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Statistics Canada released its monthly mineral production report for May 2025 on Monday (July 21). The data shows that the production of both copper and silver increased from April. Copper output rose to 36.3 million kilograms from 35.85 million in April, and silver increased to 26,502 kilograms from 25,412. Meanwhile, gold production decreased marginally to 16,518 kilograms from 16,640 the previous month.

However, shipments were up across the board. Copper shipments rose to 34.34 million kilograms compared to 30.01 million kilograms in April. Silver increased to 26,376 kilograms, up considerably from 22,106 kilograms a month earlier. Gold shipments saw a slighter gain, rising to 14,858 kilograms from 14,660 kilograms in April.

The report comes amid heightened uncertainty due to tariff threats from the United States.

On Friday (July 25), President Donald Trump stated that the US and Canada may not reach a new trade deal, implying that there may not be further negotiations, and suggested that Canada may “just pay tariffs.”

Earlier in the month, the White House sent letters to several nations, informing them that tariffs would take effect on August 1 if no deal was reached before that time. The US threatened Canada with a 35 percent tariff on all goods not covered under the current Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which was negotiated during Trump’s first term in office.

The president’s remarks come after Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said that he felt encouraged following meetings earlier in the week with US representatives, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Markets and commodities react

In Canada, equity markets were positive this week. The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) gained 0.29 percent to close at 27,494.35 on Friday, setting a new all-time high, while the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) rose 0.55 percent to 801.13. The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) was the largest gainer, jumping 3.87 percent to 132.89.

As for US equity markets, the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) gained 1.18 percent to 6,388.65 and the Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) climbed 0.62 percent to 23,285.57, with both closing the week setting new all-time highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) rose 0.74 percent to 44,901.93, closing in on its record of 45,014 set on December 4, 2024.

In precious metals, the gold price was flat, ending the week down slightly at US$3,337.31 by Friday at 4 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, the silver price continued to trade near 11-year highs mid-week, but fell to finish the week flat at US$38.15 per ounce.

In base metals, copper posted a 3.93 percent gain, trading near all time highs at US$5.82 per pound. The S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) registered a 0.75 percent loss to finish the week at 545.08

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?

Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stock data for this article was retrieved at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market capitalizations greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.

1. St. Augustine Gold and Copper (TSX:SAU)

Weekly gain: 66.67 percent
Market cap: C$414.68 million
Share price: C$0.5

St. Augustine Gold and Copper is a development company focused on its King-king copper-gold project in the Philippines’ Davao de Oro province. The project consists of 184 mining claims.

According to the latest preliminary economic assessment from 2013, the company projects an after-tax net present value of US$1.78 billion, with an internal rate of return of 24 percent and a payback period of 2.4 years using a base case scenario of a copper price of US$3.00 per pound and a gold price of US$1,250 per ounce.

The company is currently working toward an update to the study.

On May 30, St. Augustine announced that it had entered into an agreement with the National Development Corporation (Nadecor) to acquire a 100 percent interest in Nadecor’s wholly owned subsidiary Kingking Milling, which holds the development rights to King-king.

Under the terms of the deal, Nadecor will receive C$9.02 million convertible into 185 million shares.

The project’s exploration and development permits are held by Kingking Mining, which remains a 40/40/20 joint venture between St. Augustine, Nadecor and Queensberry Mining and Development. The release also includes details of new ore sales and royalty agreements between Kingking Milling and Kingking Mining.

The company announced its latest news on Friday, reporting that it had closed a private placement, raising gross proceeds of C$24.9 million. In the announcement, the company said it intends to use the funds to advance development at King-king.

Additionally, the company reported on Thursday that Nicolaos Paraskevas and Andrew J. Russell had joined the board of directors. It notes that Paraskevas has experience in supervising business development activities in the copper industry, while Russell is one of the original founders of St. Augustine and brings two decades of experience in mining management. The announcement also reported that Love D. Manigsaca had been appointed as St. Augustine’s new CFO.

