🎶 “When it all, it all falls down…” Kanye West launched YZY, a solana-based meme coin, which soared to an eye-popping $3 billion market cap before tanking just hours after its release. The token is supposedly part of a broader “Yeezy Money” ecosystem, which includes Ye Pay, “a crypto payments processor,” and YZY Card. As with most Ye-related news, this move wasn’t without controversy, as accusations of insider trading came within hours of launch, but at least it’s stirring less anger than Cracker Barrel’s new logo?

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% and the Nasdaq 100 gave back 0.5% while the Russell 2000 outperformed with a 0.2% advance. The benchmark US index has now declined for five straight sessions, tying its longest losing streak since April 2024.

🧠 Trivia time… Check out our weekly Snacks Seven Quiz. Here’s a sample question:

With the armed forces seeing its active-duty personnel slump to a record low last year, the US military is deploying a new tactical force: influencers. While recruitment posters used to focus on patriotism and advertising campaigns lauding the ability to “Be All You Can Be,” the US military is pivoting to paid partnerships with “Call of Duty”-playing Twitch streamers and fitness influencers to lure their fan bases with both the excitement and discipline that the military offers.

How did we get here? With the US troop ranks numbering 60% fewer than their peak in 1968 and the Army missing its recruitment goals two years in a row, something had to change.

So far, the social strategy, aided by youth labor pains, is working. In March, the US military said it was tracking strong recruiting figures across branches in 2025, with the Army having signed up ~73% of its goal in the first five months of the recruiting year. General James Mingus, the Army’s vice chief of staff, said, “We’ve seen momentum unlike we have seen in probably a decade.” And it looks likely to continue as prominent figures in the administration post fitness challenges raking in hundreds of thousands of views. 

The minimum investment is $501.

Cytonics just filed a U.S. provisional patent to expand its novel biopharmaceutical, CYT-108, into melanoma - the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

Harnessing the therapeutic power of the naturally occurring alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) protein, CYT-108 doesn’t just protect cartilage in osteoarthritis, it may also block the enzymes that drive tumor growth and metastasis. 

New patient data shows that higher A2M levels are linked to longer survival in melanoma patients, suggesting that the natural protein may play a role in stopping the disease, and that CYT-108's "super A2M" activity may prove to be a potent melanoma therapy.

This dual-indication potential positions CYT-108 as one of the most exciting biologics in development today.

Now’s your final chance to invest early in Cytonics at $3.00/share — before the round closes on Wednesday 8/27 at midnight.¹

For the first time in years, Walmart missed on earnings. The company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.68, below analysts’ predicted $0.73. Sales came in above expectations at $177.4 billion, topping analyst forecasts of $175.9 billion, per FactSet.

“Upward pressure on costs” is key here, because Walmart earnings are interesting for investors well beyond Walmart. It’s far from the only company taking it on the chin when it comes to costs, and it’s a good bet that this isn’t the last time this year that a C-suite is going to gesture delicately in the direction of tariffs to justify what happened to their bottom line. 

If there’s a good thing for Walmart, at least, it’s that it’s Walmart, and you’d be hard pressed to find another company in America with as much leverage to squeeze its suppliers on price. That being said, the fact that even Walmart is having trouble getting blood out of the stone is a surefire signal that the cost problem is going to be hard to solve.

Zachariah Reitano, the CEO of Ro, spoke to Sherwood News about how the telehealth company is helping foil “a lot of the flaws in our healthcare system” by delivering popular weight-loss drugs directly to consumers — especially the large pool of people who may be prescribed these drugs but can’t afford it. And there’s a reason drugmakers partner with Ro, as well as huge athletes like Charles Barkley and, as of yesterday, Serena Williams.

See Williams’ video.

If traditional payment companies aren’t getting nervous, they should be. 

In Q1 2025, stablecoins were used in more than $6 trillion worth of transactions — and at the current rate of growth, stablecoin transactions could surpass legacy payment volumes in less than a decade. 

👉Dive into the Bitwise Crypto Market Review: 60+ charts on today’s biggest crypto stories.²

On Tuesday, retail traders dumped momentum stocks for the first time in two months.

Advertiser's disclosures:

¹ The minimum investment is $501 (167 units). This is a paid advertisement for Cytonics Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the offering circular and related risks on the Cytonics StartEngine page.

Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities.

² No Advice on Investment; Risk of Loss: Prior to making any investment decision, each investor must undertake its own independent examination and investigation, including the merits and risks involved in an investment, and must base its investment decision—including a determination whether the investment would be a suitable investment for the investor—on such examination and investigation.

Crypto assets are digital representations of value that function as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, or a store of value, but they do not have legal tender status. Crypto assets are sometimes exchanged for U.S. dollars or other currencies around the world, but they are not currently backed nor supported by any government or central bank. Their value is completely derived by market forces of supply and demand, and they are more volatile than traditional currencies, stocks, or bonds.

Trading in crypto assets comes with significant risks, including volatile market price swings or flash crashes, market manipulation, and cybersecurity risks and risk of losing principal or all of your investment. In addition, crypto asset markets and exchanges are not regulated with the same controls or customer protections available in equity, option, futures, or foreign exchange investing.

Crypto asset trading requires knowledge of crypto asset markets. In attempting to profit through crypto asset trading, you must compete with traders worldwide. You should have appropriate knowledge and experience before engaging in substantial crypto asset trading. Crypto asset trading can lead to large and immediate financial losses. Under certain market conditions, you may find it difficult or impossible to liquidate a position quickly at a reasonable price.

The opinions expressed represent an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and are not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results, and are subject to further discussion, completion and amendment. The information herein is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. You should consult your accounting, legal, tax or other advisors about the matters discussed herein.

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