Cocoa became the most expensive commodity in the world in August, with a 28.22% monthly price increase. Sugar (+19.87%) and wheat (+17.11%) also rose significantly in price—ICE Futures.
Commodity markets hit a new historical low versus the S&P 500 index. The Commodities/S&P 500 ratio indicates a record cheapening of commodities relative to U.S. stocks.
Hedge funds are increasing long positions on rising gasoline prices in the U.S. Investors expect further fuel price upside—Bloomberg.
HSBC’s chief economist warned about risks of a financial crisis similar to the Asian crisis of 1997. The main risk factors are rising U.S. bond yields, a weak yen, and a boom in artificial intelligence.
Meta (META) is moving the Muse Code AI coding tool out of beta and introducing a paid subscription. The company is monetizing its tools for developers.
Adobe (ADBE) will provide all residents of Saudi Arabia with free access to its own AI tools. The project is being implemented as part of the region’s digital transformation.
GoPro (GPRO) shares surged 90% after the disclosure of blogger Markiplier’s stake. YouTuber Mark Fischbach bought 8.5% of the company’s shares.
Chipmakers—the sector declined amid rising government bond yields. The semiconductor ETF (SMH) lost more than 1%, while Nvidia (NVDA), AMD (AMD), and Micron (MU) also fell by more than 1%.
Energy stocks rose along with oil prices due to the persistent tension in the Middle East. The XLE ETF added more than 1%, and EOG Resources (EOG), Diamondback Energy (FANG), and Targa Resources (TRGP) gained more than 1% each.
Robinhood Markets (HOOD) +2% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to overweight from equal weight. The bank cited platform expansion and improved customer economics.
Novartis (NVS) +4% after positive trial results for the multiple sclerosis drug remibrutinib, which significantly reduced the frequency of relapses compared with other treatments.
Duolingo (DUOL) +6% after Evercore ISI raised its rating to outperform. Analysts pointed to strong results from surveys.
Medtronic (MDT) +5% after raising its 2027 fiscal year forecast: est. EPS $5.94–$6 versus prior. $5.90–$6.
German logistics group Deutsche Post officially changed its name to DHL. The changes were made to the commercial register, and the stock exchange ticker was updated accordingly to the DHL brand.
Foreign institutional investors increased their investments in Chinese shares by one third—to over $40 billion per quarter. Interest from international capital in the Chinese market continues to grow—SCMP.
The investor Thiel allocated 75% of his portfolio to shares of energy companies. According to Tesla founder Elon Musk, more than 15 GW of computing power cannot be utilized due to an electricity shortage, which is forcing hyperscalers and Nvidia NVDA to increase capital spending in energy infrastructure.
Bitcoin BTC became one of the leaders in growth for the month of August. The asset showed positive momentum despite the fact that August and September are historically considered the worst months for the crypto market.
Pavel Durov announced the launch of a non-custodial Gram wallet inside Telegram. In the near future, the service will be available to all messenger users.
Capital inflows resumed into spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Investors are returning to buying crypto funds—SoSoValue.
CME’s debt exchange launched two new crypto indices to track altcoins. The CME CF Emerging Crypto Index and the CME CF Crypto Market Index will allow investors to assess market performance.
August was the strongest month of the year by crypto market breadth (Market Breadth). Analysts note that the market may have already passed the local bottom of the current cycle—Cryptorank.
Wise shareholders are seeking compensation for losses due to withholding information about a €500 million fraud investigation. The investigation in Belgium led to a refusal to grant a banking license in the U.S. and a drop in the company’s shares.
Anthropic released Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1
Stocks in the morning after the earnings release:
DELL +8%
PANW -2%.