2. Kapa Gold (TSXV:KAPA)

Weekly gain: 62.12 percent
Market cap: C$19.66 million
Share price: C$0.30

Kapa Gold is an exploration company focused on advancing the past-producing Blackhawk gold mine in San Bernardino County, California.

The project site is composed of seven patented and 178 contiguous federal lode claims covering 1,496.2 hectares. The property hosts multiple mineralized zones with previous exploration work revealing deposits with high grade gold, silver, lead and zinc. Historic production from ramps and underground mines has graded an average 10 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold.

Kapa’s most recent news from the project was reported on March 5, when it announced it had initiated biological surveys in advance of exploration activities on the site and submitted the requested bonding to San Bernardino County, allowing for drilling on patented claims at Blackhawk.

3. North Peak Resources (TSXV:NPR)

Weekly gain: 47.3 percent
Market cap: C$47.28 million
Share price: C$1.09

North Peak Resources is an exploration company working to advance its Prospect Mountain Mine Complex in Central Nevada, US.

The property comprises 221.9 acres of patented claims and 1,905 acres of unpatented claims, consolidating several historical mines that have hosted operations dating back to the 1870s.

Despite the extensive history of the property, limited modern exploration work has been conducted, and a technical report from April 2023 notes that no mineral resource estimate has been produced. Part of the property is currently covered by a plan of operation that entitles North Peak to carry out surface exploration, infrastructural works and underground mining of up to 331,000 metric tons per year.

The most recent exploration update from the property was released on May 27, when North Peak announced results from samples collected from underground and surface historical occurrences. Highlights included grades of 45.6 g/t gold, 569 g/t silver, 4.09 percent lead and 3.12 percent zinc over 15 cm from channel samples of in-situ material from the Dean Cave area; and 5.3 g/t gold, 39 g/t silver, 7.03 percent lead and 1.92 percent zinc from dump grab samples collected from the Kit Carson mine.

The latest news from the company came on Monday, when North Peak announced it had acquired the remaining 20 percent stake in the property from Solarljos in exchange for 3 million common shares. North Peak purchased its original 80 percent interest in the property in August 2023.

4. NextSource Materials (TSX:NEXT)

Weekly gain: 46.15 percent
Market cap: C$92.46 million
Share price: C$0.475

NextSource Materials is a mining and exploration company focused on advancing its Molo graphite mine to Phase 2 production.

The mine is located in Southern Madagascar and has a nameplate capacity of 11,000 metric tons per year, with a fixed carbon content between 94 percent and 97 percent. The company is currently working towards a Phase 2 expansion at the mine, which will increase capacity to 150,000 metric tons per year. NextSource expects to complete an updated feasibility study for the project by the end of Q3 2025.

The company is also developing a series of battery anode facilities in key geographic locations. The facilities will be designed with modular production capacities that are intended to expand in line with automotive demand.

The most recent announcement from NextSource came on June 2, when it announced its withdrawal from its battery anode facility option in Mauritius, instead planning to develop a larger-scale facility in the Middle East, which would help streamline permitting and increase access to EV manufacturers. The company stated it is advancing discussions with EV manufacturers for potential offtake agreements.

5. BeMetals (TSXV:BMET)

Weekly gain: 44.44 percent
Market cap: C$10.3 million
Share price: C$0.065

Bemetals is a gold and copper explorer advancing its Pangeni copper project in Zambia.

The project is located in Northwestern Zambia along the western edge of the Central African Copperbelt. BeMetals has been actively exploring the property since 2020 and identified several areas with copper mineralization.

The most recent update from the property came on March 25 when the company reported that it had commenced a new 2,000 meter to 2,500 meter drilling program to identify additional zones of copper mineralization and expand the existing footprint within the D-Prospect area.

Previous exploration at the site has yielded highlighted assays with up to 0.74 percent copper and 533 parts per million (ppm) cobalt over 16.16 meters, including an intersection of 0.93 percent copper and 701 ppm cobalt over 5.5 meters.

