The Federal Reserve is now projected to raise interest rates by 25 bps this month, following the better than expected jobs report. After August’s jobs report nearly triples expectations, analysts are still worried about the next inflation report set to come next week.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs last month, well above the 53,000 that economists were anticipating. According to Fed Governor Michael Barr, he and the Fed would back a rate hike unless inflation shows convincing signs of easing soon. The current federal funds rate target range set by the Federal Reserve is 3.50% to 3.75%, while benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rates average approximately 6.66% to 6.68%.

Last week, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh told the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole symposium that ​policymakers would “have work to do” if they lacked confidence ​inflation was returning to the central bank’s 2% target, ⁠his clearest signal yet that further rate hikes may ​be needed. Amid fresh worries over the US-Iran war, yields jumped again Tuesday, with the benchmark 10-year note hitting its highest level since January 2025.

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Furthermore, US President Donald Trump is again threatening the Fed to cut interest rates after the jobs report, contrary to what they are projected to do. The President called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates Friday, threatening to cut off trade with several countries if the central bank doesn’t budge. Trump touted the “great” jobs numbers Friday before quickly turning his attention to the Fed, which he has long pushed to slash rates. “Lower the interest rates because the U.S.A. is a much stronger credit than it was just a short time ago!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “A STRONG COUNTRY MEANS A LOWER INTEREST RATE – IT’S A BETTER CREDIT.”

“Without the United States agreeing to allow them their big surpluses, and we could stop that immediately, they would no longer be considered financially ELITE!” he added. “LOWER THE RATE OR I’LL STOP TRADING WITH COUNTRIES WITH WHICH WE HAVE A DEFICIT.”

This is something Trump did often while the Fed was under former chair Jerome Powell. However, Kevin Warsh is backed by Trump, and that could change the way the Fed maneuvers their upcoming meeting with this new ask by the President. The upcoming inflation report will be the ultimate decider for which way the Fed moves regarding changing interest rates.

The United States economy added over 162,000 jobs in August 2026, beating out expectations, according to the latest jobs report from BLS. The report bested analyst estimates by almost double, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.1%.

August’s Job gains are the best performance for the market since March, and a sharp rebound from July’s tally. The rise in jobs and indifference in unemployment rate was also contrary to analysts forecasts of a net gain of 65,000 jobs last month and uptick in unemployment to 4.2%.

One of the month’s biggest job generators was the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 62,000 jobs, after having posted job losses of 21,000 and 54,000 in July and June, respectively. In addition, the bulk of the sector’s gains last month were at restaurants and bars (+59,200). Industries such as healthcare and social assistance (+28,400) also continued to add jobs while local government education (+41,900 jobs) reversed a large loss from July (-57,500).

Furthermore, many economists and market watchers view August inflation data, which will be released Sept. 11, as more important to the Fed’s decision-making than the latest jobs figures. The odds of a 25-basis-point rate hike in September rose modestly Friday morning, to around 60%, from close to 50-50 on Thursday, according to CME FedWatch.

The S&P 500, Dow 30 and Nasdaq composite indexes each fell slightly on Friday morning after the jobs report.

The G20 intergovernmental forum has agreed to begin developing clear regulatory framework for crypto and stablecoins. During a meeting this week in Asheville, North Carolina, G20 finance ministers and central bank governors agreed on working toward improving the clarity of regulatory and supervisory frameworks and tools on digital assets, among other priorities for financial stability and improvement of payment systems.

A G20 chair’s statement released Tuesday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent included language on digital assets. Finance ministers and central bank governors said they shared the view that digital assets have the potential to support economic growth.

The G20 said its approach would seek to accommodate responsible digital finance and digital-asset innovation while accounting for potential issues and opportunities that extend across borders. As part of that work, officials are awaiting Financial Stability Board (FSB) findings on global stablecoin arrangements, including their cross-border implications and issues involving the availability and sources of stablecoin data.

Also Read: US Mint: 2026 President Trump $1 Coin Now in Circulation

Additionally, G20 members have begun implementing domestic cryptocurrency frameworks such as the GENIUS Act in the United States, which features a federal framework to govern payment stablecoins, and the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework in the European Union. Japan also maintains its own domestic reforms, though the G20 statement does not supersede Japan’s domestic reforms.

According to US Mint, the commemorative 2026 $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump is now in circulation, and will be available to purchase today. The U.S. Mint will begin selling gold-colored $1 coins featuring Trump’s likeness at noon ET, with prices ranging from about $1.55 to $2.44 per coin.

First announced last year and revealed earlier this summer, the $1 coin bears a rendering of Trump’s face on the obverse side, with the inscriptions “Liberty,” “In God We Trust” and “1776 ~ 2026.” The presidential seal, which depicts an eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows, appears on the reverse side, along with an inscription reading “250” to honor the nation’s semi-quincentennial anniversary. Additionally, the U.S. Mint said the new coins may be used as legal tender, but also pitched them as collectibles.

“Created to celebrate this historic national milestone, these special circulating dollar coins combine everyday American coinage with a once-in-a-generation anniversary design destined to become a standout addition to modern collections,” the U.S. Mint said. The institution also added it is randomly including 250,000 special-issue $1 Trump coins with a “July 4th” privy mark in the bags and rolls for sale on its site.

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The last issued commemorative coins were the Harriet Tubman and Greatest Generation coins issued in 2024, which sold a total of 56,894 and 79,980 coins, respectively. The best-selling commemorative coin of all time was the U.S. Statue of Liberty coin in 1986, which sold nearly 15.5 million coins.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said he is raising tariffs on all Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts, and steel to 50% starting in 2027. The United States and Canada have been engaged in a trade war, with both country’s threatening tariffs that would affect several companies and markets. Specifically, the automotive industry is being impacted due to manufacturing on both sides. Two companies that may experience significant hardships amid the tariffs, however, are Toyota (TM) and Honda (HMC).

Indeed, the Japanese automakers have as much to lose as any other car manufacturers that have operations in the US and Canada. That’s according to JPMorgan Securities’ head of global auto equity research Jose Asumendi, who wrote a note to clients this week about the impact the US-Canada tariffs will have on the automotive industry. Specifically, he said that Canadian-built vehicles accounted for nearly a quarter of Honda’s US sales last year, and 17% of Toyota’s.

General Motors (GM), Ford (F) and Stellantis will be heavily impacted by the tariffs as US automakers. However, Toyota and Honda produce more than three-quarters of all cars made in Canada, per research from Reuters. Additionally, new tariffs could force them to shut some of their Canadian assembly lines because production would be economically unfeasible. Furthermore, Toyota builds some RAV4 SUVs in Canada, and Honda does the same with some CR-V SUVs, all of which are shipped to US dealers. Thus, these developments will likely be affected by surging prices in materials and shipping costs.

In response to the tariff threat, Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the US if the trade war with Canada worsens. Trump has long accused Canada of taking advantage of the US, including its defence protections, and recently called Canadian negotiators “nasty”. From 2024 to now, Trump has implemented sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico, accusing both of allowing fentanyl and illegal immigration to flow across the borders, which many in Canada felt was unjustified.

Both Honda (HMC) and Toyota (TM) stocks are up north of 5% in the past month and a further 1% up on Tuesday. However, the recent growth could be stalled as the US-Canada tariff threats continue.

The Federal Reserve is now warning that interest rates may need to be raised if inflation does not cool in the near future. According to Fed Governor Michael Barr, he and the Fed would back a rate hike unless inflation shows convincing signs of easing soon. The current federal funds rate target range set by the Federal Reserve is 3.50% to 3.75%, while benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rates average approximately 6.66% to 6.68%.

Speaking at a banking forum in Washington, the policymaker said he’s concerned about “broader price pressures taking hold” as inflation has remained stuck above the Fed’s 2% target for nearly 5½ years. “If trends in the data give me some confidence that inflation is moderating on a path to 2%, then I think we can take a bit more time to assess our policy stance,” Barr said in prepared remarks. “However, if inflation appears not to be moderating sufficiently, then I think we should act decisively to raise rates.”

Last week, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh told the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole symposium that ​policymakers would “have work to do” if they lacked confidence ​inflation was returning to the central bank’s 2% target, ⁠his clearest signal yet that further rate hikes may ​be needed. Amid fresh worries over the US-Iran war, yields jumped again Tuesday, with the benchmark 10-year note hitting its highest level since January 2025.

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Major banks and firms are backing the idea that a rate hike may be coming following Warsh and Barr’s latest comments. Barclays said Warsh’s speech was “notably ​hawkish” and offered an implicit case for further tightening despite ​his continued opposition to providing explicit forward guidance. The brokerage added that although ‌it ⁠still expects monthly inflation readings to come in “much softer” than the longer-horizon measures emphasized by Warsh, “unfavorable base effects will work against progress by those metrics through year-end.”

The most recent inflation readings showed headline prices up 3.7% over the past year, or 3.3% excluding food and energy. The Fed will get one more look at inflation data when the consumer and producer price indexes are released next week. Its next meeting to decide on interest rates is on on September 16.

