Afternoon Note

It is a solid session that staved off early weakness and is now in the highs of the day, led by semiconductors, equipment, memory names, and optical darlings. 3M (MMM) is giving a boost to Industrials (XLI) after reporting a big beat-and-raise quarter.

Growth is dominating among the factors.

The S&P 500 has been oscillating around its 50-day moving average in the past three sessions. A rebound could see stocks making a run at all-time highs. On the other hand, a break below could send it down to 7,313.

AI Update
This morning, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will carefully examine open-source AI models created overseas. He indicated the administration is looking into whether Chinese open-source AI models were built on stolen IP.

This morning Google released three new Gemini models, including its clearest answer to Anthropic’ s lead in cybersecurity. This signals continued commitment to expanding the Gemini ecosystem, even after recently facing delays.

The Gemini 3.6 Flash model is pushing the token costs lower, undercutting competitors who charge premium rates for comparable inference quality.

| Tweet |
| 8/18/2026 1:12 PM | Rotation Under the Surface |
| 8/18/2026 9:34 AM | AI MOMENTUM CONTINUES |
| 8/17/2026 1:38 PM | Marginal Move Monday |
| 8/17/2026 9:38 AM | INTERESTING PHENOMENON EMERGING |
| 8/14/2026 1:40 PM | Slow Close to the Week |
| 8/14/2026 9:29 AM | SO MUCH FOR DOLDRUMS |
| 8/13/2026 1:33 PM | PPI Results Support Stocks |
| 8/13/2026 9:28 AM | GREEN LIGHT TO RALLY |
| 8/12/2026 1:28 PM | Inflation Steps Aside as the AI Trade Steps Up |
| 8/12/2026 9:24 AM | AI STORY GETS AFTER-HOURS BOOST |
| 8/11/2026 1:18 PM | Choppy Action Ahead of Inflation Data |
| 8/11/2026 7:12 AM | BACKING UP THE TRUCK |
| 8/10/2026 1:19 PM | Sideways Start to the Week |
| 8/10/2026 9:30 AM | PUTTING MONEY TO WORK |
| 8/7/2026 1:26 PM | Shifting The Focus |
| 8/7/2026 9:44 AM | RETURN OF THE MAG SEVEN? |
| 8/6/2026 1:21 PM | Thursday Twist |
| 8/6/2026 9:36 AM | BACK IN THE MUCK |
| 8/5/2026 1:40 PM | Cooling After Morning Highs |
| 8/5/2026 9:29 AM | Something for Everyone |
| 8/4/2026 1:36 PM | Snapback to New Highs |
| 8/4/2026 9:27 AM | FEAR OF MISSING OUT IS BACK |
| 8/3/2026 1:13 PM | Sustaining Momentum |
| 8/3/2026 9:47 AM | Rotation |
| 7/31/2026 2:12 PM | Amazon Carries the Tape |
| More commentary archives | |
|
Home |
Products & Services |
Education |
In The Media |
Help |
About Us |
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | All Rights Reserved.
|