Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Countdown to Jerome Powell
Federal Reserve watchers are in for a big day. Chair Jerome Powell will speak at the annual policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at 10 a.m. ET. You can stream our live coverage all day on CNBC+ or CNBC Pro.
Here’s what to know:
Powell’s speech comes at a particularly high-stakes moment for the central bank leader, who has been on the receiving end of persistent pressure from President Donald Trump and his allies to cut interest rates.Aside from politics, investors will be listening for what Powell says about expectations for future interest rate moves. Fed funds futures show that the likelihood of a rate cut at the Fed’s September meeting has jumped in recent weeks, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.Meanwhile, Justice Department attorney Ed Martin indicated in a letter yesterday that the DOJ will investigate Fed Governor Lisa Cook following a White House official’s criminal referral. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte has accused Cook of mortgage fraud.CNBC will also interview former Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and former Fed Vice Chair Roger Ferguson at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack at 11 a.m. ET.
2. The market’s ‘hangover’
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on August 20, 2025.
NYSE
Wall Street is feeling a chill — and we’re not just talking about New York City’s recent cold front. The benchmark S&P 500 fell for a fifth straight day on Thursday, a notable streak considering the broad index was hitting all-time highs just last week. For Pro subscribers, CNBC’s Sarah Min took a look at whether the S&P 500 is truly the economic indictor investors believe it to be, or if a better indicator might be the “S&P 495.”
But the S&P 500 isn’t alone. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite is on track to post its worst week since May, underscoring the recent pullback in well-known megacap stocks. Bespoke Investment Group summed up this moment well: “If you’re having a bad week,” the firm said in an X post, “consider it a small hangover from a great summer.”
You can follow live markets updates here.
3. Where the chips fall
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, speaks during the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, on June 11, 2025.
Gonzalo Fuentes | Reuters
Breaking news this morning: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company is talking with the U.S. government about selling a more-advanced chip to China. It marks the latest effort by the chipmaker to carefully thread the needle of appeasing U.S. concerns while still doing business with the Asian country.
Meanwhile, Nvidia has reportedly asked some of its suppliers to suspend production related to its H20 chip, which is approved for sale to China. As CNBC’s Dylan Butts notes, such a move casts doubt over the chip’s return to the China market following U.S. export control policy changes.
4. Deere in the headlights
Attendees view a John Deere 7R 270 row crop tractor at the Deere & Co. booth during the World Ag Expo at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California on February 11, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
John Deere is at a fork in the road, CNBC’s Laya Neelakandan reports.
The manufacturer of tractors and other farming supplies is grappling with a demand slowdown in the agriculture sector, which is facing challenges like climate change and a labor shortage. Deere is also feeling the impact of tariffs, estimating a $600 million hit from the duties in the 2025 fiscal year. At the same time, the Illinois-based company has also pledged to spend millions of dollars on investment in U.S. manufacturing.
Despite Deere’s headwinds, Wall Street is not yet abandoning the stock which, to its credit, has outperformed the broader market this year.
5. A new country store
Restaurant chain Cracker Barrel unveiled a new logo and broader branding update yesterday. It left a bad taste in investors’ mouths, with shares plunging more than 7% in the trading session.
At the heart of the changes was the removal of a man leaning against a barrel and the phrase “old country store” from the restaurant’s logo, CNBC’s Ali McCadden reports. Right-wing social media voices railed against the update, with one prominent conservative activist saying that the company would “learn that wokeness really doesn’t pay.”
See the new logo for yourself.
— CNBC’s Laya Neelakandan, Ali McCadden, Dan Mangan, Kevin Breuninger, Pia Singh, Sarah Min, Dylan Butts, Arjun Kharpal and Jeff Cox contributed to this report.
