Happy Monday! In our last edition, we mentioned the September Effect (the market's historically worst month). But so far this year, stocks seem to be in no mood to heed those past . The market, just like an overenthusiastic mountaineer, keeps climbing, shrugging off weak job data and inflation jitters. On Friday, the Dow Jones added 172.85 points (+0.37%) to 46,315, the S&P 500 rose 0.49% to 6,664, and the Nasdaq jumped 0.72% to 22,631, hitting fresh record highs.
Last week, the Fed's first interest-rate cut in nine months was the key event, and it sent stocks surging to record highs, as expected. Yet, in a twist typical of this market, long-term Treasury yields also spiked, reminding us that the story isn't as simple. Traders found an opportunity to pushing prices down and yields up. Some traders see this as a warning signal: the bull market might now hinge on bond yields, inflation expectations, and how much confidence investors have in the Fed's next moves. Two more rate cuts this year? Probably.
Meanwhile, let's enjoy the shiny new iPhones that just hit stores last week. The iPhone 17 is officially here, and early sales are already indicating strong demand. And if you want to find a smart way to beat the market through thematic investing, you might like our latest blog post.
The Deep Dive
This week, we are tracking three key events that could shape markets in the days ahead:
- Apple Gets a Nod from Analysts after iPhone 17 Launch
- Nuclear Power Could Be a $10 Trillion Opportunity: BoA
- AI Revives the Good Old Hard Drive
Let's take a closer look…
1. Apple Gets a Nod from Analysts after iPhone 17 Series Launch
Apple (AAPL) stock jumped 3.2% on Friday to close at $245.50 as the iPhone 17 went on sale after a week of preorders. Early indications point to solid demand, especially for the premium Pro models. JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee reiterated a Buy rating and raised his price target from $255 to $280, noting strong fiscal 2026 estimates and the promise of a foldable iPhone in 2026, driving future revenue.
JPMorgan expects iPhone unit sales to reach 236 million in fiscal 2026, marking a 2% increase from last year. Chatterjee noted this could drive mid to high-single-digit revenue growth for the iPhone. Notably, Apple (AAPL) has underperformed its major tech peers and the broader market for the year as investors aren't too confident in its AI plans.
Tigress Financial Partners also raised its price target to $305 while maintaining a rating, citing Apple's massive ecosystem, AI innovation, and robust supply chain investments.
2. Nuclear Power Could Be a $10 Trillion Opportunity: BoA
Nuclear energy is emerging as a potential $10 trillion market, capable of addressing global power shortages, according to Bank of America. The rise of data centers and AI-driven electrification projects could triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, requiring more than $3 trillion in investment over the next 25 years.
According to analysts at Bank of America,
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are at the heart of this opportunity. NuScale Power (SMR) could bring reactors to market by 2030, and Oklo (OKLO), backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, targets 2027. Shares of NuScale and Oklo are up 161% and 537% year-to-date, respectively
Uranium miners, including Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC) and Energy Fuels (UUUU), have seen gains of 85% and 191%, respectively, while the Global X Uranium ETF (URA) is up 84.2% YTD. Market momentum is gaining strong support from the Trump administration through U.S. trade talks and clean energy policies.
3. AI Revives the Good Old Hard Drive
The AI boom is breathing new life into physical data storage. Western Digital and Seagate Technology reported nearly 30% revenue growth in the latest quarter, driven by cloud computing demand. Western Digital shipped 32% more exabytes year-over-year, and Seagate shipped 45% more, highlighting the explosion of data storage needs for AI models. So far in 2025, stocks of Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate Technology (STX) have gone up by 136.58% and 156.32% respectively.
Seagate now leads the S&P 500 in YTD gains, toppling Palantir (YTD 141% up), as investors recognize that all this action around AI is going to drive demand for high-capacity hard drives. Gartner projects global hard-drive revenue to hit $24 billion in 2026, nearly double 2023 levels. Analysts say the resurgence of storage stocks isn't just a temporary trend but a structural growth story.
Before we sign-off
Markets move not just on data, but on how investors interpret them. In each of the stories we cover, it all comes down to market expectations and sentiment. When sentiment runs ahead of fundamentals, what follows is volatility.
At AlphaPro, we track the voice behind the numbers and tone of earnings calls, policy speeches, and analyst commentary. Our Earnings Sentiment Score helps you cut through the noise and see how executives and policymakers are shaping narratives in real time.
Same time next week? See you then.
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