The Brief

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

“Overall, the investment in AI is not a speculative bubble; rather, it will deliver significant benefits.”– Jamie Dimon

SUMMARY

MARKET & MACRO DATA

ECONOMICS, MARKETS & BUSINESS

• U.S. Stocks Mixed as AI Buzz Stokes Tech Gains – U.S. stocks ended mixed as buzz about AI products propelled large tech companies to more record highs even as energy inflation fears lingered. Ask Claude ›
• U.S. regulators rush to write crypto rulebook after Clarity Act stalls in Senate – State and federal regulators are rushing to fill the void after comprehensive crypto rules failed to clear the Senate. Ask Claude ›
• Sullivan: Wall Street admits it doesn't know where oil is headed. There's one stock they do agree on – JPMorgan’s commodity team admitted what many are thinking on the Iran situation and oil: We just don't know. Ask Claude ›
• Paramount settles lawsuit with US states, clearing way for $110bn merger with Warner Bros – The deal includes an agreement to produce 30 films a year, or Paramount will be forced to sell off parts of its company. Ask Claude ›
• Dollar Jumps to 8-Week High as Fed Rate-Hike Bets Outweigh Lower Oil Prices – The dollar rose to its highest level since late July, its strength a sign that Fed rate expectations are dominant, according to ING. Ask Claude ›
• Stock Market Today: Dollar Climbs, European Diesel Futures Jump on Possible U.S. Export Ban – Brent crude oil holds below $100 a barrel Ask Claude ›
• Treasury yields little changed as oil price oscillates – Yields on U.S. Treasurys held steady early Wednesday, as oil prices were volatile. Ask Claude ›
• OECD sounds alarm on surging government bond yields – Paris-based forecaster says governments’ debt interest bills are increasing pressure on public finances Ask Claude ›
• Fed's Collins warns inflation could be 'notably' higher after backing rate hike – There is "an increased likelihood" of inflation staying "notably" above the Federal Reserve's 2% target, Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins said. Ask Claude ›
• Gold Pressured by Interest-Rate Outlook – Gold fell and continued to trade in a tight range, as prospects of higher interest rates to curb persistent inflation weighed on prices. Ask Claude ›
• Oil price on track for longest losing streak in more than 12 months – Brent crude falls below $99 a barrel in Asian trading amid talks over Middle East conflict Ask Claude ›
• Private equity has a new kind of SaaS: swimming as a service – There are north of 10mn installed pools in the US and they all need regular cleaning and repair Ask Claude ›

TECH & AI

• Discord’s age verification era is upon us, despite community backlash – According to Discord, 90% of users will not have to verify their age. Ask Claude ›
• Call of Duty's Activision to make next Halo game as Xbox cuts more jobs – The news comes as part of a "reset" announced by Xbox in July, with 3,600 planned job losses overall. Ask Claude ›
• Pornhub investigated over its age checks – The regulator says it has concerns over how the site is relying on third party checks provided by Apple for some users. Ask Claude ›
• ‘We’re already fighting yesterday’s battle’: Greece’s prime minister gets candid about AI – Most leaders on a trade mission stick to the pitch, but when I interviewed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis this week, he also admitted that no government is ready for what AI is about to do. Ask Claude ›
• US criticises Australia's proposed algorithm opt-out laws as 'censorship' – Under the draft laws, tech firms face fines if they do not give users the option to switch off algorithms. Ask Claude ›
• TechCrunch Founder Summit’s agenda revealed: Unlock fundraising, hiring, and AI insights in Boston on November 4 – Founders shouldn't have to learn the hardest lessons the hardest way. TechCrunch Founder Summit is designed to make the challenges of starting a company easier and the highs that much greater. Ask Claude ›
• Will a switch to light speed cut power use at data centres? – To save power and add capacity, data centres are switching from copper wires to tech using light. Ask Claude ›
• Rare look at the remote engine rooms fuelling China's AI boom – The BBC is in Inner Mongolia where dozen of Chinese data centres are being constructed, as the country aims to lead the world in artificial intelligence. Ask Claude ›