Oil prices today rose globally as attacks between the US and Iran were exchanged for the first time in a month, continuing their war. On Sunday, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW that the U.S. struck two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island. Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July, with Iranian state media reporting that Tehran had attacked U.S. bases in Jordan in retaliation.

The U.S. war with Iran remained a key focus for Wall Street. In addition to Sunday’s strikes, the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted an Iranian drone over its waters on Monday. The war has curtailed traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for about 20% of the world’s oil shipments. Oil prices remain high after an initial surge earlier in the war and that has made everything from gasoline to shipped goods more expensive.

Despite the attack and climb in prices, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advised that oil prices will fall back down soon. In an interview with CNBC, in an interview with CNBC, the Treasury Secretary said that he doesn’t understand why they are climbing back up, and expects oil prices to correct. Last week, Bessent outlined plans for more sanctions to punish Iran, and in the days following, the attacks between the US and Iran resumed.

This announcement comes amid current Brent crude oil prices between $90.5 and $91.3 per barrel, reflecting a 3% increase on the day. Additionally, the S&P 500 index fell 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 333 points, or 0.6%, as of 1:20 p.m ET. The Nasdaq fell 0.4%.

Top crypto exchange Coinbase has signed a new crypto infrastructure deal with trading platform WeBull to expand the latter’s operations to Canada. Built on Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service platform, Webull Canada will leverage Coinbase’s institutional-grade custody and trading services. Per a press release from both companies, Coinbase will provide core crypto infrastructure, including liquidity access and custody services, for Webull Canada Crypto Limited.

Michael Constantino, CEO of Webull Canada, said in the statement: “Our partnership with Coinbase provides the infrastructure needed to deliver this offering with the scale and reliability our clients expect. As adoption continues to grow across the country, we remain focused on giving investors secure, regulated tools to build their portfolios on their own terms.”

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Webull selected Coinbase to drive this change due to its comprehensive offering of assets, global coverage, flexibility and scale, its position as a trusted and compliant publicly traded company and its competitive pricing. Globally the partnership has allowed Webull to expand its crypto offering across multiple countries, driving higher notional trading volumes on their platform.

Webull (BULL) stock dipped 1.3% and Coinbase Global (COIN) stock fell 0.5% in early Monday trading.

Salesforce (CRM) had a big week to end August, with its stock surging 25% in a five-day span. The rally was fueled by Thursday’s earnings report, which sent the stock as much as 20% higher. The US stock market had a solid week, with the three major indexes (S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Jones) all up approximately 1% each as of 12 pm on Friday.

Salesforce reported a beat on second-quarter earnings and expanded its partnership with Anthropic, per its earnings press release. The stock notched its second-best day ever, Thursday trailing only August 2020, when shares jumped roughly 26%. posted revenue of $11.35 billion, versus $11.32 billion that LSEG analysts expected. That was up 11% year over year. The software company reported adjusted earnings per share at $5.90, sailing past estimates of $3.27 a share. Net income rose 87% from a year ago, coming in at $3.53 billion, or $4.29 a share, versus last year’s $1.89 billion, or $1.96 a share.

In addition, Salesforce (CRM also noted a $2.6 billion gain from its strategic investment in Anthropic, whose valuation has now grown to $965 billion ahead of its hotly anticipated initial public offering. CEO Marc Benioff and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei joined CNBC to unveil the “Claudeforce” effort, which brings Salesforce into Claude with a plug-in built to help salespeople access critical data through the frontier lab’s Claude chatbot.

Furthermore, for the full year, Salesforce now expects revenue of $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion, compared with its prior view of $45.9 billion to $46.2 billion. It now guides for adjusted earnings per share of $16.67 to $16.71, up from $14.06 to $14.12 previously. The updated guidance reflects an expected boost from organic growth as well as the company’s deals for Contentful and Fin, which it expects to close in the coming weeks.

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Wall Street analysts maintain a bullish for CRM stock post-earnings. However, analysts recommend a cautious approach due to concerns over reliance on investment gains and the sustainability of current growth rates. Based on 39 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for Salesforce in the last 3 months, the average price target is $267.00 with a high forecast of $400.00 and a low forecast of $160.00. The average price target represents a 2.79% uptick from the current price, indicating that Salesforce stock may have peaked at its current price range.

Coinbase is expanding its Bitcoin-backed mortgage program, allowing borrowers to buy homes without selling their BTC or facing margin calls. The exchange and Better Mortgage have moved their token-backed conforming mortgage into general availability, taking a product that closed its first Bitcoin-backed Fannie Mae loan in June into a broader nationwide offering for Coinbase One members.

Per Coinbase, the mortgages are originated and serviced by Better and powered by Coinbase, with the first lien structured under Fannie Mae guidelines as a standard conforming home loan. The crypto-backed portion sits alongside that mortgage, allowing qualified borrowers to pledge digital assets toward the down payment without first selling their holdings. A waitlist opened in June generated more than $260 million in projected loan volume, with 76% of respondents already Coinbase One members and 60% saying they planned to buy a home within six months. The expanded offer became available on August 12.

Coinbase One members approved for a Better loan can also receive a lender-funded credit equal to 1% of the mortgage value, capped at $10,000. Better said the credit now extends beyond the token-backed product to standard mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and refinances. The launch builds on the company’s first Bitcoin-backed Fannie Mae mortgage completed in June. With the product now generally available, the focus shifts from an early test case to whether crypto-backed borrowing can gain a more durable place in the conventional U.S. mortgage market.

$13 trillion asset manager Charles Schwab plans to add Solana SOL, Avalanche (AVAX), and Chainlink LINK trading to Schwab Crypto accounts. Per a press release, Schwab Crypto clients will be able to buy and sell these cryptocurrencies in the coming months. The Charles Schwab crypto platform already provides direct access to bitcoin and ethereum trading.

“With this expansion, clients will have more choices to build a digital asset allocation alongside the investing and banking experience they know and trust at Schwab,” said Joe Vietri, Head of Digital Assets at Charles Schwab. “These additions are consistent with our approach to provide clients with access to familiar cryptocurrencies backed by an ecosystem of education, tools, resources, and support to make informed decisions about how crypto might fit into their broader investing goals.”

Charles Schwab is one of several top asset management companies in the US that have begun offering crypto services to its clientele. The addition of SOL, AVAX, and LINK token trading comes at a convenient time, as the crypto market is currently experiencing a resurgence thanks to the surge in Bitcoin’s price this August. AVAX is up 15% in the last 30 days, while SOL and LINK are up over 40% each in the same span.

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Furthermore, Charles Schwab said it plans to add additional cryptocurrencies and digital assets to the Schwab Crypto platform over time. The firm said at a June media roundtable that it was targeting mid-2027 to bring spot crypto trading, transfers, and custody to registered investment advisers on its platform, which held $5.2 trillion in advisor client assets at the end of the first quarter

Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Santander & over a dozen other major banks are moving forward with plans to launch a crypto stablecoin. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, A consortium of state bankers’ associations plans to launch BankChain Alliance, a blockchain platform supporting stablecoins, in the first half of 2027.

Banks large and small have started to warm up to the idea of their own stablecoins, despite early doubts from some executives that there will be much demand for them. These banks are welcoming stablecoins as nonbank companies like Visa, BlackRock, Google, and DoorDash enter the market and have seen success. Back in June, Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe reportedly began developing a joint stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. In addition to that effort, last month, Visa launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform, giving financial institutions and fintechs a dedicated enterprise platform for stablecoin access and management.

Some of the banks involved in the latest joint stablecoin venture have already established their own stablecoin projects in the last year. Bank of America began developing plans for a stablecoin before this summer began. The largest U.S. bank JPMorgan also recently evaluated whether it could launch its own stablecoin, according to people familiar with the matter. The bank has already launched its own tokenized deposit JPM Coin, as well as work in blockchain. “While we have no plans to issue a stablecoin, depending on customer demand and the evolution of the regulatory landscape, we would of course evaluate all options in the future,” a JPMorgan spokeswoman said.

Shares in Apple Inc (AAPL) stock are beginning to rebound slightly on Wednesday, a day after the company revealed its new Mac Mini and Mac Studio models. The newest models feature updated chips and other upgrades for AI applications. AAPL stock remains down 6% in the last month, but has rebounded nearly 2% today.

The announcement, a few weeks before Apple is expected to release new iPhone models, shows how desktop computers have become strategically important for Apple as a foothold in the AI development world and as a showcase for the capabilities of its processors. Apple is poised to launch its first foldable iPhone, expected to ship over 10 million units in its first year, while also making significant strides in AI with new M6 and M5 Ultra chips. These chips also feature in the Mac Mini and Mac Studio, which go on presale on Tuesday and will ship on Sept. 22.

The Mac Studio is Apple’s most powerful computer that doesn’t have a built-in screen (Apple’s Mac Pro was discontinued earlier this year). Some models will come with the M5 Max chip, which Apple says will allow LLMs to run nearly four times faster than its predecessor. Additionally, the Mac Mini can now be configured with two new chips, the M6 and M5 Pro. It’s the first Apple computer with an M6-generation chip, which is manufactured on a 2-nanometer process by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM). “With these frameworks and new chips, developers can run and fine-tune large AI models locally on their Mac,” Apple said in the press release.

