Author: PAZAMBA

AI startup Windsurf has been acquired by artificial intelligence company Cognition AI Inc, in reaction to Windsurf losing its CEO and several senior employees to Google. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. This move comes as tech companies globally compete to retain and acquire top talent. Cognition’s AI coding agent, Devin, is helping engineers build faster software and prior to these events, Cognition was valued at close to $4 billion.

Rocket Lab saw a surge in its stocks by 8% on Monday. This significant rise is attributed to its series of successful rocket launches coupled with a deal signed with the European Union. So far in 2025, Rocket Lab’s stock is up by 63%, after having a six-fold surge in 2024.

Bitcoin surged to new highs overnight, hitting above $120,000 for the first time early Monday morning. This surge is attributed to the record inflow into bitcoin ETFs. ETFs linked to bitcoin recorded $1.18 billion inflows, their best performance so far this year. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is about to review new bills aiming to regulate the digital asset industry.

Shares of Chinese autonomous vehicle company, Pony AI, have been tipped to rise drastically as the company beefs up its robotaxi production. According to analysts from Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, Pony AI’s stock could easily double with the anticipated expansion of its fleet. The company plans to increase its robotaxi fleet to 1,000 units by the end of 2025. Should this occur, analysts predict that Pony AI’s stock could appreciate by up to 104%.

Notably, bitcoin hit a significant high, marking a resurgence in its cyclical and secular uptrends. Stocks with high exposure to the cryptocurrency marketplace like MicroStrategy (Strategy) (MSTR) and Coinbase (COIN) have experienced significant rallies. Katie Stockton, Fairlead Strategies, projects Bitcoin could reach $134,500 mid-term. The breakouts in the cryptocurrency market are deemed technical catalysts indicating long-term exposure.

Jim Cramer disagreed with Morgan Stanley’s downgrade of CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, considering its recent dip as a chance for buying. Despite being downgraded to equal weight, CrowdStrike’s stock showed resilience, trading at around $477. Meanwhile, concerns over the company’s high valuation have emerged due to investors’ lofty expectations. In the housing market, one-third of the largest 100 markets are seeing a decline in prices, caused by a rising inventory and high mortgage rates. The trend suggests further falls in prices across more markets. On the restaurant industry, the two names where Jim Cramer stands firm following Melius’s initiations are Starbucks and Texas Roadhouse. Despite Melius starting coverage on Starbucks with a ‘sell’ rating, Cramer disagreed and showed support for Starbucks’ CEO Brian Niccol’s ongoing improvements to the chain. Conversely, Texas Roadhouse was initiated with a ‘buy’ rating by Melius, being described as a “rare” traffic-driven growth story. Stock market leader Nvidia continued to stay strong despite concerns related to Beijing. Stocks to watch include Kenvue, which has seen an increase in its premarket shares by over 3% after CEO Thibaut Mongon was removed and Kirk Perry was appointed as interim CEO. Melius Research has started coverage of McDonald’s and Starbucks with sell ratings but favors Yum! Brands, Texas Roadhouse, Restaurant Brands, and Dutch Bros. Home goods producer Procter & Gamble was downgraded by Evercore ISI from ‘buy’ to ‘hold’. Lastly, Citi encouraged investors to buy shares in the industrial manufacturing company Dover, despite President Trump’s recent threats of tariffs potentially impacting its European revenue.

The stock market closed lower this week with escalating trade war tensions and series of tariff rates hike announced by President Trump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid by 279.13 points to 44,371.51 on Friday and ended the week with a 1% loss. The S&P 500 ended 0.33% down at 6,259.75 on Friday with a weekly loss of 0.3%, whereas the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.22% on Friday and marked a 0.1% weekly loss, ending at 20,585.53.

Stocks took a hit after President Trump threatened Canada with a 35% tariff and hinted at higher tariff rates across the board. He also indicated potential tariffs between 15%-20% on remaining countries. Despite trade developments, S&P 500 reached a new record gaining 0.3% on Thursday and similarly Nasdaq finished higher by 0.1%. No significant updates regarding the European Union tariffs were made, adding to the market’s uncertainty.

Shares of Toyota Motor and Honda Motor suffered a decline, dropping 4% and 3.9% respectively, after President Trump shared a series of posts indicating new tariffs on imported goods. Tech giants including Apple and Alphabet also suffered a more than 1% loss.

