Morgans Financial Limited

Benchmark US equity indices booked fresh record highs - Dow gained +196-points or +0.43% to 45,711.34. UnitedHealth Group Inc (up +8.64%) was the leading component in the 30-stock index (and S&P 500) after the health insurer estimated that 78% of its Medicare Advantage membership will be in top-rated Medicare plans next year and are likely to qualify for bonus payments from the federal government. Microsoft Corp eked out a +0.04% gain following news it had inked a US$17.4B deal for Nvidia Corp (+1.46%)-backed Nebius Group NV (+49.42%) to provide artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for the software giant's new data centre in New Jersey. Apple Inc 1.48% after unveiling the new iPhone 17 models at its ‘Awe Dropping' event along with a number of updates that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook called the company's “biggest leap ever for iPhone." The company showcased four models including the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's most durable and thinnest phone ever. Apple also announced its next generation of Airpods, highlighting live translation and hearing aid functions, and updates to its Apple Watch portfolio with new health-related features such as a "sleep score" and a blood pressure monitor that can alert users to hypertension.

US equity markets advanced to open the new trading week, resuming a rally that has pushed benchmark indexes to a series of record highs in recent weeks - Dow rose +114-points or +0.25%, with International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (up +3.04%) the leading performer in the 30-stock index. Nvidia Corp (+0.77%) presented at the annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference overnight

U.S. equity markets settle with modest declines on Friday as investors digested a weaker than expected job report that bolstered the case for interest rate cuts, but also raised concerns about the health of the wider economy.

US equity markets advanced, with investors shrugging of weak private employment data and eyed the key non-farm payrolls report tonight AEST - Dow rose +350-points or +0.77%.

US equity markets mixed on the heels of steep falls to open September trading a day earlier - Dow dipped -25-points or -0.05%, with American Express Co (down -2.26%) and Chevron Corp (-2.33%) both falling over >2%.

US equity markets resumed trading following the Labour Day holiday long weekend and opened September in negative territory amid fresh uncertainty around tariffs - Dow down -249-points or -0.55% Nike Inc (down -3.48%) was the worst performer in the 30-stock index, while Nvidia Corp (-1.95%) led losses among the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation technology stocks.

US equity and bond markets were CLOSED overnight for the Labor Day holiday. On the trade front, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Sunday (31 August) the Trump administration is continuing its talks with trading partners despite a U.S. appeals court ruling that most of government's tariffs are illegal.

US equity markets declined on Friday (29 August), with declines for artificial intelligence (AI) related stocks weighing particularly heavily on the benchmark indices as investors also parsed the latest inflation figures - Dow eased -92-points or +0.20% after booking Caterpillar Inc (down -3.65%) was the worst performer in the 30-stock index a day after the maker of big farm and construction equipment warned tariffs would negatively impact its full year result by a greater amount (US$1.5B to US$1.8B) than previously forecast earlier this month when releasing its second quarter result (US$1.3B to US$1.5B). Nvidia Corp fell -3.32%, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Alibaba Group Holdings has developed a new chip that it's now testing and that could be a domestic replacement for Nvidia's H20. Unlike a previous AI processor that relied on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for fabrication, Alibaba's new chip is being manufactured directly in China, according to the report. The U.S. government has restricted TSMC from shipping advanced AI chips to Chinese customers. American Express Co (+1.31%) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (up +0.12%) touched record all-time highs.

US equity markets recorded modest gains, with the S&P 500 climbing above 6,500 for the first time as investors digested Nvidia Corp's (down -0.79%) second quarter result after the closing bell of the previous session, stronger-than-expected economic growth figures and eyed inflation figures tonight AEST - Dow added +72-points or +0.16%, with American Express Co (up +1.40%), Cisco Systems Inc (+1.45%) and Salesforce Inc (1.75%) all rising over >1%.

Morgans AM - Thursday, 28 August 2025 by Morgans Financial

US equity markets advanced as investors shrugged off President Trump's removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from the central bank's board and eyed Nvidia Corp's (+1.09%) second quarter result after the closing bell of tonight's AEST session - Dow rose +136-points or +0.30%. Boeing Co (up +3.51%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index following news that Korean Air ordered 103 of the planemaker's passenger jets.

US equity markets retreated, failing to sustain the Federal Reserve fuelled momentum of late last week - Dow fell -349-points or -0.77% to 45,282.47 after logging its first record closing high (45,631.74) since 4 December last Friday (22 August). Merck & Co Inc (down -2.36%) was the worst performer in the 30-stock index. Nvidia Corp +1.02% and was one of just three Dow components to advance overnight, with investors continuing to eye the chip giant's second quarter result on Wednesday night AEST (27 August).