On July 10, BeMetals announced that it had entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Prospector Metals (TSXV:PPP,OTCQB:PMCOF) to acquire up to a 100 percent stake in the Savant gold project in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The property covers an area of 232 square kilometers and hosts numerous gold occurrences. Under the terms of the agreement, BeMetals has agreed to meet certain milestones, including the production of a mineral resource estimate.

Final ownership share will be determined by the size of the reported resource. If the reported resource is under 500,000 ounces of contained gold, Prospector will retain full ownership. If it is between 500,000 and 1 million ounces, Prospector and BeMetals will form a 50/50 joint venture. Lastly, if the resource is over 1 million ounces, with at least 500,000 ounces in the indicated category, BeMetals will earn the full 100 percent interest, with Prospector holding a 0.5 percent net smelter royalty.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSXV?

As of February 2025, there were 1,572 companies listed on the TSXV, 905 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,859 companies, with 181 of those being mining companies.

Together the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

  • Around 100 NFL players and 24 club employees face fines for selling Super Bowl 59 tickets above face value.
  • The NFL’s ongoing investigation found players and employees sold tickets to ‘bundlers,’ who resold them at higher prices.
  • Penalties include fines and restrictions on future Super Bowl ticket purchases.

The NFL is fining roughly 100 players and two dozen club employees for violating the NFL’s policy for selling Super Bowl 59 tickets above face value, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The Associated Press was first to report the news.

A memo sent to teams by NFL chief compliance officer Sabrina Perel and obtained by USA TODAY said the investigation is ongoing.

‘Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the policy. This longstanding league policy, which is specifically incorporated into the collective bargaining agreement, prohibits league or club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less,’ the memo read.

‘We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.’

The Associated Press reported that players who resold their tickets to bundlers will have to pay a fine of 1 1/2 times the face value they paid. They also won’t be permitted to buy tickets for the next two Super Bowls unless they are playing in the game. Team employees who violated the league’s policy will be fined two times face value.

Those who worked to bundle the tickets will also face increased penalties.

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl 59.

‘In advance of Super Bowl 60, we will be enhancing the mandatory compliance training regarding the policy for all league personnel, which will emphasize the specific requirements of the policy and the broader principle that no one should profit personally from their NFL affiliation at the expense of our fans,’ the memo stated. ‘We will also increase the penalties for future violations of this policy.’

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Inter Miami will add another one of Lionel Messi’s close friends and a third World Cup champion to its roster.

Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, 31, has agreed to join Messi and Inter Miami on a loan transfer from La Liga’s Atlético de Madrid, both sides announced on Friday, July 25. De Paul’s loan will last through the 2025 MLS season, and the deal includes an option to make the transfer permanent through the 2029 MLS season. 

De Paul will be introduced before Inter Miami’s match against FC Cincinnati at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“What brings me to Inter Miami is the desire to compete, win titles, to write the pages in the club’s history,” De Paul said in a statement. “It’s a club that is shaping up to be great, to have a long history, so that many people follow this incredible team.”

De Paul is considered one of Messi’s closest friends from the Argentine national team. Together, they won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024. They could also play together again with Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Messi has yet to declare he will play in the next World Cup.

Inter Miami’s signing of De Paul also bodes well for the club’s aspirations to re-sign Messi, 38, who is signed through the rest of the 2025 MLS season. With the club in ongoing contract negotiations he could re-sign at least through 2026. 

“Rodrigo is a player I’ve admired for many years. As a leader he has brought so much to the teams he has played for … I’m excited to welcome another World Cup winning player not just to Inter Miami, but also to MLS,” Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said in a statement. 

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas added: “We’re thrilled to sign a player of Rodrigo’s caliber. He is a winner who has conquered the world stage. His ambitions match ours at Inter Miami, and we are hungry to achieve these goals together.” 

De Paul had one year remaining on a five-year deal signed in 2021 with Atlético. Now, he’ll join Messi’s slew of former FC Barcelona teammates with the MLS club. 

Messi joined Inter Miami with left back Jordi Alba and midfielder Sergio Busquets, the Spain World Cup champion, in July 2023. Luis Suarez joined them in 2024. And Javier Mascherano is in his first season coaching the squad. 

