Market Overview - The U.S. stock market is expected to open strongly on September 18, 2025, following the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut of the year and projections for further easing [1][4] - Major U.S. stock index futures are showing substantial gains, with Dow Jones futures up approximately 0.69%, S&P 500 futures up around 0.86%, and Nasdaq 100 futures leading with a gain of about 1.05% [2] Current Index Performance - The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.57% in the previous session, achieving a new all-time high on an intraday basis, while the S&P 500 edged down 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.33% [3] - The S&P 500 has already risen to 6658 points, gaining 0.87% from the previous session and reaching an all-time high [3] Economic Data and Fed Actions - The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 4.00% to 4.25%, with projections indicating the possibility of two additional quarter-point rate reductions before the end of 2025 [4][5] - Initial jobless claims dropped more than expected, and the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index jumped in September, surpassing consensus forecasts [6] Corporate Developments - Nvidia announced a $5 billion investment in Intel to co-develop PC and data center chips, resulting in a 30% surge in Intel shares during premarket trading [7] - Major U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, lowered their prime lending rates from 7.50% to 7.25% following the Fed's rate cut, which is expected to stimulate borrowing [8] Upcoming Earnings and Corporate News - Darden Restaurants and FactSet Research Systems reported quarterly earnings, with Darden missing estimates and FactSet beating revenue expectations [12] - Other notable corporate announcements include Huawei's unveiling of advanced AI infrastructure, Hyundai's 2030 vision for electrified vehicles, and Mars's €1 billion investment in EU operations [12]

Market Overview - The S&P 500 is expected to open higher following a volatile session after the Federal Reserve cut rates by 0.25% [1] - Initial jobless claims have decreased from the previous week [1] Company Developments - Intel shares surged by 28% after Nvidia announced a $5 billion investment in Intel and plans to co-develop data center and PC chips [2] - Cracker Barrel's shares fell nearly 7% due to a disastrous earnings report, with restaurant traffic down 8% since a logo change on August 19 [3] - Nucor's negative preannouncement indicated expected Q3 earnings per share between $2.05 and $2.15, below the FactSet consensus of $2.57, leading to a nearly 4% drop in shares [4] - CrowdStrike shares rose almost 5% after the company provided bullish long-term financial targets at an analyst day, prompting multiple price target increases [5] - Meta unveiled new Ray-Ban Display glasses starting at $799, aiming to position them as the primary personal computing device for AI [6] - SoFi Technologies received a price target increase from Mizuho Securities to $31 from $26, with analysts citing Fed rate cuts as a positive factor [7] - Reddit saw price target increases from Piper Sandler and Citizens JMP, reflecting optimism about future catalysts [8] - Bank of America initiated coverage of AeroVironment with a buy rating and a price target of $300, indicating strong growth opportunities [9] - BTIG initiated coverage of Abercrombie & Fitch with a buy rating and a price target of $120, suggesting a potential 40% upside [10] - Huawei introduced a new AI chip cluster, claiming it to be the "world's most powerful," raising questions about its benchmarking against Nvidia [11]

From Huawei to Alibaba, China’s biggest tech firms have vied with each other this month to tout their latest AI chip advancements https://t.co/RorsG4uhiY ...

Core Viewpoint - China's recent decision to halt purchases of Nvidia's AI chips reflects its growing confidence in domestic chip manufacturers and serves as a strategic move to gain leverage in trade negotiations with the U.S. [1][4][13] Group 1: Regulatory Actions - Chinese regulators have mandated tech firms to stop purchasing Nvidia's H20 chips pending a national security review, which has now expanded to include the RTX Pro 6000D chip, effectively barring Nvidia from selling any products to Chinese customers [3][4] - The preliminary investigation into Nvidia has indicated potential violations of China's anti-monopoly laws, further complicating the company's market position in China [4][5] Group 2: Domestic Chip Development - Chinese AI companies are being encouraged to explore domestic alternatives to Nvidia chips, with reports suggesting that local chipmakers are aiming to triple the output of AI processors next year [6][9] - Huawei has announced new AI compute infrastructure using its in-house Ascend chips, claiming superior performance metrics compared to Nvidia's systems, despite the Ascend chips delivering only one-third the performance of Nvidia processors [10] Group 3: Market Dynamics and Future Outlook - Analysts suggest that while China is becoming more self-sufficient in AI chip production, challenges remain in terms of production capacity and the ability to meet demand without Nvidia's offerings [8][12] - The halt in Nvidia chip purchases may be part of a broader negotiation strategy by China to leverage access to its market in discussions with the U.S. regarding tariffs and technology access [14][16]

Indonesia's president is taking aim at the country's business elite after deadly riots, Huawei steps up its challenge of Nvidia and Donald Trump's visit to the UK turns more serious: Here is your Evening Briefing https://t.co/F0wNaiTZqj ...