US equity markets rebounded strongly on Friday (22 August) after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted at a near-term interest-rate cut during his Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium speech - Dow rallied +846-points or +1.89% to a record closing high of 45,631.74, marking the 30-stock indice's first record close since 4 December last year. Caterpillar Inc (+4.25) was the leading Dow component, while American Express Co (+3.57%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+3.62%), and Home Depot Inc (+3.79%) all gained over >3.5%. Nvidia Corp (+1.72%) has told suppliers to suspend production of its H20 chip, according to toa report by The Information citing unnamed sources, after Beijing asked local firms to avoid using the chip tailored for the Chinese market due to security concerns. Reuters separately reported that Nvidia had asked Foxconn to suspend work related to the H20 chips.

US equity markets declined amid a further rotation out of large capitalisation technology stocks and with investors eyeing a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tonight AEST - Dow fell -153-points or -0.34% Boeing Co (down -0.51%) is in discussions to sell as many as 500 jets to China, according to Bloomberg News. While the two sides are working out the details, including the number and kinds of aircraft included, Chinese officials have already begun asking domestic airlines how many planes they want, according to the report. Boeing has only made a handful of sales to Chinese carriers over the past few years.

Chris Titley sits down with Michael Skinner, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Blackwattle Investment Partners. Blackwattle is a new-generation Australian fund manager, established in 2023, investing in high quality Australian and global equities. Based in Sydney, the firm's ethos centers on alignment, with all team members owning equity and investing significant personal capital alongside clients. Blackwattle focuses on delivering exceptional long-term returns by targeting high-quality companies with sustainable competitive advantages, driven by a culture of alignment, transparency, and rigorous fundamental research.

Technology stocks came under selling pressure for a second session to weigh on the benchmark US equity indices, while investors also digested the minutes from the Federal Reserve's July monetary policy meeting - Dow edged +16-points or +0.04% higher. Travelers Companies Inc (up +2.02%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index, while technology heavyweight Amazon.com Inc (-1.84%) and Apple Inc (-1.97%) were the key drags. Home Depot Inc fell -1.34% a day after the home improvement giant released its second quarter result.

Major technology companies led declines on US equity markets overnight - Dow inched +10-points or +0.02% higher to 44,922.27, touching a fresh record intra-day high (45,207.39). Nvidia Corp (down -3.50%) and Boeing Co (-3.19%) both fell over >3%. Reuters reported that Nvidia could look to deliver samples of a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip, entatively known as the B30A, to Chinese clients for testing as early as next month. Separately, there were reports that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang sold 150,000 shares in the AI semiconductor giant.

US equity markets opened the week little changed - Dow slipped -34-points or -0.08%. UnitedHealth Group Inc (up +1.47% after jumping +11.98% last Friday (15 August)) was the leading Dow component for a second session running after filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released late last week recorded that Berkshire Hathaway Inc took a new positions in the health insurer.

US equity markets mixed to close out a strong week as Wall Street tempered its rate-cut hopes following the latest inflation and retail sales data - Dow added +35-points or +0.08% to 44,946.12, logging its first record intra-day high (45,203.52) since December in the opening minutes of last Friday's (15 August) session. UnitedHealth Group Inc jumped +11.98% after filings released after the close of the previous session with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recorded that Berkshire Hathaway Inc took a new positions in the health insurer. Cisco Systems Inc (down -4.47%) was the worst performing Dow component, with HSBC downgrading the networking giant to a ‘hold' recommendation from ‘buy' following the company's fiscal fourth quarter result a day earlier.

US equity markets settled little changed, paring earlier declines that came following wholesale inflation data that revived some concerns about tariffs inducing price pressures - Dow slipped -11-points or -0.02%, paring an earlier decline of more than >200-points. 3M Co -2.22% Amazon.com Inc +2.86%

US equity markets advanced, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq booking fresh record highs - Dow rose +464-points or +1.04% to 44,922.27, settling within 0.2% of its record closing high in December. UnitedHealth Group Inc (up +3.91%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index for a second session running, while Merck & Co Inc (+3.00%) and Nike Inc (+3.07%) both rose ~3%.

