- The Nasdaq closed 0.71% on Friday to close at 14,673.
- Pinterest tumbled 18% on Friday following a decline in users.
- Square to acquire Afterpay for US$29bn in a record acquisition deal.
The US markets closed lower on Friday but each of the key indices rose over 1% for the month of July. Last week the markets were lower as investors took in signs that economic recovery was slowing alongside global supply chain issues.
The Dow Jones fell 0.42% to finish the trading day down 149 points to close at 34,935 points.
The tech heavy NASDAQ fell 0.71% to finish the trading day down 106 points to close at 14,673 points.
One bitcoin is worth US$39,900 going into the Asian trading day.
The Australian dollar is firm against the major currencies and is buying 73.43 US cents.
Creative sharing social media platform Pinterest tumbled 18% on Friday after the company released second-quarter results. For the period, Pinterest reported a more than 5% decline in monthly active users to 454m, continuing a downward trend and falling well short of Wall St expectations of an increase to 482m.
US-based financial services and digital payments company Square led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey is set to acquire buy now, pay later provider Afterpay for around US$29bn (A$39bn). Under the deal, Afterpay co-founders Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar will join Square and the deal would be the largest merger and acquisition deal in Australian history. On Sunday, Square also reported a 143% increase in total net revenue for the second-quarter at US$4.68bn.
And a 3D printed, three-fingered, soft robotic hand built by a team of engineers at the University of Maryland has beaten the first level of Super Mario Bros.