Bessent Buys Time, Markets Spend It
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-20
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s bond-buying initiative helped hold the US 10-year Treasury yield near 4.65%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.21%. The immediate result was familiar enough: bonds...
Nvidia’s Selloff Tests Which Stories Still Get Funded
Nvidia’s Selloff Tests Which Stories Still Get Funded
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-19
Nvidia fell 2.34% to $219.74, helping drag the Nasdaq down 1.33% as investors became less willing to treat every AI infrastructure project as an automatic winner....
US Treasuries Raise the Bar for Risk
US Treasuries Raise the Bar for Risk
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-18
The US 10-year Treasury yield reached 4.74% while the S&P 500 fell 0.52%, putting the day’s central argument in plain view: growth can still attract capital, but it no longer gets a free pass from...
Goldman Sachs Finds Easier Money Still Has a Bill
Goldman Sachs Finds Easier Money Still Has a Bill
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-17
Goldman Sachs said markets are too aggressive in betting on further US Federal Reserve rate increases, while emerging-market currencies climbed to records as those expectations softened....
Policy Shocks Are Testing Every Market Exit
Policy Shocks Are Testing Every Market Exit
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-14
The US government is preparing an economic isolation plan for Iran next week, adding port restrictions and financial pressure to a conflict already disrupting how Middle Eastern oil reaches buyers....
Japan's Yen Signal Tests a Rally Built on Cheaper Money
Japan's Yen Signal Tests a Rally Built on Cheaper Money
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-13
Oil traded at $83.06 on Thursday after President Donald Trump returned to economic pressure on Iran, while negotiations remained frozen and Tehran adopted a more aggressive military stance....
Hon Hai's Profits Cannot Outrun the Discount Rate
Hon Hai's Profits Cannot Outrun the Discount Rate
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-12
Crude oil reached $83.54 on Wednesday as President Donald Trump claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz while the US and Iran moved further apart on the terms of any settlement....
Nvidia's $500 Billion Buildout Prices a Fragile World
Nvidia's $500 Billion Buildout Prices a Fragile World
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-11
Crude oil climbed to $83.62 on Tuesday after President Donald Trump hardened his position on Iran, making a negotiated reopening of the Strait of Hormuz harder to price as an imminent event....
TSMC's 45% Surge Raises the Market's Hurdle
TSMC's 45% Surge Raises the Market's Hurdle
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-10
TSMC reported a 45% rise in sales as demand for advanced AI hardware stayed strong, giving the technology trade something more useful than another optimistic forecast....
Trump's Fed Calls Test 4.67% Credibility
Trump's Fed Calls Test 4.67% Credibility
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-07
Crude oil rose 0.88% to $77.97 as Iran sought limits on US and Israeli shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the proposed agreement with Oman short of an operating guarantee....
SpaceX’s AI Bill Faces the 4.62% Question
SpaceX’s AI Bill Faces the 4.62% Question
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-06
Iran and Oman announced an agreement on Strait of Hormuz shipping, giving energy markets their first diplomatic mechanism for reducing the traffic disruption rather than merely discussing it....
Palantir’s Rally Meets Bitcoin’s Custody Test
Palantir’s Rally Meets Bitcoin’s Custody Test
— Margin Notes: 2026-08-05
Crude oil settled at $75.27 after President Donald Trump said US-Iran negotiations were progressing, while the S&P 500 rose 1.79% to 7,736.52. Diplomatic progress has taken some heat out of the...
