Strategy is seeking shareholder approval to change how dividends are paid for four preferred stock series, including STRC, shifting payments from quarterly to daily. The move mirrors the structure used by Strive’s SATA preferred stock, which pays dividends every business day at a 13% annual rate. STRC fell to $71.25 in June, well below its $100 stated amount, before rebounding to $98.41, near the company’s $99 to $100 target range.

US stocks rebounded on Friday, ending a volatile week higher as oil prices fell. Brent crude dropped 2.1% to US$104.32 a barrel and WTI slid 2.3% to US$92.41 as investors bet a possible US-Iran agreement could ease fears of supply disruption at the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier concerns about Houthi strikes on Saudi Red Sea infrastructure and the risk of a strait blockade had lifted inflation expectations and pushed bond yields higher.

U.S. technology shares rose 3% over a volatile week as borrowing costs paused their climb. Microsoft led the sector, ending at $516.17 for its highest close since November. Akamai Technologies said Anthropic will pay at least $11.6 billion over seven years to use its cloud infrastructure and software.

Cato Corp. said it will close 120 retail stores by the end of the fiscal year, representing more than 10% of its network of over 1,000 locations across 31 states. The women’s apparel retailer, which targets price-sensitive shoppers, said inflation and broader economic pressure have weighed on customers’ discretionary income. The company reported second-quarter net income of $1.1 million, down from $6.8 million a year earlier. Management said the closures are expected to improve operating results in fiscal 2027 and beyond.

TC Energy transports more than 30% of the natural gas consumed across North America, and about 98% of its comparable EBITDA comes from regulated assets or long-term take-or-pay contracts. The company expects North American natural gas demand to rise by roughly 51 billion cubic feet per day between 2025 and 2035, driven by LNG exports, industrial growth and gas-fired power generation. Its recently approved Central Virginia Capacity project is set to deliver up to 0.4 billion cubic feet per day to gas-fired plants supporting data-center development, backed by a 20-year take-or-pay contract and roughly US$400 million in investment.

SK Hynix is weighing a U.S. IPO for its Solidigm storage unit as early as 2027, a listing that could raise about $15 billion and value the business at $150 billion. Solidigm was formed after SK Hynix bought Intel’s NAND flash memory business in 2021 and is based in California with more than 2,000 employees. Wall Street analysts are unanimously bullish on SK Hynix shares, with 11 Buy ratings over the past three months and an average target implying more than 33% upside.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Dow up 469 points while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq added 0.49% and 0.47%. Microsoft and other AI-related technology shares led the advance. Akamai surged after agreeing to an $11.6 billion cloud services deal with AI company Anthropic. For the week, the S&P 500’s forward price-to-earnings ratio fell below 19, the lowest since 2023.

Despite July setting a record for heat, U.S. natural gas prices fell 6% year over year from June through August, with Henry Hub averaging $2.93 per million British thermal units. Over the same period, dry gas output rose by 2.7 billion cubic feet per day, while solar generation increased by 19.4 billion kilowatthours and wind by 9.3 BkWh. Inventories were 4% above the five-year average. Rapid growth in renewables and ample supply outweighed the demand boost from hotter weather.