Wall Street Brunch: Hooray For DevDay (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Economic Impact of Government Shutdown - The government shutdown is predicted to last nearly 21 days, with a 64% chance of exceeding 15 days and a 40% chance of lasting more than 25 days [3] - Goldman Sachs economists estimate that each week of the shutdown will reduce fourth-quarter annualized real GDP growth by approximately 0.15 percentage points, with a corresponding positive effect on growth in the first quarter if the shutdown ends before then [4] AI Sector Developments - OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has reached a private market valuation of $500 billion, making it the world's most valuable startup [6] - Speculation surrounds OpenAI's upcoming DevDay event, where CEO Sam Altman may unveil a new AI-powered browser, potentially named Aura, to compete with Google's Chrome [5] Earnings Reports and Company Performance - PepsiCo is expected to report Q3 EPS of $2.26 on revenue of $23.86 billion, with activist investor Elliott Management advocating for strategic changes to improve bottling efficiencies [8] - Delta Air Lines is forecasted to post Q3 EPS of $1.53 with revenue of $15.94 billion, with analysts noting its strong execution compared to peers, presenting a potential buy opportunity [9] Market Trends and Consumer Sentiment - The FOMC minutes from the last meeting will be closely monitored, with over 85% odds of two more quarter-point rate cuts this year [10] - The University of Michigan will release its preliminary measure of October consumer sentiment, following a decline in the Conference Board's consumer confidence measure to a five-month low [10] Cryptocurrency and Oil Production - Bitcoin has surpassed $125,000 for the first time, driven by strong inflows into bitcoin ETFs and renewed institutional interest [11] - OPEC+ has agreed to increase oil production by 137,000 barrels per day starting in November, following a modest increase in October [11] Healthcare Partnerships - Costco will offer weight loss medications Wegovy and Ozempic at half the list price to its members, as part of a new partnership with Novo Nordisk [12]