#total-us-stock-market

#total-us-stock-market

Google unveiled a suite of new tools to build AI agents aimed at helping companies automate tasks, with its Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform including new features such as Memory Bank and Memory Profile to help agents remember past interactions.

"Getting rich by betting on inside information is corruption, plain and simple," Hochul said in a statement. "Our actions will ensure that public servants work for the people they represent, not their own personal enrichment."

Markets could remain sensitive to the developments in the Middle East. Tensions remain elevated in the region amid continued incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and a failed attempt for a second round of talks this week, undermining prospects for a near-term resolution.

At 7:46 a.m. Monday, Doornbos had posted on X that Iranian officials were still considering a U.S. proposal to end the war, 'centering around uranium enrichment.'

President Trump just said the Iran war 'should be ending pretty soon.' With that, futures are exploding, with the S&P 500 up 0.57%, or by 40 points.

The iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF holds only U.S. Treasury notes and bonds across the maturity curve, providing the cleanest expression of flight-to-quality stability in a single ticker. Credit risk is effectively zero because every holding carries the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA) tracks the MSCI EAFE Index, covering large- and mid-cap equities across developed markets in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East, explicitly excluding the US and Canada. The fund has been running since August 2001, carries $77.8 billion in assets, and charges 32 basis points annually. For a fund of this size and history, that cost is competitive.

The Dow Jones industrial average crossed 50,000 for the first time, as ballooning tech valuations, robust corporate earnings and hopes of lower interest rates drive it to new highs. Chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average's performance over the past year Leading stock markets on Wall Street came under pressure earlier this week as technology stocks fell amid scrutiny of extraordinary levels of investment into artificial intelligence.

Markets were also bruised as a planned €220bn tie-up between mining giants Glencore and Rio Tinto was shelved. The pair have had a long-running, on-off engagement that has seen them try to tie the knot before. "Many wondered whether it might be third time lucky when Rio Tinto and Glencore got back around the table to discuss a deal which would have created the world's biggest mining company - but today it emerged it was not to be,"

In 2022, the classic 60/40 balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds didn't provide much protection. In fact, it lost nearly as much as a 100% equity portfolio.

For decades, the United States stock market has been a juggernaut on the international stage. The US dollar has been - and still is - the de facto currency globally. But for how much longer that will be the case is now looking uncertain. As the New York Times reports, investors are starting to look elsewhere as the Trump administration continues to threaten the independence of its central bank, start a trade war with Europe, and implement self-conflicting monetary policies.

The markets are seeing green across the board amid a near Goldilocks scenario in the economy. The latest jobs report reveals that conditions are neither too not nor too cold, with 130,000 jobs added last month, surpassing economist's most bullish of estimates, while the unemployment rate edged lower to a surprising 4.3% from 4.4% month-over-month. What it means for the Fed and interest rates will depend largely on the latest inflation data, with the CPI due out at the end of the week.

Market volatility is high, with the VIX index up 5% in today's session. The latest inflation data came in better than expected, offering what should become relief for markets. Consumer prices rose 2.4% year over year last month, a cooler reading that brings inflation back toward levels last seen in mid-2025. As the gauge edges closer to the Federal Reserve's 2% target, expectations for an eventual rate cut are likely to gain momentum, even as this week's labor market data reflected strength.

"We see a positive set up for the shares heading into F1Q26 (Dec-end) earnings print as AAPL shares are trading at 30x NTM P/E, below the peak multiple that is typical for the shares heading into a key iPhone product cycle (previous peak of ~32x into 5G cycle), in combination with the modest upsides in relation to both F1Q26 print and the F2Q26 outlook," added the firm, as quoted by CNBC.