Also Read: SEC Submits Proposal for New Rules to Modernize Crypto Custody

Wall Street firms are upping their forecasts for Apple stock ahead of the next launch season. However, the company is also entering a new era, with Tim Cook departing from his role on September 1. This fact has led to some caution amongst investment firms. Bank of America kept its Buy rating and its Apple stock price target at $380, and the bank argues that AAPL enters a bolder stretch once Tim Cook hands the CEO job to John Ternus. Fortunately, this forecast points to close to 20% upside from the $309 close on Aug. 25.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has submitted a proposal for new rules to modernize crypto custody regulations. While a vote on the Crypto Clarity Act has stalled, the SEC regulators are pushing ahead with policy and updates to existing regulations.

In a rule change sent Tuesday, the regulator said it wanted to “improve and modernize the regulations” surrounding custody for the crypto space, and the new proposal aims to “clarify the framework for the custody of crypto assets” for investment advisers and companies. “This rulemaking would clarify the framework for the custody of crypto assets for investment advisers and investment companies, as well as make other modernizations needed to remove burdens from certain outdated provisions that are no longer needed to provide investor protection given the evolution in the markets and security trading and holding practices,” the proposal read.

The SEC has been active in several pro-crypto moves in recent months despite the Clarity Act remaining in limbo. Earlier this month, the SEC began preparing an “innovation exemption” to allow 24/7 trading of tokenized stocks on the blockchain.

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The president last week urged lawmakers to get the Clarity Act over the line. SEC Chair Paul Atkins has said he is “committed to supporting Congress in advancing” the bill. The latest proposal does fulfill the SEC’s recent promise to push through new crypto legislation regardless of whether the Crypto Clarity Act is passed. The SEC’s proposed framework is narrower than the larger CLARITY Act. The CLARITY Act aims to bring more regulatory clarity and investor protection for the cryptocurrency sector. Either way, both developments are welcome.

$800 billion asset manager Bernstein has issued a new price prediction for Bitcoin, forecasting the cryptocurrency will hit $150,000 by mid-2027. In a note to clients, Bernstein argues that a broader “debasement trade” is likely to provide a tailwind for the largest cryptocurrency. The note also forecasted beyond that point, suggesting BTC will eventually reach $300,000 during the 2029 bull cycle.

Bernstein analyst Gautam Chhugani specifically notes the 40-year era of declining interest rates has come to an end, with governments facing rising debt-servicing costs as America’s debt hits $40 trillion U.S. This could lead to the revitalization of the crypto market, led by Bitcoin. Bernstein said that policymakers are likely to favour currency debasement over fiscal stress, potentially increasing demand for scarce assets that cannot be easily created or diluted, such as Bitcoin. Other factors likely to push Bitcoin’s price higher include wider institutional adoption and a favourable regulatory environment, Chhugani added.

Investment experts and firms have begun to revise their price forecasts for Bitcoin, as the asset is finding momentum on the charts. In the last month, BTC has roared back by as much as 20%, currently trading around $77,825 at the time of writing. There are several factors behind Bitcoin’s (BTC) latest price surge. Firstly, President Trump held a cryptocurrency event at the White House last week, inviting the CEO and founders of several firms. The event further pushed the Trump administration’s pro-crypto stance. During the event, Trump stated that the US is planning to purchase a large amount of Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies. The statement may have elevated investor sentiment.

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Another factor that may be pushing Bitcoin’s (BTC) price is the US Treasury’s plan to increase bond buybacks from $2 billion to at least $4 billion. The increased liquidity may have further pushed the cryptocurrency market. Altogether, these factors and the corresponding increase in institutional interest has set BTC and the crypto market on the bullish path back to pre-2026 prices.

Space stocks, including SpaceX (SPCX) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), each fell 3% as markets sold off Donald Trump’s 1,000-launch-by-2030 memo. Entering the weekend, the US President signed a memo to help drastically increase ‌the number of U.S. commercial space launches, including directing government agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites. The White House wants to enable at least 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, up from 178 launches last year.

In addition to the launch quota, Trump also wants to return U.S. ​astronauts to the moon by 2028. The memo directs NASA to facilitate commercial transportation to the moon and commercial robotic ​access to Mars, and to explore commercial avenues to send humans to Mars. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said the new national space transportation policy “meets this moment of explosive growth and positions America to lead the next era of space.”

SpaceX stock is receiving bullish optimism from Wall Street despite today’s decline and struggles since its breakthrough IPO in June. About 40 analysts are covering the name, with a consensus rating somewhere between Buy and Moderate Buy, and an average 12-month target between $213 and $225. That bullishness also comes from internally, as CEO Elon Musk believes that SpaceX will wind up being one of the top investments not just in space stocks, but on the entire market over the next several years.

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Furthermore, while SPCX and ASTS may not be moving well to open the week, Rocketlab (RKLB) is showing strong momentum. Shares of Rocket Lab (RKLB) are tracking their best monthly performance since May as the company announced a key pre-flight testing milestone for Neutron’s world-first reusable Hungry Hippo fairing.

Shares in chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) fell on Monday despite the stock receiving a new forecast from Wall Street. Analysts are becoming increasingly bullish on chip stocks ahead, and expectations for AMD specifically are growing more positive. Specifically, BMO Capital has begun coverage on the stock with an Outperform rating and a $550 price target.

Analyst Harsh Kumar said AMD is moving beyond individual processors toward a broader AI infrastructure offering. The firm pointed to Helios, AMD’s rack-scale AI platform, as an important part of that shift and a potential rival to Nvidia’s comparable systems. For AMD stock, the new $550 target adds to Wall Street optimism, with Helios adoption and large AI customers emerging as key factors for future growth.

Across the last few months, firms including Baird, UBS, Goldman Sachs, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Barclays have raised price targets on Advanced Micro Devices into a wide band that runs from about US$600 to US$1,250. These moves are tied to views on AMD’s role in AI data centers, rack-scale systems, and a larger opportunity in agentic AI workloads. With AMD shares’ slip on Monday and 12% decline in the last month, now could be a buy-the-dip opportunity for investors who want to swoop into a promising chip stock.

AMD is coming off a strong first half of the year full of growth in data center sales. That area has been climbing fast, largely on demand for EPYC server processors and Instinct accelerators, and the Helios platform is just starting its ramp-up. Guidance for the coming quarter points to more double-digit growth, both year over year and sequentially, with margins improving as revenue scales up. Investors weighing AMD stock valuation against Micron’s tend to focus on that margin path, since the market has already priced a lot of AMD’s future growth into the stock.

US President Donald Trump says he is raising tariffs on all Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts, and steel to 50% starting in 2027. Trump’s latest tariff threat would double top-line U.S. tariffs on Canadian auto imports, which currently sit at 25%. A trade deal between the US and Canada fell through again last week, but Trump believes that Canada continues to “rip us off.”

“Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, accusing the long-time trading partner of hurting U.S. farmers through its own tariff policies. “Not sustainable, and NOT ANYMORE!” he wrote. “On January First, 2027, Tariffs on all Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel, will be increased to 50%.”

On Saturday, the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods, including wine, cement, hockey sticks, and other products. Those duties were imposed in retaliation for alleged Canadian trade discrimination against U.S. cars, alcohol, and dairy.

In response to the tariff threat, Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the US if the trade war with Canada worsens. Trump has long accused Canada of taking advantage of the US, including its defence protections, and recently called Canadian negotiators “nasty”. From 2024 to now, Trump has implemented sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico, accusing both of allowing fentanyl and illegal immigration to flow across the borders, which many in Canada felt was unjustified.

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The trade war between Canada and the US doesn’t appear to be closing anytime soon, and it will continue to affect several important industries, from automotive to electricity and minerals. On the stock market, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes took a hit Monday following the Tariff announcement.

The cryptocurrency market has begun to rebound after months of stagnation, with Bitcoin reclaiming the $79,000 price level. As a result of the rally, crypto-focused stocks are also on the rise, with some companies seeing shares up double digits in the last week.

One of the leading rallies amongst crypto stocks has been MARA Holdings (MARA), with that stock climbing over 30% in the last two days. Other stocks, including Robinhood (HOOD), Coinbase (COIN), and Strategy (MSTR) are also up significantly in the same period. Bitcoin has broken decisively above the roughly $60,000 to $70,000 range that held for most of this year. That breakout puts the token at its highest level since late May, and the shift in tape action is the primary catalyst reaching these crypto-related stocks.

Furthermore, President Trump used a White House summit this week to urge Congress to advance the Clarity Act, which would establish a clearer regulatory framework for the U.S. crypto industry. Congress has repeatedly stalled on the bill over how to classify cryptocurrencies and how to treat yields generated by stablecoins. However, the reignition of attention towards the digital asset industry and potential passage of crypto legislation is helping fuel assets higher.

Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI chatbot, will reportedly file its IPO on the US stock market before the end of this month, according to Bloomberg. The Claude developer is currently running the numbers as it prepares to file publicly, sources close to the firm told Bloomberg this week. Anthropic is pushing to match or beat the size of SpaceX’s record-setting initial public offering.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX raised $75 billion prior to its IPO, making it the biggest first-time share sale ever. Back in June, Anthropic, which is valued at close to $1 trillion, submitted a draft registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering. Anthropic’s target reflects how the AI industry’s leaders are transforming the tech investment landscape. The five-year-old company raised $65 billion in May at a $965 billion valuation, surpassing rival OpenAI’s valuation of $852 billion in March when the ChatGPT maker raised $122 billion.

Bloomberg first reported Anthropic’s ambition on Thursday. Beating SpaceX means clearing $85.7 billion. A $100 billion raise would sit roughly 17% above that line. No source has named a target. Though Anthropic saw positive adjusted operating income for the second quarter, it had a net loss of almost $42 billion in 2025, a roughly fivefold increase from about $8.3 billion the year before. Therefore, it has a ways to go before the IPO launch to beat out Elon Musk’s space giant.

Furthermore, Anthropic continues to ink new deals with chipmakers and top tech firms that further boost its value as a company. Last month, it signed a deal with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) for “tens of billions of dollars’ worth of artificial-intelligence servers.” In return, AMD will invest $5 billion in Anthropic, further fueling the latter’s capitalization pre-IPO.

The Jim Cramer price momentum curse has hit again, this time in favor of Bitcoin. The CNBC analyst told his viewers three weeks ago that he planned on selling his Bitcoin. At the time, the cryptocurrency’s price had sunk to sub-$63,000, with few signs of momentum. However, the asset has now swung back towards the $77,000 range for the first time in months, and Cramer is biting his words from less than a month ago.

While Cramer never confirmed that he did sell his BTC holdings, his claim was enough to keep his notorious jinx alive, and BTC is back rallying again. As a result, the analyst reversed his stance on Bitcoin once again, telling viewers to buy the cryptocurrency directly rather than through related stocks. On Thursday, Cramer fielded a question from a viewer about Bitmine (BMNR), a corporate accumulator of Ethereum (ETH). Instead of endorsing the stock, Cramer advised the viewer to buy Bitcoin directly, suggesting that indirect exposure through crypto-related equities might not be the best approach.

Despite Bitcoin’s recent surge, the cryptocurrency is down 11% year to date and 32% over the past year, making this a bounce inside a larger decline. BTC briefly reclaimed the $79,000 price level this week, but has since dipped to the $77,900 mark. CoinGecko data shows that BTC has rallied 8.8% in the last 24 hours and nearly 24% in the last week. In fact, Bitcoin (BTC) has outperformed the US stock market by a huge margin within just a few days. As crypto has returned to the regulatory spotlight, leading coins and crypto-related stocks are also rallying.

Also Read: SanDisk Stock Reaches $1,600: Bernstein Gives New Price Target

Jim Cramer’s latest Bitcoin advice marks yet another twist in his often-contradictory public statements on cryptocurrency. He often tends to sway in the same direction of opinion as where the market is moving. However, beyond his opinion and jinx, BTC is showing strong momentum to end the summer, and could be set to return to the $80,000 price level in the next few days. Alternatively, inflation in the US is still well over the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. If inflation does not cool, we may see a hike in interest rates. Higher rates may lead to investors pulling their funds from high-risk assets, such as Bitcoin (BTC). BTC could face a correction under such circumstances.

Around 319 million SpaceX (SPCX) shares held by early employees and investors were unlocked on Thursday, becoming eligible to trade. As expected after the share unlock, the price of SPCX stock fell as mch as 7%, with shares dropping back below their IPO price.

Another SPCX stock unlock is set to come tomorrow, with $45,000,000,000 worth of SpaceX $SPCX shares becoming available to trade. After a sluggish first month for the stock on Wall Street, Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX) has seen its stock value climb 16% in the last 30 days. The company’s first earnings report helped spark the recent rally and led to several firms on The Street raising their price forecasts for SPXC stock. However, the stock has failed to continue its recent momentum following the latest stock unlock.

Still, there is strong belief that SpaceX will wind up being one of the top investments not just in space stocks, but on the entire market over the next several years. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he believes the space economy will be “much bigger” than $1.8 trillion by 2035. In a response to another user on X Tuesday that suggested a “Second Space Age” is imminent, Musk implied that this one will be much bigger. Following up on that post, Musk also agreed with another user that said the space economy should probably be thought of as an order of magnitude greater (or two) than it currently is. This is in large part because it will be absolutely necessary for the continued scaling of AI compute and power.

Also Read: Walmart (WMT) Stock Falls 9.4% Today, Here’s Why its Down

The stock withstood a big unlock earlier this month. On Aug. 6, up to 911.5 million shares became tradable. The stock absorbed it and rose 6%, a massively bullish move. Still, the larger supply tests are still coming, with a 1.3 billion-share tranche set to unlock around SpaceX’s third quarter earnings in early November, followed by the 180-day expiry in December

Shares of wholesale retail giant Walmart (WMT) fell over 9% on Thursday, sparking concern amongst investors of the stock. Walmart issued its fiscal second-quarter earnings report on Wednesday afternoon, reporting a quarterly increase in sales. However, the investory worry came from how big the increase was. Indeed, Walmart said U.S. comparable sales, those from store and digital channels operating for the past 12 months, rose 2.6%. That is the smallest quarterly increase the retailer has reported since 2020.

Walmart stock’s drop today marks its steepest single-day drop since July 2022. Walmart reported on Thursday that its operating income in the second quarter rose nearly 30% compared to the same time last year, a boost it attributed in part to tariff refunds. At the same time, the company reported the slowest growth in U.S. comparable sales in six years, sending its stock price down 9% in morning trading.

Additionally, Walmart also said U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, offset in part by a 0.8% headwind in its health and wellness business as price caps on certain drugs took effect. That was less than the 3.5% increase Wall Street expected, according to data from FactSet. For the third quarter, Walmart said it expects net sales to increase between 3% and 3.75% and adjusted earnings per share to be between 62 cents and 64 cents, which also fell below estimates.

Also Read: Google Stock Soars 70% in a Year: Can the Rally Continue?

Walmart’s latest results add to a string of mixed quarterly-sales reports from retailers in recent days. Target said its quarterly comparable sales rose 3.8%, reversing last year’s declines. TJX, which owns chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, said that its comparable sales rose 4% in the most recent quarter. With back to school season underway, these retailers will likely see a boost in revenue heading into next quarter, which could help WMT stock rebound.

Walmart stock is now down 15% in the last six months and over 7% YTD.

Retail banking giant Standard Chartered has issued a new price prediction for Bitcoin, suggesting the cryptocurrency will reach $100,000 by the end of this year. The latest rally in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has sparked fresh analysis on the market, with forecasts being raised for the first time in months. According to Standard Chartered’s Kendrick Geoffrey Bitcoin’s recent drawdown may have already established a floor for the current cycle.

Bitcoin’s price gained nearly 12% in the last 24 hours to hit an intra-day high of over $72,400 before paring gains to around $72,100, according to data from CoinGecko. Additionally, per CoinMarketCap, crypto market sentiment has crept out of the fear index, and the global market cap of cryptocurrency is up 9% in the last 24 hours. The Standard Chartered analyst believes that the bottom stage of Bitcoin’s chart is finally coming to a close, and the asset will slowly start creeping to its levels seen in Fall 2025.

“With the 12-month mark beyond the all-time high approaching, four-year cycle theorists will also agree that the low is in,” Kendrick wrote in an email to clients this week. The last time Bitcoin traded above $100,000 was in November 2025. In the last 365 days, BTC price has fallen 36%, after doubling in price in the previous year.

Also Read: Only 35% of Trade Among BRICS Countries Settled in the US Dollar

The latest rally in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies followed the U.S. Treasury announcing plans to increase the size of buyback support and renewed attention on crypto legislation in Washington. US President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass legislation establishing clearer rules for the digital asset industry following a White House meeting with cryptocurrency executives on Wednesday. Trump specifically called for lawmakers to pass a “fair version of the Clarity Act,” which has faced delays in the Senate. Should the legislation officially pass, the crypto market could see a significant boost.

US President Donald Trump says that the United States is considering buying “sizable” amounts of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The President delivered remarks at a White House event while hosting CEOs from several crypto companies, including Ripple and Coinbase. When asked about the country swooping in on BTC, Trump said the following:

“Certainly it’s been talked about. It’s take a lot of pressure off the dollar. It’s been very, very good for the dollar. and I think if you came in with recommendations I would certainly listen.”

BREAKING: President Trump says the US is considering buying "sizable" amounts of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. pic.twitter.com/LO2cZ3sAws

— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) August 19, 2026

Trump’s meeting with crypto executives comes a day after the SEC proposed rules that would exempt certain token offerings from existing securities regulations. The proposal could give crypto companies a clearer route to raising money and issuing digital tokens, while marking another step in the Trump administration’s effort to establish a more favorable regulatory framework for the industry.