It’s unclear when De Paul could debut. After Inter Miami hosts FC Cincinnati, they will begin the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament between MLS and Liga MX teams from Mexico. Inter Miami will host Atlas FC on July 30, Club Necaxa on Aug. 2 and Pumas UNAM on Aug. 6 in the first phase of the Leagues Cup tournament, which they won in 2023. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Kyle Schwarber recorded his 1,000th career hit in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 12-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

Schwarber’s milestone hit was a two-run home run that tied the game 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning. It was his 35th home run of the season.

A Phillies fan, who was attending the game with his friends, caught Schwarber’s 1,000th hit and the group was seen hugging after the catch.

‘You show up to the field every single day trying to get a win at the end of the day. I think our fans kind of latch onto that,’ Schwarber said. ‘It’s been fantastic these last three-and-a-half, four years now, the support that we get from our fans. It means a lot to me that they attach themselves onto our team, myself, whatever it is. We can feel that support, and yeah, I always appreciate it.”

It was the first of two two-run home runs in the game for Schwarber. The second one came in the top of the eighth inning and helped put the game out of reach for the Yankees. Schwarber brought Trea Turner in to score both times.

Kyle Schwarber gets milestone ball back from fans

Schwarber met with the fan who got the ball and their friends after the game. The fan returned the ball and Schwarber signed two baseballs for them.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber, Schwarber had asked if the fans wanted him to sign a third ball, but all the fans asked for in return was for him to re-sign with the team. Schwarber shared a laugh with the trio of fans before getting ahold of a third ball to sign.

He’s in the last year of his contract and will become a free agent after the season.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were “extremely upset” upon hearing they will not be available to play in Inter Miami’s next match after skipping the MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas earlier this week, co-owner Jorge Mas said after the league’s announcement on Friday, July 25.  

Any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club’s next match, per MLS rules.  

Inter Miami will play a highly-anticipated match against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, without Messi and Alba, despite both returning to practice on Friday for the first time this week with expectations they would be able to play.  

“He’s very upset, extremely upset today, as expected. I’m hopeful it doesn’t have an impact long term,” Mas said of Messi during a Zoom press conference with media, regarding ongoing contract negotiations to extend the Argentine World Champion’s contract beyond this season.

MLS commissioner Don Garber told USA TODAY Sports this was a “complicated” decision based on Messi’s workload. 

Messi has played every minute in 22 of 23 matches since April 2, with his lone absence in a 4-3 loss at home to FC Dallas on April 27.

“I know Leo Messi loves this league. I don’t think there’s been a player, or frankly just about anyone, who has done more for MLS than Leo Messi has,” Garber told USA TODAY Sports. “But we have a long-standing policy that is related to participation for all players. And unfortunately, I had to enforce the policy. It was a difficult decision to make.” 

Mas said the club decided for Messi and Alba not to travel, considering they just completed a stretch of nine games in 35 days with an upcoming stint of 10 games in 34 days.

Mas added he had communication with the league on Monday and Tuesday, but admitted talks between both sides “wasn’t handled ideally.” MLS did not announce Messi and Alba would miss the All-Star Game until roughly eight hours before the Wednesday, July 23 exhibition.  

“Obviously, Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi. He is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc. He’s important. But at the end of the day, Lionel Messi wants to play in competitive matches,” Mas said. 

“If he would have gone Wednesday, would have played maybe 15-30 minutes – great. But at the end of the day, league corporate sponsors are already taking advantage of Lionel Messi’s presence in the league.”

Mas believes the rule that will sideline his former FC Barcelona stars is “frankly draconian,” and the All-Star Game puts the players in an “untenable situation” to choose between participating in the exhibition and getting some much needed rest during the regular season. The All-Stars who started the exhibition were substituted after 30 minutes because most returned to regular-season play Friday.

“It’s not just for what he’s done off the field, growing the overall popularity and awareness of the league. It’s really what he’s done on the field. His games are special moments. Every one of them is a must-see match, and it’s that commitment what he does on the field that makes this decision so complicated,” Garber said of Messi.