The S&P500 and Nasdaq booked fresh record closing highs after tame inflation figures raised the likelihood of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September - Dow rose +484-points or +1.10% UnitedHealth Group Inc (up +3.65%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index overnight. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+3.36%) also gained over >3% despite President Trump criticising the investment bank's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), David Solomon, on the Truth Social platform. "David Solomon and Goldman Sachs refuse to give credit where credit is due," President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They made a bad prediction a long time ago on both the Market repercussion and the Tariffs themselves, and they were wrong, just like they are wrong about so much else." American Express Co (+2.36%), Boeing Co (+2.94%) and Home Depot Inc (+2.19%) all rose over >2%.

US equity markets retreated ahead of key inflation figures tonight AEST, shrugging off widely anticipated news that President Trump had signed an executive order that extended the deadline for tariffs on Chinese goods by another 90-days into early November - Dow fell -201-points or -0.45%, with Salesforce.com (down -3.26%) and International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (-2.46%) the biggest decliners in the 30-stock index. Apple Inc (down -0.83%) snapped a three-session winning streak that had lifted the stock ~12.5% over that timeframe. The company's next major iPhone product launch date is rumoured to be 9 September.

US equity markets closed out a strong week on a positive footing, with the Nasdaq hitting a fresh record high as investors eye inflation figures and key geopolitical negotiations later in the week - Dow rose +207-points or +0.47% to 44,175.61, settling less than

US equity markets mixed after a choppy session - Dow settled -224-points or -0.51% lower after trading in a 690-point range for the session and recording its biggest intra-day reversal since 18 June). Caterpillar Inc fell -2.48%

Technology majors led the latest advance on US equity markets - Dow rose +81-points or +0.18% Apple Inc rallied +5.09% to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index after a White House official confirmed that the iPhone maker will announce an additional US$100B investment in the U.S., building on a commitment from earlier this year for US$500B in investments over the next four years. The company is also expected to announce a new American manufacturing program that aims to move more of its supply chain and advanced manufacturing stateside and that is meant to encourage other companies to boost manufacturing of critical components in the U.S. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook and President Trump formally confirmed the announcement after the close of the session. Amazon.com Inc (+4.0%) and Walmart Inc (+4.08%) both gained ~4%.

US equity markets retreated as investors digested the latest wave of corporate earnings, economic data, and various tariff updates - Dow slipped -62-points or -0.14% , with Salesforce Inc down -1.91% and McDonald's Corp -1.79%, while Cisco Systems Inc (-1.42%), Microsoft Corp (-1.47%) and Visa Inc (-1.38%) all fell ~1.5%.

US equity markets rebounded from last Friday's (1 August) steep falls amid increased bets for a September interest rate cut in the wake of weaker-than-expected jobs data - Dow rose +585-points or +1.34%, more than erasing last Friday's (1 August) -542-point/-1.23% decline. Nvidia Corp rallied +3.62% to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index, while Cisco Systems Inc (+2.06%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+2.32%), Johnson & Johnson (2.22%), 3M Co (+2.40%), Microsoft Corp (+2.20%) and Walt Disney Co (+2.37%) all climbed over >2%. Boeing Co (+0.20%) is facing its second work stoppage in less than a year after more than 3,000 workers went on strike at midnight following a rejection of the plane maker's latest offer on Sunday (3 August).

US equity markets fell sharply to open August as new U.S. tariffs on dozens of trading partners and Amazon.com Inc's underwhelming earnings weighed on sentiment, while a weaker payrolls report added to risk aversion - Dow fell -542-points or -1.23% to 43,588.58, marking the 30-stock index's biggest one-day drop since 13 June. with Amazon (down -8.27%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index. Ten Dow components logged declines of more than >2%, including UnitedHealth Group Inc (-4.72%) and 3M Co (-3.22%).

US equity markets weaker as investors eyed some fresh ‘Big Tech' earnings after the closing bell and tonight's AEST key jobs data - Dow fell -330-points or -0.74%. UnitedHealth Group Inc lost -6.19% to be the worst performer in the 30-stock index, while Merck & Co Inc lost -4.44% International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (-2.73%), Nike Inc (-2.60%) and Salesforce Inc (-2.45%) all fell ~2.5%. Microsoft Corp +3.95%, with the company's market capitalisation briefly climbing above >US$4 trillion

US equity markets settled with modest losses as investors digested the latest monetary policy pronouncements from the Federal Reserve and eyed results after the closing bell from two of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation technology companies - Dow fell -172-points or -0.38% , with 3M Co (down -3.41%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index. Procter & Gamble Co lost -2.38% after the company posted better-than-expected fourth quarter results after the close of the previous session and named Shailesh Jejurikar as its new chief executive. Nvidia Corp (up +2.14%) was the leading Dow component overnight.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulled back from record highs as investors waded through a fresh round of corporate earnings releases and eyed the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate tomorrow morning AEST (31 July) - Dow fell -205-points or -0.46%

