Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares slipped over 1% at market open on Friday, September 26, despite Barclays upgrading NVDA’s share price target from $200 to $240 just a day earlier.The weakness from investors in the market is largely due to growing concerns over the sustainability of artificial intelligence (AI) investments and the semiconductor industry leader’s planned $100 billion partnership with OpenAI.However, it’s worth noting that other chipmakers have also been under pressure. AMD (NASDAQ: AMD), for exam ...

Core Viewpoint - Apple shares experienced a 6.55% increase over five days, driven by positive price target revisions from analysts, indicating strong market confidence in the company's performance [1][2]. Price Target Revisions - Wedbush Securities raised its 12-month price target for Apple from $270 to $310, the highest on Wall Street, while maintaining an "Outperform" rating [1]. - Evercore increased its price target from $260 to $290, citing strong demand for the iPhone 17 series and also reiterated an "Outperform" rating [2][3]. Analyst Sentiment - Jim Cramer, a former hedge fund manager, expressed optimism about Apple's prospects, highlighting that analysts who previously bet against the company have been proven wrong [2][3]. - The average 12-month price target for Apple is currently $251.75, suggesting a modest downside of 1.99% from the last closing price [5]. Sales Performance - T-Mobile's CEO reported record-breaking iPhone sales, indicating that the iPhone 17 series is performing exceptionally well, with sales up double digits compared to the previous year [4].

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) closed Thursday at $507.03, down 0.61% on the session. The stock is still up 21.1% year-to-date, ahead of the S&P 500’s 12.54% rise over the same period.MSFT YTD stock price chart. Source: Google Finance On September 15, Microsoft announced a quarterly dividend increase of 9.6%, raising its payout to $0.91 per share. The move marked the company’s 23rd consecutive year of dividend growth, representing a 10% increase from the prior quarter. At recent levels, the yield stands near 0.7% ...

Core Viewpoint - Lithium Americas' stock experienced a significant increase of over 90% following news of the Trump administration seeking a 10% equity stake in the company, along with renegotiated terms for a $2.3 billion Department of Energy loan [1][5]. Group 1: Stock Performance - The stock price of Lithium Americas rose from $3.07 to $5.85, reflecting a dramatic turnaround in market sentiment [4]. - As of September 23, 2025, there were 27.58 million shares shorted, with a short interest of 13.29% of the float, indicating potential for a short squeeze [2][4]. Group 2: Government Involvement - The Trump administration's involvement is seen as a strategic move to gain control over critical raw material supply chains, similar to previous actions with companies like Intel and MP Materials [5]. - A White House official emphasized that while the administration supports the project, it is not providing "free money," indicating a focus on fair taxpayer treatment [5]. Group 3: Strategic Partnerships - The project is crucial for General Motors, which holds a 38% stake in Lithium Americas, and GM's shares rose nearly 2.5% following the news [6]. - The administration's involvement could accelerate Lithium Americas' strategic positioning and provide necessary capital for operations at the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine, the largest known lithium deposit in North America [5].

Group 1: Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) - Oracle's current market value is approximately $867 billion, making it 15% away from the $1 trillion mark [2] - The stock has increased over 80% year to date, trading at $305 [2] - Oracle is positioning itself in the AI sector, negotiating a $20 billion multi-year AI cloud deal with Meta and investing in a $500 billion project with OpenAI and SoftBank [4] - To support its growth ambitions, Oracle plans a $15 billion bond sale and has appointed new co-CEOs to enhance its cloud and infrastructure services [5] Group 2: Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) - Eli Lilly's current market capitalization is $661 billion, requiring a 51% increase from its current price of $745 to reach $1 trillion [6] - The company is focusing on obesity treatment with its oral weight-loss drug orforglipron, which has shown promising results in clinical trials [8] - Eli Lilly is investing $6.5 billion in a new biomanufacturing facility in Texas to expand its production capacity for metabolic treatments [9] - The company's growth is contingent on the adoption and pricing of its therapies in the competitive GLP-1 therapy market, where Novo Nordisk is a key player [9][10]

