Wall Street is heading into the close on Wednesday with two things on its mind: the Fed's favorite inflation gauge and Micron Technology. According to Bloomberg, US stocks paused ahead of both, with the inflation data key for interest rates and Micron's report key for the AI trade. Micron reports fiscal fourth-quarter results after the closing bell, and a big move in either direction could ripple into Asian chip stocks when markets open in the morning. The Numbers, Verified Across Sources What Micron guided (SEC filing): For the quarter ending in August, Micron told investors to expect revenue of $50 billion, give or take $1 billion, non-GAAP earnings of $31 per share, give or take $1, and a gross margin of about 86%. What analysts expect (Alphastreet, 33 analysts): Consensus sits at $31.56 per share on $51.20 billion in revenue, slightly above the top half of Micron's own guidance range. Estimates are wide, running from $28.04 to $37.44 per share for earnings and from...
Ahead of their high-stakes White House meeting this week, the U.S. and China have already agreed to extend their existing tariff truce originally set to expire in November into at least January 2027, buying both sides more time to work out a longer-term trade deal. What Was Announced Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the extension, with experts anticipating the broader Trump-Xi talks could also result in the lowering of some tariffs both countries have placed on each other's imports since Trump took office. Trade, artificial intelligence, and the ongoing Iran conflict were all on the agenda. Why Markets Are Watching Closely Technology and semiconductor stocks have the most riding on this. Companies like NVIDIA, with significant revenue exposure to China, tend to move sharply on any signal about chip export policy or easing trade restrictions. The truce extension itself is a mild positive it removes an immediate deadline pressure point but the real market-moving signals...