Gold Market - Gold prices experienced significant volatility in October but achieved a third consecutive monthly gain, closing down about 0.5% while remaining above the 4,000 mark, with total gains of just under 4% for the month [2] - Year-to-date, gold has increased by 50%, reaching a record high of 4,381.21 on October 20th [2] - Analysts and traders expect gold prices to average $4,275 in 2026, a sharp increase from the previous estimate of $3,400 just three months ago [3] Data Storage Companies - Seagate and Western Digital reported stellar earnings, significantly benefiting from the AI infrastructure buildout, with both companies surging over 200% year-to-date [4][5] - These companies rank as the second and third highest percentage gainers on the S&P 500 this year, highlighting their impressive performance relative to the broader market [5] Nvidia Developments - Nvidia announced a deal to supply over 260,000 accelerated chips to South Korea, including major companies like Samsung, as part of efforts to expand globally [6] - The deal is considered a watershed moment for the tech industry, with Nvidia recently becoming the first company to reach a $5 trillion market cap [7] Upcoming Earnings Reports - Palantir and Hims and Hers are set to report earnings soon, with Palantir expected to show a profit of 17 cents per share, a 68% increase year-over-year, and revenue projected to reach approximately $1.092 billion [9] - AMD's upcoming report is highly anticipated due to a 60% increase in October following a deal with OpenAI, with the market keen to see if AI infrastructure demand can sustain its rally [11] - McDonald's earnings report will provide insights into consumer behavior, especially in light of recent trends observed by Chipotle regarding consumer spending amid economic uncertainties [12][13]
Friday's Final Takeaways: NVDA's Big Week, Gold & Storage's Big Month