Market Update: Stock Movements and Economic Insights

Stocks are a topic of concern as we look back at yesterday and ahead to tomorrow. A highlight is Meta’s anticipated announcements at the Meta Connect Summit tonight. CNBC’s Frank Holland will provide full coverage beginning at 5 am. Meta’s stock saw a rise of 5% in September, although it’s slightly down by 2.6% since last month’s peak. Still, it’s up 32% year-to-date, which is quite significant.

Over in retail, Walmart’s stock has been on everyone’s radar. After reaching record highs, it experienced a 1.7% drop, ultimately closing at $104.27—a mere 0.8% decrease. In September alone, Walmart’s stock has risen 7.5%, and overall, it’s seen a 15% increase this year. On the flip side, Target’s stock has dipped considerably, down 7.3% for September and 34% year-over-year.

Shifting gears to commodities, gold-related stocks have surged. The Vaneck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) has seen a remarkable 102% increase in 2025, while it has risen 8.7% just this month. Clearly, high gold prices are benefiting these investments.

On the restaurant front, Darden Restaurants is set to report earnings before market opens on Thursday. Their stock has taken a hit, dropping 7% since their last report three months back and sitting 8.5% below June’s highs. They own several well-known brands, including Olive Garden and Ruth’s Chris.

Lennar’s shares have performed well, climbing 27% since its last earnings call. However, they remain 28% shy of their September peak last year.

In international news, the Israeli Stock Market has declined by 4% recently following comments from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about needing to adapt to a more independent economic model. Although he’s been a proponent of free-market policies and privatization, his comments seem to have unsettled the markets. The MSCI Israel ETF (EIS) dropped by 3% over three days, falling 4.35% from last week’s record high.