“He’s played more games than any one player this year. He’s so committed to his club that the timing of the All-Star Game, the timing of the Club World Cup and their schedule, has him wanting to take a break. And I respect that. It was based on his commitment to his club, and I understand and respect his decision.” 

Garber reiterated to Mas that he will “take a hard look at the rule moving forward to make sure it reflects the evolving realities of our league and its players.”  

“I think the rule, it is going to change, but that’s neither here nor there,” Mas added. “Their reaction was as I expected, and they were extremely upset – both of them.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Legendary Crimson Tide pitcher Montana Fouts returns to Rhoads Stadium at the University of Alabama this weekend for the 2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League championship series, but this time she’ll be representing the Talons.

Fouts and the Talons will face off against Lexi Kilfoyl and the Bandits in Game 1 of the AUSL’s inaugural best-of-three championship series on Saturday, July 26. Game 2 is set for Sunday, July 27, followed by Game 3, if necessary, on Monday, July 28.

The Talons and Bandits are sending their aces to the circle for Game 1. The Talons will start Georgina Corrick, and Kilfoyl will take the mound for the Bandits. Corrick has the lowest ERA in the league (2.04), while Kilfoyl (2.35) has the second-lowest. Fouts, who has the third-lowest ERA (2.71), and Taylor McQuillin will get the starts for Game 2 on Sunday.

Both teams are very familiar with each other. The Talons and Bandits have faced each other eight times during the inaugural season of the AUSL, most recently on July 13 in the Talon’s 6-3 comeback win in Omaha, Nebraska. The regular season head-to-head is tied 4-4, but the Bandits outscored (45-31) and outhit (70-59) the Talons in the eight matchups.

Here’s everything you need to know about the AUSL championship series, from the full schedule, to team rosters and players to watch in the championship series:

When does the AUSL championship series start?

Game 1 of the AUSL championship series gets underway on Saturday, July 26 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local) at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

How to watch Bandits vs. Talons: TV, stream for Game 1

  • Time: 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT)
  • Location: Rhoads Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Streaming: ESPN+

Stream the AUSL championship series on ESPN+

Full AUSL championship series schedule

All times Eastern. * If necessary

The Talons secured home field advantage with the best record in the league:

  • Game 1 – Saturday, July 26: Bandits vs. Talons (3 p.m., ESPN)
  • Game 2 Sunday, July 27: Talons vs. Bandits (2 p.m., ESPN)
  • *Game 3 Monday, July 28: Bandits vs. Talons (7 p.m., ESPN2)

Talons full roster

  • Head coach: Howard Dobson
  • General Manager: Lisa Fernandez
  • Catcher Sharlize Palacios (UCLA)
  • Infielder Bri Ellis (Arkansas)
  • Infielder Tori Vidales (Texas A&M)
  • Infielder Sydney Romero (Oklahoma)
  • Infielder Hannah Flippen (Utah)
  • Infielder Ali Aguilar (Washington)
  • Outfielder Sierra Sacco (Mississippi State)
  • Outfielder Caroline Jacobsen (Clemson)
  • Outfielder Jadelyn Allchin (UCLA)
  • Outfielder Victoria Hayward (Washington)
  • Utility Sahvanna Jaquish (LSU)
  • Utility Maya Brady (UCLA)
  • Pitcher Megan Faraimo (RHP, UCLA)
  • Pitcher Raelin Chaffin (RHP, Mississippi State)
  • Pitcher Montana Fouts (RHP, Alabama)
  • Pitcher Georgina Corrick (RHP, USF)
  • Pitcher Mariah Lopez (LHP, Utah)

Player to Watch: Will Georgina Corrick continue her domination in the championship series? Corrick was named the Pitcher of the Year after going a perfect 6-0 this season. She recorded 27 strikeouts in 34.1 innings pitched and threw the only two shutouts of the entire season, including the league’s first-ever complete game shutout over the Volts on June 21. Corrick has the lowest opponent batting average (.202) in the entire league. Maya Brady enters the championship series red hot. She made her professional debut for the Talons on July 16 after a Grade 2 hamstring strain sidelined her the beginning of the season. She has a league-leading .647 batting average through six games.

