Stocks Rally as Bond Yields Fall Before FOMC Meeting

Market Performance - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 reached new all-time highs, closing up +0.47% and +0.84% respectively, while the Dow Jones increased by +0.11% [2][5] - Major US indexes are driven by expectations of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, with a total of 70 basis points of cuts anticipated by year-end [5][8] Economic Indicators - The September Empire manufacturing survey fell to a three-month low of -8.7, significantly below expectations of 5.0, indicating bearish sentiment for stocks [4][10] - Weakness in Chinese economic data, including industrial production and retail sales growth, raises concerns about global growth prospects [6] Company-Specific Developments - Texas Instruments saw a decline of over -2% due to China's anti-dumping investigation into its semiconductor products [3][19] - Nvidia faced regulatory challenges after being ruled to have violated anti-monopoly laws related to its acquisition of Mellanox Technologies [3] Sector Movements - Megacap technology stocks, including Alphabet and Tesla, experienced significant gains, with Alphabet rising over +4% after a price target increase by Citigroup [15] - Chip makers rallied, with ASML Holding leading gains in the Nasdaq 100, closing up more than +6% [16] Upcoming Economic Data - Market focus will be on upcoming economic data releases, including retail sales and manufacturing production, as well as the FOMC meeting where a rate cut is expected [7][8]