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Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Note: the market research agency estimates the number of individuals who actually use Prime, rather than the number of paid Prime subscribers or households.

At the end of December, CIRP estimated that there were 201 million US shoppers using Prime. That was up 4% from the year before, forcing CIRP to correct its previous declaration that Prime was maybe starting to plateau — though it recently again postulated the idea that a flattening or modest decline might well be on the way.

But if you zoom out and do some math, the idea that Amazon might be approaching “Peak Prime” can be a little hard to buy. From the latest Census Bureau figures, the US population sat at 341.8 million all told, some 269.8 million of whom were adults; that means that some 59% of Americans overall are now using Prime. Adjust that for those over-18 only (perhaps more fair, given that most children won’t actually be doing the Prime “shopping” themselves), and that share rises to a truly staggering ~75%.

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Growth and income potential in one trade

For investors who want to participate in some of bitcoin's upside but are also looking to generate income, consider BITA. Built on the foundation of IBIT, the world's largest and most liquid bitcoin ETP,¹ BITA is structured to write covered calls against its underlying holdings in effort to generate income, while still capturing the majority of bitcoin’s upside. 

Option premiums may help the fund navigate multiple market environments: investors can still participate in the majority of bitcoin’s growth, but have potential income that may help offset losses during bitcoin downswings.

The iShares Trusts are not investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and therefore are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual funds or ETFs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same

As the UK waves goodbye to one prime minister and waits expectantly to usher in a replacement who’ll become the nation’s seventh leader in 10 years, there was another hotly-anticipated event that was expected to unfold across the country’s capital: London Climate Action Week.

The event has now, in a hammer-blow of irony that could not be lost on anyone, been disrupted by “extreme heat.” London temperatures have soared to around 34 degrees celsius, or 93.2°F, causing panels and other talks at Europe’s largest independent climate event to be postponed.

Heating up

Of course, it’s not just Britain where the conversation around climate change has persisted — though it’s perhaps become a little more tepid in some places than in the past — given that the annual COP summit is now into its 31st year and there were 172 major climate policy protests around the world in 2025, per the Carnegie Endowment For International Peace’s tracker.

Still, there’s a big disparity between how concerned people feel about climate change as an issue personally and how they feel others are perceiving the threat. That pattern is particularly pronounced across some of the world’s wealthiest nations, according to the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, recently analyzed by Gallup.

In Portugal, exactly two-thirds of people think climate change presents a “very serious threat” to their country in the next 20 years, while just 24% guess that their fellow citizens feel that way — the highest disparity between the two answers of any nation polled. The US wasn’t far behind at all, however, as the poll showed a gaping 41-point gulf between those who feel the threat themselves versus those who perceive that others in the country would say they’d concede that level of danger.

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Potential for growth, income, and tax-efficiency: For investors who want exposure to the majority of bitcoin’s growth, BITA holds bitcoin and IBIT directly for tax-efficient growth² while selling options on IBIT that benefit from lower 60/40 taxation³ as section 1256 contracts⁴.

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Advertiser’s disclosures:

¹ Based on AUM and 20-day average trading volume. Source: Bloomberg, as of [TBU].
² Holding spot bitcoin may allow more appreciation to remain unrealized at the fund
level compared to synthetic implementations that use options or futures for the long
exposure.
³ Refers to blended tax rate where 60% of gains are taxed at lower long-term rates
and 40% at short-term rates.
⁴ Refers to exchange-traded derivatives that qualify for blended tax treatment under
U.S. tax rules.

This information must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus for BITA. Investors should read and consider it carefully before investing. The Trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risk factors and other information included in the prospectus.

Investing involves a high degree of risk, including possible loss of principal. An investment in the Trust is not suitable for all investors, may be deemed speculative and is not intended as a complete investment program. An investment in Shares should be considered only by persons who can bear the risk of total loss associated with an investment in the Trust. 

Investing in digital assets involves significant risks due to their extreme price volatility and the potential for loss, theft, or compromise of private keys. The value of the shares is closely tied to acceptance, industry developments, and governance changes, making them susceptible to market sentiment. Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Shares depends on their acceptance. Changes in the governance of a digital asset network may not receive sufficient support from users and miners, which may negatively affect that digital asset network’s ability to grow and respond to challenges. Investing in the Trust comes with risks that could impact the Trust's share value, including large-scale sales by major investors, security threats like breaches and hacking, negative sentiment among speculators, and competition from central bank digital currencies and financial initiatives using blockchain technology. A disruption of the internet or a digital asset network would affect the ability to transfer digital assets and, consequently, would impact their value. There can be no assurance that security procedures designed to protect the Trust’s assets will actually work as designed or prove to be successful in safeguarding the Trust’s assets against all possible sources of theft, loss or damage.  

The Trust’s use of derivatives may decrease its returns, increase volatility, and expose it to additional operational and counterparty risks—that is, the risk that another party in a transaction may fail to meet their contractual obligations. Losses may arise from derivative holdings due to limited liquidity in secondary markets and unexpected market changes. Writing covered call options on IBIT shares limits the Trust's gains above the option exercise price. The Trust remains exposed to losses below the exercise price, as premiums may not cover declines tied to bitcoin or IBIT volatility. Additionally, the Trust could be impacted by declining share values, restrictions on trading options, and other risks linked to options strategies.

Shares of the iShares Trusts are not deposits or other obligations of or guaranteed by BlackRock, Inc., and its affiliates, and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The sponsor of the Trust is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”). BlackRock Investments, LLC ("BRIL"), assists in the promotion of the Trust. The Sponsor and BRIL are affiliates of BlackRock, Inc. 

Transactions in shares of ETPs may result in brokerage commissions and may generate tax consequences. This material does not constitute any specific legal, tax or accounting advice. Please consult with qualified professionals for this type of advice.

This information should not be relied upon as research, investment advice, or a recommendation regarding any products, strategies, or any security in particular. This material is strictly for illustrative, educational, or informational purposes and is subject to change.

BLACKROCK and iSHARES are trademarks of BlackRock, Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.