U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has whittled down his short list of candidates to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to five individuals, he said on Air Force One, The Wall Street Journal reported.  Some have connections to the central bank and the White House, while another is a Wall Street powerhouse.President Donald Trump has kept up his verbal criticism of Powell for not cutting interest rates fast or deep enough, calling the Chairman a "stubborn moron" and "Jerome Too Late Powell", am ...

Corporate Earnings & Market Trends - S&P 500 companies' net profit margins are above their 5-year average for the sixth consecutive quarter, with analysts expecting this trend to continue into next year [1] - The earnings season has been solid, with financials showing strong numbers, particularly from money center banks, driven by trading and investment banking [3] - Industrials are pointing to solid AI infrastructure demand driving their numbers [3] - Tech earnings are expected to be a significant market driver this week [3] - Strong earnings growth is expected heading into next year, with double-digit earnings growth anticipated [12] Economic Factors & Federal Reserve - The market has high expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut rates [4] - A 25 basis points rate cut is largely priced in, with some possibility of the end of Quantitative Tightening (QT) being announced [17] - Markets are starting to price in a third rate cut in January with slightly better than a coin flip probability [20] - Corporate commentary suggests the economic environment remains largely the same, with some caution on hiring but no mass layoffs [15] - The higher-end consumer is holding up well, while the lower-income consumer is struggling with the cumulative impacts of inflation [16] Geopolitical & Trade - Treasury Secretary is confident that they have a framework of a potential deal, which is enough for markets [9] - Removal of trade overhang allows markets to focus on earnings [11][12]

Key Points Inflation data on Friday came in tamer than expected. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent provided an update on U.S.-China trade relations. Crypto is heavily impacted by broader macroeconomic and market conditions. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › Since Friday afternoon, the price of XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has traded over 5% higher, as of 10:10 a.m. ET today. Cryptocurrencies appeared to gain momentum following positive economic data Friday and news on the geopolitical front. More ris ...

Core Viewpoint - U.S. stock futures indicate a positive start to the week, driven by optimism in the technology sector and anticipation of Federal Reserve policy changes, particularly regarding interest rates and advancements in artificial intelligence [1][4][14] Premarket Trading and Futures Movements - S&P 500 futures are up 0.78%, Nasdaq 100 futures have increased by 1.15%, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are up 0.55%, reflecting a bullish sentiment in premarket trading [2] - The positive momentum follows a strong closing of major U.S. market indexes last week, suggesting continued market resilience [3] Current Performance of Major Market Indexes - The S&P 500 recently reached 6849 points, a 0.85% gain from the previous session, a 2.82% increase over the past month, and a 17.61% rise year-over-year [3] - The Nasdaq Composite closed at 23,204.87 with a 1.15% gain, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached 47,207.12, marking a 1.01% increase [3] Upcoming Market Events - The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is anticipated to result in a 25 basis point interest rate cut, lowering the federal funds rate to a range of 3.75% to 4.00% [4] - Key economic reports may face delays due to a government shutdown, impacting the release of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index and GDP figures [5] Earnings Season Highlights - Microsoft is expected to report strong first-quarter fiscal year 2026 results, driven by its cloud computing and AI divisions [6] Major Stock News and Developments - Apple plans to integrate a vapor chamber into the next iPad Pro and is expanding revenue streams through advertisements in its Maps application, with a "Buy" rating and a price target of $275.00 from TD Cowen [8] - Microsoft faces legal challenges in Australia over alleged misleading pricing related to AI features, but Guggenheim has upgraded its rating to "Buy" with a price target of $586 [9][10] - Nvidia is considering a $100 billion investment in OpenAI, aiming to deploy significant resources for AI infrastructure, while HSBC has raised its rating to "Buy" with a price target of $320 [11] - Tesla reported record EV deliveries in Q3 2025 but experienced a 5% year-over-year decline in production, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.47 trillion [12] - Alphabet's stock is buoyed by positive analyst commentary and advancements in AI, with JPMorgan raising its price target to $300 [13]

Economic Overview - The Federal Reserve is expected to announce a 25-basis-point cut in the benchmark federal funds rate, lowering the target to a range of 3.75% to 4% [2] - The anticipated rate cut follows a similar reduction in September and is expected to be followed by another cut in December [2] - The consumer price index (CPI) rose to 3% year-over-year as of September, indicating elevated inflation levels [4][5] Labor Market and Manufacturing - There are signs of a weakening labor market, with rising unemployment and seven consecutive months of contraction in manufacturing due to tariffs [7] - The ongoing government shutdown has delayed the September jobs report, complicating the economic outlook for policymakers [4][9] National Debt and Interest Rates - The cost of servicing the national debt, which exceeds $38 trillion, surpassed $1 trillion in the last fiscal year [7] - Elevated interest rates have led the Treasury Department to issue more short-term debt rather than locking in lower rates for longer durations [8][12] - The reliance on short-term debt issuance is a response to the current high-interest environment, creating a need for constant rollover of debt [12] Federal Reserve's Challenges - Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh criticized the Fed's management of inflation expectations and called for new leadership to address ongoing issues [16][17] - Warsh suggested that the Fed's actions have not effectively managed inflation, attributing recent progress to presidential policies rather than Fed interventions [17][18]

U.S. equity markets are poised for another strong session on Monday, October 27, 2025, with premarket trading indicating a continuation of the bullish momentum that propelled major indexes to record highs last week. Investor optimism is largely fueled by expectations of an imminent Federal Reserve interest rate cut and significant progress in U.S.-China trade negotiations. This week promises to be pivotal, with crucial economic data, central bank policy decisions, and a wave of earnings reports from tech gi ...

Market Overview - U.S. stocks experienced a significant rally, with major indices reaching all-time highs, driven by a softer-than-expected inflation reading that bolstered expectations for a 25 basis point interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its upcoming meeting on October 30 [1][4] Inflation Data - The annual headline inflation for September 2025 was reported at 3%, a slight increase from August's 2.9% but below the anticipated 3.1%. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, decreased from 3.1% to 3% year-over-year, indicating a cooler inflation environment [2] Company Performance - Ford Motor Co. emerged as the top-performing large-cap stock, surging 12% following the release of stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings, marking its best session since 2022 [2] - In the small-cap sector, Inhibrx Biosciences Inc. saw a remarkable 102% increase in stock price after announcing positive trial results for its cancer drug ozekibart [3] Sector Performance - Most sectors within the S&P 500 closed positively, with information technology, communication services, and utilities showing the largest gains. Conversely, energy and materials sectors underperformed, closing lower [3] Index Readings - The CNN Money Fear and Greed Index recorded a reading of 33.1, remaining in the "Fear" zone, which indicates a slight increase from the previous reading of 28.6. This index reflects current market sentiment, with higher fear typically exerting downward pressure on stock prices [5]

Market Overview - U.S. stocks experienced a significant rally, with major indices reaching all-time highs, driven by a softer-than-expected inflation reading that bolstered expectations for a 25 basis point interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its upcoming meeting on October 30 [1][4] Inflation Data - The annual headline inflation for September 2025 was reported at 3%, a slight increase from August's 2.9% but below the anticipated 3.1%. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, decreased from 3.1% to 3% year-over-year, indicating a cooler inflation environment [2] Company Performance - Ford Motor Co. emerged as the top-performing large-cap stock, surging 12% following the release of stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings, marking its best session since 2022 [2] - In the small-cap sector, Inhibrx Biosciences Inc. saw a remarkable 102% increase in stock price after announcing positive trial results for its cancer drug ozekibart [3] Sector Performance - Most sectors within the S&P 500 closed positively, with information technology, communication services, and utilities showing the largest gains. Conversely, energy and materials sectors underperformed, closing lower [3] Index Readings - The CNN Money Fear and Greed Index recorded a reading of 33.1, remaining in the "Fear" zone, which indicates a slight increase from the previous reading of 28.6. This index reflects current market sentiment, with higher fear typically exerting downward pressure on stock prices [5]

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) on Friday rose by +0.79%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) rose by +1.01%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) rose by +1.04%.  December E-mini S&P futures (ESZ25) rose by +0.74%, and December E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQZ25) rose by +1.00%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 indexes both rallied to new record highs on Friday.  Stocks found support from the slightly weaker-than-expected US CPI report, which gave the Fed a bit more latitude to cut interest rates.  Th ...

Economic Indicators - The September US CPI report showed a monthly increase of +0.3% and a yearly increase of +3.0%, which was slightly below market expectations of +0.4% m/m and +3.1% y/y [2] - The core CPI for September also rose by +0.2% m/m and +3.0% y/y, again slightly weaker than the expected +0.3% m/m and +3.1% y/y [2] - The final-August University of Michigan US consumer sentiment index fell by -1.4 points to 53.6, weaker than the expected drop to 54.5 [3] Market Reactions - The dollar index ended the day little changed, influenced by the weaker-than-expected CPI report and a -0.6 basis point decline in the US 10-year T-note yield [1] - The markets are pricing in a 97% chance of a -25 basis point rate cut at the next FOMC meeting on October 28-29 due to the ongoing US government shutdown [4] Eurozone Indicators - The preliminary-October HCOB Eurozone manufacturing PMI rose by +0.2 points to 50.0, exceeding expectations for no change at 49.8 [5] - The preliminary-October HCOB Eurozone services PMI increased by +1.3 points to 52.6, stronger than the anticipated decline to 51.2 [5]