Stock Market Summary – September 19, 2025

Tech stocks made considerable gains as the S&P 500 was set to close higher for the week, largely propelled by mega cap tech stocks. This trend is due to investors returning to large-cap growth tech stocks as the interest rates slowly increase since the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut. Particularly, Microsoft announced price rises for several Xbox consoles in the U.S. due to changes in the macroeconomic environment, marking the second such increase this year. This is seen as a reaction to the Trump administration’s tariffs aimed at revitalizing American manufacturing.

In other tech news, Elon Musk’s AI initiative, xAI, is reportedly seeking to raise $10 billion in investment at a $200 billion valuation. This is amid increasing interest and skyrocketing valuations in foundational AI models. Musk, however, has denied the report, stating that xAI is not currently raising capital. Microsoft, GE Vernova, and Eaton Resources are all performing well with the latter two benefitting from the Energy Department’s new “Speed to Power” initiative.

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner demonstrated his support for Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel’s show was suspended indefinitely by ABC for comments he made. Eisner accused FCC Chairman Brendan Carr of attempting to intimidate ABC and Disney. In a related event, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticized Carr, drawing a comparison between the FCC Chair’s behavior and a ‘mafia boss’ due to Carr’s threats to cancel ABC’s broadcast license over Kimmel’s remarks

Next week, earnings from Costco, Micron, Cintas, KB Home, and Jabil will be closely watched, as will data on the S&P Global PMIs, weekly mortgage applications, and weekly jobless claims, considering their potential to influence market trends.

The day’s biggest movers in stocks were Brighthouse Financial, Lennar, Apple, FedEx, Newmont, and Orla Mining among others. Brighthouse Financial saw a significant surge of 26% following a report of a potential buyout by a group led by Aquarian Holdings. Conversely, publisher Scholastic saw its stock fall almost 11% due to wider losses in the recent fiscal quarter.

Newmont and Orla Mining experienced opposite antics after Newmont sold its stake in Orla for $439 million, leading to a price rise of over 4% for Newmont and a 7% fall for Orla. SolarEdge Technologies saw a strong 4% rise, adding to the week’s 24% surge. FedEx’s stock jumped 3% following a better-than-expected earnings report, while Intel pulled back 2%.

The home-builder Lennar, however, saw a 3.7% drop following weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenue. JPMorgan’s price target hike for Apple saw the stock rise 3%.

In other news, e-commerce firm Pattern Group made its Nasdaq debut with its stock rising slightly, raising $300 million and valuing the company at about $2.5 billion. The company recorded a 39% revenue growth year-over-year to $598.2 million in Q2.

Investment in chip stocks is concentrated on Nvidia, Intel, Astera Labs, Rambus, and others. The AI boom has led chip stocks to be more under scrutiny. VanEck’s Semiconductor ETF and iShares’ Semiconductor ETF, for example, have seen significant growth, focusing on broad exposure to the chip industry.

Despite some concerns, Jim Cramer recommended more bullish behaviour on Apple stock due to strong early signs of demand for its new iPhone models and optimistic comments from Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.

In a polarized stance, Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran predicts that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will not increase inflation in the U.S. economy. Despite most measures indicating inflation running above the Fed’s 2% target this year.