4:32pm: Apple closes at all-time high
US stocks were buoyed on Monday by easing trade tensions as earnings season ramps up.
The Nasdaq added 1.4%, driven by a 3.9% jump in Apple shares to close at a record $262.24 on robust iPhone 17 sales.
The Dow Jones and S&P 500 both added 1.1%, closing at 46,706 and 6,735 points, respectively.
3:50pm: Proactive news headlines
- KEFI Gold and Copper PLC (AIM:KEFI, OTC:KFFLF) secured a US$240 million debt package, part of a US$340 million total funding for its Tulu Kapi Gold Project in Ethiopia.
- Tertiary Minerals PLC (AIM:TYM, OTC:TTIRF) raised £100,000 through a placing with major shareholder Stuart Packwood to fund drilling at its Mushima North Project in Zambia.
- Genflow Biosciences PLC (LSE:GENF, OTCQB:GENFF) advanced its SIRT6 gene therapy patent application in Europe to the final pre-grant stage.
- NanoViricides (NYSE-A:NNVC) reported that its experimental drug NV-387 significantly improved survival in Measles-infected animals and may be available for emergency use.
- Century Lithium Corp. (TSX-V:LCE, OTCQX:CYDVF) produced lithium hydroxide for the first time at its Amargosa Valley facility from the Angel Island project.
- Standard Uranium Ltd (TSX-V:STND, OTCQB:STTDF) confirmed high-grade uranium mineralization at surface in its 2025 Corvo Project exploration.
- Charbone Hydrogen Corporation (TSX-V:CH, OTCQB:CHHYF) entered a strategic alliance and commercial supply agreements with a major US industrial gas producer.
- Midnight Sun Mining Corp (TSX-V:MMA, OTCQB:MDNGF) qualified to trade on the US OTCQX market to boost visibility and investor access.
- Sona Nanotech Inc (CSE:SONA, OTCQB:SNANF) reported strong clinical responses in its first-in-human trial using Targeted Hyperthermia Therapy for metastatic melanoma.
- Tap Global shares surged 33% following the launch of its Bitcoin Treasury as a Service platform for public companies.
- CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, OTCQX:CTLHF) deferred payments under a US$35 million purchase agreement for 23 Laguna Verde licences in Chile.
- Strategic Minerals PLC (AIM:SML, OTC:SMCDF) saw shares rise over 25% after drilling confirmed full vein thickness with valuable minerals at its Redmoor project.
- Chill Brands Group PLC (LSE:CHLL, OTCQB:CHBRF) completed a turnaround, transforming into a diversified distributor and services group in the UK and Europe.
- Atlantic Lithium Ltd (AIM:ALL, OTCQX:ALLIF, ASX:A11) identified extensive lithium-in-soil anomalies and new spodumene pegmatites across its Côte d’Ivoire licences.
- Orthocell Ltd (ASX:OCC, OTC:ORHHF) signed an MoU to expand its nerve, tendon, and bone portfolio, increasing its stake in Marine Biomedical to 11.7%.
- Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF) will present new Phase II data on its PD1-Vaxx immunotherapy for early-stage colorectal cancer at the ESMO Congress 2025.
- Titan Minerals Ltd (ASX:TTM, OTC:TTTNF) received the full US$10 million from its subscription agreement with Lingbao Gold International in just three days.
- Resolution Minerals Ltd (ASX:RML, OTC:RLMLF) raised $2 million from Tribeca Investment Partners to support exploration and downstream critical minerals strategy in the US.
3:16pm: Market movers
- Intuitive Machines Inc (LUNR) was upgraded from Hold to Buy by Deutsche Bank, citing an attractive three- to six-month risk-reward outlook and positioning the company as a “secular winner” in the space exploration sector.
- WW International (WeightWatchers, WW) partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to give clinic members easier access to weight management medications with real-time availability and delivery options.
- Archer Aviation (ACHR and Korean Air partnered to commercialize Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft in South Korea, with Korean Air potentially purchasing up to 100 units for government and commercial use.
- Beyond Meat Inc (BYND) shares jumped 50% in early trading due to a short squeeze, despite no company announcement.
- Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF) reported Q3 2025 revenue up 4% to $4.734 billion, its first increase since Q4 2023, boosted by US steel tariffs.
- Apple Inc (AAPL) shares opened near a record high on optimism from brokers, strong iPhone 17 sales, and its Formula 1 partnership.
2:27pm: Apple hits new record
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC) shares are trading at a new record high on Monday as its stock has been boosted by broker optimism, robust iPhone sales, and its Formula 1 deal.
Brokers including Loop Capital, Evercore ISI, and Seaport Research Partners have recently expressed positivity about Apple’s growth prospects, driven by better-than-expected iPhone 17 sales and the expanding services division.
It was also announced over the weekend that Apple has secured a five-year exclusive broadcasting deal for Formula 1 in the US, starting in 2026, with a deal worth approximately $750 million.
Shares of Apple are up 4.5% on Monday afternoon at $263.82.
