In this TipRanks interview, Chris Versace, CIO at Tematica Research and Portfolio Manager of TheStreet Pro Portfolio breaks down the latest CPI report, the potential for additional Fed rate hikes, and what rising borrowing costs could mean for tech stocks and the AI boom. Plus, discover what investors should watch for during earnings season and how to identify potential buying opportunities amid market volatility.

Heading into Wednesday morning’s September Consumer Price Index report, our suspicion based on previously received data was that the latest look at inflation ran the risk of coming in stronger than the market expected.

That’s exactly what we saw in both the headline and core CPI September figures with the former stepping up to 3.7% on a year-over-year basis versus 3.4% in August, while the core figure climbed to 2.6% from 2.4% in August. The sequential figures for both inflation metrics were also ahead of the market’s expectation.

The follow through as the market comes around to recognizing that inflation tailwinds are blowing harder than it thought is that equity futures have turned down, while Treasury yields have turned up, with the 10-year yield back over 5.3%. So far, we haven’t seen any real movement in the rate hike probabilities for October or December Fed policy meeting tracked by the CME FedWatch Tool, but it may take some time for that to flow through to the model. We’ll be sure to check back later on Wednesday morning and again in the afternoon.

Here’s the thing: If we follow the September PMI data from ISM and S&P Global…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a mixed market open later on Monday morning. Odds are we will have slower than usual start to the trading week due to the Columbus Day holiday on Monday that has the bond market and others closed.

1. Iran is fortifying its defenses, rallying loyalists and threatening a wider, harsher response against the U.S. and its Gulf allies as it prepares for potential American attacks after the midterms and seeks to deter them. Iranian officials have warned publicly and in private conversations with regional officials that the Islamic Republic will respond with further escalation across the Middle East if the U.S. launches new strikes. (WSJ)

Despite the above, we are seeing oil prices trend lower this morning after Brent crude hit an almost one-month high yesterday. An increasing number of reports are raising questions about Russian-supplied diesel alleviating tightness in global fuel markets given the state of its refining sector and the year-over-year fall in diesel inventories. Yesterday, the EIA reported another large weekly drop in U.S. oil inventories, this time driven by U.S. crude oil, which saw a massive drop of nearly 18 million barrels for commercial and strategic inventories.

2. JPMorgan Chase reported a rise in third-quarter profits, but its results missed expectations…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a mixed market open later on Monday morning. Odds are we will have slower than usual start to the trading week due to the Columbus Day holiday on Monday that has the bond market and others closed.

1. Diesel prices slipped on Monday after Donald Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine had entered an “energy ceasefire,” although analysts warned any agreement would be unlikely to bring lasting relief to global fuel costs. (FT)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed Russia for breaking a purported “energy ceasefire” announced by Donald Trump, signalling that Kyiv will continue its strikes unless Moscow halts its attacks. (FT)

“This energy ceasefire, it can work, and it can become a major step toward ending the war if the Americans truly step in now and make sure Russians respect it.” Zelenskiy said Ukraine had carried out ​no attacks on Russian refineries overnight but he made clear that if Russia wanted Kyiv to suspend these attacks it must stop hitting Ukraine’s energy system and critical infrastructure. (Reuters)

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We finished off the first full week of the fourth quarter with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite adding to their year-to-date gains. Despite some setbacks with a few of our holdings, the Pro Portfolio also added to its gains, keeping our year-to-date lead over the S&P 500 nicely intact.

Tracing the market’s week, the S&P 500 rose on both Monday and Tuesday, with Tuesday’s close marking its 28th record finish of the year. Strength in mega-cap tech, an upbeat investor day from Marvell (MRVL) and a round of deal news did the heavy lifting. That led the market to overlook another confirmation point in ISM’s September Service PMI data that inflation pressures, including energy and fuel prices, are translating into higher costs. The market would be reminded of that on Friday, when Delta Air Lines (DAL) cut its profit outlook for the year.

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During the week, the market digested…

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Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.

CV

Let’s follow up on our initial comments about Applied Materials (AMAT) and corresponding pullback in the shares on Friday morning.

As we suspected could happen, despite posting a top- and bottom-line July quarter beat and offering guidance that was ahead of the market consensus,…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a mixed start for the final trading day of the week.