US equity markets kicked off an extremely busy week with modest gains, lifting the S&P500 and Nasdaq to fresh record highs following news that the US and European Union (EU) had reached a framework for a trade deal on Sunday (27 July) - Dow slipped -64-points or -0.14% to 44,837.56. Nike Inc rallied +3.89% to US$79.24 and was the leading performer in the 30-stock index after J.P. Morgan upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "neutral" with a target price of US$93 and said investors should "just buy it" ahead of next year's football World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

Chris Titley sits down with Jason Orthman, Deputy Chief Investment Officer / Lead Portfolio Manager / Investment and Executive Deputy Committee Chairs / Executive Director at Hyperion Asset Management Limited. Hyperion Asset Management is an Australian boutique fund manager, established in 1996, specializing in high-conviction growth-style investments in Australian and global equities. Based in Brisbane, the company is 50.1% owned by its executives, with Pinnacle Investment Management holding the remaining stake. Hyperion focuses on sustainably growing clients' wealth over the long term (minimum five years) by investing in high-quality companies with strong value propositions, sustainable competitive advantages, innovative cultures, and large addressable markets.

US equity markets advanced, with the S&P and Nasdaq logging fresh record closing highs ahead of a busy week that includes key central bank monetary policy meetings, fresh corporate earnings releases and President Trump's 1 August deadline for negotiating trade deals - Dow rose +208-points or +0.47% to 44,901.92, settling just 0.25% shy of a its all-time record closing high set on 4 December (45,014.04). American Express Co (up +1.09%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+1.36%), McDonald's Corp (+1.35%), 3M Co (+1.32%) and Nike Inc (+1.13%) all gained over >1%.

US equity markets mixed following a fresh flurry of corporate earnings releases with the both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq edging up to fresh record closing highs albeit settling well off their highs of the session - Dow fell -316-points or -0.70%. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp dropped -7.62% despite the company's headline numbers topping Wall Street's expectations for the second-quarter after the close of the previous session, with the software segment underwhelming investors' expectations. UnitedHealth Group Inc fell -4.76% after the health insurer confirmed several reports in recent months that the Department of Justice is probing aspects of its business. The company said it recently "proactively reached out to the Department of Justice after reviewing media reports about investigations into certain aspects of the Company's participation in the Medicare program," and is now "complying with formal criminal and civil requests from the Department.

US equity markets advanced amid some positive news and headlines in the trade front, while investors continued to wade through the latest quarterly earnings releases - Dow rallied +508-points or +1.14% to 45.010.29, falling just shy of recording its first record closing high since December. All of Boeing Co (up +2.36%), Caterpillar Inc (+2.49%), Chevron Corp (+2.05%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+2.44%), Merck & Co Inc (+2.90%), UnitedHealth Group Inc (+2.59%) and Nvidia Corp (+2.25%) rising over >2%.

US equity markets mixed as investors waded through the latest round of corporate earnings releases and eyed results from the first of the ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation stocks after the closing bell of tonight's AEST session - Dow rose +179-points or +0.40%. Amgen Inc (up +3.32%) and Merck & Co Inc (+2.90%) were the leading performers in the 30-stock index. Nvidia Corp (down -2.54%) was the weakest Dow component overnight.

US equity markets advanced to kick off a busy week of second quarter earnings, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting fresh record closing highs - Dow dipped -19-points or -0.04%, with American Express Co (down -1.62%) and Travelers Companies Inc (-1.03%) both falling over >1%.

US equity markets retreated on Friday (July) amid reports President Trump had pushed for greater tariffs on the European Union (EU) - Dow fell -142-points or -0.32%, with Merck & Co (down -1.91%) and UnitedHealth Group Inc (-1.8%) both down ~1.9%.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq scaled fresh record highs following better-than-expected retail sales data and another busy corporate earnings calendar - Dow rose +230-points or +0.52%, with Coca-Cola Co (up +1.91%) and Walt Disney Co (+1.99%) rising over >1.9%. Caterpillar Inc (+1.26%), Microsoft Corp (+1.20%) and Nvidia Corp (+0.95%) all hit record all-time highs

US equity markets advanced after a choppy session as investors digested a fresh round of second quarter earnings releases and reports that President Trump was giving serious thought to dismissing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell - Dow rose +231-points or +0.53%, recovering from an earlier slide of as much as -264-points. Amgen Inc (up +2.23%) and Caterpillar Inc (+2.04%) rose over >2%.

