Good Afternoon. Forget haunted houses, the only things making investors jump today are earnings beats and AI surprises. No tricks here, just treats for your portfolio (and your inbox). Let’s get into it.

—Rosie, Wyatt, Evan & Conor

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1. Amazon’s Big Day

The News: Amazon powered the Nasdaq to fresh highs Friday after a blowout earnings report sent shares surging more than 10%, its biggest one-day jump in nearly two years. The company reported its fastest cloud growth since 2022 and announced plans to ramp up data center capacity. Apple’s record sales and strong holiday forecast added to the optimism, offsetting Thursday’s tech selloff sparked by Meta and Microsoft’s costly AI spending plans. Chevron and Exxon Mobil both posted weaker earnings but reaffirmed plans to boost production. Stocks overall finished higher wrapping up the market’s longest monthly winning streak since 2018.

Why It Matters: After a shaky week for Big Tech, Amazon’s results reminded investors why the “Magnificent Seven” still move markets. Its cloud rebound and disciplined AI investments reassured traders that AI can actually pay off—not just cost a fortune.

What to Watch: With earnings season peaking, expect traders to start positioning for the Fed’s December meeting, year-end performance chases, and tax loss harvesting trades. If Amazon’s momentum holds, November could kick off with investors saying, “Alexa, buy more Amazon stock.”
Source: wsj.com

2. Cloudflare Stock Pops On Earnings Beat

The News: Cloudflare shares jumped more than 10% Friday after the web security and performance company reported earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street forecasts. Third-quarter revenue climbed 31% to $562 million, while earnings rose to 27 cents per share, well above analyst estimates. The San Francisco–based firm, which powers and protects about 20% of all global internet traffic, also raised its full-year outlook and projected reaching a $3 billion revenue run rate by late 2026. The upbeat results came as Cloudflare signed larger enterprise deals and expanded its footprint in AI infrastructure, including secure connections for OpenAI’s ChatGPT users.

Why It Matters: As cyber threats grow and AI systems flood the web, Cloudflare’s role has become essential digital plumbing, speeding and securing vast swaths of online activity. Its scale gives it unique leverage in shaping how the modern internet operates, from blocking AI crawlers to defending against bot attacks.

What to Watch: Cloudflare’s next frontier is turning that internet backbone into an AI gateway. Investors are watching whether its new products—like pay-per-crawl and real-time inference tools—can turn its web dominance into a full-blown AI infrastructure play. If so, the cloud just got a little more crowded.
Source: investors.com

3. Disney pulls ABC, ESPN and more from YouTube TV

The News: Millions of YouTube TV subscribers woke up Friday without ABC, ESPN, FX, or National Geographic, after Disney and Google failed to reach a new distribution deal. The blackout, announced late Thursday, immediately affects major sports broadcasts this weekend, including college football and NBA games. YouTube TV, which leads the internet TV market with over 9 million subscribers, accused Disney of using the blackout to push for higher fees and steer customers toward Hulu + Live TV and Fubo, both Disney-backed platforms. Disney countered that Google’s “market dominance” allows it to underpay for content.

Why It Matters: This clash underscores how power dynamics in streaming are shifting from content creators to distributors. For Disney, sports rights are its crown jewels—so losing ESPN exposure, even briefly, could dent ad revenue and fan loyalty. For YouTube, it’s a test of whether cost-conscious subscribers will stay when the games disappear. Although, YouTube TV has offered subscribers a $20 credit if Disney content remains unavailable for an extended period.

What to Watch: If the blackout drags into the weekend or longer, expect subscriber churn, heated PR volleys, and maybe a last minute deal before kickoff. Until then, sports fans might be searching for a new way to catch the game on Disney’s owned and operated platform.
Source: nbcnews.com

4. FDA to fast-track approvals for custom gene therapies

The News: The FDA is introducing a fast-track approval system for personalized gene-editing therapies, dramatically shortening the path from lab to patient. Under the new framework, regulators will work directly with scientists developing custom CRISPR-based treatments for ultra-rare diseases — potentially approving therapies within months instead of years. The move follows the landmark case of 10-month-old KJ Muldoon, the first patient ever to receive a personalized in vivo CRISPR therapy. Developed in just six months to treat a one-in-a-million genetic disorder, the treatment showed remarkable success, prompting the FDA to overhaul its process.

Why It Matters: This shift could transform how medicine is made and distributed — from mass-produced drugs to one-patient cures. For biotech firms like CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex, it opens the door to a new business model where regulatory speed matches scientific innovation.