Despite increasing trade tensions, The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hit new milestones on Thursday with S&P 500 gaining 0.27% to finish at 6,280.46, and Nasdaq closing 0.09% up at 20,630.67. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 192 points to conclude at 44,650.64.

Despite President Trump instituting a 50% U.S. tariff on imported copper and a 50% tariff on Brazil, US markets have sustained and progressed to record highs. Artificial intelligence’s positive impact on the market resulted in Nvidia shares gaining nearly 2% higher and becoming the first public company valued at $4 trillion.

Another significant loser was Tesla, dropping nearly 7% after CEO Elon Musk announced his intention to form a new political party named the “America Party.” Investors were displeased with Musk’s political interests, alleging that it negatively impacted Tesla’s brand and sales.

Looking ahead, the upcoming earnings season, alongside key inflation data, will be critical for investors to navigate the current market conditions.

U.S. stocks saw a significant rise this week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) increasing by almost 0.5% to end at 44,458.30 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also had substantial gains of 0.6% and 0.9% respectively, closing at fresh records of 6,280.46 and 20,611.34.

AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) was a standout performer, its stock surging to cross the $4 trillion market cap to be the most valuable company in history. However, it ended slightly below the milestone by the close of the week. Other tech stocks including Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Alphabet also saw significant gains reflecting a rejuvenated interest in the artificial intelligence theme.

However, not all news was positive this week. Tesla (TSLA) stock experienced a nearly 7% drop after CEO Elon Musk announced the formation of a new political party, the “America Party.”

President Trump’s increased trade-related rhetoric took center stage this week. He ramped up tariff threats, announcing new rates ranging from 20% to 30% on countries like the Philippines, Libya, Algeria, and Iraq. In addition, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on copper and up to 200% duties on pharmaceuticals.

Still, tariffs did not seem to dampen the market significantly, as the market saw them as potential leverage for deal-making. Market focus remains on potential trade pacts with bigger US trading partners such as the EU, India, and Canada. Jobless claims dropped slightly, decreasing by 5,000 from the previous week to 227,000.

UBS has compiled a list of high-quality dividend stocks, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, McDonald’s, and Bank of America. Dick’s Sporting Goods’ dividend of 2.26% is seen as an attractive option despite a nearly 7% reduction in total returns year to date. McDonald’s, yielding 2.37%, has seen a 4% increase in total returns so far this year despite a 3.6% drop in U.S. same-store sales. Bank of America recently increased its dividend to 28 cents per share and has seen a 7% increase in its stock this year.

Amazon, seen as an excellent “catch-up” trade to the market with a year-to-date increase of 2.8%, is recommended as a good “pair trade” versus Walmart. According to Morgan Stanley, Amazon’s shares could reach $300, representing a 35% upside, due to the more manageable impact of tariffs and potential growth in its Amazon Web Services cloud business.

In the tech sector, Nvidia’s shares continue to rise following a historic week in which it became the first company to hit a $4 trillion market cap. Meanwhile, Starbucks stock dipped slightly despite Stifel’s price target increase to $105 from $92.

Companies making significant moves include Penn Entertainment, Robinhood, and Levi Strauss. Penn Entertainment saw a drop of more than 5% on account of weak regional gaming revenue data, while Robinhood’s shares rose by 1.5%. Levi Strauss saw a 10% increase in its stock after second-quarter results exceeded expectations.

Meme stocks remain popular among retail investors, with Goldman Sachs’ retail favorite basket hitting an all-time high. Avis Budget Group and Aeva Technologies are among the top-performers, with Q2 increases of 123% and 440% respectively. Robinhood and Coinbase, which are included in Bespoke Investment Group’s retail risk appetite basket, also reached record highs.

This information is only for informational purposes and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice or a recommendation to buy any security or other financial asset. Consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment advisor before making any financial decisions.

Tom Lee’s Fundstrat Granny Shots US Large Cap ETF is emerging as one of the most popular and successful stock funds of the year, with $1.5 billion in assets under management only eight months after its launch. The funds stocks include energy, cybersecurity, global labor suppliers, and companies impacted by millennials. Top portfolio holdings include Robinhood, Oracle and Advanced Micro Devices.

A recent Urban Institute analysis suggested that the number of Social Security retirement benefits early claimants will increase in 2025. The changes may lead to benefit cuts, as delaying retirement can increase benefits significantly. However, having a ‘bridge strategy’ to fund the interim years while delaying Social Security can benefit some retirees.

