Wall Street ended a three-week winning streak on Friday as stronger-than-expected economic data and mixed commentary from Federal Reserve officials clouded prospects for further rate cuts.
The Fed last week delivered its first cut in nine months, citing rising risks to the labor market, but subsequent remarks from Chair Jerome Powell, new Governor Stephen Miran, and other policymakers revealed differences on the pace of easing.
Miran argued for rates nearly two percentage points lower, while others like Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman warned of falling behind on labor market weakness. In contrast, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee cautioned against cutting too aggressively.
Adding to uncertainty, U.S. Q2 GDP growth was revised higher to 3.8% on increased consumer spending, and core PCE inflation increased to 2.9% Y/Y in August, still above the Fed’s 2% target. For the week, the benchmark S&P 500 index (SP500) slipped -0.3%, while the blue-chip Dow (DJI) fell -0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) retreated -0.7%.
Here’s a list of stocks that caught investor attention this week:
Intel (INTC) shares gained following reports that the chipmaker has approached Apple about a potential investment. Talks are still in early stages and may not result in a deal. CEO Lip-Bu Tan has recently brought in major funding, including $2B from SoftBank, a 10% stake from the U.S. government, and $5B from Nvidia. Apple, once a major Intel customer, used its processors starting in 2006 before transitioning Macs to in-house ARM-based chips by 2023.
Nvidia (NVDA) announced plans to invest up to $100B in Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI to build and deploy at least 10 gigawatts of AI data centers with Nvidia systems.
Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) dropped after the company lowered its Q3 forecast for copper and gold sales due to a mud rush incident at its Grasberg Block Cave mine in Indonesia, where mining operations have been temporarily suspended since September 8. Two people were confirmed killed in the incident, and five others remain missing.
Alibaba (BABA) surged after the e-commerce giant announced plans to ramp up artificial intelligence spending past an original $50 billion-plus target and unveiled its largest-ever language model, the Qwen3-Max. The company also said it plans to integrate Nvidia’s suite of AI development tools for ‘Physical AI’ into its cloud software platform.
Amazon (AMZN) reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve claims that it illegally enrolled users for Prime subscriptions. The evidence showed that Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscription,” FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a public statement.
Bitmine Immersion (BMNR) fell as the bitcoin and ethereum network company announced an offering to raise a $365.24M. The largest ETH treasury company in the world said it now owns more than 2% of the ETH token supply as it moves towards the ‘Alchemy of 5%’.
Lithium Americas (LAC) rallied 87.9% in a single session following a report that the Trump administration is seeking an equity stake of as much as 10% in the company as it renegotiates terms of its $2.3 billion Department of Energy loan for a lithium project. The ~$3 billion Thacker Pass project in northern Nevada was approved at the end of the first Trump term, and the loan from the DoE’s Loan Programs Office was closed last year by the Biden administration.
CarMax (KMX) slumped after falling short of consensus estimates with its second-quarter earnings report. The retailer saw revenue decline 6.0% to $6.59 billion during what it said was a challenging quarter. That tally missed the consensus mark by $430 million.
Micron Technology (MU) reported strong Q4 fiscal 2025 results, surpassing earnings expectations and providing an optimistic outlook for the current quarter. Revenue reached $11.32 billion, driven by growth in artificial intelligence data centers, and the company anticipates adding over $1 billion in revenue in the ongoing quarter. For Q1/FY26, Micron projects EPS between $3.60 and $3.90 on $12.2–$12.8 billion in revenue.
Kenvue (KVUE), the maker of Tylenol, came under renewed scrutiny after the Trump administration cautioned that use of the painkiller during pregnancy could be linked to autism. The company defended the drug’s safety, stating that “independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen, the main ingredient, does not cause autism.” Shares of Kenvue have already fallen more than 25% over the past six months amid ongoing claims about Tylenol’s alleged connection to autism.
Bloom Energy (BE) fell after Jefferies downgraded shares to Underperform from Hold with a $31 price target, citing limited visibility into post-2026 growth and “some early signs of over-exuberance.”