Rare Earth Stocks Sink. Critical Metals Down 16%; UAMY Down 14%; USA Rare Earth Down 12%; NioCorp And Perpetua Down 10%

The top leaders of China and the U.S. met in the United States, alongside reports that U.S.-Iran negotiations were seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. stocks recovered part of their losses, with technology stocks leading the gains. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.31% to 51,349.98; the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.01% to 26,939.37; and the S&P 500 Index dipped 0.02% to 7,704.13.

On September 24, Eastern Time, Meta Platforms (META) reached an intraday price of $777.89, hitting a nearly one-year high. Following the Meta Connect event, JPMorgan raised its price target on the company from $820 to $920 while maintaining an Overweight rating. The core reason is that the monetization path for Muse is becoming increasingly clear, leaving the bank more optimistic about Meta's growth potential beyond advertising.

On September 24, Oracle (ORCL) fell as much as 5% in pre-market trading and dropped over 7% after the market opened. Sparking market concerns was a force majeure notice issued by the company regarding Project Jupiter, a large-scale data center in New Mexico. Investors' focus is shifting from massive AI orders to delivery timelines and capital recovery. According to Bloomberg, Oracle has sent a formal notice to developer Stack Infrastructure, seeking to delay payments if the project fails to become operational as planned in 2028. This move does not imply exiting its position as the primary tenant, nor does it mean a payment waiver has been granted. Oracle maintained that the project is proceeding according to schedule, but did not specifically address the notice itself.

TradingKey - At the Connect 2026 conference held from September 23 to 24, Meta (META) unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, third-generation Ray-Ban Meta, and Meta VR Glasses, while upgrading the Meta Ray-Ban Display. The company also announced the integration of its personal AI agent, Muse, into its AI glasses, expanding its product scope from mobile phones and social apps to wearable devices.

TradingKey - During the week of September 21 to 25, Eastern Time, the US stock market will focus on the meeting between Chinese and US leaders, the Federal Reserve's policy outlook, and economic data such as US new home sales and durable goods orders.