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This week, and this month, are once again showing that data is king, with investors parsing recent economic releases for clues on the likely pace of interest cuts at the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England. Potential flashpoints for policy expectations loom for the currency markets on Thursday, when U.S. retail sales and Britain's GDP are due for release. Mild readings for U.S. inflation this week have cemented market certainty that the Fed will lower borrowing costs in September for the first time in 4 1/2 years, but debate still rages over whether policy makers will opt for a super-sized 50 basis-point reduction or a more standard quarter-point cut.

The GLP-1 (weight-loss drug) boom is continuing to gain steam. As the two leaders in the space, Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) stand out as top picks for investors to play the trend. Though the two biotech innovators have felt the pressure from the July-August market sell-off, high demand and efforts to ramp up production seem to be setting the stage for a glorious growth surge at some point over the near future. As always, though, one firm may be in better shape than the other to seize

"I'm open to something happening in terms of us moving before the fourth quarter," Bostic told the newspaper. Bostic's comments are a step ahead of his comments earlier this week where he said he wants to see "a little more data" before he's ready to support lowering interest rates. U.S. consumer prices rose moderately in July and the annual increase in inflation slowed to below 3% for the first time in nearly 3-1/2 years, opening the door wider for the Federal Reserve to cut rates next month.

Investors are pricing in with certainty that a rate cut is coming in September, per the CME FedWatch tool.

China's Lenovo Group reported a 20% rise in its quarterly revenue on Thursday, as the global personal computer market showed signs of recovery after a two-year slump. For the three months ended in June, the company's revenue rose to $15.4 billion, above the average estimate of $14.1 billion expected by analysts polled by LSEG. This marks a third consecutive quarter of revenue growth for Lenovo after it suffered five straight quarters of revenue declines amid the post-COVID slowdown.

McDonald’s (MCD) shares have declined by 7.4% year-to-date, mainly due to enduring bearish sentiment sustained by decelerating comparable sales, which even dipped into negative territory in its most recent Q2 results. This, in turn, can be largely attributed to wider industry trends and factors beyond McDonald’s control. Despite this, the company is on track to see record sales and near-record earnings this year, all while trading at an attractive valuation. Thus, I am bullish on MCD stock and b

Inflation is on its way to the Fed's target, and the job market is likely to perk back up, Ed Yardeni predicted.

Trading using borrowed money, or margin trading, in Japan's stock market fell sharply last week as investors were forced to dump stocks during the Nikkei index's biggest fall in nearly 40 years. Margin trading, which involves using borrowed cash from brokerages to ramp up bets in the stock market, is popular among Japanese retail investors.

Shares Jumped 14% in Extended Trading

Shares of coffeemaker Starbucks (SBUX) received a jolt of nearly 25% yesterday on news that Chipotle (CMG) CEO Brian Niccols, who is a star when it comes to leadership, will be taking over as CEO in September. Even after this incredible one-day gain (the stock’s largest ever), shares of Starbucks could have plenty of upside ahead. I’m bullish on Starbucks based on the excellent choice it made in the hiring of its new CEO, the company’s reasonable valuation, and its attractive 2.4%-yielding divid