Bandits full roster

  • Head coach: Stacey Nuveman Deniz
  • General Manager:  Jenny Dalton-Hill
  • Catcher Jordan Roberts (Florida)
  • Catcher Mia Davidson (Mississippi) *Temporary Inactive List
  • Catcher Mary Iakopo (Texas)
  • Infielder Danielle Gibson Whorton (Arkansas)
  • Infielder Sydney McKinney (Wichita State)
  • Infielder Delanie Wisz (UCLA)
  • Infielder Erin Coffel (Kentucky)
  • Infielder Skylar Wallace (Florida)
  • Utility player Cori McMillan (Virginia Tech)
  • Outfielder Morgan Zerkle (Marshall)
  • Outfielder Bubba Nickles-Camarena (UCLA)
  • Outfielder Bella Dayton (Texas)
  • Utility Cori McMillan (Virginia Tech)
  • Pitcher Taylor McQuillin (LHP, Arizona)
  • Pitcher Emiley Kennedy (LHP, Texas A&M)
  • Pitcher Odicci Alexander (RHP, James Madison)
  • Pitcher Sarah Willis (RHP, UCF)
  • Pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl (RHP, Oklahoma State)

Player to Watch: The Talons must keep Skylar Wallace off the bases because she’s likely to score. Wallace recorded a league-high 26 runs this season, with 10 of them coming against the Talons. Outfielder Morgan Zerkle has also had success against the Talons. She has a .419 batting average (fourth-best in the league) and registered 12 hits against the Talons.

2025 AUSL standings

The AUSL’s inaugural season features four teams  Talons, Bandits, Blaze and Volts  playing a 24-game season across 10 metro areas, including Chicago, Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City. The top two teams punched their tickets to the AUSL championship series. Here’s how the regular season shook out:

  • Talons: 18-6
  • Bandits: 15-9
  • Volts: 8-16
  • Blaze: 7-17

2025 AUSL end of season awards

  • AUSL Hitter of the Year: Erin Coffel (Bandits)
  • Pitcher of the Year: Georgina Corrick (Talons)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Flippen (Talons)
  • Rookie of the Year: Ana Gold (Blaze)
  • 2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League All-Defensive Team (in Alphabetical Order)
    • Jadelyn Allchin (Talons) – Outfield
    • Erin Coffel (Bandits) – Middle Infield
    • Georgina Corrick (Talons) – Pitcher
    • Hannah Flippen (Talons) – Middle Infield
    • Ana Gold (Blaze) – Corner Infield
    • Baylee Klingler (Blaze) – Utility
    • Korbe Otis (Blaze) – Outfield
    • Sharlize Palacios (Talons) – Catcher
    • Sierra Sacco (Talons) – Outfield
    • Jessi Warren (Volts) – Corner Infield

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Microsoft has laid off over 15,000 people so far in 2025. The stress of the belt-tightening has gotten to CEO Satya Nadella.

“Before anything else, I want to speak to what’s been weighing heavily on me, and what I know many of you are thinking about: the recent job eliminations,” Nadella wrote in a memo to employees Thursday.

After Microsoft’s latest labor reductions, investors pushed the stock’s closing price above $500 for the first time on July 9. The company announced the layoffs of about 9,000 people a week earlier. Microsoft employed 228,000 people as of June 2024. It hasn’t provided a new figure that takes into account its layoffs this year, but Nadella wrote that headcount is basically flat.

“This is the enigma of success in an industry that has no franchise value,” he wrote. “Progress isn’t linear. It’s dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding. But it’s also a new opportunity for us to shape, lead through, and have greater impact than ever before.”

The cuts at Microsoft are reflective of an overall trend across the tech industry, with over 80,000 positions eliminated to date in 2025, according to one count. Recruit Holdings announced earlier this month that it would lay off 1,300 people from its human resources technology segment that includes the Indeed and Glassdoor websites. The company’s CEO pointed to artificial intelligence in a memo, Bloomberg reported.