1:46pm: Look out for Tesla's China sales
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is set to reports its third quarter 2025 earnings on Wednesday after US markets close, with Wedbush analysts anticipating a stronger-than-expected quarter driven by EV deliveries and a rebound in China sales.
Wedbush projects third quarter total revenue of roughly $26 billion, including automotive revenue near $19 billion, slightly below the Wall Street consensus of $26.45 billion.
The firm projects earnings per share (EPS) of $0.53, in line with the consensus.
China, previously a headwind for Tesla, “remains a source of strength,” Wedbush added.
“The Model Y is spurring incremental demand in the region while the new six-seat Model YL has played a significant role with driving new demand for its fleet in the region despite seeing more low-cost models entering the market with China representing the heart and lungs of Tesla’s growth story,” they analysts wrote.
12:27pm: Risk-on sentiment
Stocks continued to gain in midday trading, led by a surge in technology shares, as investors digested a busy week of earnings and awaited key economic and geopolitical developments.
The Dow climbed 0.8%, while the S&P 500 gained 1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq led the advance, rising more than 1.4%, buoyed by Apple shares hitting a record high on strong demand for the iPhone 17.
Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at trading platform IG, noted that markets remain sensitive to news. “It feels like a week where the rebound in risk will be at the mercy of the news – while the US and China are due to talk, investors remain nervous,” he said. “Meanwhile, the stakes are high in earnings season as Netflix and Tesla report, and the delayed U.S. inflation report on Friday raises the risk of more volatility just as liquidity drops off ahead of the weekend.”
Beauchamp added that cryptocurrency markets appear supportive but cautioned that conditions can shift quickly, echoing a broader sense of caution in risk assets.
11:31am: AWS recovering
Global internet traffic showed signs of recovery on Monday after a widespread outage linked to Amazon Web Services (AWS) disrupted dozens of major websites and apps.
Amazon said it had resolved the issue by late morning, following technical problems in its US-East-1 region, a key data hub in Virginia.
The failure earlier this morning caused access issues for platforms including Snapchat, Roblox, Signal, and Duolingo, along with Amazon’s own retail site and Ring smart doorbells.
10:50am: Week ahead
US investors are heading into a busy week feeling a little more confident. After a stretch of volatility, easing trade tensions and a solid finish to last week have lifted the mood.
Markets have opened higher on Monday morning, suggesting Wall Street is in a positive atmosphere.
The boost comes after reports that President Trump plans to ease tariffs on dozens of products that aren’t easily made in the US and may add hundreds more to the list. That move helped calm markets that have been on edge about trade.
“This watering down of tariff threats could be good for overall risk sentiment as we start a new week,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB. “It highlights the game between financial markets and the President: markets take what Trump says literally, risky assets swoon, the President backtracks and then stocks come back.”
The main event this week will be Friday’s US inflation report, which is one of the few major data releases still happening as the federal government shutdown drags into a fourth week. Economists expect headline inflation to tick up to 3.1% in September, while core inflation likely held steady at the same level.
Alongside the inflation report, investors will have plenty of corporate news to digest. Nearly 90 S&P 500 companies are set to report this week, including big names like Tesla, Netflix and Intel.
10:05am: Tech rally lifts markets
Markets opened higher on Monday, with Wall Street kicking off a busy week of earnings and key economic data.
The Dow Jones rose about 0.7%, the S&P 500 added 0.9%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq led the charge with a gain of over 1%.
Investors are turning their attention to earnings season, which ramps up this week, with Tesla, Intel, Netflix, and Coca-Cola among the headliners. Optimism is high, as traders hope strong corporate results can sustain the market’s recent momentum.
Adding to the positive tone, trade tensions eased as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said relations with Beijing have “de-escalated,” with US-China talks set to resume this week in Malaysia.
On the domestic front, the US government shutdown has now entered its third week, with lawmakers still at an impasse over federal healthcare subsidies.
The shutdown has also delayed key inflation and jobs data critical to the Federal Reserve’s next moves. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is now set to release September’s Consumer Price Index on Friday, a day later than planned, offering a potential market-moving snapshot ahead of the Fed’s two-day meeting next week.
Wall Street was also dealing with a ripple effect from an Amazon AWS outage Monday morning, which temporarily took services such as Robinhood offline. The disruption affected platforms including United Airlines and Reddit, though Amazon said operations are gradually returning to normal.
9:05am: All's well ahead of the bell
Wall Street began the week with a spring in its step, as investors shifted focus from last week’s market jitters to a heavy slate of earnings and inflation data.
Futures pointed higher on Monday, with the Dow up 0.3%, the S&P 500 gaining 0.5% and the Nasdaq showing similar strength.
A report suggesting that President Donald Trump may roll back tariffs on hundreds of imported goods helped lift sentiment, easing fears of another flare-up in trade tensions with China.
Markets had been on edge after a volatile week marked by regional bank losses, US–China uncertainty and a wobble in major technology stocks.
Traders are also betting on a possible rate cut from the Federal Reserve later this month, while keeping an eye on the ongoing US government shutdown.
Netflix, Tesla and Coca-Cola headline the coming earnings rush, with Friday’s inflation print likely to set the tone for markets heading into November.