Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Eye on inflation
Investors and economists will closely monitor July’s consumer price index reading due Tuesday morning, and the stakes feel particularly high this time around. President Donald Trump shocked economics earlier this month when he fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accusing her of manipulating jobs data. Trump said Monday that he will nominate E.J. Antoni — chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and a critic of the BLS — to the role. After the shakeup, as CNBC’s Jeff Cox reports, economists are now questioning how much they can trust government data going forward. Follow live markets updates here.
2. Dropping bars
Gold nudged higher for a fourth session on Tuesday, supported by a softer dollar and lower Treasury yields as weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data strengthened expectations of a rate cut in September.
Christopher Furlong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Trump set the record straight on Monday: Gold bars will not be tariffed. His announcement ended days of confusion around the metal’s fate after Customs and Border Protection said gold bars wouldn’t be excluded from Trump’s broad and steep duties. The president on Monday also said he extended China’s tariff deadline by another 90 days. Investors, however, didn’t seem to give much weight to the policy updates as stocks closed lower on Monday.
3. Intel’s Apple playbook
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan makes a speech on stage in Taipei, Taiwan May 19, 2025.
Ann Wang | Reuters
After Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan received a public scolding from Trump last week, the executive seems to be taking a page out of Apple‘s playbook. Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that Tan is “HIGHLY conflicted” and should immediately resign. But after Tan made a visit the White House on Monday, the president changed his tune, saying the executive had an “amazing story.” Tan is the second high-profile technology CEO to stop by the White House in the past week: Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the iPhone maker’s expanded domestic investment plan from the Oval Office last Wednesday. Tan’s visit appeared to satisfy Intel investors, with shares of the company rising nearly 3% before the bell.
4. Performance review
Thomas M. Siebel, chief executive officer of C3.AI Inc., during a panel session at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in London, UK, on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022.
Chris J. Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
C3 AI put out preliminary financial results on Monday — and, let’s just say, the boss is not happy. CEO Thomas Siebel called the stats “completely unacceptable,” placing blame on the artificial intelligence company’s reorganization efforts and his ongoing personal health challenges. Investors didn’t take it well, either: Shares of the stock tumbled more than 25% in the session for their worst day in over two years.
5. Stirring the pot
A ‘Weed’ sign advertises a cannabis dispensary on May 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
Cannabis stocks have lost their buzz in recent years, but Monday was a strong day for investors in the sector. Shares of several companies and funds tracking the industry surged after Trump said he was considering reclassifying marijuana to a less-dangerous category. That’s big news: Such a change would help ease tax regulations and open the flood-gates for research, to name just a few benefits. Tim Seymour, investing chief at Seymour Asset Management, told CNBC that a reclassification would be “a game changer” for the industry.
— CNBC’s Jeff Cox, Dan Mangan, Spencer Kimball, Kevin Breuninger, Eamon Javers, Ashley Capoot, Brandon Gomez and Jordan Novet contributed to this report.
