Deficit Decline, Rising Reports, and Interesting Investments

Economic Indicators - The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that Trump's global tariff hikes could reduce deficits by $3.3 trillion and cut federal interest payments by $0.7 trillion over the next decade [5] - The employment rate for individuals aged 16 to 24 decreased to 53.1% in July 2025, down from 54.5% in July 2024, despite an increase in the youth labor force from 21.7 million in April 2025 to 23.7 million in July 2025 [5] Market Performance - Jefferies raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 6,600, up from a previous target of 5,600, citing strong second-quarter corporate earnings [5] Company Developments - Zoom reported a 4.7% year-over-year revenue growth and a 10.5% year-over-year growth in non-GAAP income from operations for its second quarter of fiscal year 2026 [5] - The U.S. government is set to acquire a 9.9% stake in Intel through a deal converting government grants into equity, providing Intel with $10 billion to expand chip factories in the U.S. [5] - Databricks is targeting a $100 billion valuation as it approaches a $1 billion Series K funding round, reflecting a 61% increase from its December 2024 valuation of $62 billion [5] - Starbucks announced a reduction in production from seven days a week to five, following a cap on raises for North America salaried employees to a fixed 2% [5] - Keurig Dr Pepper plans to acquire European JDE Peet's for $18 billion, which owns a variety of coffee and tea brands [5] Social Concerns - A Pew Research Center survey indicates that 70% of Americans view the spread of false information online as a major threat, ranking it higher than terrorism and the global economy [5] Media Performance - Fox achieved its best preseason NFL game viewership in four years, with 5.11 million viewers for the Bears-Bills game on August 17, although the highest remains the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in 2021 with 7.4 million viewers [5]