On social media in recent months, some Microsoft employees have become disheartened about the company’s cutbacks, given its stature.

“I have loved working for this company, still do, but this has done so much damage to that loyalty because it has shown that Microsoft’s espoused values do not apply to business decisions at the macro level,” a person who lists themselves as a Microsoft directed on LinkedIn posted last week.

Microsoft is the world’s most valuable public company after Nvidia, whose chips have become a critical piece of the AI arms race. Microsoft’s Windows and Office franchises remain dominant, and its Azure cloud services have seen faster growth in recent years as OpenAI and other companies rent out Nvidia graphics cards to run AI models.

In the memo, Nadella touched on Microsoft’s mission for the past 10 years, which has been to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and how the rise of AI is changing it.

“We must reimagine our mission for a new era,” he wrote. “What does empowerment look like in the era of AI? It’s not just about building tools for specific roles or tasks. It’s about building tools that empower everyone to create their own tools. That’s the shift we are driving — from a software factory to an intelligence engine empowering every person and organization to build whatever they need to achieve.”

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Trump administration regulators have approved Skydance Media’s $8 billion bid to acquire CBS News parent company Paramount, paving the way for a tectonic shift in ownership of one of America’s three major networks.

The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that it had approved the acquisition, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr adding in a news release that the move would bring change to the company’s news coverage. Paramount owns CBS, which includes CBS News.

‘Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change,’ Carr said. ‘That is why I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network. In particular, Skydance has made written commitments to ensure that the new company’s programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum.’

‘Today’s decision also marks another step forward in the FCC’s efforts to eliminate invidious forms of DEI discrimination,’ Carr added.

David Ellison; Shari Redstone.AP; Getty Images

In recent days, Paramount’s new owner made a number of concessions to the FCC, including agreeing to not implement any diversity, equity or inclusion programs. Skydance also said it would ‘undertake a comprehensive review’ of CBS and ‘will commit, for a period of at least two years, to have in place an ombudsman.’ That role would report to the president of the new company.

A number of companies that have billion-dollar transactions pending before Carr’s FCC have also backed off of DEI programs, including Verizon and T-Mobile.

The concessions also came after Paramount Global settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump for $16 million. Trump brought that suit, saying the way CBS edited a ’60 Minutes’ interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris was ‘election and voter interference.’

The lone Democrat in FCC leadership, Commissioner Anna Gomez, did not mince words about the push to secure promises from the companies.

“After months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted,’ she said in an emailed statement.

‘In an unprecedented move, this once-independent FCC used its vast power to pressure Paramount to broker a private legal settlement and further erode press freedom,’ she added. ‘Once again, this agency is undermining legitimate efforts to combat discrimination and expand opportunity by overstepping its authority and intervening in employment matters reserved for other government entities with proper jurisdiction on these issues.’

‘Even more alarming, it is now imposing never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions and editorial judgment, in direct violation of the First Amendment and the law.’

Skydance is run by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison. While the younger Ellison made a donation to President Joe Biden’s re-election fund in February 2024 shortly before the former president bowed out of the race, Trump recently signaled his comfort with his takeover of Paramount and its assets, which in addition to CBS News include Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, The CW, MTV, BET and film franchises like “Smurfs” and “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

“Ellison is great. He’ll do a great job with it,” Trump said in June.

There is likely to be a sea change in the editorial direction of CBS News under its new ownership. In a recent filing, Ellison and Skydance said they’d told Carr that they were committed to pursuing a focus on “American storytelling” while touting a new, “unbiased” editorial direction for CBS News. Their meeting came shortly after Paramount agreed to settle Trump’s lawsuit.

It also came just days after CBS announced it was canceling “The Late Show,” currently hosted by Stephen Colbert — an announcement Trump praised on social media. Colbert had recently criticized the parent company’s multimillion-dollar settlement with Trump, while CBS said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”

There had been signs of an editorial shift ahead of the merger. Most notably, longtime “60 Minutes” editor Bill Owens announced he was stepping down this spring, citing CBS News’ fading editorial independence. Shortly after, CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon was pushed out. Last week, The New York Times reported Skydance was in early talks to acquire the conservative-leaning The Free Press media outlet. Meanwhile, “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart has said he did not know whether his program would survive the merger.