Core Insights - Nvidia announced a $100 billion partnership with OpenAI to deploy 10 gigawatts of advanced AI data centers, described as the largest AI infrastructure project in history by CEO Jensen Huang [1][2] - The partnership secures long-term demand for Nvidia's GPUs, networking systems, and software stack, while providing OpenAI with unmatched compute power [2] Nvidia's Stock Performance - Nvidia shares opened above $180 but fell to $179, down more than 2% on the day [2] Analyst Ratings and Projections - Benchmark maintained a 'Buy' rating with a $220 price target, emphasizing Nvidia's role in scaling AI infrastructure, with the first phase of deployment expected in the second half of 2026 [5] - Evercore ISI raised its target to $225 from $214, maintaining an 'Outperform' rating, estimating the 10GW build could add about $5.5 billion in revenue in 2H26, with a total addressable market of $30–40 billion per gigawatt or more [6] - Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley kept an 'Overweight' rating with a $200 price target, projecting the OpenAI deal could generate over $350 billion in revenue through the decade, highlighting the importance of general-purpose GPUs in OpenAI's operations [7]

Core Viewpoint - U.S. stocks are in a historic bear market when measured against gold, despite nominal gains in stock indices [1][2][3] Group 1: Market Performance - The Dow Jones Industrial Average, when priced in gold, has declined over 24% in 2025, 33% since the end of 2023, and nearly 70% since 2000 [1][2] - The current stock market gains are viewed as an illusion created by inflation, which distorts the real performance of equities [2][3] Group 2: Gold's Role - Gold has reached new record highs near $3,800, reflecting a nearly 44% year-to-date gain, reinforcing its status as a safe-haven asset amid inflation [4] - Schiff argues that gold reveals the underlying weakness of U.S. stocks and cautions that ignoring gold may lead investors to overlook the depth of the ongoing market decline [5]

Core Insights - Palantir's stock has surged nearly 140% since January, driven by market enthusiasm for artificial intelligence [1] - Bank of America analyst Mariana Pérez Mora raised the stock price target from $180 to $215 while maintaining a "Buy" rating [1][2] - The upgrade follows a previous increase in price target from $150 to $180 on August 5, coinciding with Palantir's quarterly revenue surpassing $1 billion for the first time [2] Company Performance - Stronger growth across Palantir's applications was cited as a primary reason for the stock upgrade [2] - Following the upgrade, PLTR shares rose 1.41% in pre-market trading, reaching $179.36 [3] Strategic Developments - BofA highlighted momentum in Palantir's Maven Smart System, recently selected by NATO for military operations [4] - The firm’s Ontology architecture and Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) market strategy were described as "the secret sauce" for growth [4] Partnerships and Contracts - A new strategic partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence was announced, valued at up to £750 million, marking Palantir's first billion-dollar contract outside the U.S. [5] - The bank forecasts government sales to exceed $8 billion by 2030, increasing the CAGR estimate for 2025–2030 from 27% to 30% [5]

Core Viewpoint - Apple is expected to enter a strong upgrade cycle, with a stock price target raised to $310 from $270, indicating optimism for a rebound in performance [1] Group 1: Demand and Sales Expectations - Strong demand for iPhone 17 Pro models is being observed, with shipping times indicating a high interest level [2] - The iPhone 17 Air is anticipated to be a significant success, with 30% of customers in U.S. stores specifically seeking this model [3] - Apple is projected to ship between 240 million to 250 million iPhones in the current cycle, surpassing the consensus estimate of around 230 million units [4] Group 2: Market Position and Future Outlook - Apple has lagged behind peers like Nvidia and Microsoft in 2025, but the iPhone 17 cycle could restore momentum and investor confidence [5] - The company has a large base of 315 million iPhone users who have not upgraded in four years, providing a substantial opportunity for growth [2]

Group 1: S&P 500 Outlook - A Wall Street analyst suggests a 25% chance for the S&P 500 to reach 9,000 by 2026, with the index currently at 6,664, up nearly 15% year-to-date [1][2] - Evercore ISI strategist Julian Emanuel believes AI adoption is still in early stages, with only 25% uptake, indicating potential for further market gains [2][3] - Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month target for the S&P 500 to 7,200, citing stronger-than-expected corporate earnings in 2025 [4] Group 2: Market Dynamics and Strategies - The current market environment is compared to the mid-1990s, where internet adoption led to significant gains despite overvaluation concerns [3] - Goldman Sachs recommends positioning in companies with floating-rate debt and small- to mid-cap stocks, which are sensitive to an accelerating economy [5] - Morgan Stanley's Michael Wilson projects the S&P 500 could reach 7,200 by mid-2026, advising investors to view short-term pullbacks as buying opportunities [7] Group 3: Diverging Views Among Strategists - JPMorgan's Mislav Matejka warns of potential downside for equities as the Fed continues easing, with valuations likely to be reassessed amid weak economic data [7] - Oppenheimer's John Stoltzfus expects a brief dip post-rate decision but maintains confidence in the economy's underlying strength [8]