What to Watch: The FDA will publish formal guidelines in November detailing how personalized therapies can qualify for accelerated review. If successful, this could redefine rare-disease treatment and set a precedent for the coming era of custom genetic medicine. What a time to be alive.
Source: financialpost.com

5. More retirement investors opting for ‘good enough’ stock portfolio strategy

The News: A growing number of retirement investors are turning to “good enough” portfolios — trading sky-high returns for stability. With markets dominated by a handful of AI-heavy tech giants, many near-retirees are pulling back from full equity exposure and shifting into buffered ETFs, which use options to limit losses while capping gains. The products have ballooned to more than $30 billion in assets, up sharply since the pandemic. They’ve delivered roughly 11% annualized returns over five years, according to Morningstar, appealing to investors who want equity growth without the gut-check volatility of an AI-driven market.

Why It Matters: After a record bull run, baby boomers and near-retirees are prioritizing preservation over performance. The shift reflects a broader recalibration of investor psychology — a willingness to accept “steady and safe” returns rather than chase the S&P 500 at any cost.

What to Watch: As buffered ETFs and defined-outcome funds gain traction, expect traditional advisors and index giants like Vanguard and BlackRock to roll out more “guardrail” products. These buffered ETFs come with higher management fees, so let’s hope Vanguard gets in the mix to bring the industry average costs down. Especially as the new retirement mantra may be: outlast the market, not outperform it.
Source: cnbc.com

1. Chinese Competition Forces SpaceX & Blue Origin to Submit New Proposals

The News: SpaceX and Blue Origin have both submitted new proposals to accelerate NASA’s lunar return program, after acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy criticized delays in SpaceX’s Artemis III mission. The competition comes amid rising pressure to beat China’s planned 2030 manned lunar landing. SpaceX said its “simplified mission architecture” would get astronauts back to the Moon faster and improve safety, while NASA confirmed it’s also reviewing a rival bid from Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.

Why It Matters: NASA’s lunar program has become both a geopolitical race and a tech rivalry. Whether it’s Musk’s Starship or Bezos’s Blue Moon that touches down first, the winner won’t just plant a flag, they’ll shape the next decade of space infrastructure, contracts, and national prestige.

What to Watch: NASA will evaluate both proposals through the winter, with contract decisions expected in early 2026. For now, the Artemis III mission remains grounded in delays. The “space race” to get back to the moon looks as fiery as the rocket engines themselves.
Source: cnbc.com

2. NVIDIA, South Korea Government and Industrial Giants Build AI Infrastructure

The News: South Korea and Nvidia have launched one of the world’s largest national AI infrastructure programs — a public-private initiative adding more than 260,000 Nvidia GPUs to power the country’s next generation of AI, robotics, and quantum computing. The plan, announced at the APEC Summit in Gyeongju, includes partnerships with Samsung, Hyundai, SK Group, and NAVER Cloud, each building massive “AI factories” with roughly 50,000 GPUs apiece. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called Korea “the heart of the AI industrial revolution,” as the government commits billions to sovereign AI and quantum research to secure its place among the world’s top three AI powers.

Why It Matters: This is more than an industrial upgrade, it’s a national moonshot. By treating computing power like critical infrastructure, South Korea is positioning itself as Asia’s AI manufacturing hub, capable of producing chips, cars, and now intelligence itself. For Nvidia, it’s another validation of its grip on global AI hardware.

What to Watch: The rollout begins this year with deployments across Samsung and NAVER Cloud. If successful, Korea’s model could become a blueprint for how nations build “sovereign AI” — blending state planning with Silicon Valley hardware to power both innovation and influence.
Source: globalnewswire.com

3. EU Seeks Its Own Rare-Earth Deal With China

The News: The European Union is considering an unprecedented “in-kind” tariff that would require Chinese exporters to contribute critical raw materials—like rare earth elements—to EU stockpiles when shipping goods into the bloc. The proposal comes as Brussels scrambles to secure supply chains and reduce dependence on China amid tightening export controls from Beijing. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the bloc is prepared to use “all instruments in our toolbox,” including the EU’s powerful but never-used Anti-Coercion Instrument, which could impose surcharges, export limits, or block Chinese firms from public contracts.

Why It Matters: This would mark the first time the EU imposes a non-monetary trade tariff, signaling a tougher stance in the global competition for critical minerals. With China controlling 90% of global rare earth processing and the EU importing 70% of its needs from Chinese suppliers, the bloc is seeking leverage — not just protection.

What to Watch: The talks follow the U.S.-China rare earth truce announced Thursday, which temporarily lifts some export restrictions. If Europe adopts its own resource-for-access policy, it could reshape trade norms and usher in a new era of commodity-backed diplomacy between the West and Beijing.
Source: bloomberg.com

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