In the world of technology, Nvidia became the first $4 trillion company. While there are no obvious headwinds for Nvidia, some traders are looking to book profits as a precaution. Meanwhile, Levi – following a better-than-expected quarter – saw its stock jump more than 6.5%.

Cryptocurrency Bitcoin reached record highs over $118,000 due to exchange-traded funds tied to the cryptocurrency seeing their biggest day of inflows of the year.

Finally, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sold 225,000 shares worth $36.4 million. Despite this sale, Huang’s net worth has increased to around $143 billion, putting him on par with Warren Buffett.

Jim Cramer noted Wall Street opening lower on Friday following President Trump announcing additional tariffs on Canada.

Microsoft’s and Amazon’s share price targets were increased by financial analysts from JPMorgan, while Starbucks’ target was hiked by Stifel analysts. Morgan Stanley raised its price on cybersecurity stock Cloudflare.

The S&P 500 index saw a surge today, despite concerns about tariffs on copper imports and President Trump’s proposed 50% tariff on Brazilian imports starting August 1st. However, the Nasdaq underperformed, with noticeable pullback from technology stocks like Netflix and Meta Platforms. AWS (Amazon Web Services) announced that they have developed an in-house solution for the cooling needs of Nvidia’s next-generation AI chips, which could have a positive impact on both Nvidia and Amazon shares.

Tesla shares gained 5% following CEO Elon Musk’s announcement that the company is expanding its robotaxi service area and will add xAI’s chatbot Grok to its vehicles.

Delta Air Lines saw a 12% increase in share prices after reinstating its 2025 profit outlook, while shares of Brazilian stocks fell following President Trump’s tariff announcement. WK Kellogg saw a 30% jump in share prices after agreeing to a buyout from Ferrero. AMD stocks moved 2% higher on an upgrade to buy at HSBC, and Byrna Technologies shares rose 5% ahead of Q2 results.

The Pentagon announced an agreement to buy $400 million of preferred stock in rare earth miner MP Materials, causing its shares to surge by 50%. The investment comes as part of an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on China for rare earth imports.

Finally, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives raised his outlook for Palantir and identified it as a top software stock to play the AI revolution. Palantir shares have seen a 90% increase this year, with a new 12-month price target of $160, representing a 12% upside.

1. Delta shares surged by 11% after reinstating its 2025 profit outlook due to the company’s stronger-than-expected summer travel season forecast. CEO Ed Bastian revealed that bookings had stabilized after a lag earlier this year. The Delta’s report led to a surge in shares in other airlines as well. Delta reported Q2 earnings per share of $2.1, higher than the $2.05 expected, and a revenue of $15.51 billion, also slightly higher than the forecasted $15.48 billion.

2. According to Stephens, certain companies may soon be included in the S&P 500, a development that virtually always ensures a bump in these companies’ share prices. These potential candidates include Interactive Brokers, Emcor Group, Vertiv Holdings, Ferguson Enterprises, Trade Desk, Reddit, Pinterest, Carvana, Flutter Entertainment, and Cheniere Energy.

3. Goldman Sachs issued buy ratings on several AI-affiliated businesses, including Nvidia, Broadcom, Cadence Design Systems, and Synopsys. The firm believes these companies, tied to ongoing AI-related spending, are not yet fully valued by the market. Nvidia and Broadcom both have price targets of $185 and $315, indicating a potential upside of more than 13% for each stock.

4. Jim Cramer encourages investors to buys shares in Costco following strong June sales. He argues that, despite political tariff uncertainty, the retailer could be a good target for preserving wealth against inflation. U.S. core comparable sales for Costco rose 5.5% in the month ending on July 6, and although slightly lower than Wall Street expectations, sales were above buy-side predictions. Though Costco’s stock dipped by 0.5% on Thursday, Cramer still believes it’s a good move, predicting a share price target of $1,100.

5. After a 50% U.S. copper tariff was confirmed, mining companies in the U.K., including Anglo American, Antofagasta, and Rio Tinto, saw share prices leap, driving the FTSE 100 to a record high. The U.S. decision to impose duties on copper imports, though causing short-term market discord, could potentially be advantageous to mining producers. The demand for copper is expected to continue unabated due to the U.S. being unable to adequately raise production levels in the short term. This rise in copper prices should primarily benefit U.S.-based mining companies. European mining firms have not fared as well despite rallying commodity prices, with expectations of global growth marred by U.S. tariff uncertainty and varying economic signals from China.