President Trump has made crypto a major part of his economic agenda since returning to the White House in January 2025. His administration has taken a different approach from the previous one, with both the SEC and CFTC pursuing policies aimed at providing clearer rules for digital-asset businesses. In an effort to make the US the “Crypto Capital of the World,” Trump has actively pushed for the government to pass several crypto bills, including the GENIUS Stablecoin act and Crypto CLARITY act.

Also Read: VanEck Says Bitcoin Dip Nearing Its End: Time To Go Bullish?

Today’s meeting also helped fuel the prices of several cryptocurencies in the last 24 hours. Bitcoin (BTC) climbed above $68,000, while Ethereum (ETH) reclaimed the $2,000 level during US trading. Solana (SOL), XRP, BNB, Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Dogecoin (DOGE) also advanced as the broader crypto market recovered. This recovery also falls in line with broader market forecasts from experts, suggesting the crypto bear market may finally be over. Should positive crypto updates come from today’s White House crypto meeting with Trump, and the long-awaited CLARITY act get passed, the market could rally back to 2025 highs.

The upcoming Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive (TTWO) blockbuster release, GTA 6, has suffered from several leaks this week. GTA 6 has suffered yet another gameplay leak, this time showing taser gameplay and a few seconds of a cutscene. The hacker group behind the leaks, CyberLeek, have also heavily advertised their memecoin through watermarks in this new footage. The recent leaks have had a slight effect on Take Two, a publicly traded company that trades on the US stock market.

Take Two (TTWO) shares are down just over 1.5% this week as the GTA VI leaks continue to pour onto social media. Neither Rockstar nor Take-Two have issued a statement on the leaks, however, posts featuring the leaked content on X (formerly Twitter) are being swiftly deleted shortly after they are shared. While it is currently unclear how these assets emerged or how old they are, they all point to the cryptocurrency and a website owned by CyberLeek.

Furthermore, the memecoin advertised by the assets now has a huge amount of attention on it, although there is some concern online that it is part of a cryptocurrency scam. According to CoinGecko, the meme coin is now down over 10% in the last 24 hours. Two additional bulk leaks appeared on social media Wednesday, with threats of more to come in the coming days.

Also Read: Intel (INTC) Stock Down 10% in a Week: What’s Behind the Dip

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) is navigating a challenging earnings landscape, reporting a wider net loss while maintaining guidance for $8.0–8.2 billion in net bookings for fiscal 2027. The highly anticipated GTA VI pre-orders are breaking records, but the company faces execution risks ahead of the game’s launch on November 19.

Biotech company Moderna (MRNA) has issued a promising update Wednesday, revealing that its cancer vaccine shows signs of preventing melanoma from spreading. The news sparked a significant rally for MRNA stock by as much as 145%, far exceeding other stocks on the market.

According to Moderna, a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine reduced the ​risk of recurrence and spread of melanoma in a late-stage trial, a major success in a new field of cancer treatment that sent the drugmaker’s ‌shares surging as much as 160%. Moderna developed the vaccine with Merck and tested it together with immunotherapy drug Keytruda, a widely used treatment for melanoma. Thousands of patients who have undergone surgery to remove high-risk melanoma tumors could benefit as soon as next year if regulators approve the vaccine, Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in an interview.

“Today’s results represent a landmark moment for adjuvant melanoma treatment. This is the first Phase 3 study to show that intismeran, a treatment designed based on the unique mutational ‘fingerprint’ of a patient’s own tumor, given in combination with pembrolizumab can reduce the risk of recurrence or death in patients with completely resected stage IIB-IV melanoma compared to KEYTRUDA alone,” said Professor Georgina Long, the study’s principal investigator and medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia, Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at the University of Sydney. “Intismeran in combination with pembrolizumab has the potential to establish a new treatment paradigm in the adjuvant melanoma setting, helping patients remain cancer-free for longer.”

Also Read: Analyst Names 3 US Tech Stocks To Look At: Find Out Here

The trial results attracted new investor interest in the biotech sector broadly. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (.NBI) climbed 4.4% to a record high, beating out the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq index. Furthermore, the results also signaled a reversal of fortune for Moderna, which has struggled to generate new products beyond its COVID-19 vaccine and faced pushback over its mRNA ​technology from President Donald Trump’s administration. Moderna shares surged to multiyear highs, adding nearly $40 billion to the company’s market capitalization. Merck climbed 11% on hopes the vaccine will expand its prospects in cancer research.

Shares in Intel (INTC) stock have fallen nearly 10% in the last five days, including a 5% slip after the opening bell on Wednesday. Following a massive rally driven by surging demand for server CPUs in the agentic AI boom, the chipmaker’s shares have stalled in the last month. Despite a solid earnings report in June 2026, the company remains at the heart of AI jitters that continue to rattle Wall Street. Indeed, Intel shares have surged roughly 162% this year after investors grew more optimistic about the chipmaker’s turnaround and AI prospects, although the stock has pulled back roughly 26% from its June high.

Semiconductor companies were falling sharply on Tuesday amid higher oil prices and bond yields. The 30-year U.S. Treasury yield settled at a 19-year high of 5.310% and was at 5.288% on Tuesday afternoon. Intel, AMD, Nvidia and several other chip stocks have taken a hit, which may lessen the worries of a specific spark for INTC’s recent decline.

Fortunately, all the big names in AI have enjoyed sizable gains over from July 29 through the beginning of this week. Nvidia, has jumped 18%, Intel has climbed 26%, and Micron is up 37% in that span. Furthermore, there are signs coming from internally that show a potential big move for Intel is ahead. The company’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan has made a major purchase of INTC stock in the last week, buying 105,263 Intel (INTC) shares for $95 each on Aug. 11. The insider buy comes at a pivotal time for Intel. The company just raised nearly $20 billion in fresh equity as it ramps up spending on manufacturing and tries to turn its foundry business into a credible alternative to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM).

Also Read: Micron Stock vs. SK Hynix: Which AI Chip Stock Will Surge More?

On Wall Street, firms are still paying close attention to Intel stock’s recent volatility when determing INTC forecasts. Despite concerns about dilution, analysts maintain a cautious “Hold” rating, with an average price target suggesting an 18.4% upside potential if Intel successfully executes its growth strategy. Rosenblatt and JP Morgan lean bearish with Sell and Underweight ratings, respectively. On the other hand, Goldman Sachs, with a Neutral rating, suggests a higher price target of $150.

After a sluggish first month for the stock on Wall Street, Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX) has seen its stock value climb 16% in the last 30 days. The company’s first earnings report helped spark the recent rally and led to several firms on The Street raising their price forecasts for SPXC stock. However, the company’s mastermind, Elon Musk, may have just given a hint that could serve as the biggest buy signal for the stock yet, even after its latest 1-month surge.

Indeed, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he believes the space economy will be “much bigger” than $1.8 trillion by 2035. In a response to another user on X Tuesday that suggested a “Second Space Age” is imminent, Musk implied that this one will be much bigger. Following up on that post, Musk also agreed with another user that said the space economy should probably be thought of as an order of magnitude greater (or two) than it currently is. This is in large part because it will be absolutely necessary for the continued scaling of AI compute and power.

As one of the superpowers of present day space research and exploration, this puts SpaceX in the driver seat to help lead that surging space economy that the X user suggests is coming. Hence, SPCX could benefit from its own market capitalization and value growing, sending shares higher. Further, Elon Musk’s revised SpaceX revenue target of $1 trillion by 2030 underscores ambitious growth plans, though analysts project significantly lower figures, with expectations of $184.5 billion by 2028.

Also Read: Can AMD’s Gaming Sector Protect The Stock From An AI Bubble?

Furthermore, the latest 13F quarterly SEC filing sheds light that 5 billionaires have bet big on SpaceX stock. The rich list is focused on space exploration and expects it to be the next frontier. The company currently dominates the satellite communications sphere, with Amazon conceptualizing a similar idea. While the competition could take years to form, the Elon Musk-led company currently enjoys a monopoly in the sector.

Credit card company Visa (V) is seeking a new crypto stablecoin partner to help expand settlements globally, according to a Yahoo Finance report. This comes shortly after its previous partner in the space, BVNK, was acquired by rival Mastercard (MA).

Last month,Visa launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform, giving financial institutions and fintechs a dedicated enterprise platform for stablecoin access and management. After cutting its deal with BVNK, Visa now wants a new stablecoin platform to continue advancing global settlements with digital assets. Visa is said to be looking for one settlement and one over-the-counter partner that has secured crypto exchange licenses in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

Also Read: Citi to Launch Bitcoin Custody for Institutional Clients

According to Visa’s request for product, the ideal partner must hold cryptocurrency exchange licenses across these four countries. These four markets represent some of the most tightly regulated crypto environments in the world, and few firms can claim clean licensing across all of them simultaneously. That’s a deliberate filter, not an accident. Visa appears to be prioritizing regulatory coverage over speed, betting that a fully licensed partner will reduce compliance friction as stablecoin volumes scale.

Stablecoins are emerging as a key area of competition among traditional payments giants. The market is now worth about $286 billion, according to data tracked by CoinGecko.