Technology Advancement - Huawei releases new AI chip technology [1] - The new chip aims to challenge Nvidia's market dominance in AI computing [1]

Core Viewpoint - The content emphasizes the importance of conducting personal due diligence and consulting competent advisors before making any financial decisions, particularly in the context of investments and trading [1]. Group 1 - The website provides general news, personal analysis, and third-party content intended for educational and research purposes [1]. - It explicitly states that the information does not constitute any recommendation or advice for investment actions [1]. - Users are advised to consider their financial situation and needs before relying on the information provided [1]. Group 2 - The website includes information about complex financial instruments such as cryptocurrencies and contracts for difference (CFDs), which carry a high risk of losing money [1]. - It encourages users to perform their own research and understand the risks involved with financial instruments before making investment decisions [1].

Huawei's AI Chip Development - Huawei is advancing its AI chip development with plans for new Ascend and Atlas series chips, including the Ascend 910C, which is set for mass production in Q1 2025 as a domestic alternative to Nvidia's H20 chip [3][8] - The Ascend 910C faces challenges with a yield rate of approximately 20% from SMIC's N+2 process, which is below the commercially viable threshold [3] - Future releases include the Ascend 950PR and Ascend 950DT chips in 2026, and the Atlas 950 Supercluster, expected to launch in late 2025, aimed at enhancing China's domestic AI computing capabilities [4][8] UAE Interest Rate Cut - The Central Bank of the UAE has reduced its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, bringing the Overnight Deposit Facility rate down from 4.40% to 4.15%, effective immediately [5][8] - This rate cut follows a similar action by the U.S. Federal Reserve, reflecting the UAE dirham's peg to the U.S. dollar [5] - The UAE has slightly revised its inflation forecast for 2025 to 1.9% from 2% and for 2026 to 1.9% from 2.1% [5] South Korea E-commerce Joint Venture - The Fair Trade Commission in South Korea has conditionally approved a joint venture between AliExpress Korea and a unit of Shinsegae Group, named "Grand Opus Holding" [7][8] - This joint venture involves Emart affiliate Apollo Korea contributing 100% equity in Gmarket, while Alibaba affiliate BK4 invests $225 million in cash and 100% equity in AliExpress Korea [7] - The merger is expected to reshape the domestic e-commerce landscape, intensifying competition with existing players like Coupang and Naver [7][8] Geopolitical Developments - Iranian Foreign Minister engaged in discussions with European nations regarding Iran's nuclear program, aiming to prevent the re-imposition of international sanctions [10] - Poland is advocating for a 2026 deadline for the EU to halt Russian oil imports, citing geopolitical risks and the need to stop financing Russia's military actions [11]

Group 1 - China's ban on tech companies purchasing Nvidia chips signifies a pivotal moment for its semiconductor industry, indicating it may no longer rely on American AI hardware [1][2] - The directive from Chinese regulators requires companies like ByteDance and Alibaba to shift from Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000D processors to domestic alternatives, fundamentally altering their AI infrastructure [2][5] - Chinese regulators believe that homegrown chips from companies such as Huawei and Cambricon have sufficiently closed the performance gap to support the country's AI ambitions [3] Group 2 - In 2024, China published 23,695 AI-related research papers, surpassing the combined output of the United States (6,378), the United Kingdom (2,747), and the European Union (10,055) [4] - Recent assessments indicate that China's AI processors now match or exceed the capabilities of Nvidia products that are subject to U.S. export controls, a significant shift from two years ago [4] - The ban on Nvidia chips is expected to impact the company significantly, as it previously generated up to 17% of its total revenue from the Chinese market, with potential annual losses estimated between $8 billion to $16 billion [6]

Group 1 - Nvidia's shares have declined nearly 3% following reports of a ban by Chinese regulators on technology companies from purchasing Nvidia's new AI chips, specifically the B40 chip [1][2] - Major Chinese companies like ByteDance and Alibaba have been ordered to halt testing and cancel tens of thousands of chip orders due to this ban [2] - Nvidia's CEO Jensen Wong expressed disappointment over the situation, indicating that it reflects larger geopolitical tensions between China and the United States [3] Group 2 - The ban signifies China's confidence in its domestic chip manufacturing capabilities, suggesting that they believe they can produce sufficient AI chips to meet demand [3][4] - China is actively pursuing semiconductor independence and promoting domestic alternatives, such as Huawei's Ascend 910B chip, as competitive with Nvidia's offerings [5] - Despite progress, Chinese chip manufacturers are still years behind the most advanced semiconductor technologies, which could impact Nvidia's revenue opportunities in the region [6] Group 3 - The ban represents a significant loss for Nvidia, potentially blocking an annual revenue opportunity of $15 to $20 billion from Chinese sales, which are currently close to zero [6]