U.S. stock futures are leaning higher this morning as traders digest a fresh Fed development, big global tech earnings, and ongoing AI momentum.
By 02:56 ET, Dow futures were up +57 points (+0.1%), S&P 500 futures rose +11 points (+0.2%), and Nasdaq 100 futures gained +43 points (+0.2%).
Yesterday’s session ended mixed — S&P 500 and Dow ticked lower while the Nasdaq eked out a small gain. Choppy action came as traders weighed softer labor market signals and an uptick in inflation expectations against stronger productivity numbers.
Trump Moves on Fed Seat
President Trump has tapped Stephen Miran — his former Treasury adviser and vocal supporter — to temporarily fill the vacant Fed Board of Governors seat.
- Why it matters: If confirmed, Miran will vote on rate policy and is aligned with Trump’s push for rate cuts, while dismissing fears that tariffs will drive major U.S. inflation.
- Market read: Could tilt Fed sentiment slightly more dovish ahead of September’s meeting, but one-and-done cuts still on the table according to Atlanta Fed’s Bostic.
TSMC Keeps AI Chip Sales Surging
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) posted +25.8% YoY July sales, fueled by continued AI demand from names like Nvidia.
- First 7 months of 2025 sales: +38% YoY.
- Exempt from Trump’s proposed 100% chip export tariff — a massive competitive edge.
- Trading angle: AI-chip suppliers remain one of our strongest bullish sectors. Watch for continuation setups in NVDA, AVGO, AMD, and TSM itself.
SoftBank Hits Record High
SoftBank shares rocketed +13% in Tokyo after blowout earnings from AI-linked investments.
- Net profit: ¥421.8B ($2.87B), topping estimates.
- Major stakes in NVDA and ARM benefiting from AI surge.
- Trading angle: Strong AI sentiment boost for Japanese markets and U.S.-listed ARM.
OpenAI Unveils GPT-5
OpenAI launched GPT-5, the next generation of ChatGPT.
- Internal share sale talks reportedly value OpenAI at $500B (up from $300B).
- Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet also racing to expand AI infrastructure.
- Trading angle: Data center demand is exploding — bullish setups remain for MSFT, META, GOOGL, NVDA.
Market Technicals – $QQQ
Yesterday: Gap up to 571.67 → low of 565.11 → close 569.24 (+0.34%).
- Still in a strong bullish trend despite intraday whipsawing.
- A +1% push could break all-time highs above 574.63.
- Bias: Larger timeframes still favor long setups in strong tech names — especially those riding AI momentum.
Other Key Markets
- Bitcoin: ~$116.8K/coin
- Gold: ~$3,490/oz
- Ride AI momentum with squeeze candidates.
- Capitalize on Fed/Trump headlines for short-term index plays.
- Stack cost-free longs in top tech names from AC&I & Swing gains.
OP Strategy
Yesterday’s AC&I live stream delivered massive wins — and we’re back at it with the Secret Sauce live stream today.
We’re using these catalysts to:
See you in chat with today’s upgrades & downgrades — let’s stack them!
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