September is generally a sucky month for stocks and boy, did it live up to its name during the first week. 😫

Let's recap and prep you for the week ahead. 📝

What Happened?

🌭 On Monday, U.S. markets were closed for Labor Day.

😨 On Tuesday, stocks started a seasonally weak September on a rough note. Nvidia fell 10% on reports that the government’s Nvidia AI antitrust investigation is ‘escalating.’ Software stocks got a shellacking, crude oil crashed into negative territory, and we reviewed September’s seasonal tendencies.

🔻 On Wednesday, stocks failed to regain any traction. Dollar Tree reiterated the weakness that Dollar General noted a week earlier. It was a mixed day for dealmakers; C3.ai slumped after earnings, and Celsius sliced through support.

😐 On Thursday, stocks posted another mixed day, with Broadcom being the latest artificial intelligence (AI) bust. Tesla topped resistance after Musk touted FSD’s timeline, an auto parts giant prepared to break out, and Trump-linked stocks had no $PHUN.

😰 On Friday, stocks closed on the lows as gold and bonds attempted to break out. The labor market numbers showed companies are not hiring at the pace they were, but they’re not firing either. A filing revealed big problems at Big Lots, GameStop got its game on ahead of earnings, two under-the-radar stocks broke out, and the S&P 500 announced its quarterly shakeup.

🤩 This week's Stocktwits Top 25 showed underperformance vs. the indexes.

Here are the closing prices: 

🤖 Brands concoct AI influencers to help drive engagement. For companies looking to connect better with their target audiences, artificial intelligence (AI) represents an opportunity to do just that…but not in the traditional sense. With influencers dominating fashion, entertainment, politics, and other verticals, some of the latest on the scene may not even be real people. Miguel Sousa is one of the first virtual influencers who’s garnered 2.5 million followers on Instagram and has modeled for brands like Chanel, Prada, and Supreme. Axios has more.

🧑‍⚖️ Google and the DOJ return to court for round 2. Google and the Justice Department return to the ring on Monday when they return to court to argue about how ads are bought and sold online. A federal judge in DC agreed Google had illegally monopolized the online search market; now, a judge in Virginia will determine whether it has also illegally monopolized the market for advertising technology. More from The Verge.

🤑 OnlyFans owner becomes a billionaire after a massive $472 million dividend payment. The adult-content-friendly creator platform reported record revenue and profits during fiscal 2023, with the number of creators rising 29% YoY to 4.12 million. Gross payments through the platform rose 19% YoY to $6.63 billion, with creators earning $5.32 billion for the most recent fiscal year. Total registered users rose 28% YoY to 305 million, making it one of the fastest-growing brands since its launch in 2016. Variety has more.

My presentation, “Social Sentiment's Growing Role in Navigating Markets,” will explain how investors and traders use Stocktwits’ unique social data to stay ahead of the market’s top trends. And don’t worry, I’ll leave the politics to the other speakers, lol. Register here, and I’ll see you then! 👍

P.S. I’ll be at the Toronto Moneyshow this week, presenting on Friday around 4 pm ET. There’s still time to claim your free spot here.

Not an offer or recommendation by Stocktwits nor is this investment advice. See disclosure.

Need a concise summary of what's going on this week? Look no further. Here’s a rundown of this week’s earnings and economic data.

It’s a light week of economic data, with investors focused on U.S. inflation data before next week’s Fed meeting. In addition to the above, check out this week's complete list of economic releases.

Earnings season has slowed to a crawl, with 50 stocks reporting this week. Some tickers you may recognize are $ADBE, $ORCL, $GME, $PLAY, $KR, $RH, $MANU, and more.

Above is a quick summary. Check out the full Stocktwits earnings calendar for the other names reporting this week.

🤩 Chart Art: The best trade ideas and analysis from the Stocktwits community

🚗 Chrysler parent Stellantis recalls 1.46 million vehicles worldwide

🪫 Toyota slashes EV production plans by 30% as suppliers brace for impact

❌ Port union voices unanimous support for strike, escalating U.S. supply chain fears

📲 Meta will let third-party apps place calls to WhatsApp and Messenger users — in 2027

📺 DirecTV Loses Disney, ESPN and ABC: Find Other Ways to Watch US Open Tennis and Football

🛻 The $100,000 electric truck market is here. A guide to pickups from Tesla, GM, Rivian and Ford

Follow our social channels for great, real-time content on Stocktwits and Twitter. And check out our YouTube channel for in-depth video content! 📲

Help us deliver the best content possible by completing this brief survey. 📝

Email me (Tom Bruni) your feedback; I’d love to hear from you. 📧

Want to sponsor this newsletter and reach hundreds of thousands of passionate investors and traders? Reach us here. 👍

Securities Disclaimer: STOCKTWITS IS NOT A TAX ADVISOR, BROKER, FINANCIAL ADVISOR OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. THE SERVICE IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TAX, LEGAL, FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVICE, AND NOTHING ON THE SERVICE SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS AN OFFER TO SELL, A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, OR A RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY SECURITY. Trading in such securities can result in immediate and substantial losses of the capital invested. You should only invest risk capital, and not capital required for other purposes. You alone are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, security or strategy, or any other product or service, is appropriate or suitable for you based on your investment objectives and personal and financial situation. You should also consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation. The Content is to be used for informational and entertainment purposes only and the Service does not provide investment advice for any individual. Stocktwits, its affiliates and partners specifically disclaim any and all liability or loss arising out of any action taken in reliance on Content, including but not limited to market value or other loss on the sale or purchase of any company, property, product, service, security, instrument, or any other matter. You understand that an investment in any security is subject to a number of risks, and that discussions of any security published on the Service will not contain a list or description of relevant risk factors. In addition, please note that some of the stocks about which Content is published on the Service have a low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float. Such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information. Read the full terms & conditions here. 🔍

Author Disclosure: The author of this newsletter does not hold positions in any of the securities or assets mentioned. 📋