After a series of tariff policies announced by President Trump, the S&P 500 ended Tuesday’s session nearly unchanged, decreasing 0.07% to 6,225.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 165.60 points (0.37%) to settle at 44,240.76, while the Nasdaq Composite incremented by 0.03% to close at 20,418.46. One of the day’s winners was Nvidia, which gained 1%. In contrast, larger banks like JPMorgan and Bank of America lost approximately 3%, with Goldman Sachs slipping almost 2%.

In earlier trading on Monday, the Dow Jones fell by 422.17 points (0.94%) to end at 44,406.36, triggered by Trump’s new tariffs. The S&P 500 dipped 0.79% to 6,229.98, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.92% to end at 20,412.52. Shares of automobiles companies Toyota Motor and Honda Motor fell by 4% and 3.9% respectively, while many tech companies also saw losses, with Apple and Alphabet losing over 1%, and AMD losing over 2%. Tesla also faced a nearly 7% drop in shares after CEO Elon Musk’s announcement of forming a new political party.

Following the release of a strong June jobs report, the Dow Jones rose 344.11 points (0.77%) to settle at 44,828.53 on Thursday. The S&P 500 rose 0.83% to reach a new record close at 6,279.35, and the Nasdaq gained 1.02% to close at a new high of 20,601.10. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 147,000 in June, exceeding economists’ forecast of 110,000. This positive economic data reduced the expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in the near term.

Lastly, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite saw a weekly increase of 1.7% and 1.6% respectively, and the Dow Jones posted a weekly gain of 2.3%.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, responded sharply to recommendations from Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, who is known for being bullish on Tesla. Ives suggested the board should create a new pay package for Musk, establish guidelines for his time at Tesla, and oversee his political activities. The recommendations, which followed a near 7% drop in Tesla’s stock, received a curt “Shut up” from Musk on social media.

Artificial intelligence giant Nvidia is inching ever closer to a $4 trillion market value according to Jim Cramer. Most recently, the company’s market capitalization stood around $3.9 trillion, with shares trading at $158 per piece. Cramer believes that Nvidia offers a comprehensive platform for AI computing, backed by both hardware and software solutions, including a program called CUDA that makes the most of the parallel computing traits of GPUs. Nvidia’s growth story traces back to the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.

A quieter market rotation was taking place in the S&P 500, with shares moving away from recent leaders and into laggards. Some examples included selling pressure on GE Vernova and Eaton, and buying into Dover and DuPont. Despite these shifts, Nvidia’s shares were again hitting an all-time high, only a few dollars shy of the $163.93 per share benchmark that would make it the first company ever to reach a $4 trillion market value.

President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs of up to 200% on pharmaceutical imports into the U.S “very soon.” This development would heap additional pressure on several large pharmaceutical companies who have previously voiced concerns about the potential impacts of such tariffs on costs, investments, and the stability of the drug supply chain. Tariff details are expected to be announced at the end of the month.

Finally, shares of energy firm Coterra are being sold off by Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust due to underperformance. The company’s status as a “geopolitical risk hedge” could not secure gains as oil prices retreated. The trust downgraded Coterra’s rating to a 3.

Despite President Donald Trump’s threats of a resurgent trade war, the U.S. stock market displayed modest movements today. The Dow slipped 0.13% losing 57 points, while the S&P 500 grew 0.05% and Nasdaq rose 0.3%. The market’s muted response appears to reflect investor sentiment that Trump’s new tariffs are more negotiating tactics than firm policy.

The recent tariff news has been interpreted as a “speed bump” rather than a significant disruption to market momentum, according to analyst Mohit Kumar. Although Trump’s tariff letters outlined increased rates for 14 trading partners, the market seems to be hopeful of tariff negotiations.

In company news, shares in Apple leaped after its movie, “F1: The Movie,” made more than $293 million at the global box office over the weekend, marking it as the tech giant’s most successful film release to date. However, with an estimated production cost between $200 and $300 million and a reported $100 million spent on marketing, the film has yet to make a profit.

Construction firm Caterpillar emerged as the key beneficiary of Trump’s tax-and-spending bill, according to Citi Research. Analyst Kyle Menges identified four key elements of the bill that were supportive of construction equipment demand: domestic tax reform, additional government funding for infrastructure, incentives for domestic manufacturing and research & development, and 100% bonus depreciation. Year-to-date, Caterpillar’s shares have risen 8.4%.