1. The US will soon announce unprecedented economic measures against Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, intensifying the Trump administration’s effort to force Tehran’s capitulation after almost six months of war. (Bloomberg)

As the Trump administration looks to tighten pressures on Iran, a move that aims to get peace talks back on track, the barometer we’re watching, the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a positive start to the trading day. Given the timing of Thursday’s July PPI report, you will want to revisit those equity futures before the market open.

1. Treasuries advanced and stocks traded near record highs as oil prices fell and traders awaited US producer-price data for further clues on the path of Federal Reserve interest rates… Attention later in the day will turn to producer price data, which can serve as a leading indication of consumer inflation. Traders will also be watching the results of a 30-year Treasury auction, with the $25 billion offering tipped to price at the highest interest rate in 25 years… (Bloomberg)

The Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran’s ‌control and management” according to…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a positive start to the trading day.

1. President Donald Trump claimed the US had “total control over the Hormuz Strait,” as Washington and Tehran hardened their positions in deadlocked negotiations over the critical waterway. “We own it,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington late Tuesday, an assertion Iran has dispelled via intermittent attacks on ships transiting the passage. “At some point, maybe they’ll do something, and then they get blown away.” (Bloomberg)

The tally of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight on Tuesday, ‌shipping data showed, as owners avoided the key waterway amid continued hostilities in the Middle East. The United States and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks as prospects appeared to dim for an end to the Iran war, with Tehran saying the strait would stay closed unless Washington accepted its conditions. (Reuters)

In reading the above…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a mixed market open later this morning.

1. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran’s conditions for a peace deal with his own demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, in a rhetorical escalation likely to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of ‌Hormuz. Trump’s proposal, which had not been raised before, was a response to Tehran’s demands for compensation and an end to sanctions. (Reuters)

The hardening positions on both sides..

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a mixed start to the trading week.

1. Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats, before the strategic waterway is reopened. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump signaled he’s prepared to let economic pressure on Iran build…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start trading Thursday. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a weak start to the trading day.

1.Yemen’s Houthi militia attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in a military operation, the group said on Thursday, and a Saudi news agency later confirmed one of the two vessels was ablaze after an assault while sailing in the Red Sea. (Reuters) The U.S. is surging forces, medics and weaponry to the Middle East to give President Trump more muscular military options as he considers expanding the conflict against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. (WSJ) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia the price Iran pays “will get higher every night” until Tehran is ready for a peace deal it would live by. (Reuters)

While we remain hopeful for an eventual settlement, all signs point…

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Earlier today, I sat down with the NYSE’s Ashley Mastronardi to discuss what TheStreet Pro Portfolio will be focusing on this week amid June inflation data and quarterly results on Tuesday from JPMorgan (JPM), Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS) and the portfolio’s Bank of America (BAC).

I explained why we think Q2 2026 results from those big banks as well as Morgan Stanley (MS) on Wednesday should be solid. We also call out what the market is going to focus on in their comments about the back half of 2026.

While the market focuses on those results in the very near-term, we discussed why quarterly results and guidance from Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) could be even more important for the market. And when it comes to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran, he explained why the duration of that is what he’s focusing on as he gets ready for this week’s June Consumer and Producer Price Indices.

Note: Chris’ conversation with Ashley starts near the 2:10 mark, and runs through 8:35

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, equity futures point to a weak start for U.S. listed equities.

1. U.S. and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting U.S. facilities in states across the Gulf ​on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz. The renewed violence casts further doubt…

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The first full week of trading for the new quarter had a little of everything: a geopolitical shock, a hawkish turn in Fed expectations, a marquee IPO, and another leg up in the AI trade. By Friday’s close, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq had both notched gains of roughly 1% to 2% on the week, and the Dow squeezed out a fresh record close near 53,000. That came in the face of one of the market’s worst single sessions of the summer on Wednesday.

One factor that pushed the market and the Pro Portfolio higher week over week was…

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These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at the start of the trading day. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a positive start to trading later on Tuesday morning.

1. Iran reiterated its determination to control maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes ahead of fresh talks in Qatar on formally ending its war with the US. (Bloomberg)

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz picked up for the first time…

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