Markets kicked off the day building on T&Q’s optimism around the softening inflation signal, as August’s Producer Price Index (PPI) fell unexpectedly, reigniting bets on multiple upcoming Fed rate cuts. 

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both climbed to record intraday highs, before setting back down to near their open. Tech drove gains as predicted, with Oracle posting a staggering ~35% gain after projecting $500 billion in cloud infrastructure bookings driven by AI demand… and that surge lifted chipmakers like Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom, plus infrastructure plays like Constellation Energy and Vistra.

Strategic sentiment followed the tape: Barclays boosted its year-end S&P 500 target to 6,450, citing resilient earnings and AI-driven momentum, while Deutsche Bank showed even more bullishness, raising its target to 7,000. These upgrades underscore a growing consensus that equities can continue ripping higher amid rate-cut expectations and a late-cycle growth backdrop.

Though tech leadership remains undeniable, the Dow lagged, especially hurt by Apple’s muted product launch reaction. Bond markets echoed caution alongside optimism; the 10-year Treasury yield dipped into the low 4% range while gold hit fresh records, signaling that markets aren’t completely convinced on growth just yet.

Looking ahead, all eyes turn to tomorrow’s CPI data and a $39 billion 10-year Treasury auction… one could push markets to new highs, the other risks jolting the narrative.

This company is the lifeblood of AI data centers, yet almost no one has caught up with the story. Their hardware is so essential that the data center industry uses enough of it to stretch around the world 8 times – in a single building! So, if you own Nvidia stock now, you might be well-served to sell those shares and check out this under-the-radar play instead. Or if you missed the boat on Nvidia, this is a rare second chance to target tremendous profit potential as AI data centers spring up in every corner of the world.

The meme stock mania of 2021 was supposed to be a one-off. A flash mob of retail traders, a Reddit-fueled rebellion, and a quick collapse when reality caught up. But as Trustnet reports, 2025 has rewritten the playbook: meme stocks are back… and this time, the movement looks built to last.

Retail traders are no longer the scrappy outsiders they once were. Armed with commission-free platforms, leverage tools, Discord servers, and algorithmic trade triggers, they’ve transformed spontaneous short squeezes into something closer to sustained market force. Some of this summer’s wildest rallies like AMC, GME, BBBYQ, and beyond, have shown resilience not seen during the first wave of meme mania.

Read the full piece to see why ignoring meme stocks is no longer an option… they’re no longer a sideshow; they’re a structural feature of modern markets (for better or worse).

Goldman Sachs’ Exchanges brings us a rare, balanced look behind the stablecoin craze. Featuring former Acting Comptroller Brian Brooks and economist Barry Eichengreen, the episode unpacks what stablecoins really mean for finance.

Spoiler: it’s not global disruption, but structural evolution. These crypto tokens aren’t poised to topple credit card networks or replace banks. Instead, they’re quietly modernizing settlement and interbank payments, especially in cross-border or capital markets scenarios. Think a plumbing upgrade, not a demolition, backed by thoughtful regulation and infrastructure upgrades. 

With tokenization and digital payments reshaping the financial landscape, this episode serves as a must-listen roadmap.