Meanwhile, Amazon shares created a “golden cross” as investors anticipates another successful Prime Day sale. In the last three months, Amazon stocks have risen by over 30% and may soon reach the intraday high recorded in early February.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev brushed off OpenAI’s concerns about its tokenized shares, stating that the claim these aren’t technically equity was “not entirely relevant.” OpenAI has asserted that, as the transfer of OpenAI equity requires its approval, Robinhood’s stock tokens equate to no equity in the firm.

CoreWeave announced it will acquire Core Scientific in a $9 billion all-stock deal. The value proposition is expected to eliminate $10 billion in future lease obligations and significantly enhance operating efficiency. However, CoreWeave’s stock fell 3% and Core Scientific stock slid nearly 18%. After the deal closes, CoreWeave said it will possibly divest Core Scientific’s cryptocurrency mining business or make it ready to handle AI workloads. Shareholders of Core Scientific will receive 0.1235 CoreWeave shares for each share they hold.

The S&P 500, and the stock market in general, experienced a downtrend on Monday, following President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea starting August 1. Shares of Amazon remained flat despite the company’s anticipated “Prime Day”, while Meta Platforms stock saw a slight increase, the only ‘Magnificent Seven’ stock in green.

Tesla stocks saw a near 7% drop after CEO Elon Musk announced he formed a new political party, termed the ‘America Party’. CrowdStrike has been downgraded to a neutral rating from overweight by Piper Sandler, due to lack of near-term catalyst. Citigroup raised its price target on Nvidia from $180 to $190 per share, citing an expansion of AI total addressable market forecasts.

In an effort to diversify its portfolio of private assets, BlackRock acquired ElmTree Funds for $7.3B, bringing it one step deeper into private markets. The acquisition pushes BlackRock’s total private-markets acquisitions to over $28 billion since the start of 2024. BlackRock shares rose slightly on the news.

In summary, stock markets are facing a downswing owing to tariff threats by Trump. While Mega-cap companies like Amazon and Tesla are facing challenges, BlackRock is striving to diversify its portfolio in private markets.

In today’s stock market, several stocks saw significant movements.

Tesla’s stock tumbled by almost 8% following CEO Elon Musk’s announcement of forming a new political party. Uber shares reached a new all-time high of $97.12, increasing by 3% on the day and it is up by nearly 60% for the year. Royal Gold dropped more than 8% after agreeing to acquire Sandstorm Gold for $3.5 billion and Horizon Copper for $196 million.

Stellantis’ stock fell by 4% after a downgrade by Bank of America. The rare earth miner MP Materials also fell by nearly 4% after a downgrade by Jefferies. On the other hand, WNS Holdings saw a 14% rise after a proposed acquisition by Capgemini for $3.3 billion.

Shares of private prison companies Geo Group and CoreCivic gained around 3% due to an increase in funding for immigration detention. However, Apogee Therapeutics shares fell about 15% despite positive clinical trial results for an eczema treatment.

The animal health and nutrition stock, Phibro Animal Health, rose by 8% following an upgrade by JPMorgan. Shares of global contract research organization, Fortrea Holdings, fell by 8.3% and are down by more than 74% for the year.

Shares of cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike, saw a drop of over 2% after a downgrade by Piper Sandler, while Shell’s US stocks dropped nearly 3% over expected weaker gas trading earnings. MGM Resorts International lost almost 2% after Goldman Sachs initiated a sell rating on the casino stock.

In other news, Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust reduced its Goldman Sachs holdings by selling 20 shares at around $717 each, bringing the total to 220 shares.

Over in the European Union, Lithuania’s central bank has sought clarifications from Robinhood over its tokenized equities following concerns raised by OpenAI.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated the possibility of upcoming trade-related announcements in the next 48 hours, adding to the excitement in the market.

Lastly, Schlumberger, an oilfield services company, has seen a dip in its valuation despite positive, diversified portfolio prospects. Investors can consider trading options to benefit from any upcoming improvements.

