Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-10-21 01:30Group 1: Government Shutdown Impact - The U.S. Senate failed to pass a government funding bill, resulting in the continuation of the government shutdown that began on October 1 [1][2] - The funding bill aimed to extend government funding until November 21 but did not meet the required 60 votes, receiving only 50 in favor [2] - The shutdown has led to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) initiating forced unpaid leave for approximately 1,400 employees, marking the first such occurrence since the agency's establishment in 2000 [4][5] Group 2: Economic Data and Federal Reserve - The government shutdown has caused a "data vacuum," complicating the Federal Reserve's ability to assess economic conditions, particularly regarding inflation and employment risks [6][7] - Financial markets expect the Federal Reserve to lower the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75%–4.00% during the upcoming policy meeting [7] - The average monthly non-farm employment growth from June to August was only 29,000, significantly below pre-pandemic levels, raising concerns about the labor market's true state [7][8] Group 3: Stock Market Performance - U.S. stock markets experienced significant gains, with major indices rising over 1%, driven by optimism from quarterly earnings reports and improved risk appetite [3][10] - Apple Inc. saw its stock price reach a record high of $262.24, with a market capitalization of $3.89 trillion, surpassing Microsoft to become the second-largest company by market value in the U.S. [13][15] - The iPhone 17 series has shown strong early sales, outperforming the iPhone 16 series by 14%, indicating a positive trend for Apple's future sales [15]