Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, aren’t exactly known for issuing surprising earnings results, but several top-notch REITs have reported stronger-than-expected occupancy, investment activity, and rent growth.

Some of the REITs that have pleasantly surprised investors also happen to be trading for relatively cheap valuations, a breath of fresh air at a time when much of the stock market is at or near all-time highs. Here are two that could be worth a closer look for long-term investors right now.

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No signs of weak consumer spending here

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (SKT -0.99%) is the only pure-play outlet mall REIT in the market, with a portfolio of about 40 outlet properties, primarily located along coastal and tourist-heavy areas.

In the second quarter, Tanger reported stellar 9.4% year-over-year growth in funds from operations (FFO), and all of the major portfolio metrics looked strong. Tanger’s portfolio occupancy was 96.6% at the end of the second quarter, an 80-basis-point sequential increase. And if you were worried about the health of the American consumer, it isn’t apparent in Tanger’s numbers — the average tenant had $465 per square foot in sales over the past 12 months, $27 more than a year ago.

Impressively, Tanger’s spreads on new and renewal leases was 12% during the second quarter, meaning that when a tenant renews their lease or a new tenant moves in, Tanger is making 12% more than it was previously.

In all, this was a fantastic quarter and Tanger raised its full-year FFO guidance on the strength of its results. But even now, Tanger trades for about 14 times FFO and has a 3.7% dividend yield that is nicely covered by its cash flow.

A rock-solid monthly dividend stock

Realty Income (O 0.69%) has a portfolio of more than 15,000 single-tenant properties, most of which are retail in nature. But it’s a different type of retail than Tanger owns. Realty Income chooses tenants that sell non-discretionary products, are service-based, or that are deeply discount-oriented. Their tenants sign long-term lease agreements that require them to cover taxes, insurance, and maintenance — all Realty Income has to do is get a quality tenant in place and enjoy years of growing income.

Realty Income’s results were solid all around. But perhaps the biggest surprise is that Realty Income is still finding plenty of attractive ways to put money to work, despite the unfavorable interest environment. In the second quarter alone, Realty Income invested $1.2 billion in properties at an average initial yield of 7.2%, and meanwhile it issued about $1.3 billion in new debt at an average interest rate of about 3.6%.

In fact, Realty Income raised its full-year investment guidance to $5 billion (previously $4 billion) and increased its full-year FFO guidance midpoint. Shares now trade for just 13.4 times expected FFO, and Realty Income pays a 5.7% dividend yield in monthly installments.

Why they’re worth a look now

Both of these REITs are firing on all cylinders, with solid occupancy, leasing activity, and tenant performance. And both are trading for surprisingly low valuations.

One big reason is that we’re still in a relatively high interest rate environment, and this is a negative catalyst for REITs. Higher interest rates mean that it costs more to raise growth capital, and they also put pressure on commercial real estate values. But as rates (hopefully) trend lower over the next couple of years, it could produce a positive tailwind for these two excellent businesses. I own both in my portfolio (Realty Income is one of my largest investments), and both look extremely attractive from a long-term perspective right now.

Security researchers play a crucial role in software development, identifying and discovering vulnerabilities. It’s so important that Apple Security Research runs a Security Bounty Program that offers payouts to researchers for their discoveries. Depending on the severity of the vulnerability, a researcher can make as much as $2 million for spotting a bug, but, as one researcher shows, Apple’s perception of severity doesn’t always make sense.

A researcher who goes by RenwaX23 on X posted about the bounty received for what seems to be a critical security hole. Found in Safari, the hole is a Universal Cross-Site Scripting (UXSS) vulnerability, a type where an attacker can impersonate a user and access their data. In this instance, RenwaX23 demonstrated that the hole can be used to access iCloud and the iOS Camera app. The vulnerability was graded as Critical with a score of 9.8 (on a scale of 10), so it wasn’t a small bug.

Recorded as CVE-2025-30466, Apple fixed it in Safari 18.4, which was released with iOS/iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 update back in March. RenwaX23 received a fee for the bug discovery–a measly $1,000.

Why the low payout? Some who responded to RenwaX23’s post believe it’s because Apple does consider the ease with which a user could encounter the vulnerability. In this case, “too much user interaction is needed,” as gergely_kalman puts it, to trigger the exploit. Apple’s website states that required user interaction is part of the criteria for determining bounties, along with the number of affected users, level of access, how well the report is written (which affects how much work Apple needs to do), and other factors.

Apple’s website also provides types of vulnerabilities, pay scales, and examples, but as another poster on the thread, Taiko_soup, points out, Apple’s decisions seem arbitrary. Taiko_soup discovered a vulnerability that seemed to have a $50,000 payout, but was offered $5,000.

