Overview

• U.S. stocks set new highs Friday, with the S&P 500 and Dow at records and small caps breaking out, even as some measures show valuations near dot‑com era peaks.
• The shutdown postponed the official nonfarm payrolls report, pushing investors to private labor data that pointed to cooling hiring and bolstered rate‑cut expectations.
• Nvidia’s market value approached $4.5 trillion, yet a planned UAE chip shipment under a multibillion‑dollar deal still lacked U.S. authorization, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Intel extended a sharp rebound on a $5 billion Nvidia investment, a reported 9.9% U.S. government equity stake via $8.9 billion, and a $2 billion SoftBank commitment.
• Electronic Arts agreed to be taken private for about $55 billion at $210 per share led by Silver Lake, Affinity Partners and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with closing targeted in 2027.