Trump's Interference in Corporate America, Global Trade, and Fed's Decision Making Unnerves Global Investors

Barry Adams
15 Aug, 2025
New York City

Wall Street indexes advanced on Friday and extended weekly gains after retail sales confirmed resilient consumer spending. 

The S&P 500 index edged up 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite gained a fraction as July's retail sales data indicated positive consumer sentiment. 

Benchmark indexes are set to advance 1% after a week of trading, despite a mixed picture on the inflation front. 

Consumer price inflation was steady at 2.7% in July, but producer price inflation rose at an annual pace of 3.4%, the fastest pace since February.

Investors are still holding out for at least a 25 basis point rate cut at the end of a two-day policy meeting on September 17, but the persistent interference by the U.S. president is worrying investors. 

Donald Trump has persistently pressured Fed Chair Powell to lower interest rates, demanded Intel fire its chief executive, asked Goldman Sachs to replace its chief economist, and taken a cut from the sale of advanced chips to China. 

In addition, Trump fired the head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, undermining the credibility of the U.S. data.

 

U.S. Stock Movers 

Circle Internet Group extended two-day losses to 13% to $136.66 after the company filed to sell 10 million shares in a public offering at $130 per share. 

The stablecoin cryptocurrency issuer said it plans to sell 2 million shares, and existing stockholders plan to sell 8 million shares.

UnitedHealth Group soared 10% to $298.70 after Berkshire Hathaway and Scion Asset Management disclosed stakes in the company. 

Warren Buffett's controlled Berkshire Hathaway acquired 5 million shares for $1.6 billion, and David Tepper's controlled Appaloosa and Michael Burry's controlled Scion Asset Management also acquired direct stakes in the beleaguered insurance company.

Burry's Scion Asset Management also acquired direct stakes in Lululemon, Regeneron, Mercado Libre, and Bruker and trimmed its holding in Estee Lauder to 150,000 from 200,000 stocks. 

Intel Corp. jumped 3.4% to $24.69 after a Bloomberg report suggested that the Trump administration is in talks to buy a stake in the company, helping the company to expand its manufacturing capacity in the U.S. 

Applied Materials dropped 14% to $161.94 after the company's forward-looking guidance fell short of market expectations. 

Applied Materials guided fourth quarter revenue to be between $6.7 billion compared to $7.30 billion and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to be between $2.11 compared to $2.11 a quarter earlier.

“We are expecting a decline in revenue in the fourth quarter driven by both digestion of capacity in China and nonlinear demand from leading-edge customers given market concentration and fab timing,” said Brice Hill, Senior Vice President and CFO.

Dillard’s Inc. gained 15 cents to $498.73 after the department store chain reported a slight increase in revenue and a marginal decline in net income in the second quarter.