Skydance has spent years pursuing Paramount and eventually realized it could successfully execute the transaction by purchasing Paramount’s parent, National Amusements, the company once helmed by Sumner Redstone, the father of the company’s current chairwoman, president and CEO, Shari Redstone. Yet the proposed deal continued to face hurdles, first under the Biden administration then at the outset of Trump’s term. Its approval came in what was its third deadline extension period.

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Is the market’s next surge already underway? Find out with Tom Bowley’s breakdown of where the money is flowing now and how you can get in front of it.

In this video, Tom covers key moves in the major indexes, revealing strength in transports, small caps, and home construction. He identifies industry rotation signals, which are pointing to aluminum, recreational products, and furnishings. Tom then demonstrates how to use StockCharts’ tools to scan for momentum stocks in emerging leadership groups — see why SGI tops Tom’s list. He ends with a discussion of post-earnings reactions from major names like GOOGL, TSLA, IBM, and LVS. 

And, of course, Tom wraps every idea with clear chart setups you can act on today. 

This video premiered on July 24, 2025. Click this link to watch on Tom’s dedicated page.

Missed a session? Archived videos from Tom are available at this link.

The S&P 500 ($SPX) just logged its fifth straight trading box breakout, which means that, of the five trading ranges the index has experienced since the April lows, all have been resolved to the upside.

How much longer can this last? That’s been the biggest question since the massive April 9 rally. Instead of assuming the market is due to roll over, it’s been more productive to track price action and watch for potential changes along the way. So far, drawdowns have been minimal, and breakouts keep occurring. Nothing in the price action hints at a lasting change — yet.

While some are calling this rally “historic,” we have a recent precedent. Recall that from late 2023 through early 2024, the index had a strong start and gave way to a consistent, steady trend.

From late October 2023 through March 2024, the S&P 500 logged seven consecutive trading box breakouts. That streak finally paused with a pullback from late March to early April, which, as we now know, was only a temporary hiccup. Once the bid returned, the S&P 500 went right back to carving new boxes and climbing higher.

New 52-Week Highs Finally Picking Up

If there’s been one gripe about this rally, it’s that the number of new highs within the index has lagged. As we’ve discussed before, among all the internal breadth indicators available, new highs almost always lag — that’s normal. What we really want to see is whether the number of new highs begins to exceed prior peaks as the market continues to rise, which it has, as shown by the blue line in the chart below.

As of Wednesday’s close, 100 S&P 500 stocks were either at new 52-week highs or within 3% of them. That’s a strong base. We expect this number to continue rising as the market climbs, especially if positive earnings reactions persist across sectors.

Even when we get that first day with 100+ S&P 500 stocks making new 52-week highs, though, it might not be the best time to initiate new longs.

The above chart shows that much needs to align for that many stocks to peak in unison, which has historically led to at least a short-term consolidation, if not deeper pullbacks — as highlighted in yellow. Every time is different, of course, but this is something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Trend Check: GoNoGo Still “Go”

The GoNoGo Trend remains in bullish mode, with the recent countertrend signals having yet to trigger a greater pullback.

Active Bullish Patterns

We still have two live bullish upside targets of 6,555 and 6,745, which could be with us for a while going forward. For the S&P 500 to get there, it will need to form new, smaller versions of the trading boxes.

Failed Bearish Patterns

In the chart below, you can view a rising wedge pattern on the recent price action, the third since April. The prior two wedges broke down briefly and did not lead to a major downturn. The largest pullbacks in each case occurred after the S&P 500 dipped below the lower trendline of the pattern.

The deepest drawdown so far is 3.5%, which is not exactly a game-changer. Without downside follow-through, a classic bearish pattern simply can’t be formed, let alone be broken down from.

We’ll continue to monitor these formations as they develop because, at some point, that will change.