U.S. stocks rose notably over the past week, with fresh record highs for both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. These gains were driven primarily by a stronger-than-expected June jobs report as well as robust optimism surrounding trade deals and expectations around the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced by 344.11 points or 0.77%, closing at 44,828.53. The S&P 500 added 0.83% to close at 6,279.35, while the Nasdaq gained 1.02% and ended at 20,601.10. These indices have respectively posted gains of 2.3%, 1.7%, and 1.6% for the week.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 147,000 in June, boosting confidence in the U.S. economy’s resilience amidst fast-changing trade policy and geopolitics. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, below the expected 4.3%.

A strong jobs report reduced expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates shortly. Traders priced in a roughly 95% chance that the Fed would hold steady at their meeting later this month. Moreover, President Donald Trump’s recent U.S.-Vietnam trade deal and his tax megabill, which passed the Senate on Tuesday, were also significant market movers.

Despite the enhanced jobs report for June, and the passage of Trump’s tax bill, private payrolls decreased by 33,000, stirring some concerns about the economy’s state. Though worries abound if the decline in private payroll precedes a weakening of the labor market capable of compelling the Federal Reserve to cut rates, stock markets closed nearly in positive territory, absorbing the impacts quite smoothly.

Notably, the U.S.-Vietnam trade deal brought a significant boost to the stocks. Specifically, shares of Nike, which manufactures approximately half of its footwear in Vietnam and China, rose by 4%.

For the week ahead, investors eagerly anticipate potential future deal announcements as President Trump’s early July deadline on his 90-day tariff pause draws nearer. Despite concerns about the president’s negotiation approach, markets remain optimistic.

This week, U.S. stocks recorded new highs due to optimism over trade deals and expectations for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had a marginal increase, while the S&P 500 rose by nearly 0.5%, closing at a record high of 6,227.42. The Nasdaq Composite also moved up by over 0.9%, closing at a record high of 20,393.13.

This rise was strongly influenced by President Trump’s announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam. This led to investor hopes for more agreements before the July 9 tariff pause deadline. However, the labour market showed signs of a slowdown in June, with 33,000 jobs unexpectedly cut by U.S. private employers.

Stock gainers this week included Apple (AAPL), the shares of which rose after an upgrade by Jefferies (JEF) analysts. Tesla (TSLA) shares also climbed after the electric vehicle maker produced more vehicles than expected in the second quarter, despite plummeting sales.

Nvidia (NVDA) and Meta (META) also hit new records, contributing to the record highs of the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite. These record highs were the first since February, marking a recovery from the year’s tariff-triggered stock swings.

While there is still no certainty of a rate cut in July, most Fed watchers bet on at least one rate cut by September, with over 20% expecting two cuts by the same meeting. In the meantime, Trump’s proposed $4.5 trillion tax cut bill is under Senate negotiations. Although it is estimated to add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over a decade, there is pressure to get party holdouts to back the legislation.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has critiqued President Trump’s recent spending bill for potentially increasing the national debt by $3.4 trillion over the next decade. However, the bill’s approval may also see the U.S. Space Force receive a 30% YoY increase in funding, to almost $40 billion by 2026.

Despite concerns about Trump’s spending bill, investment manager John Davi has advised investors to “re-risk” their portfolios in light of improved economic outlooks associated with AI technology and corporate profits. Davi recommends looking beyond the “Mag 7” stocks for good investment opportunities, such as industrials, energy, real estate and fixed income ETFs. Specifically, he names Invesco S & P 500 Eql Wght Industrials ETF (RSPN), BNY Mellon Global Infrastructure Income ETF (BKGI) and Astoria Real Assets ETF (PPI) as good picks.

As of June 2025, job numbers in the US are up by 147,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, bucking the forecasted increase in unemployment to 4.3%. However, this overall positive outlook may hide a bifurcation in the labor market, as private sector jobs reportedly decreased by 33,000 in the same month according to the ADP report.

In contrast, London has seen its IPO fundraising slump to its lowest level in three decades for the first half of the year. This declining trend has sparked concerns about the city’s ability to maintain its status as a global capital hub. Yet, Samuel Kerr of Mergermarket suggests that interest among businesses in London listings is increasing, which may help to counter its recent negative press.

Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq numbers were not provided in the articles. More detailed information about gainers and losers in the stock market today is missing and cannot be provided.

