Trending Tickers: $BYON’s Tokenization Plans, $BBAI’s DoD Contract, $ASTS’s FCC Test Approval
This week, several stocks caught investors’ attention, driven by significant developments and market momentum. Here’s the breakdown of this week’s trending stocks:
Beyond, Inc. ($BYON) Turns to Blockchain and Tokenization
Beyond, Inc. ($BYON), owner of Bed Bath & Beyond and Overstock, has made headlines with its decision to venture into blockchain and tokenization. The company has acquired the global rights to the Buy Buy Baby brand and announced an initiative to tokenize intellectual property, along with the creation of a new blockchain-powered platform called “LifeChain.”
For context, when Bed Bath & Beyond traded as a separate stock, it achieved meme stock status during the 2020 bull market, with its price often driven by retail investors from Reddit’s WallStreetBets community. This new announcement could attract retail investor attention once again.
Key Details of the Announcement:
- Tokenization of Intellectual Property: Beyond, in partnership with tZERO, plans to tokenize a portion of the Buy Buy Baby intellectual property, utilizing tZERO’s SEC-regulated platform. This includes two potential offerings—one digital dividend for current Beyond shareholders and a second offering aimed at new investors interested in owning a share of the brand’s intellectual property. Both offerings are designed to provide a revenue share from the omnichannel sales and offer loyalty benefits across Beyond’s ecosystem.
- Building the LifeChain: Beyond also shared plans to leverage tZERO’s blockchain technology to create a ledger that records significant life events. As per the company’s announcement, the “LifeChain” will integrate everything from birth and medical records to education and financial milestones into a secure, unified digital wallet. Supported by Salesforce’s Agentforce technology, Beyond’s vision is for this project to offer consumers a comprehensive digital identity spanning key life events, including health, finances, and purchases.
Stock Price Movement
$BYON surged 33% following the news. After the initial spike, the stock experienced a slight correction, with decreases of 4.8% and 3% over the next two days.
BigBear.ai ($BBAI) Lands DoD Contract
BigBear.ai ($BBAI), a company that provides AI-based decision-making tools for defense and national security, has made headlines after winning a contract from the Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO). According the company, the contract will help improve BigBear.ai’s Virtual Anticipation Network (VANE), an AI system designed to analyze news media from countries that could be potential threats.
If you’ve been following our blog, you may recall that we featured BigBear.ai ($BBAI) in our list of top AI stocks to watch in 2025. If you missed the post, you can find the link here.
Key Details of the Contract:
- AI-Powered Media Analysis: According to BigBear.ai, the VANE system will use custom AI models to spot important trends and topics in media from countries that could pose a risk to national security. By looking at large amounts of media data, VANE will help the CDAO and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) make quicker and more informed decisions.
- Helping Military and Government Operations: The VANE system was created to bring clarity to complex situations for military and government use. By gathering and analyzing various data points, VANE can predict potential threats and help guide decisions in complicated scenarios.
- Move from Prototype to Real-World Use: BigBear.ai explained that VANE, which was first developed with the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD), is now moving from a research model to a system ready for real-world use. The AI tool will soon be available in CDAO’s Advana platform, making it accessible to more people across the DoD’s commands.
Stock Price Movement
$BBAI finished the day with a massive 44% gain, reflecting investor excitement over the DoD contract announcement.
AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) Gets Green Light for U.S. Testing with AT&T and Verizon
AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS), the company behind the first space-based cellular broadband network designed for everyday smartphones, got approval from the FCC for Special Temporary Authority (STA) to begin testing its service in the U.S. The approval means AST SpaceMobile can connect its BlueBird satellites to regular smartphones on AT&T and Verizon networks, offering voice, data, video, and other cellular capabilities without the need for device modifications or software updates. According to the company, this is a major step forward in its mission to provide global, space-based connectivity.
What This Means for AST SpaceMobile
With this approval, AST SpaceMobile is now able to test its service in the U.S. using standard smartphones on AT&T and Verizon’s low-band spectrum. Here’s what this means:
- Testing with Regular Smartphones: AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites will connect to unmodified smartphones, offering full cellular capabilities like voice calls, data, and video.
- Expanding Coverage: The company’s current BlueBird satellites are providing service across the U.S. and select global markets. Future satellites, like the Block 2 BlueBirds, will offer up to 10 times more bandwidth and faster data speeds.
- No Need for Special Devices: Users won’t need any special equipment or software updates to connect—just their existing smartphones.
Partnerships and Future Plans
AST SpaceMobile isn’t going it alone. The company has secured investments and partnerships with some of the biggest names in telecom, including AT&T, Verizon, Google, and Vodafone. With agreements in place with over 45 mobile network operators globally, covering roughly 2.8 billion subscribers, AST SpaceMobile is working to roll out its service to millions of users around the world.
According to the company, this milestone brings them closer to offering nationwide coverage in the U.S., and eventually global coverage, all through their space-based network.
Stock Price Movement
$ASTS was trading around $18 before the announcement. Following the news, the stock saw five consecutive days of gains exceeding 6%, reaching $27.12 by market close on Thursday—up around 50% from its original price.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell securities. The content is based on publicly available information and reflects the author’s opinions as of the publication date, which may change without notice. All investments carry inherent risks, including the potential loss of principal, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Readers should conduct their own research or consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions. BBAE holds no position in the securities mentioned, nor are they compensated by the companies mentioned.
