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Every Wednesday we publish “The Mid-Week Wrap-Up” — your ticket to being well informed and staying ahead in the investment game!

This report is designed to help investors of all skill levels break down important stories/topics within the stock market. And best of all, we cut through all of the BS and give you exactly what you need to know in easy to digest, bite sized pieces of content.

This article is designed to truly give you that EDGE in the day ahead!

Grab your afternoon pick me up and let’s dive in.

Market Talk

Markets have cooled a bit this week on the tariff headlines and after making all-time highs last week, as investors look to book profits.

3 Stories Moving the Market

These are some of the biggest stories so far this week that are having an influence on market action.

Trump Escalates Trade War With 50% Copper Tariff, More on Deck

President Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on copper imports and warned that new levies on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals are imminent. The move follows tariff threats to 14 major trading partners and rising pressure on BRICS nations like India and Brazil. Copper futures jumped 10% on the news, while allies scramble ahead of the new August 1 deadline.

🔑 Key Points

• Copper Imports Targeted: A 50% tariff on copper sparked a 10% surge in U.S. futures, hitting sectors from EVs to defense.

• Healthcare and Tech Next: Trump warned of 200% tariffs on drugs and new semiconductor duties, with details expected this week.

• Tariff Rate Hits 90-Year High: Yale estimates the effective U.S. tariff rate has jumped to 17.6%—the highest since 1934.

• Global Allies React: Japan, South Korea, and the EU are racing to secure trade concessions before the August deadline.

• Revenue Rising Fast: The Treasury says $100B has already been collected, with $300B possible by year-end if measures continue.

👀 What You Need to Know

This marks a sharp escalation in Trump’s trade strategy, targeting not just traditional goods but strategic industries like chips and pharmaceuticals. Copper’s spike reflects real economic exposure, and retaliation risks are rising as allies face abrupt policy shifts. Markets may absorb some pressure near-term, but persistent trade instability could add inflation and complicate Q3 global growth. Investors should watch for framework deals or potential retaliation as deadlines approach.

Nvidia Becomes First-Ever $4 Trillion Company

Nvidia $NVDA ( ▲ 1.8% ) surged past a $4 trillion market cap on Wednesday, becoming the first public company in history to reach that valuation. Shares rose over 2%, driven by investor confidence in Nvidia’s position as the dominant supplier of AI computing hardware. The stock has climbed 74% off its April lows and now holds the largest weight in the S&P 500 at 7.3%. Despite chip curbs in China and rising competition, Nvidia’s growth trajectory remains firmly intact.

🔑 Key Points

• Historic Milestone: Nvidia is now the world’s most valuable company, surpassing Apple and Microsoft by crossing the $4 trillion mark.

• AI Hardware Backbone: Its dominance in AI chips, especially GPUs used to train large language models, has fueled over 69% revenue growth YoY.

• China Risk Still Lingers: U.S. export restrictions could cost Nvidia $8 billion in sales, effectively shutting it out of the $50B China chip market.

• Valuation Below Average: Despite its run, Nvidia trades at 32x forward earnings—below its 3-year average of 37x, suggesting it’s not overly frothy.

• Market Influence Growing: With a 7.3% weight in the S&P 500, Nvidia’s moves increasingly drive the index, highlighting both its leadership and systemic risk.

👀 What You Need to Know

Nvidia’s climb to $4 trillion is about dominance in the infrastructure layer of AI. But investors should stay alert: while the valuation looks modest on a relative basis, growth expectations are sky-high, and the company is still navigating geopolitical landmines in China. With earnings due August 27, Wall Street will want proof that demand is holding strong and not simply frontloaded. As the S&P’s biggest stock, any Nvidia stumble could ripple far beyond semis.

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Meta Poaches Apple’s AI Chief as Zuckerberg Escalates Talent War

Meta $META ( ▲ 1.68% ) has hired Ruoming Pang, the head of Apple’s $AAPL ( ▲ 0.54% ) AI foundation model team, in a major coup for its new Superintelligence division. Pang’s defection comes amid growing internal struggles at Apple, which has delayed key AI features and reportedly failed to meet quality benchmarks. The hire adds to Meta’s aggressive push to dominate AI by recruiting from rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

🔑 Key Points

• Big Name Hire: Ruoming Pang, Apple’s top AI model leader, has joined Meta's Superintelligence Lab with a reported eight-figure pay package.

• Meta’s AI Offensive: The lab, run by former Scale CEO Alexandr Wang, is hiring aggressively to regain momentum after a tepid Llama rollout.

• Apple Losing Ground: Siri upgrades are delayed again, and Apple may outsource to third-party models, an admission of internal AI limitations.

• Zuckerberg’s $100M Bet: Meta is offering massive compensation to lure elite AI talent, with a broader goal of AI platform dominance.

• Leadership Turmoil: Pang’s exit follows Apple’s COO retirement, adding to concerns about stability and direction inside Cupertino.

👀 What You Need to Know

This hire signals that Meta is out-executing Apple in AI where it counts: recruiting top researchers and building future infrastructure. For Apple, the back-to-back exits of its AI head and longtime COO Jeff Williams create a vacuum at a critical time. With Siri’s AI revamp stalled and Tim Cook now directly overseeing design, the company risks slipping further behind unless it can regain control of the AI narrative and deliver.

In Other News

In this section we'll be curating a selection of news headlines we think you'll find interesting. If a topic catches your eye, click the provided links to read more about it.

• Meta Invests $3.5 Billion in World’s Largest Eye-Wear Maker in AI Glasses Push

• Waymo starts robotaxi testing in NYC and Philadelphia

• Elon Musk's new US political party faces steep challenges

• Elon Musk's AI chatbot churns out antisemitic posts days after update

• Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of Elon Musk’s X

• Starbucks China attracts bids at up to $10 billion valuation

• Merck shells out $10 billion for Verona in bid to diversify beyond Keytruda

• Exxon Sees $1.5 Billion Earnings Hit From Lower Oil, Gas Prices

• CoreWeave to acquire Core Scientific in $9 billion all-stock deal

• TikTok prepares US app with its own algorithm and user data 

The Second Half

It has been a week of little to no economic or earnings data, and that continues into the week end. The only things on the calendar are Delta earnings and initial jobless claims, both due out Thursday morning.

Earnings Reports

Delta reports earnings before the bell tomorrow morning and we will be watching closely for insights into demand and the state of the consumer. Other than that, it’s a quiet end to the week on the earnings front.

Here is the calendar of earnings releases scheduled for the rest of the week:

Economic Reports

Initial jobless claims, the only economic report this week, will be released tomorrow morning. The labor market has been showing mixed signals so we will be watching to see what the latest data shows.

Here is the full calendar of events scheduled for the remainder of the week:

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Thank you for reading this edition of the Mid-Week Wrap-Up.

Until next time investors!

Mark & Chris

The Investor’s Edge

Disclosure

This is not investing advice. It is very important that you do your own research and make investments based on your own personal circumstances, preferences, goals and risk tolerance.