Silver banana goes to…

Your Daily Dose of Market & Career Clarity

📬 Delivered to 150,000+ ambitious readers

🎯 In this issue:

• Banana Bits: Finance headlines that actually matter

• Market Summary: Razor-thin losses

• What’s Ripe / Rotten: The tastiest and most disgusting stocks 

• Technical Trip: Interview Q&A from BlackRock

• Deal Dispatch: M&A, IPOs, and other transactions 

• The Daily Poll: See how you stack up

Market Snapshot

📉 Banana Bits

• Canada, Mexico pledge coordination on Trade Pact Review with the U.S.

• U.S. corporate bond spreads hit 27 year low after the Fed rate cut.

• Foreign holdings of treasuries climb to a record level.

• Japan’s inflation slowed abruptly on the back of government utility subsidies.

• Asian stocks are on the rise after the global equity benchmark hit a new peak.

• Global investors are buying derivatives to protect investments against a decline in the dollar.

• Fed rate cut sets stage for Asia's next easing wave amid trade headwinds and currency pressure.

• A spooky Halloween for consumers-79% of shoppers are expecting higher prices. 

Market Recap

Fed’s Reverberation to Asian markets

The Fed’s decision to pursue a 25 basis point cut had put equity benchmarks at all-time highs. 

The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Russell 2000 indices have advanced to fresh highs. Asian equities have also advanced, with MSCI Asia rising 0.2% with gains in Japan and Australia. The MSCI index of global stocks also closed on record highs. 

Talking about slowing inflation, Japan’s consumer inflation rose 2.7% from a year earlier, slowing from a 3.1% gain in the previous month. 

Energy prices fell 3.3% slightly below the rate of the previous month and matched analyst expectations. The BOJ is set for a meeting on Friday, and it is expected to keep rates unchanged. 

In the U.S., equities got a boost in Thursday trading after jobless claims dropped the most in nearly four years. Initial applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. dropped by 33,000 to 231,000 in the week ended Sept. 13, below the median estimate of 240,000. 

This suggests that corporations are still holding onto their workforce. Robert Schein of Blanke Schein Wealth Management suggested that the Fed is cutting rates in a robust economy, leading to a huge runway for equities. 

What's Ripe

Intel Corp. (INTC) 22.8%

• INCT soared 22% after Nvidia said it would invest $5 billion in Intel at a price of $23.28

• This investment serves as a co-development of both companies in data center and PC products.

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) 12.8%

• CRWD soared 12.82% in Thursday trading after the company announced its ambitious long-term revenue targets and new artificial initiatives during its investor briefing 

• The company set a goal to reach $20 billion ARR in 2036 and 20% growth in net new ARR for fiscal year 2027, easily beating analyst expectations of 14%.

What's Rotten

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (CRBL) 7.6%

• CRBL declined 7.6% after the company reported fiscal fourth quarter earnings that missed analyst expectations. 

• The company also forecasted revenue of $3.35 billion to $3.45 billion, which was below the Wall Street consensus.

• It also expects a decline of between 4% and 7% in comparable-store traffic during the current fiscal year.

Nucor Corp. (NUE) 6.0%

• NUE slipped 5.9% after the company cut guidance for the current third quarter. It expects profit of between $2.05 and $2.15 a share.

• The management also expects a decrease across all three of its operating segments in the second quarter of 2025

🧠 Technical Trip

Q&A with BlackRock

👉 Want 1-on-1 recruiting help from BlackRock bankers & 2,000+ top mentors? Apply to WSO Academy

🦈 Deal Dispatch

M&A, IPOs, And Other Notable Transactions

• Atlassian to buy engineering intelligence firm DX for $1 billion.

• Zijin Gold seeks $3.2 billion in the world’s biggest IPO since May.

• China’s brain implant startups take on Musk’s Neuralink in new tech race.

• E-commerce firm Pattern plans to price its IPO at $14 each, in the mid-range.

• Nvidia to invest £2 billion in UK firms, including Wayve, Revolut.

• InterContinental Times Square is said to be near sale for $230 million.

• Cybersecurity firm Netskope climbs 18% after $908 million IPO.

• Phia, founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, raised $8 million.

📊The Daily Poll

Previous Poll:

Two more cuts this year =

Good move: 24.5% // Too much: 40.4% // Not enough: 8.8% // Won’t happen: 26.3%

Student Success Corner

👉 Are you next? Find out with WSO Academy

Banana Brain Teaser

Previous

David had d books, which is 3 times as many as Jeff and ½ as many as Paula. How many books do the three of them have altogether, in terms of d?

Answer: 10d/3

Today

An object thrown directly upward is at a height of h feet after t seconds, where h = -16(t - 3)^ 2 + 150. At what height, in feet, is the object 2 seconds after it reaches its maximum height?

How Would You Rate Today's Peel?

Happy Investing,
Chris, Vyom, Ankit, Mitchell, Colin, & Patrick

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