European markets are feeling the heat of the escalating global trade war. Despite the Stoxx Europe 600 index climbing approximately 7% in 2025, analysts are warning of a dangerous assumption that the trade war is temporary. The Federal Reserve has forecast U.S. GDP growth of 1.4% this year, a decrease from the 1.7% initially forecast before the announcement of President Donald Trump’s new tariff regime. This growth slowdown is expected to affect Europe soon. Despite this, markets are still high on the hope of central bank easing and political solutions to prevent economic downturn. However, companies are facing a considerable profit margin squeeze from trade tariffs, which they have not yet passed on to consumers. Predictions for the Stoxx Europe 600 index are a mixed bag – Bank of America’s strategist warns of a strong potential downside, while Barclays predicts a 5% rise.

In other news, the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has temporarily barred Jane Street Group from accessing India’s securities market amid accusations of market manipulation. SEBI has also ordered a freeze of over $566.3 million alleged illegal gains from Jane Street. The firm is accused of artificially influencing India’s Nifty 50 index, a serious violation.

Asia-Pacific markets are mostly down as investors await U.S. trade deal details.

On the policy front, President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” boosts the oil industry while cutting support for solar and wind power. This major legislation includes the oil sector’s top priorities – opening federal lands for drilling and reducing royalties – while ending key tax credits that have supported the growth of the renewable energy sector.

In the stocks, the pan-Scandinavian airline SAS saw a significant day as Air France-KLM confirmed plans to increase its stake in the business to 60.5%, from just under 20%. Overall, analysts advise caution in the face of looming U.S. tariff risks and potential market downturn.

This week’s stock market opened the second half of the year on a high note, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closing at multiple all-time highs. Leading the charge was Nvidia, whose stock value surpassed $3.9 trillion, alongside notable increases in Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo after capital allocation plan adjustments following the Fed’s stress tests.

However, the energy sector suffered a quarterly decrease of 9.37%, attributed to the dip in oil prices after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. But overall, the weekly numbers were positive, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq advancing 1.7% and 1.6% respectively.

President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” saw the Senate remove support for solar and wind energy while supporting oil, gas, and coal industries. This is expected to benefit the US oil and gas drilling sector immensely while positing potential damage to the renewable energy industry.

On the job front, surprisingly strong employment figures saw the Dow rise 344 points, or 0.77%, with S&P 500 growing by 0.83% and the Nasdaq Composite increasing by 1.02%. In total, the economy added 147,000 jobs in June, exceeding expectations, leading to a decrease in the unemployment rate to 4.1%.

Trump’s new taxation legislation stands to benefit the wealthy, with tax experts predicting that the top tenth percentile of earners will see their average after-tax income rise to approximately $75,000 by 2026. Enhanced tax breaks for top earners are predicted due to changes to state and local tax caps, estate and gift tax, the hike in exemptions to the estate tax, and limits to the value of itemized tax deductions.

Companies like Circle, Hinge Health, and Chime Financial saw promising IPO growth, sparking optimism for the end of the IPO drought that has spanned three years. An uptick in tech IPOs has been observed, particularly following Circle’s sixfold increase from its IPO price for a market cap of $42 billion, marking promising trends for venture capital firms.

The S&P 500 reached record highs again on Thursday, with government’s June jobs report exceeding expectations, demonstrating strong nonfarm payroll growth and a lower-than-expected unemployment rate. The strong jobs numbers back Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s approach against an immediate rate cut, despite President Trump’s demands. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s wait-and-see approach thus received another boost. With the market overbought after Wednesday’s trading, possible stocks to trim from portfolios include Broadcom and bank stocks. DuPont stocks also warrant attention as Citi raised its price target by more than 16% on anticipation of solid earnings and reports of private equity’s interest in worth $2 billion of DuPont assets. However, it’s cautioned to not be too greedy and consider all possibilities before trimming.

Conversely, despite fears that President Trump’s new tariffs might trigger inflation and start a trade war, the S&P 500 plunged by 19% between late February and early April and now sits almost 2% above its February high as the stock market historically trends upwards. The biggest movers in midday trading include solar stocks, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, chip designers Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, and online travel review company TripAdvisor. The surge in stocks of CrowdStrike and Synopsys are particularly attributed to Wedbush Securities analyst’s higher price target and the lifting of US government restrictions on exporting chip design software to China.

Still, amidst economic uncertainty and inflation, Black entrepreneurs are eager to take advantage of the Essence Festival of Culture, an event that is expected to $1 billion in economic activity. Despite the economic anxiety among the Black community, the data shows a 5% increase in median weekly salary year over year and historically low unemployment. “Essence Fest” serves as a platform for Black business owners where speakers including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will discuss sustainability solutions.