Alan Long

TradingKey - In the week ahead (October 5 to October 9), the Federal Reserve's policy path will remain the central focus of market trading. The U.S. will release the September ISM Services Index, August trade balance, consumer credit, initial jobless claims, and the preliminary October University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index. Meanwhile, the September FOMC meeting minutes, to be released on Wednesday, will offer investors further clues to gauge whether the Fed will continue raising interest rates in October.

TradingKey - For long-term investors in U.S. stocks, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 cover large U.S. companies such as Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (AMZN), and Nvidia (NVDA). However, there are clear differences in sector allocation, long-term returns, and risk profiles—so which of these two indices is the better investment?

TradingKey - Following the announcement of the Federal Reserve's September interest rate decision, US stocks fell in response. So why do Fed rate hikes lead to a decline in US equities?

TradingKey - On September 28, Eastern Time, Nvidia (NVDA) shares bucked the trend and gained amid broader pressure on technology stocks, driven primarily by its newly announced massive stock buyback plan. On September 28, Nvidia announced that its board of directors approved an additional $150 billion for its existing share repurchase authorization, bringing the remaining buyback capacity to $235 billion. The company plans to execute the program by the end of fiscal year 2028, marking the largest buyback in U.S. stock market history. Following the announcement, Nvidia rose 1.68% on the day to close at $228.86, touching an intraday high of $233.21, while the Nasdaq Index fell 0.92% over the same period, demonstrating that the buyback news provided clear independent support for the stock.

TradingKey - On Friday, October 2 (Eastern Time), the US will release its September nonfarm payrolls report. The market will focus on whether job growth can sustain August's rebound and whether the data will alter expectations for subsequent Federal Reserve rate hikes.

TradingKey - Micron Technology (MU) will report its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results after the US market close on September 30. The company's previous guidance for the fourth fiscal quarter was revenue of $50 billion ± $1 billion, non-GAAP EPS of $31 ± $1, and a gross margin of approximately 86%. For investors, the primary focus in this earnings report will be examining the variance between actual revenue, EPS, and gross margin compared to the company's prior guidance.

TradingKey - On Wednesday (September 30) Eastern Time, futures tied to the three major US stock indices weakened near flat lines in pre-market trading as investors await a heavy batch of US economic data releases, including ADP employment, PCE inflation, and the final reading of second-quarter GDP. The market expects US headline PCE and core PCE for August to rise by 0.5% and 0.3% month-over-month, respectively. If the data exceeds expectations, it could further reinforce expectations of continued Federal Reserve rate hikes and weigh on high-valuation tech stocks.

TradingKey - As of the European session on September 30, gold prices (XAUUSD) continued to recover after a sharp decline earlier this week, reclaiming $4,200 intraday and last trading near $4,195. Gold had previously dropped to a seven-week low near $4,110 and remains down nearly 6% cumulatively since September. With the upcoming release of the US August PCE inflation data, short-term market focus has shifted back to inflation and the Federal Reserve's subsequent rate hike path.

TradingKey - On September 29, international oil prices experienced a sharp intraday reversal. Both WTI crude oil (USOIL) and Brent crude oil (UKOIL) rose by more than 1% in early trading before rapidly relinquishing all gains and turning lower, with intraday losses exceeding 2% at one point. The swift pullback in oil prices from their highs reflects renewed market expectations regarding the recovery of Middle Eastern supply and progress in US-Iran negotiations. As of press time, WTI crude oil was down about 2.8%, trading near $90.8, while Brent crude oil fell roughly 2.6%, trading near $96.1.

TradingKey - On Tuesday, September 29, Eastern Time, futures on the three major U.S. stock indexes rose across the board in pre-market trading. Falling oil prices eased some inflationary pressure, but U.S. Treasury yields remained elevated as investors awaited U.S. JOLTS job openings and consumer confidence data.

