The Weekend Rip
Happy Weekend!
Markets kicked off strong when the Senate finally moved to end the record shutdown, but the optimism faded fast as traders realized the House might drag its feet and the Fed’s December cut isn’t a lock anymore. Tech was all over the place. SoftBank dumped its Nvidia stake to fund OpenAI, AMD flexed with big growth promises, and Cisco crushed earnings while Robinhood tried (and failed) to hype cash delivery. By the end of the week, the Dow hit records, then tanked on reopening sell‑offs, Bitcoin slipped under $100k, and Buffett’s last big portfolio moves stole the spotlight. The old man bought Alphabet and trimmed Apple.
Let's recap and prep you for the week ahead.
Monday: Stocks surged as the Senate voted to end the 40‑day government shutdown, sending the bill to the House and fueling bets on a December Fed cut. Michael Burry warned hyperscalers like Oracle, Meta, and Microsoft may be understating depreciation to boost earnings, while Bank of America flagged a looming AI “cash crunch.” Precious metals resumed their rally on weak data and inflation fears, with technicians eyeing a move back to all‑time highs.
Tuesday: Markets slipped early but recovered late as the Senate’s shutdown bill moved to the House, leaving investors cautious. SoftBank’s $5.8B Nvidia stake sale to fund a $22.5B OpenAI investment weighed on tech, while AMD’s Lisa Su projected 35% annual AI chip growth over five years. Buffett penned his farewell letter at 95, Oklo fell on zero revenue, and macro chatter turned to 50‑year mortgages doubling loan costs.
Wednesday: The Dow hit all-time highs as hopes grew the House would finally vote to end the record shutdown, though the White House warned some economic data may be “permanently damaged.” Tech lagged after SoftBank’s Nvidia sale, but AMD climbed on Lisa Su’s bullish AI outlook, while Cisco beat earnings and Serve Robotics reported smaller losses. JPMorgan launched a stablecoin on Coinbase’s Base, Circle fell despite doubling USDC circulation, and pops included Cemtrex’s 64% surge while Nebius dropped 8% on a capital raise.
Thursday: Markets logged their worst day in a month as traders sold off to mark the government’s reopening, erasing November’s gains. Fed rate cut odds slipped back to a coin flip, Bitcoin fell under $100k, and crypto/data center stocks tumbled alongside Robinhood’s 9% drop after launching a cash‑delivery service. StubHub plunged 21% on its first post‑IPO earnings miss, Disney disappointed on streaming revenue, while Ondas popped 30% and Flutter fell on sportsbook losses.
Friday: Markets finished slightly down, with tech recovering late after a quick pullback, leaving stocks below November’s start. Futures now show a 50/50 chance of a December Fed cut as hawkish voices grow louder, while investors await fresh BLS data next week. Trump’s tariff rollback on beef, bananas, and coffee, a new Sweden deal, and Buffett’s final portfolio moves—adding Alphabet and trimming Apple—dominated headlines, alongside Google’s $40B Texas datacenter plan and Stubhub’s post-IPO collapse.
This week's Stocks Top 25 showed outperformance vs. the indexes.
Here are the closing prices:
THE BRIEF
Need a concise summary of what's going on this week? Look no further. Here’s a rundown of this week’s earnings and economic data.
Earnings This Week
Earnings season is chugging along, with all eyes on NVIDIA
Check out the full Stocks earnings calendar for the other names reporting this week.
Economic Calendar
In addition to the above, check out this week's complete list of economic releases.