Trump’s ‘Dream Military’ Plan Whipsaws Defense Stocks; China Set to Approve H200, Nvidia Seeks Cash Upfront - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Group 1 - RTX Corporation experienced significant stock volatility following comments from President Trump regarding defense spending and corporate buybacks, with a notable drop when he proposed banning buybacks and a subsequent spike when he announced plans to increase the defense budget from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion [11] - The average purchase price for RTX was $80.70, and it is currently trading at $192.47 in premarket [11] - President Trump aims to fund the increased defense spending through tariffs, which generated $195 billion in fiscal year 2025, with estimates for fiscal year 2026 ranging from $191 billion to $247 billion [11] Group 2 - The article highlights a surge in productivity in Q3 at 4.9%, with labor costs declining by 1.9%, indicating positive trends for the U.S. economy and stock market [11] - Job openings reported in the JOLTS data were at 7.146 million, down from 7.449 million previously, suggesting a potential slowdown in job growth [11] - The ISM Non-Manufacturing Index came in at 54.4, above the consensus of 52.2, indicating strong non-manufacturing activity [11]