibility statements and more of an internal focus.' Emerson said she has not spoken with any companies that plan to stop recognizing the holiday, but 15% of organizations in a recent benchmarking study from Paradigm said they would stop celebrating identity and heritage-related events like Juneteenth amid the Trump administration-led backlash against workplace diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In observing the holiday celebrated by Black Americans for generations, corporations are focused on 'lower visibility' activities, Emerson said. How Walmart, Meta are observing Juneteenth Hella Creative – a small California collective that came together in 2020 to push for corporate recognition of Juneteenth in a viral campaign that ultimately gathered support from 1,500 companies – said it has not seen a major pullback. "Juneteenth recognition has achieved broad, bipartisan acceptance that transcends the current DEI backlash," said Miles Dotson, a member of the collective that puts on an annual Juneteenth festival in Oakland, California. "This reinforces that Juneteenth observance represents a more durable form of corporate racial recognition – one that companies feel safe maintaining even as they retreat from more comprehensive DEI programs." About 4 in 10 large employers observed Juneteenth in 2024 and gave the federal holiday as a paid day off, up from 39% last year and 9% in 2021, according to consulting firm Mercer. The firm did not track Juneteenth participation this year. Technology giant Meta said Juneteenth is a companywide paid holiday in the U.S, and employees will have Thursday off. Retailer Target recognizes Juneteenth as a company holiday and its headquarters will be closed but its stores will be open. Walmart does not give employees the day off but observes Juneteenth as a cultural holiday and sends to its 5,500 locations so that retail employees can celebrate on the job. Bank of America said it is closed in the U.S. on Thursday. Gannett, the parent company of USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network, also observes Juneteenth. Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 after President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. While private companies are under no obligation to give employees any particular day off, the move put pressure on more employers to make Juneteenth a paid holiday. The New York Stock Exchange and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association began observing Juneteenth as a market holiday the following year. The stock market and bond markets will be closed Thursday. Recognizing Juneteenth 'sends a clear message to employees from specific underrepresented backgrounds that they belong at the company, and a message to all employees that the company values diversity,' Emerson said. 'Fostering that sense of belonging isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a core part of building a healthy, high-performance culture.' How DEI backlash has affected Juneteenth The political climate has shifted sharply over the last five years and, much like June celebrations of Pride Month, Juneteenth events across the country have been forced to scale back due to declining financial support, according to the Associated Press. More than a dozen companies backed out of supporting the Juneteenth Music Festival in the historically Black Five Points neighborhood of Denver, for example, it reported. Corporate cutbacks and budget deficits have also led to pulled funding. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, said state employees would not get Thursday as a paid day off and the state will not host any Juneteenth events this year. He cited the budget deficit. When he took office in January, Morrisey issued an executive order eliminating DEI in state government. Last month, he signed a bill making that order the law in his state. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth – a combination of the words 'June' and 'nineteenth' – commemorates June 19, 1865 – the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they had been freed, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It has gone by many names over the decades, including Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Black Fourth of July. What does Trump think of Juneteenth? Trump drew condemnation in 2020 when he scheduled a campaign rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the site of one of the worst massacres of African Americans in U.S. history, before rescheduling it. He claimed the controversy made Juneteenth 'very famous.' "I did something good,' Trump said at the time. 'It's actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.' During his reelection bid, Trump proposed making Juneteenth a national holiday.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Tim Bagley & Heather Graham Among New Additions To Amazon's ‘Carrie' TV Series
EXCLUSIVE: Mike Flanagan has added 14 recurring guest stars to the cast of Carrie, his series for Amazon MGM Studios based on the iconic debut novel from Stephen King. Character details are under wraps. Many of the actors are veterans of Flanagan ensembles across projects like The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass and Oculus, including Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Crystal Balint, and Danielle Klaudt. Newcomers to his circle on this project include Heather Graham (Chosen Family), Tim Bagley (The Perfect Couple), Tahmoh Penikett (The Madness), Mapuana Makia (Doogie Kamealoha M.D.), newcomer Rowan Danielle, Naika Toussaint (Washington Black), Delainey Hayles (Interview with the Vampire), and Cassandra Naud (Influencer). More from Deadline Titus Welliver To Star In 'The Westies' MGM+ Series Chloë Sevigny Joins Peacock Series 'The Five-Star Weekend' 'The Pickup' Trailer: Eddie Murphy & Pete Davidson Are Armored Truck Drivers In Amazon MGM Action Comedy Summer Howell will play the title role, as previously announced. The cast will also include Siena Agudong, Matthew Lillard, Samantha Sloyan, Alison Thornton, Thalia Dudek, Siena Agudong, Amber Midthunder, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, and Joel Oulette. Set to serve as writer, executive producer and showrunner, while also directing select episodes, Flanagan's series reimagines the story of misfit high-schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother. After her father's sudden and untimely death, Carrie finds herself contending with the alien landscape of public high school, a bullying scandal that shatters her community, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers The eight-episode series comes on the heels of four Carrie films, the most famous being Brian De Palma's from 1976, which starred Sissy Spacek. Trevor Macy will also exec produce, with Amazon MGM Studios producing. Siegel is repped by Paradigm, Elysian Heights, and VanderKloot Law; Trucco by Innovative Artists and Prime Talent Media; Sackoff by Innovative, Ascend Artist Representation, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Kohli by Artists First and McKuin Frankel Whitehead; Graham by RMS Production, Paradigm and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; Bagley by Artists & Representatives and Framework Entertainment; Penikett by RED Management and Brave Artists Management; Balint by Connekt Creative and D2 Management; Makia by Principals Talent Management and SK Management; Danielle by Peak Talent Management; Klaudt by Principals Talent; Toussaint by Thruline and MoGood Talent; Hayles by The Artists Partnership and Myman Greenspan Fox; and Naud by Play Management. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More Men of Steel: Every Actor Who Has Played Superman - Photo Gallery 'Michael' Cast: Who's Who In The Michael Jackson Biopic
Business Wire
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Algolia Scores Big in Every Category in Paradigm B2B's Prestigious 2025 Enterprise Edition of its B2B Combine for Search and Discovery
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Algolia, the world's only end-to-end AI Search and Discovery solution, today announced it has been awarded 12 medals across all 12 categories in Paradigm B2B 's 2025 Enterprise Edition of its B2B Combine for Search and Discovery. By honoring Algolia with these accolades, Paradigm B2B highlighted Algolia's scale, noting that it processes nearly 2 trillion search queries per year, second only to Google. The report also notes that Algolia is differentiated for its approach to transparent algorithms and fast search. When exploring Algolia's features with its customers, Paradigm found that these tech users speak highly of Algolia's analytics and reporting capabilities, visibility into the performance of its system, and ease of use. Empowering B2B leaders to get started with AI search and discovery effortlessly has never been more critical. In the AI search leader's recent B2B ecommerce site trends report, Algolia found that 9 out of 10 B2B eCommerce leaders recognize AI's crucial role in their long-term strategy, but only 41% are fully AI operational. Algolia's Vice President of Product Marketing Nate Barad remarked: 'At Algolia, we're in the business of empowering eCommerce leaders with AI search tools they can trust and launch quickly. Paradigm's evaluation of our AI search platform confirms that this approach is resonating with our customers. They understand how our solution works, can apply their unique B2B requirements, and appreciate how our capabilities help them realize the value of AI without delay. This is especially critical now, as B2B eCommerce leaders are eager to embrace AI and close the gap with their digitally savvy B2C counterparts, but often don't know where to begin.' In compiling its prestigious 2025 B2B Combine for Search and Discovery (Enterprise), Paradigm evaluates and scores vendors on an invite-only basis. Each vendor has the opportunity to present their company vision, product capabilities and roadmap, go-to-market strategies and tactics, partner ecosystem, and customer case studies. Paradigm B2B then leverages a robust scoring methodology to evaluate all vendors on a scale of 1 to 5 across 48 detailed and weighted criteria. Medals are then awarded based on composite scores in 12 distinct categories, Paradigm gives special weighting to the "voice of the customer" score by gathering market feedback directly from dozens of vendor partners and clients. Andy Hoar, Paradigm B2B CEO, noted: 'At Paradigm, we're focused on empowering B2B companies to succeed in today's complex and digitally disrupted commerce landscape. As part of that mission, we conducted an in-depth evaluation of search and discovery solutions to equip the market with clear, actionable insights. After examining 12 key criteria, Algolia distinguished itself with industry-leading speed and highly scalable infrastructure, making it a top-tier choice for companies looking to take their search strategies to the next level." Read Paradigm B2B's full evaluation of Algolia's AI search here. To schedule a demo of Algolia's award-winning end-to-end AI search platform, visit Algolia is a leading provider of AI search solutions, serving over 18,000 businesses and 500,000 developers globally. Renowned for its user-friendly API-First platform and the fastest AI search technology, Algolia is the largest hosted search engine, trusted by businesses and developers for 1.75 trillion searches per year. Backed by a decade of innovation, expertise, and growth, Algolia continuously redefines the search landscape with its commitment to user-friendly solutions, significant scalability, and unmatched speed. Learn more:
