Our top 10 things to watch Tuesday, Sept. 23 — Matthew J. Belvedere wrote this morning's newsletter with the help of Jeff Marks. 1. The S & P 500 was relatively flat Tuesday morning following a three-session winning streak. The index closed at a record high Monday, and so did the Nasdaq as tech stocks surged on Club holding Nvidia's gains after its OpenAI announcement . Looking ahead , Club name Costco reports earnings after Thursday's close, and the Federal Reserve's favorite inflation gauge is out Friday ...

Market Overview - U.S. markets experienced a slight decline, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling approximately 0.3% to 45,757.90, the S&P 500 decreasing 0.1% to 6,606.76, and the Nasdaq dipping 0.07% to 22,333.96 [1] Nio Inc. (NIO) - Nio's stock surged by 8.17%, closing at $7.02, with an intraday high of $7.09 and a low of $6.48; the 52-week range is $7.71 to $3.02 [2] - The stock's rise followed UBS's upgrade from Neutral to Buy, with a price target increase from $6.20 to $8.50 [2] - Nio's shipment of a new model to dealers contributed to the positive momentum [2] Rivian Automotive, Inc. (RIVN) - Rivian's shares climbed 5.29%, ending the day at $14.32, with a high of $14.65 and a low of $13.73; the 52-week range is $17.15 to $9.50 [3] - The increase is attributed to Rivian's announcement of a new facility in Georgia, marking a significant step in their electric vehicle production [3] Moderna Inc. (MRNA) - Moderna's stock rose by 4.02%, closing at $24.84, with a day's high of $25.63 and a low of $23.91; the 52-week range is $75.37 to $23.15 [4] - This uptick followed the release of preliminary data showing an eight-fold increase in antibodies with their updated Spikevax formula targeting the LP.8.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 [4] Meta Platforms Inc. (META) - Meta's shares increased by 1.87%, closing at $779, with an intraday high of $781.36 and a low of $765.10; the 52-week range is $796.25 to $479.80 [5] - The rise was influenced by a leak revealing Meta's next-generation smart glasses, described as a "game changer" by analyst Ross Gerber [5] BitMine Immersion Technologies Inc. (BMNR) - BitMine's stock rose by 5.31%, closing at $55.93, with a high of $57.01 and a low of $50.90; the 52-week range is $161 to $3.20 [5] - The increase follows BitMine's report of holding over 2.15 million Ethereum tokens, making it the world's largest Ethereum treasury company [5] Rivian's Performance Metrics - Rivian has a Momentum ranking in the 60th percentile and a Growth ranking in the 24th percentile, compared against Tesla and Nio [6]

Core Viewpoint - Meta Platforms is preparing for its Q2 earnings report, with significant upgrades from Wall Street analysts and a focus on its advertising business and AI strategy [1][2][3] Group 1: Earnings Expectations - The consensus price target for Meta is around $752, indicating approximately 5% upside, while the average price target among analysts is nearly $782, suggesting over 9% upside [2] - Investors are particularly focused on the strength of Meta's advertising business, which is crucial for driving sales and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) [3] - Meta's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 28x, just below its three-year high of 29x, indicating that substantial earnings beats may be necessary for share price increases [3] Group 2: Advertising Metrics - Growth in ad impressions delivered is a key metric, with a decline from 10% in Q2 2024 to 5% in Q1 2025; maintaining this 5% growth is essential for user engagement [4] - The price paid per ad growth should ideally remain in the 10% range, indicating increased competition among advertisers and the effectiveness of Meta's AI investments [5][6] Group 3: External Factors - The impact of tariffs on Meta's advertising business is a concern, with reciprocal tariffs set to take effect on August 1; insights into this could reveal the business's resilience [7] - Progress in Meta's Reality Labs segment is also critical, as sales fell 6% last quarter, and the company aims to significantly increase smart glasses sales in 2025 [8] Group 4: AI Strategy - Analysts are closely monitoring Meta's AI strategy, particularly the establishment of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) and the recruitment of top AI talent, which is a significant investment [9][10] - The company aims to balance short-term AI monetization opportunities, such as advertising automation, with long-term goals in developing general artificial intelligence [11] - Commentary on potential shifts away from open-source AI models will be important for understanding Meta's future direction [12]