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🎯 In this issue:

• Banana Bits: Finance headlines that actually matter

• Market Summary: Markets hold steady with inflation in focus

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

• Technical Trip: Interview Question with Citi

• Lesson from the Library: Discover how VCs pick winners, fund innovation, and turn bold ideas into billion-dollar exits.

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

• The Daily Poll: See how you stack up

Market Snapshot

📉 Banana Bits

• Stocks were mixed as softer inflation fed rate-cut bets, with geopolitics and the Fed in focus.

• Healthcare’s market winners and losers may soon swap places.

• PMAX is making quite strategic moves across financial markets.

• A fresh inflation test is sharpening tensions around the Fed’s next steps.

• Wall Street hovered near record highs as JPMorgan and Delta kicked off earnings season.

• Inflation isn’t accelerating much, but consumers are still feeling the squeeze.

Market News

Markets Hold Steady With Inflation In Focus

U.S. markets were very cautious today as investors waited for inflation data and the data on major bank earnings.

Stocks held at recent highs, but gains were limited as traders avoided large bets ahead of the release of these important pieces of information. Technology stocks were mixed after leading the market higher earlier this month. Overall, the market tone today was very cautious.

Globally, markets showed mixed performance as investors were balancing optimism with uncertainty.

Asian markets were mostly higher, driven by strength in Japan and improving sentiment on global growth. European stocks traded modestly lower due to concerns about inflation.

Commodities were mixed, with oil prices rising amid geopolitical tensions while gold held steady.

What's Ripe

Structure Therapeutics (GPCR) 12.3%

• Shares rose more than 10% as investors were encouraged by its progress in early-stage obesity drug trials.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 6.4%

• AMD went up after an analyst upgrade from KeyBank, which showed stronger AI demand than expected.

• Investors responded positively to the prospect of growth in the data center and AI chip markets.

What's Rotten

Delta Air Lines (DAL) 2.3%

• Airline travel sentiment softened as earnings guidance and revenue outlook missed analyst expectations, weighing on sector growth prospects.

Rivian Automotive (RIVN) 1.6%

• RIVN shares fell because of renewed investor concern over cash burn after disappointing production news.

• The attraction to EV stocks went down today as traders went back to traditional tech and away from more speculative names.

🧠 Technical Trip

Interview Q&A from Citi

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

📚 Lesson from the Library

🎥 Venture Capital: From Idea to IPO

Discover how VCs pick winners, fund innovation, and turn bold ideas into billion-dollar exits.

🎓 Check out the course

🦈 Deal Dispatch

M&A, IPOs, And Other Notable Transactions

• U.S. Bancorp is boosting its capital-markets push with a potential $1B BTIG buy.

• Old Glory Bank and Digital Asset Acquisition Corp. agreed to merge into a Nasdaq-listed Texas firm.

• Architectural Fabrication and Armetco Systems announced a strategic merger.

• Angeles Wealth made its first acquisition with the XO Capital deal.

• Schill Grounds Management brought in a new private equity investor.

• LMP announced internal team promotions.

📊The Daily Poll

Previous Poll:

If Trump's 25% tariffs over Iran trade actually lands, what breaks first?

Trade relations: 39.8% // Energy markets: 27.2% // Global supply chains: 13.6% // Political goodwill: 19.4%

Student Success Corner

👉 Are you next? Find out with WSO Academy

Banana Brain Teaser

Previous

For the past n days, the average (arithmetic mean) daily production at a company was 50 units. If today’s production of 90 units raises the average to 55 units per day, what is the value of n?

Answer: 7

Today

The letters D, G, I, I, and T can be used to form 5-letter strings such as DIGIT or DGIIT. Using these letters, how many 5-letter strings can be formed in which the two occurrences of the letter I are separated by at least one other letter?

How Would You Rate Today's Peel?

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

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