WORLD & POLITICS

• US and Iran hold first talks since June after Trump's 'annihilation' threat – The talks are the first since a ceasefire collapsed in June, with the sides exchanging fire intermittently. Ask Claude ›
• Oil Prices Mixed as Traders Weigh U.S.-Iran Talks, Saudi Pipeline Progress – Saudi Arabia has begun testing its East-West pipeline for structural integrity and pressure, and American officials engaged in talks with Iranian peers on the sidelines of the United Nations General A Ask Claude ›
• Eleven killed in mass shooting at house in South Africa – One of those killed is believed to be a pregnant woman, police said. Ask Claude ›
• Hurricane Polo intensifies into rare category 5 storm off the coast of Mexico – The storm's sudden intensification is "truly remarkable", the US hurricane monitoring agency said. Ask Claude ›
• Japan’s Leader Calls on U.N. to Drop ‘Enemy State’ Label – China has used language in the United Nations charter to attack Japan as part of a broad pressure campaign that Tokyo wants Washington to help bring to an end. Ask Claude ›
• Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran as He Lays Out Foreign-Policy Vision at U.N. – President Trump labeled himself a man of peace while threatening to “annihilate” Iran and wield American power against other nations. Ask Claude ›
• Sri Lanka court convicts 15 men over deadly Easter Sunday bombings – Three churches and three luxury hotels were targeted in the 2019 attacks which killed 270. Ask Claude ›
• EU, Philippines Reach Breakthrough in Free-Trade Talks – The agreement comes as persistent geopolitical shocks and tariffs underscore the need to look for new trade partners. Ask Claude ›

DEALS

• Priority Technology Holdings, the Nasdaq-listed payments and banking technology provider, agreed to go private in an all-cash deal valuing the company at roughly $1.6 billion enterprise value, with an investor group led by Chairman and CEO Thomas Priore paying $8.05 per share and financing partly backed by equity commitments from funds advised by Searchlight Capital Partners. Source ›
• ITM Isotope Technologies Munich, the German radiopharmaceutical and isotope manufacturer, agreed to be acquired by Australia's Telix Pharmaceuticals for $1.65 billion upfront on a cash-free, debt-free basis, plus up to $700 million in milestone payments tied to regulatory approvals for ITM's lead lutetium-177 cancer therapy. Source ›
• Sabert Holding, a Sayreville, New Jersey-based maker of plastic, paper and molded-fiber food packaging with 13 plants worldwide, agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Butterfly Equity, with founder Albert Salama rolling over a meaningful minority stake and the deal expected to close in the fourth quarter. Source ›
• Luna Innovations, a Roanoke, Virginia-based maker of fiber optic test, measurement and sensing technology, was taken private by an affiliate of TJC in an all-cash deal worth $1.39 per share (about $48 million), with the transaction closing this week after first being announced in June. Source ›
• Cyera, a data security platform that governs what data humans, machines and AI agents can access across the enterprise, raised $400 million in a Series G extension from Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, bringing its total equity funding to $2.7 billion. Source ›
• Confido, an AI platform that unifies finance, accounting, sales and operations for consumer packaged goods brands, raised $55 million in Series B funding. Source ›
• Ande, an AI-native network that connects enterprises with venues and vendors to book and manage corporate entertainment, raised $52 million across seed and Series A rounds from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint and Duration Capital. Source ›
• Spott, a Leuven, Belgium-based recruiting-software startup, raised €18.3 million (about $21 million) in Series A funding led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Base10 Partners, Y Combinator and Fortino. Source ›

EARNINGS RELEASES (next 15 days)

WEEK AHEAD

ON THE RADAR

Marz Capital – The Brief · Sourced from Yahoo Finance, BLS, StatsCan, FRED, CNBC, Reuters & web search · Note: some 1M/YTD/1Y market columns show n/a where data was unavailable at time of research · Treasury "ATH" reflects the past 20 years, not full history, since older-regime peaks (e.g. ~15% in 1981) aren't a meaningful comparison to today

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