$2.8T asset manager Citi Bank plans to launch a Bitcoin Custody+ program, letting clients hold Bitcoin alongside traditional assets. The Wall Street banking behemoth announced earlier today that it’s preparing to launch digital asset custody later this year, with Bitcoin being the first asset supported by Custody+.

The press release published on August 18 indicated that Custody+ will act as a suite of near- and real-time services designed to accommodate financial markets increasingly moving toward continuous trading and faster settlement. “Digital assets already operate on near-instant settlement, 24/7. Citi expects to go live with digital asset custody later this year, starting with the custody of Bitcoin. This is being built on Citi’s common digital asset architecture, and we will offer a one-stop custody experience. Clients will access traditional and crypto custody capabilities within the same framework for an integrated experience.”

Citi’s Custody+ announcement follows the bank’s completion of the US rollout of its Single Event Processing technology, a key part of the bank’s custody infrastructure overhaul. Citi said more than 80% of all event volume across its network is now processed in real time. For US voluntary corporate actions, the technology has reduced processing times by up to 92%, while 96% of those events are now processed within two hours, the firm noted in a press release.

Also Read: Gold Falls Amid Higher Treasury Yields And Oil Prices: What Next?

Furthermore, Citi Bank has become a far more public backer of the crypto indsutry in recent months, and the launch of Custody+ is further proof of that. Just last week, the bank called for the US Senate to pass the new crypto bill. Citigroup’s CEO Jane Fraser voiced support for passing the U.S. digital asset market structure legislation in an interview with Fox Business.

AI Giant Nvidia (NVDA) says it plans to invest up to $105 billion to help OpenAI develop new AI data centers, according to a financial filing. The ChatGPT maker said Monday it has entered into an agreement to secure up to roughly 8 gigawatts of computing capacity from the Pike County complex, with the first 800 megawatts expected to come online by 2028. A single gigawatt is enough to power up to 750,000 US homes at any given time.

OpenAI said it will only begin paying as capacity becomes available for lease. Nvidia said it will provide support for “defined portions of lease and power payments,” aiding a project that will lead to a large deployment of its AI chips. The Ohio data center complex as envisioned would be among the biggest in the world. Nvidia previously discussed providing a guarantee of as much as $250 billion to OpenAI for the data center lease, according to Bloomberg.

Over the past year, Nvidia ‍has struck a series of ⁠deals with AI startups and invested in firms that are also major AI customers. The investments have split Wall Street investors due to potential concerns about an AI bubble and so‑called circular deals. However, it’s done well by Nvidia, with NVDA shares up over 20% YTD. NVIDIA’s stock fell a fraction of a percent on Monday following the Open AI data center announcement.

Presently, Analysts have maintained optimistic ratings on Nvidia with several recommending a Buy or Strong Buy. However, price targets vary significantly, with a notable high of $350 from Cantor Fitzgerald, suggesting diverse expectations on Nvidia’s future performance. Last week, leading global investment bank UBS has maintained its buy rating for Nvidia stock. Timothy Arcuri, the Managing Director at UBS, gave a double-digit price target for NVDA. In a note sent to clients on Friday (August 14, 2026), the analyst predicted that Nvidia could reach a high of $280.

The US Department of Treasury is now “moving quickly” to implement the crypto GENIUS act, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, seeking public comment related to Treasury’s implementation of section 3 of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.

“President Trump and Congress delivered the GENIUS Act, establishing a landmark framework and clear rules of the road for payment stablecoins, and Treasury is moving quickly to implement that framework,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Treasury welcomes input from stakeholders as we work to provide the regulatory certainty businesses need to innovate and grow in America, cement the role of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and keep America the crypto capital of the world.”

The US administration under Donald Trump has backed the cryptocurrency domain officially. Trump has delivered serious protection to the rising cryptocurrency sector, adding how he wants the US to take the lead in governing the digital asset domain on a global platform. This development has given birth to a new infrastructural alignment that involves the work of the GENIUS and Clarity Acts, both of which Scott Bessent support.

While the Clarity act remains up for consideration, the US Treasury is working to establish a good framework for the GENIUS act. This act helps in streamlining the role of stablecoins in the current financial structure and regime. The Treasury deparment is actively seeking public opinion and input from crypto experts for developing this framework, of which several experts already have.

Wall Street tycoons Michael Burry and Bill Ackman have both made similar big moves recently on the stock market that smaller investors may want to follow. In the last six months, US markets have proven very volatile, but are overall up in the same period. While big stocks like NVDA and GOOGL remain big gainers, Burry and Ackman have disclosed investments in lesser-known stocks, shooting for monstrous returns. With their success rates on Wall Street, should you invest in these stock options as well?

Burry earlier this year disclosed that he was piling into Adobe (ADBE) stock. The stock had a disastrous start to the summer, tanking in price. However, since July 14, shares have rallied back 19%. Adobe’s stock has dropped 23% year-to-date, but analysts see potential upside driven by strong AI growth and recent acquisitions. The company reported record Q2 revenue and raised its guidance for FY26, indicating positive momentum despite ongoing risks and mixed analyst sentiment.

Additionally, Michael Burry believes that the market is wrongly expecting that AI will kill Adobe’s business. Adobe’s monthly users continues to climb, and its Firefly model is trained on licensed content, so brands like Coca-Cola and Disney can use AI-generated work in real campaigns without copyright risk. Companies are willing to pay Adobe to avoid legal issues, meaning the company’s value remains high despite the surge of AI for creators.

Also Read: Citi Bank calls for US Senate to Pass the Crypto Clarity Act

As for Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge fund manager disclosed in his latest investor letter that he bought S&P Global stock (SPGI). The stock is down more than 20% from its 2025 high, and Ackman thinks the market threw out a great business over a fear that barely touches it. S&P Global sells financial data, and investors worry AI will make that data cheap and commoditized. The selling picked up after Anthropic launched its Claude Cowork tool.

However, Ackman says S&P Global’s three benchmark franchises — Ratings, Indices, and the Platts energy pricing business businesses produce high margins. None of them is a data-lookup product AI can copy, a fear that similarly hit ADBE. Therefore, Ackman is backing S&P Global stock to rebound back to early 2026 levels.

The Crypto CLARITY Act has gotten another notable backer, as Citi Bank Friday called for the US Senate to pass the new crypto bill. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser voiced support for passing the U.S. digital asset market structure legislation. Speaking to Fox Business, Fraser said Citi was still pushing for changes to the CLARITY Act but wanted to see a robust bill cross the finish line.

“We’re not giving up on pushing to get some improvements made to the bill,” Fraser said. “But we would like to see a good bill go through. I think it would be excellent for the system.” The Citigroup CEO’s comments come after Citi previously treated progress on US digital-asset rules as a potential catalyst for institutional adoption. The crypto market has had a tumultuous 2026, with the global crypto market cap sinking by over $2 trillion in the last 365 days. The passage of the Clarity act is expected to help fuel a market rebound, in hand with the continued backing of crypto by firms like Citi.

The CLARITY Act aims to bring more regulatory clarity to the budding asset class. The legislation also aims to bring more investor protection. If passed the law could lead to investors feeling a lot more safe within the cryptocurrency sector. The cryptocurrency landscape is plagued with scams and hacks that has kept a significant number of people away from it. However, the CLARITY Act could change this outlook.

Also Read: Micron Stock Rallies After Cooler Inflation: Can It Hit $1000 Next?

Furthermore, Jane Fraser’s constructive tone contrasts with Citi’s recent caution on crypto prices. On July 1, the bank lowered its 12-month Bitcoin target to $82,000 from $112,000. It also cut its Ethereum target from $ 3,175 to $2,240.

Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, has increased its spot Bitcoin ETF holdings by 230% to $90 million, the bank announced Thursday. UBS Group AG has tripled its stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, bringing its total position to roughly $90 million across 2.5 million shares. UBS first started its Bitcoin ETF journey with 3,600 shares worth less than $150,000 in early 2024.

“We recognize the importance of distributed ledger technology like blockchain, which underpins digital assets,” a spokesperson said.

JUST IN: Switzerland's largest bank UBS increases spot Bitcoin ETF holdings by 230% to $90 million. pic.twitter.com/ySF5UFIvIB

— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) August 13, 2026

UBS has also been opening access to IBIT and comparable products for its wealth management clients, meaning the bank’s own balance sheet position and its client facilitation business are growing in tandem. The bank is evaluating cryptocurrency trading for private banking clients in Switzerland, people familiar with the matter said this week. Select private banking clients in Switzerland would initially gain access to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) trading, with potential expansion to Asia-Pacific and U.S. markets. UBS has not made final decisions on implementation, the unnamed sources add.

Also Read: Bitcoin Bear Market May Be At The Bottom: Rally From Here?

Despite the decline of crypto in the past year, institutional interest in the sector remains high. Across the institutional landscape, 1,560 separate organizations collectively held IBIT shares worth more than $27 billion in Q1 2026. U.S. cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds have grown rapidly since their January 2024 approval. These products now oversee almost $140 billion in assets, led by BlackRock Inc.’s iShares Bitcoin Trust.

