Core Insights - Broader equity markets are reaching record highs despite a government shutdown and inflation concerns, with investors expecting the shutdown to be brief and anticipating interest rate cuts by the Fed in 2025 due to weak labor market conditions [1][8] Investment Strategies - Investors are looking to capitalize on the upward movement of stocks by creating portfolios that ensure healthy returns, although the abundance of stocks makes this challenging [2] - Following broker advice is suggested as a strategy, with broker-favored stocks such as Bread Financial (BFH), Delek US Holdings (DK), American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), Advance Auto Parts (AAP), and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) recommended for monitoring [3][8] Stock Screening Methodology - A screening process has been developed to identify stocks based on improving broker recommendations and upward revisions in earnings estimates over the past four weeks, incorporating the price/sales ratio as a valuation metric [4][5] - Screening parameters include: - Top 75 companies with net upgrades in broker ratings over the last four weeks - Top 10 stocks with earnings estimate revisions for the upcoming quarter - Bottom 10% of stocks based on price-to-sales ratio [5][6] Featured Stocks - **Bread Financial (BFH)**: Benefits from data-driven marketing strategies and solid receivables growth in Card Services, with a Zacks Rank of 3 and an average earnings beat of 32% [7][8] - **Delek US Holdings (DK)**: Has a competitive edge in the oil and gas sector due to extensive downstream operations, with a Zacks Rank of 3 and an average earnings beat of 16.1% [9] - **American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)**: Focused on cost-reduction and brand progress, with strategic initiatives aimed at long-term growth and a Zacks Rank of 3 [10][11] - **Advance Auto Parts (AAP)**: Completed a store footprint optimization program and plans to open over 100 new stores, with a Zacks Rank of 3 [11] - **Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)**: Focused on global trends and investing in technological capabilities, with a Zacks Rank of 3 and an average earnings beat of 0.05% [12][13]

Welcome back to Market on Close. I'm Sam Bartis on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and I'm pleased to say I am joined by Peter Tutman who is the senior floor broker at Trademass. Thank you so much for joining me.Peter, what did you make of the day. I mean, we can still claim that it was a record, but it just didn't end like one. >> You know what.Look, I mean, a little bit of red on the screen. You know, look, we've had maybe four days that have been the slightest bit of a shallow selloff, if you'd ...

Core Viewpoint - Hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones warns that the financial markets in 2025 may be on the brink of a significant downturn, drawing parallels to the tech boom of 1999, but suggesting that the current environment could be even more volatile [1][2][3] Market Behavior - Jones emphasizes that the current investment climate mirrors the conditions leading up to the 2000 dot-com bust, with investor behavior reflecting a similar pattern of exuberance [2][3] - He notes that the greatest price appreciation typically occurs in the 12 months preceding a market peak, indicating that investors face a timing challenge [5] Economic Context - The Federal Reserve's potential for multiple interest rate cuts is highlighted as a significant factor, with the real interest rate approaching zero, creating incentives for investment [6] - Jones contrasts the current fiscal situation, with a 6% budget deficit, against the 1999 budget surplus, suggesting that the current fiscal and monetary combination is unprecedented [6] Asset Class Concerns - Jones identifies sovereign debt as the "biggest bubble," driven by global deficits and an easing monetary cycle [7] - He expresses concern over the interconnected financing in the AI sector, indicating a level of nervousness about the sustainability of such arrangements [8] Market Outlook - The end of the year is seen as a critical period for market performance, with institutional investors marking their positions [9][10] - Jones warns that while the current market conditions may lead to explosive gains, the potential for a sudden downturn remains, echoing historical patterns [12]

Core Insights - Ongoing debates among elected officials regarding the budget on Capitol Hill may lead to further interest rate cuts [1] Group 1 - The current market dynamics suggest that fixed income investors might consider repositioning their portfolios in response to potential interest rate changes [1]

Economic Impact of Shutdown and Tech Investment - The shutdown's impact on the economy is currently overshadowed by the wave of tech investment, including regulatory relief, tax incentives, AI, and data center power boom [1][2] - Expectations for a reacceleration in economic activity are considered legitimate [2] Labor Market Dynamics - The job market is sluggish with mismatches between available jobs and worker skills/aspirations, compounded by reduced immigration [3] - Reduced immigration contributes to the lowest labor force growth, exacerbated by unclear status of 12 to 15 million workers [3] Inflation and Monetary Policy - Inflation remains above the target of 2%, running at approximately 2.75%, primarily driven by services [4][5] - The Fed should be cautious about further rate cuts given the above-target inflation and the neutral rate being close to the current Fed rate [6] - Services inflation is sticky due to rents and a tight labor force, potentially influenced by tariff inflation [7] - Above-target inflation acts as a regressive tax, impacting 80 to 85 million American workers earning $50,000 to $55,000 or less annually, who have lost 25% purchasing power [12] - The neutral rate is estimated to be around 3.5% to 3.75%, leaving limited room for further rate cuts [11] Impact of Tariffs on Businesses - Tariffs are causing margin erosion, particularly affecting small businesses reliant on imports, with some facing potential closure [7][8][9] Future Economic Outlook - Several tailwinds towards the end of the year could potentially cause some firming or reacceleration of the economy, requiring the Fed to be cautious [10]