TradingKey - As of September 28, Eastern Time, AMD's (AMD) stock began pulling back on Monday, falling 3.61% intraday to close at $607.87, after reaching an all-time high of $639 last Friday. However, the company's latest AI acquisition has once again become the focus of market attention. On September 28, AMD announced that it will acquire World Labs, founded by Fei-Fei Li, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $8.2 billion, further expanding its reach from AI chips into AI models, software, and physical AI.

TradingKey - On Wednesday, September 30 (ET), the U.S. will release the August Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, one of the Federal Reserve's most closely watched inflation metrics. The market generally expects that the August PCE report will continue to show sticky U.S. inflation pressures, with core PCE in particular likely remaining at elevated levels. Amid recent cautious remarks from Fed officials and rising oil prices adding to market concerns over a potential resurgence in inflation, this PCE release will serve as a crucial basis for gauging the Fed's future policy path.

TradingKey - SpaceX (SPCX) stock has recently remained volatile as the market's short-term focus shifts toward the latest Starship launch mission. According to SpaceX's official website, the 75-minute launch window for Starship Flight 14 will open at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time, with the launch taking place at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas. As Starship testing gradually transitions from validating flight capabilities to orbital operations and satellite deployment, the outcome of this mission could serve as a key event impacting short-term sentiment for SPCX.

TradingKey - Nvidia (NVDA) announced on Monday that its board of directors has approved an additional $150 billion share repurchase authorization on top of its existing buyback program, bringing the company's total remaining authorization to $235 billion. This marks the largest buyback authorization increase in Nvidia's history, which the company expects to utilize by the end of fiscal year 2028. Following the announcement, Nvidia shares rose nearly 2% in pre-market trading on Monday.

TradingKey - On Monday, September 28 (Eastern Time), futures on the three major US stock indices fell across the board in pre-market trading. US President Trump rejected a peace proposal from Iran, sending international oil prices surging again and fueling simultaneous concerns over energy inflation and Federal Reserve rate hikes. US Treasury yields broke above 5.2%, putting pressure on tech stocks and other high-valuation assets. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting the release of US PCE inflation and non-farm payrolls data later this week.

TradingKey - As of the close on September 25, Eastern Time, AMD (AMD) shares hit another record high, closing at $630.63 after reaching an intraday high of $639, up 0.22% for the day. AMD previously surged on September 21, surpassing a $1 trillion market capitalization for the first time, with its stock price subsequently remaining above $600.

TradingKey - Micron Technology (MU) will release its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results after the U.S. market close on September 30. As of the close on September 25 Eastern Time, Micron closed at $1,082.28, up 0.16%. Since reaching a low near $926 on September 16, the stock has rebounded by approximately 17%, with market focus now shifting to the upcoming earnings results and guidance for the next fiscal year.

TradingKey - As of the Asian session on September 28, international gold prices extended their recent weakness, with spot gold (XAUUSD) falling below $4,200 intraday to a low of $4,179.42, marking an intraday decline of over $100. Gold prices had already been under continuous pressure last week and dropped by over 2% at one point during Monday's Asian session, signaling that short-term selling pressure on gold has yet to show significant relief.

TradingKey - In the coming week (September 28 to October 2, ET), US markets will face the most concentrated macroeconomic data window between late September and early October. Key reports—including the US August PCE Price Index, September Nonfarm Payrolls report, ADP employment, JOLTS job openings, and the ISM Manufacturing Index—will be released in succession, providing fresh evidence for the market to gauge the Federal Reserve's next interest rate path.

TradingKey - As AI data center investment continues to grow, both AMD (AMD) and Broadcom (AVGO) have emerged as key AI chip plays alongside Nvidia (NVDA), but the two companies have distinct business models. AMD primarily competes in the general-purpose AI computing market through its Instinct GPUs, EPYC server CPUs, and Helios rack systems, while Broadcom focuses on developing custom AI accelerators (ASIC/XPU) for major clients such as Google (GOOGL), OpenAI, and Anthropic, alongside high-speed networking chips. So, which of these two companies is the better long-term investment?