Furthermore, some hedge funds pulled back on Bitcoin ETF exposure during Q1 2026, while banks as a group were increasing their positions. At press time, the king cryptocurrency trades at $63,433, down over 40% in the past year. However, developing legislation globally for crypto, as well as the growing institutional interest, could help fuel Bitcoin’s rebound in the latter half of 2026.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is reportedly preparing an “innovation exemption” to allow 24/7 trading of tokenized stocks on the blockchain. According to reports, the SEC has scheduled an open meeting for Friday to establish a framework for the sale of certain crypto-related investment contracts.

The SEC originally planned to release the exemption in May. It pushed the date back after hearing from exchanges, public companies, and other stakeholders. This delay highlights the delicate balance regulators face between fostering innovation and protecting investors. The proposed exemption, if finalized, would mark a significant step toward integrating traditional finance with digital assets, a shift accelerated by growing demand for round-the-clock trading.

Notably, the exemption would also fulfill the SEC’s recent promise to push through new crypto legislation regardless of whether the Crypto Clarity Act is passed. The SEC’s proposed framework is narrower than the larger CLARITY Act. The CLARITY Act aims to bring more regulatory clarity and investor protection for the cryptocurrency sector. Either way, both developments are welcome.

Currently, US Congress is on summer recess, so the Clarity Act remains on the back burner. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has filed to schedule a procedural vote on the bill when lawmakers return in mid-September. But Congress has limited time to pass it before the midterm elections, and a procedural vote is not the same as a final deal.

US President Donald Trump is again claiming that the United States has “total control over the Strait of Hormuz.” This comes even as transit through the arterial waterway fell to a one-week low amid the US-Israel war with Iran.

Trump made the statement in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, reiterating a similar claim he made to reporters the day before as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and fully reopen the strait have continued to stall. “The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” Trump said.

He went on to claim the ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports “is being called, by everyone, “A WALL OF STEEL,” and there is nothing Iran can do about it. “Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer,” Trump said, ending his message with, “Praise be to Allah!”

Also Read: Wells Fargo Drastically Lowers SanDisk Stock Price Target (SNDK)

While ships can still transit through the strait, they face several obstacles and heightened threats. That has caused the volume of traffic to drop dramatically. Just yesterday, per Reuters, onl6 eight ships transited through the Strait of Hormuz, far below the 130 to 140 ships pre-war rate. That was down from the previous ten-day average of about 12 ships, according to trade analytics platform Kpler data.

The last major diplomatic breakthrough in the war came in June, when the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding about pausing fighting while they negotiated a lasting end to the conflict. This broke down following clashes centered on the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the resumption of the US blockade and a renewed, expanded regional conflict. Presently, despite Trump’s claim, fighting continues. The US stock market, on the other hand, appears positive on the claim, with major indexes climbing on Wednesday.

Annual inflation slowed for the second month in a row, cooling to 3.4% in July, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. The Consumer Price Index for July showed prices rose 0.1 percent in July from a month prior, in line with analysts’ expectations.

The United States is riding five consecutive years of high inflation since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, inflation is just two months fresh off a report that saw it reach a three-year high. Hence, analysts aren’t too relieved after the latest report, as there is still a long way to go to reach pre-pandemic inflation numbers.

Indeed, monthly economic data can be quite volatile, and that’s especially been true in the past two years. Prices–particularly energy and gas prices – have been sporadic because of a months-long war in Iran. Those prices, as well as inflation, have eased in recent weeks as some peace talks appeared to progress. However, those negotiations remain quite choppy; plus, plenty of inflationary risks are in the pipeline as higher oil and fertilizer prices work their way through the economy in the coming months.

Also Read: SpaceX Stock Price Prediction: BofA, Arete, and Wall Street Set 12-Month Targets

Furthermore, the Federal Reserve is still keeping its cards close to its chest about the future of interest rates, and is tracking these inflation reports for a sign to cut or hike. Summarizing how little has changed after today’s inflation data, Eric Winograd, chief economist at AllianceBernstein, a fund manager, says that “the numbers don’t push the Fed closer to or farther away from a rate hike: that decision is still very much pending.” New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has openly admitted that the Fed has mishandled rates and inflation in recent months, but hasn’t offered much clarity on a plan to battle the existing US inflation.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley are increasingly bullish on Elon Musk’s SpaceX, forecasting that SPCX stock will rocket higher towards $600. The space company recently spent $60 billion on acquiring AI coding platform Cursor, a deal the brokerage believes could turn into a meaningful contributor to the company’s rapidly expanding AI business.

Morgan Stanley recently maintained a $300 price target for SpaceX, but its bull-case valuation assumes faster execution across AI, Starship and orbital compute. Analyst Adam Jonas signaled that Cursor’s AI becoming a frontier model could play a major role in the stock’s potential to reach this target. “As investors see more breadcrumbs on the Cursor/Grok story, we see potential for the implied valuation discount on SpaceX’s AI business to lift, driving potentially substantial appreciation of the stock, Jonas wrote in an investor note, according to CNBC.

Morgan Stanley estimates that Cursor ARR could reach $8 billion by the end of this year and $33 billion by 2030. Further commenting on Cursor’s role in the upside for the SpaceX stock, Jones opined that value may accrue to the layer that owns the data and deployment as code generation becomes more commoditized, which is an area that Cursor currently dominates.

Also Read: Russia approves Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT for Public Trading

SpaceX stock (SPCX) is on a hot streak over the last five days, gaining as much as 16% and returning to its IPO launch price. An IPO lock-up expiration made over 911 million SpaceX shares eligible to trade this week, and more than 4 billion additional shares will unlock by the end of the year. Compared to its IPO price, the Elon Musk-led space company’s stock remains down 11%; however, the latest rally implies that a potential buy-the-dip opportunity appeared last week.

Russia has approved Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the Tether USDT stablecoin for public trading on exchanges under new central bank trading rules. According to a new proposal by the Bank of Russia, the framework would allow both retail and qualified investors to trade crypto through regulated intermediaries, while imposing additional restrictions on non-qualified investors.

Russia has been moving quickly to establish new trading rules for cryptocurrency in the last month, looking to jump ahead in the crypto sector. The latest proposal follows legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin on August 4. That law establishes rules for cryptocurrency circulation in Russia, including purchases through licensed intermediaries, exchange trading, clearing and digital asset depositories.

The country’s Central Bank has identified Bitcoin, Ether and Tether as the assets targeted for access under the initial trading framework, based on liquidity and market characteristics. The broader law does not limit qualified investors to those three assets. Qualified investors would be able to trade other cryptocurrencies subject to the regulatory framework. Foreign stablecoins would generally be subject to the same regulatory requirements as other cryptocurrencies under the new framework.

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Furthermore, Russia has embraced the crypto industry in the last year, with private banks in the country beginning to offer crypto services. The move to legalize crypto trading would be a big change of tune for Russia, which had previously ruled Bitcoin and ETH as not real forms of currency. With the change of tune, Russia has quickly established itself as a premier crypto market in Eastern Europe, while offering a potential workaround to Western banking restrictions.

SpaceX stock (SPCX) is on a hot streak over the last five days, gaining as much as 16% and returning to its IPO launch price. An IPO lock-up expiration made over 911 million SpaceX shares eligible to trade this week, and more than 4 billion additional shares will unlock by the end of the year. Compared to its IPO price, the Elon Musk-led space company’s stock remains down 11%; however, the latest rally implies that a potential buy-the-dip opportunity appeared last week.

The SpaceX stock forecast coming out of Wall Street stayed mostly upbeat, and a handful of banks are defending price targets more than double where SPCX sits at the time of writing. Retail investors have bought SPCX every day since its IPO, and now they are starting to see that value return to the initial investment value.

In addition, Wall Street forecasts for SPCX have risen since the company’s first earnings report exceeded expectations. Argus Research upgraded SPCX stock to a Buy from a Hold and put a $160 price target on it, and Morgan Stanley kept its own $300 SpaceX stock price target exactly where it was, too. The Morgan Stanley SpaceX price target is still one of the most aggressive numbers out there on Wall Street, even with SPCX having pulled back toward $110 just a few weeks ago, before this latest bounce.

Other firms are also changing their tune on SPCX stock. Oppenheimer recently held an Outperform rating for the stock at $250. JPMorgan raised its SpaceX target to $240 from $225 right after the latest quarterly report was released, and UBS put a fresh Buy rating on the stock too. Piper Sandler and Wells Fargo were the outliers, trimming their numbers over lockup and capex worries.

Grayscale Investments has withdrawn its SEC registrations for Cardano (ADA), Hedera (HBAR) and Polkadot (DOT) crypto ETFs. The crypto asset manager claimed it does not intend to proceed with the planned distribution. The prices of HBAR, ADA and DOT all fell in the last 24 hours following Grayscale’s ETF application withdrawals.

Grayscale filed three Form RWs with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The crypto asset management firm requested the regulator to remove S-1 submissions for the Grayscale Cardano Trust ETF, then the Grayscale Hedera Trust ETF, and the Grayscale Polkadot Trust ETF. The investment manager company cited Rule 477 under the Securities Act of 1933 to withdraw the respective Form S-1 registration statements, amendments, and exhibits. The S-1s were initially filed in late August and early September last year amid a massive push for crypto ETFs.