Security researchers put in several long hours to find holes and report them so that users can have safer software. There seems to be a lack of perspective on Apple’s part to compensate researchers appropriately for the work they do. It doesn’t look good when a company as large as Apple lowballs its payouts.

When Apple releases OS updates, such as the recent macOS Sequoia 15.6 update, they include several security fixes, as detailed on the Apple Security Releases website. On that site, Apple lists the problems that were addressed, and if you look at each specific entry, you’ll see something called a CVE number (which refers to the record kept in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database) and the name of a person or group. That name is a researcher who discovered the vulnerability.

This is a third party-distributed Press Release, BitDegree is not responsible for any content or related materials, the advertising, promotion, accuracy, quality, products or services on this page. Before making any decisions or taking any actions, readers are advised to do their own research, first. BitDegree is not liable nor responsible for any direct or indirect loss or damage related directly or indirectly to the use of any products, services or content in the Press Release.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the company never tried to buy Circle, countering reports of a multibillion-dollar takeover bid.

Georgetown Law professor Chris Brummer said Garlinghouse told him during an on-stage interview at a private event in Las Vegas on June 1 that Ripple “never pursued an acquisition of Circle” and the topic was not under consideration.

Brummer added that Garlinghouse “wished the company well” but viewed Circle’s business as outside Ripple’s current plans.

Rumored bid

Reports surfaced on April 30 that Ripple had offered between $4 billion and $5 billion for Circle, citing unnamed sources who said Circle rejected the price as too low and left open the possibility of future talks. 

Circle has been preparing for an initial public offering since filing registration documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 1, and its leadership has not commented publicly on valuation or timing. 

Garlinghouse’s statement in Las Vegas is the first direct rebuttal from Ripple’s senior management to the takeover rumor.

During the same session, Garlinghouse outlined plans to position Ripple’s upcoming RLUSD stablecoin as on-ledger collateral for transactions settled on the XRP Ledger. 

Broader strategy

He framed RLUSD and the firm’s recent acquisition of prime-brokerage platform Hidden Road as steps toward building market infrastructure that links traditional finance with tokenized assets. 

Garlinghouse said Ripple is working with officials in the United Arab Emirates on real-estate tokenization pilots and urged crypto companies to avoid public disputes that damage industry credibility, referencing Ripple’s donation of the “Satoshi skull” artifact as a gesture of inter-network diplomacy.

Garlinghouse also recounted past meetings with the SEC, describing differences in staff engagement during the agency’s long-running litigation against Ripple. 

Brummer wrote that the comments highlighted the personal stakes involved in regulatory battles and the hybrid future Ripple envisions, where tokenized assets, stablecoins, and banks operate on interconnected rails.

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Ukraine is reportedly preparing legislation to become one of the first nations to officially hold Bitcoin in its national reserves.

According to Ukrainian media outlet Incrypted, Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zhelezniak confirmed that a draft law is being developed to support the initiative.

Zhelezniak, who also serves as the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, revealed plans to submit the bill soon. However, the final language is still under review.

Ukraine’s interest in holding Bitcoin comes as the country adopts digital assets more broadly. A 2024 Chainalysis report ranks the country among the top 10 for global crypto adoption. Similarly, data from Bitcoin treasuries shows that public officials in the country collectively hold 46,351 BTC, which is worth around $5 billion.

These numbers are unsurprising considering Ukraine has received millions of dollars in crypto donations since the start of the conflict with Russia.

Besides that, the government has also taken steps to formalize the legal status of cryptocurrencies within its jurisdiction, marking a key milestone in its regulatory approach.

In addition, the country is considering a new tax framework for crypto. Officials are evaluating a tax rate of 5% to 10% on digital assets, aiming to regulate the market and support the national budget, particularly military and emergency expenditures.

Binance’s role in Ukraine’s Bitcoin reserve plan

According to the report, Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume, is advising Ukraine on its efforts to create a Bitcoin reserve.

Kirill Khomyakov, the firm’s regional head for Central and Eastern Europe, reportedly said Binance supports the initiative to create a sovereign digital reserve.

Khomyakov emphasized that significant legislative updates will be needed before the reserve becomes a reality. However, he also noted that the process could help clarify Ukraine’s stance on crypto regulation, as it would require the government to define its policy more precisely.

Binance has yet to respond to CryptoSlate’s request for additional commentary.

Beyond Ukraine, Binance has engaged in similar conversations with countries like Kyrgyzstan, where it is also pushing for the adoption of crypto payments and promotion of digital finance education across the region.

This approach confirms Binance’s growing involvement with governments worldwide. The exchange’s CEO, Richard Teng, recently stated that several nations have consulted the company on building crypto reserves and developing regulatory frameworks.

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