Daily Briefing · 2026-09-25

Meanwhile, the options market is sending a contrarian signal on oil, suggesting recent price declines could reverse. JPMorgan weighed in as well, saying the long-term endgame for oil prices remains genuinely hard to predict. In retail, Walmart was downgraded despite strong commerce growth initiatives, as analysts flagged premium valuation risk. Starbucks moved the other way, earning an upgrade on the back of solid management execution that's expected to translate into stronger shareholder returns. In technology, Oracle drew a bullish call, with one analyst arguing the market is mispricing delay risks and calling the shares a buying opportunity. Apple, by contrast, saw a rating downgrade, with one analyst betting against the stock despite its high valuation. And AMD is said to be approaching another key inflection point in its business. In M&A news, Select Water Solutions announced a deal involving Pilot Water Solutions. On the fund side, a new report highlights record inflows into ETFs, drawing comparisons to past market cycles. The nickel mining sector also got its monthly roundup for September. And in personal finance, a difficult story is making headlines — a terminally ill homeowner faces a one hundred thousand dollar capital gains tax bill if she sells her rental property, complicating her end-of-life financial planning.