In addition, Grayscale also confirmed that none of the registration statements were declared effective. “No securities have been or will be issued or sold pursuant to the Registration Statement or the prospectus contained therein, and no preliminary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement has been distributed,” it added in a statement.

Also Read: UK Regulators Pushing Digital Finance, Readying Tokenized Gold

The crypto market in 2026 has been very difficult to navigate. New reports show that cryptocurrencies are the worst-performing assets so far this year. Bitcoin (BTC) has dipped by 34.6%, while Ethereum (ETH) has fallen by 47%. The larger cryptocurrency market, meanwhile, has fallen by 57.5%. Traditional stocks and precious metals, on the other hand, have rebounded despite geopolitical issues worldwide.

Regulators in the United Kingdom are looking to push the UK into the world of digital finance through blockchain and tokenization. According to Monday reports, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) wants financial firms to use blockchain technology to make the trading and settlement clearing and custody of financial assets faster, more efficient, and secure.

The regulatory initiative comes as Shanghai and Hong Kong are seeking to establish themselves as major international bullion centres, which could threaten London’s grip on global gold trading and volume. The United States has also begun taking on the world of tokenization and changing the landscape of traditional finance. However, the UK has long limited itself in these ventures post-MiCA compliance.

In addition to encouraging companies to use blockchain, the UK is also preparing a framework for tokenized gold as it pushes to digitize financial markets. London’s over-the-counter (OTC) market has historically ranked as the number one center for gold trade and currently accounts for 70% of the world’s notional trading volume, according to the World Gold Council. However, London’s dominance is being increasingly challenged by China. As a result, the country is looking towards tokenization as a way to retain that dominance in the precious metals market.

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The FCA and the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority have already indicated that they intend to develop further policy around tokenized collateral later this year. The objective is to enable blockchain technology to improve the speed, efficiency and security of trading, settlement, clearing and custody across the financial markets.

Shares in SpaceX (SPCX) are down 30% in the last month; however, the rocket company’s first earnings report is keeping investors reeled in. Retail investors have bought SPCX every day since its IPO, and that is continuing after its inaugural earnings report exceeded expectations. Individual investors bought a net $22.7 million of SpaceX shares during the first hour of trading on Wednesday, according to Vanda Research. That was more than three times the stock’s average opening-hour inflow and its third-largest opening-hour haul across 37 trading sessions.

That data also reveals that SpaceX has yet to record a single day of net retail selling since its June 12 debut. Upon launch, SPCX shares did rally quickly, but have since cratered in price. Looking at last week, SpaceX’s first results as a public company gave both sides something to work with. Revenue and adjusted earnings topped expectations, while nearly $16 billion in quarterly spending on AI and data centers underscored the cost of the expansion.

Retail investors treated that spending as a down payment on future growth, and suggest the stock still has surge potential in 2026. Shares of SpaceX (SPCX) already rallied nearly 10% on Friday, extending Thursday’s gains. SPCX shares are heading for their best week since listing and are also on track to record the biggest single-day gains since June 15.

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Per data tracked by JPMorgan analysts, some back-of-the-envelope math shows the average price of those purchases is roughly $150 a share. Including the stock allocated in the IPO, retail shareholders have lost roughly $4.5 billion on SpaceX stock. In Wall Street parlance, that means retail shareholders have been the ones left “holding the bag.” They have endured painful losses partly avoided by institutions selling stock at higher prices.

Per researchers at TipRanks, SpaceX (SPXC) carries a strong consensus rating backed by positive revisions following strong quarterly earnings and increasingly positive investor sentiment. Based on 31 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for SpaceX in the last 3 months, the average price target is $229.54 with a high forecast of $800.00 and a low forecast of $75.00. The average price target represents a 75.94% change from the last price of $130.46.

The US Federal Reserve is no longer projected to raise interest rates at its September meeting, according to Polymarket odds tracking the Fed. This comes shortly after the US recorded its 3rd largest monthly job loss since 2020. Even as inflation continues to run rampant in the US economy, forecasters now believe that the Fed will hold off on moving rates for the sixth consecutive session.

Contrary to Polymarket forecasts, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said this past week that the Fed is prepared to raise interest rates in September if inflation comes in higher than expected. Inflation in the US has been going down over the last few months, falling to 3.5% in June 2026. However, the re-escalation in the US-Iran conflict led to a spike in oil prices last month. Higher oil prices often lead to higher CPI (Consumer Price Index) figures. To add fuel to the fire, President Trump’s recent tariff spree may also play a major role in driving up inflation figures.

Also Read: Trump on Crypto: It’s a Big Deal, We Must Beat China to the Punch

Investors will now be looking to the July inflation picture, set to be revealed in the Consumer Price Index report for the month on August 12. In June, prices posted their biggest month-over-month fall in six years as energy prices fell, though oil rose in July amid renewed tensions in the Middle East. If the labor market is weakening, that may change how the central bank thinks about rate hikes, which some members of the Fed have called for amid higher energy prices due to the U.S.-Iran war.

US President Donald Trump recently interviewed with Punchbowl News, where he discussed various topics, including the crypto market. Trump has hailed himself as the “Crypto President” in the past, supporting various pro-crypto initiatives and even establishing business ventures in crypto himself.

“Crypto is a big deal,” Trump said in the interview. “I see it more and more where people are paying with Bitcoin, and they don’t even know about cash anymore. That takes a lot of pressure off our dollar. It’s a good thing for our country,” he added. The US President also discussed the ongoing battle between the United States and China, suggesting that AI isn’t the only race that the former is trying to win. He framed his support for crypto as a national security issue. “If we don’t have it, China’s going to have it,” Trump said, adding that Joe Biden only embraced crypto late because he saw Trump winning the crypto community’s support.

President Trump has been actively pushing the US to become the crypto hub of the world, and a part of that comes with select legislation for the industry. Specifically, he has called on the Senate to pass the Crypto Clarity Act, which still hangs in the balance on the Senate floor. As the US Senate enters its summer recess, however, the Clarity Act will now be delayed longer before review.

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On the other hand, the CLARITY Act has faced some hurdles among policymakers. Many have been asking for additional ethics language to bar people in power from profiting from cryptocurrencies. This especially targets President Trump, given that his family made more than $1 billion in crypto profits since he took office. As a result, according to a Bloomberg report, the bipartisan ethics proposal for the CLARITY Act could require Trump to divest from cryptocurrency-related businesses to address conflicts of interest.

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh says the Fed is prepared to raise interest rates in September if inflation comes in higher than expected. It would mark the first time the Fed has raised interest rates since December 2025, when it cut the benchmark by 25 basis points. The last time the Fed raised interest rates was back in 2023, but as inflation continues to burden the economy, Warsh is readying the central bank to resume hiking rates higher.

Per the Financial Times, people close to Warsh said he acknowledged that he had made mistakes in his first 10 weeks at the helm of the world’s most important central bank, including failing to reinforce his key messages on price stability and sowing confusion over whether his longer-term plans to reform the Fed could affect near-term policy decisions. As a result, to battle the growing interest rate concerns, Warsh may reopen the possibility of hiking rates.

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Warsh would be prepared to raise interest rates at September’s meeting if inflation readings released in coming weeks are hot, and markets ratchet up their expectations for increases in borrowing costs, the people familiar with his thinking added. Futures markets currently assess a roughly 55 per cent chance of a quarter-point rise in September, CME Group data shows. Major indexes were little changed Thursday, but continue to ride a steady climb in the last 30 days.

Shares in Alphabet (GOOGL) tumbled on Wednesday after the company announced a major shift in leadership of its AI technology branch. The company’s DeepMind organization announced that its CEO, Demis Hassabis, is transitioning to a new role as chair of DeepMind and chief scientist for all of Alphabet. GOOGL stock fell sharply to $362.11, a near -5 % decline on Wednesday.

DeepMind CTO and Google chief AI architect Koray Kavukcuoglu will step into the role of senior vice president for DeepMind and report directly to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Alphabet (GOOGL) stock has seen plenty of movement in recent months, so the sharp shift in share price isn’t viewed as a huge catalyst, according to numerous Wall Street experts. AI, however, has become a focal point in Google’s and its parent company Alphabet’s revenue stream in the past year. Therefore, the sudden change in leadership in that department is a flag that investors will closely monitor as Kavukcuoglu settles into his new role.

In addition to those moves, Google chief scientist Jeff Dean, along with Google senior fellow Sanjay Ghemawat, are leaving the company and founding their own independent public benefit corporation called Discovery Loop. In a post on X, Dean said Discovery Loop’s mission is to “automate machine learning, science, and engineering to accelerate discoveries and progress.”

Furthermore, the Google shakeup comes at a critical time for Alphabet. Indeed, Google is facing some difficulties with its latest Gemini model. According to Bloomberg, the company delayed its Gemini 3.5 Pro in July in an effort to improve its capabilities in areas like coding. During its latest earnings report, the company increased its planned capital expenditures for the year to between $195 billion and $205 billion, up from its prior estimate of $180 billion to $190 billion. Analysts were expecting $186.4 billion.