Economic Outlooks - The World Bank has raised China's 2025 GDP forecast to 4.8%, indicating a positive outlook before an expected slowdown in the following year [3][9] - Canada's economy is showing signs of deceleration, with Q2 GDP weaker than anticipated and a fragile housing sector that complicates potential interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada [4][9] - The French Farm Ministry has revised down its 2025 wine production forecast to 36.0 million hectoliters, reflecting a 1% decrease from last year's output [5][9] Corporate Actions and Analyst Ratings - Zurich Insurance (ZURN) has decided not to tender its stake in Sabadell (SAB) amidst a tender offer, marking a significant move in the financial services sector [6][9] - Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR) has been downgraded by Jefferies from "Hold" to "Underperform," with the target price significantly reduced from $110 to $70 [6][9] Political and Geopolitical Developments - Japan's new LDP leader, Sanae Takaichi, is engaged in coalition talks with Komeito, having reached agreements on two out of three discussed points, and is preparing for a Japan-U.S. leaders meeting on October 28th [7][9] - The EU is moving to restrict Russian diplomats' travel due to increased espionage activities, while Germany's Cabinet is divided over an EU letter advocating for a ban on combustion engine cars, indicating internal friction on environmental policy [8][9]

Market Sentiment - Australia's consumer confidence declined to a six-month low [1] - Renewed doubts emerged regarding future interest rate cuts due to recent inflation strength [1]

It's time now for the big picture. Let's welcome in the team from Charles Schwab. Very pleased to say I'm joined by Lisanne Saunders who is the chief investment strategist Charles Schwab and Cooper Howard director and fixed income strategist Schwab Center for Financial Research.What a brilliant day to have both of you on. Lisanne, let's start with you that big story AMD and OpenAI. I suppose my question as we look back at the week that was and the global chip rally that we have witnessed off the back of the ...

Market Trends & Expectations - Swaps traders are reducing bets on Turkish interest-rate cuts for the rest of the year [1] - Increased price growth is casting doubt on the central bank's inflation target [1]

Market Performance - The U.S. stock market showed strong performance last week, with major indices like the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average increasing by 0.82%, 0.84%, and 0.96% respectively [1] - Investor optimism was fueled by advancements in Artificial Intelligence and expectations for further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, despite a partial government shutdown creating uncertainties [1] Consumer Confidence and Labor Market - The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for September dropped by 3.6 points to 94.2, marking its lowest level since April, attributed to inflation and a weakening job market [2] - Job openings increased slightly by 19,000 to 7.227 million in August, while hiring decreased by 114,000 to 5.126 million according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey [2] Zacks Research Performance - Amneal Pharmaceuticals saw a stock increase of 29.9% since its Zacks Rank upgrade on July 25, outperforming the S&P 500's 5.5% increase [4][7] - Leidos Holdings experienced a 19.8% return following a Zacks Rank upgrade on July 28, also surpassing the S&P 500's 5.1% increase [5][7] - A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank 1 stocks returned +8.64% in 2025 through September 1, compared to +7.60% for the S&P 500 index [5] Focus List and Model Portfolios - The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned 13.74% in 2025 through August 31, outperforming the S&P 500 index's 10.79% [12] - Intellia Therapeutics gained 85.9% and Shopify returned 38.3% over the past 12 weeks, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 7% increase during the same period [11] Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP) - The ECAP returned +0.20% in Q2 2025, underperforming the S&P 500 index's +10.94% gain [16] - The portfolio aims to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies with a proven track record of earnings stability over 20+ years [17] Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) - Johnson & Johnson returned 20.9% and Home Depot increased by 6.3% over the past 12 weeks, benefiting from investor preference for quality dividend stocks amid market volatility [19] - The ECDP returned -3.17% in Q2 2025, compared to the S&P 500 index's +10.94% gain [20] Top 10 Stocks Performance - Goldman Sachs, part of the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, increased by 38% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500 index's 14.2% increase [22] - The Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +2,369.7% since 2012, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 index's 522.5% [24]