• US equity markets weaker as investors digested the latest inflation figures and a mixed bag of second quarter results from some major banks - Dow dropped -436-points or -0.98% to 44,023.29, with American Express Co (down -3.20%) and UnitedHealth Group Inc (-2.95%) both down ~3%. Nvidia Corp rallied +4.04% to a record closing high of US$170.70 and was the leading Dow component following news that the U.S. government plans to grant licenses for the chipmaker to sell its H20 graphics processing units in China.

On 7 July the AFR published a list of 37 Economists who had answered a poll on when the RBA would next cut rates. 32 of them thought that the RBA would cut on 8 July. Only 5 of them did not believe the RBA would cut on 8 July. I was one of them. The RBA did not cut.

US equity markets logged modest gains as investors continued to monitor trade headlines ahead of key inflation data and the beginning of second quarter earnings season tonight AEST - Dow rose +88-points or +0.20% Boeing Co rose +1.62% after a preliminary report was released over the weekend regarding the cause of last month's Air India crash that killed more than 250 people on board and on the ground and did not recommend actions to fix any safety issues for operators or manufacturers of the Boeing plane and GE Aerospace (+2.71%) engines. Chevron Corp (down -2.36%) and Procter & Gamble Co (-2.09%) fell over >2%.

US equity markets retreated on Friday (11 July) as President Trump's threats of new tariffs against a host of U.S. trade partners unnerved investors, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulling back from record closing highs logged a day earlier - Dow fell -279-points or -0.63%, with Nike Inc (down -2.67%) and Visa Inc (-2.23%) falling over >2%.

US equity markets advanced, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting fresh record highs as investors continued to shrug off tariff-related concerns - Dow rose +192-points or +0.43%, with American Express Co (up +2.49%) the leading performer in the 30-stock index. Nvidia Corp rose +0.75% to settle with a closing market capitalisation above >US$4 trillion after breaching that level intra-session a day earlier.

US equity markets advanced, with the technology-centric Nasdaq climbing to a fresh record high as tariff and trade headlines remained in focus and as investors parsed meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve's June monetary policy meeting - Dow rose +218-points or +0.49% to 44,458.30, settling ~1% below its record closing high. Nvidia Corp rose +1.80% to US$162.88, pulling back from earlier highs that saw the chipmaker become the first ever company to achieve a market capitalisation of US$4 trillion. Nvidia needed to finish at or above US$163.93 to reach the $4 trillion milestone at the close. Nonetheless, the chipmaker's closing market capitalisation of US$3.974 trillion was a record closing peak for any company. Amazon.com Inc +1.45% that its cloud division has developed hardware to cool down next-generation Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) that are used for artificial intelligence workloads. UnitedHeatlh Group Inc fell -1.56% to be the worst performing Dow component overnight following a report from the Wall Street Journal that ex-employees and medical professionals have been interviewed by Department of Justice investigators over a probe into the insurer's Medicare billing practices.

US equity markets settled little changed after another choppy session dominated by trade and tariff headlines - Dow fell -166-points or -0.37%, with JPMorgan Chase & Co (down -3.15%) and Nike Inc (-3.41%) down over >3%. Amazon.com Inc fell -1.84% as the eCommerce giant's four-day "Prime Day" sale event kicked off overnight. Nvidia Corp rose +1.11% and continues to close in on becoming the first company ever to market capitalisation of US$4 trillion.

US equity markets fell sharply after resuming trading following the Independence Day holiday long weekend, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq retreating from record all-time highs as investors digested a flurry of headlines related to tariffs and global trade - Dow dropped -422-points or -0.94%,with Sherwin-Williams Co (down -2.18%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index, while seven other components fell over >1.5%. Nvidia Corp fell -0.69% to US$158.24 despite analysts at Citigroup lifting their target price to US$190 per share (from US$180 previously) and now calculating that the total addressable market for data-centre AI chips could be $563B by 2028 (versus a prior projection of US$500B).Citigroup believes sovereign AI, which refers to countries looking to build out their own AI infrastructure, could contribute “up to billions of dollars” to Nvidia's top line in 2025 and will come to make up an even bigger portion of Nvidia's business mix next year. Amazon.com Inc inched +0.03% higher and was the only member of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation technology stocks to advance ahead of its annual “Prime Day” sale event kicking off tonight AEST (8 July). After sales hit an all-time high at last year's event, Amazon has extended this year's sale to four days from two.

US equity and bond markets were CLOSED on Friday night AEST (4 July) for Independence Day. For the shortened trading week, the Dow rallied +2.30%. The S&P 500 climbed +1.72% and the Nasdaq +1.62%