Trump’s Tariff Spree

Trump’s tariff spree: slammed levies on trucks, pharmaceuticals, and vanities.

Author

Ankit Sinha
September 26, 2025

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🎯 In this issue:

  • Banana Bits: Finance headlines that actually matter

  • Market Summary: U.S. GDP jumps 3.8% as consumers stay resilient

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

  • Technical Trip: Interview Q&A from BlackRock

  • Student Spotlight: A+ equity research report

  • Deal Deep Dive: M&A, IPO, and transaction breakdowns

  • The Daily Poll: See how you stack up

  • Student Success: What's the BEST finance career for your personality type?

Market Snapshot

📉 Banana Bits

Market Recap

Healthy American Consumers 

Just a little over a week ago, the markets were worried about the job market and how it could spill into the economy. 

This had led to the Fed cutting interest rates by 25 basis points last week. This week's data suggest that even in a weak job market, consumers are still safe and sound. 

The U.S. economy grew in the second quarter at the fastest pace in nearly two years. Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product, which measures the value of goods and services produced in the U.S., increased at a revised 3.8% annualized pace.  

Forecasters expect activity to only pick up somewhat in 2026, partly due to Trump’s tax law and lower interest rates, with most forecasters expecting sub 2% growth for the next few years.

What's Ripe

Opendoor Technologies Inc. (OPEN) 10.5%

  • OPEN stock soared +10.45% after the company announced that investment firm Jane Street took a 5.9% stake.

  • It is unclear whether the investment is a direct investment or a hedge against another position. 

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) 5.2%

  • IBM shares gained 5.2% after the company partnered with HSBC.

  • The partnership showed evidence that quantum computing can improve the predictability of bonds.

What's Rotten

Carmax Inc. (KMX) 20.1%

  • 1KMX dropped -20% after the company posted weaker-than-expected results.

  • Vehicle sales fell, and Ceo Bill Nash called the quarter “challenging.”

  • KMX is also the worst performer in the S&P 500.

Oracle Corporation (ORCL) 5.6%

  • ORCL dropped 5.55% Rothschild Redburn analysts initiated coverage with a “sell” rating, saying the market is overestimating the cloud software company’s revenue outlook. 

🧠 Technical Trip

Interview Q&A with BlackRock

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

🌟 Student Spotlight

A+ Equity Research Report 📊

Looking for a stellar example of what makes an equity research report stand out?

One of our WSO Academy students, Jing (Céline) Huang, put together an impressive deep dive on e.l.f. Beauty, covering valuation, catalysts, and key risks with the kind of insight that turns good pitches into great ones.

🦈 Deal Dispatch

M&A, IPOs, And Other Notable Transactions

📊The Daily Poll

Biggest driver ahead?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Previous Poll:

AI partnerships (like Alibaba + Nvidia) =

Smart strategy: 37.0% // Just hype: 33.3% // Risky bet: 9.3% // Too early to tell: 20.4%

Student Success

👉 Check out more on WSO YouTube

Banana Brain Teaser

Previous

Mary’s income is 60% more than Tim’s income, and Tim’s income is 40% less than Juan’s income. What % of Juan’s income is Mary’s income?

Answer: 96%

Today

To complete a reading assignment on time, Terry planned to read 90 pages per day. However, she read only 75 pages per day at first, leaving 690 pages to be read during the last 6 days before the assignment was to be completed. How many days in all did Terry have to complete the assignment on time?

❝

The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect.

Warren Buffet

How Would You Rate Today's Peel?


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