Ray’s Morning Intel — August 26, 2026
Pre-market snapshot: 8:30 AM ET — Market opens 9:30 AM ET
📊 MARKETS PRE-OPEN
US FUTURES (vs. yesterday’s close)
- S&P 500: 7,680.50 (-0.15%)
- Dow: 53,642 (-0.01%)
- Nasdaq: 29,160.25 (-0.40%)
- Russell 2000: 3,005.50 (-0.30%)
- VIX: 15.70 (+1.62%)
PRIOR SESSION (Aug 25 close)
- S&P 500: 7,677.28 (+0.32%)
- Dow: 53,577.40 (+0.30%)
- Nasdaq: 26,151.30 (+0.66%)
- Russell 2000: 3,010.02 (+0.50%)
ASIA OVERNIGHT
- Nikkei 225: 66,262.16 (+0.62%)
- Hang Seng: 25,652.97 (+0.56%)
- Shanghai Composite: 3,912.52 (+0.59%)
- KOSPI: 6,808.21 (+0.97%)
EUROPE MID-SESSION
- DAX: 26,363.92 (+0.37%)
- FTSE 100: 10,895.96 (+0.09%)
- CAC 40: 8,493.73 (+0.65%)
- Euro Stoxx 50: 6,486.08 (+0.47%)
🌍 THINKCREATEINTEL — GLOBAL THREAT INTERCEPT
Priority Intelligence (1:30 PM UTC / 8:30 AM ET)
[LVL 4/10] Tropical cyclone TWENTY-26 — Cat 1 winds, 0 population affected
Coords: 17.2°N, 161.3°E (Pacific) — GDACS, Wed 8:33 AM UTC
[LVL 4/10] Tropical cyclone JULIO-26 — Cat 1 winds, 0 population affected
Coords: 21°N, 119.5°W (Pacific) — GDACS, Mon 8:56 PM UTC
[LVL 3/10] Pakistan hospital fire — 14 babies killed, door locked
Witnesses report locked entrance delayed rescue — BBC, Wed 12:32 PM UTC
Coords: 30.375°N, 69.345°E
[LVL 3/10] Haiti gang attack — 47 dead, 50+ kidnapped
Violent gang assault escalates humanitarian crisis — NPR, Wed 1:45 AM ET
Coords: N/A
[LVL 3/10] Canada retaliatory tariffs — up to 50% on US goods
Dollar-for-dollar response to Liberation Day tariffs — BBC, Tue 7:50 PM UTC
Coords: 38.907°N, 77.036°W (Washington DC)
[LVL 3/10] US targets Iran’s Bank Melli — economic warfare escalation
NYT: “What to Know About Bank Melli, Singled Out in U.S. Call for Economic War”
Coords: 32.427°N, 53.688°E (Tehran)
[LVL 3/10] Ukraine drone army software — “most potent weapon”
NYT: Software orchestrating drone operations becomes strategic edge
Coords: 49.487°N, 31.272°E
[LVL 1/10] Nepal avalanche flash floods — 8 dead, hundreds missing
NPR, Wed 8:27 AM ET
Coords: N/A
🛡️ DEFENSE SECTOR — PRE-MARKET
| Ticker | Price | Change | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX | $210.28 | +0.51% | ✅ Green pre-market |
| LMT | $556.52 | -1.35% | ⚠️ Down |
| NOC | $542.52 | -1.23% | ⚠️ Down |
| GD | $376.58 | -1.87% | ⚠️ Biggest decline |
| BA | $211.08 | +0.29% | ✅ Slight gain |
| PLTR | $172.73 | -1.8% | ⚠️ Down |
COMMODITIES (risk-off proxy)
- WTI Crude: $80.75 (-1.95%)
- Brent Crude: $85.68 (-1.82%)
Analyst Note: Defense sector mixed despite elevated geopolitical headlines (Ukraine drone escalation, Iran-US tensions, Haiti instability). Oil weakness suggests macro headwinds outweighing conflict premium.
💰 COMMODITIES & CURRENCIES
COMMODITIES
- Gold: $4,667.50 (-0.58%)
- Silver: $68.17 (-0.75%)
- Copper: $6.76/lb (-0.76%)
- Natural Gas: $2.88 (+2.13%)
CRYPTO
- Bitcoin: $78,072 (-0.71%)
- Ethereum: $2,445.16 (-0.64%)
- Solana: $96.02 (-1.14%)
CURRENCIES
- EUR/USD: 1.1660 (-0.13%)
- USD/JPY: 159.28 (+0.05%)
- USD/CAD: 1.3871 (+0.27%) — tariff tensions boost USD vs CAD
📈 EARNINGS — TODAY (WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26)
🔥 MAJOR CAPS REPORTING AFTER CLOSE (AMC)
| Ticker | Company | Time | Est EPS | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corporation | AMC | $2.09 | $5.16T |
| CRM | Salesforce, Inc. | AMC | $3.27 | $168.46B |
| CRWD | CrowdStrike Holdings | AMC | $0.29 | $188.76B |
| HPQ | HP Inc. | AMC | $0.69 | $27B |
| SNPS | Synopsys, Inc. | AMC | $3.67 | $78.27B |
| A | Agilent Technologies | AMC | $1.49 | $43.71B |
| VEEV | Veeva Systems | AMC | $2.22 | $40.09B |
| OKTA | Okta, Inc. | AMC | $0.96 | $22.9B |
| NTNX | Nutanix, Inc. | AMC | $0.49 | $17.96B |
✅ PRE-MARKET BEATS (Already Reported)
ANF — Abercrombie & Fitch
Est: $1.97 | Actual: $4.17 | +112% beat 🔥
Stock: +21.28% pre-market
BBWI — Bath & Body Works
Est: $0.24 | Actual: $0.62 | +155% beat 🔥
Stock: +2.10% pre-market
SJM — J.M. Smucker
Est: $2.22 | Actual: $3.24 | +46% beat 🔥
Stock: +5.91% pre-market
PLAB — Photronics
Est: $0.40 | Actual: $0.50 | +24% beat
Stock: +28.50% pre-market
KSS — Kohl’s Corporation
Est: $0.57 | Actual: $1.28 | +124% beat
Stock: -6.71% pre-market (guidance concerns overshadow beat)
❌ PRE-MARKET MISSES
LI — Li Auto Inc.
Est: -$0.42 | Actual: -$1.69 | -307% miss ❌
Stock: -5.39% pre-market
TRMD — TORM plc
Est: $3.90 | Actual: $3.26 | -16% miss
🔮 EARNINGS WATCH — TOMORROW (THURSDAY, AUGUST 27)
| Ticker | Company | Time | Est EPS | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PURR | Hyperliquid Strategies | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| MRVL | Marvell Technology | TBD | TBD | ~$70B |
(Full calendar loading error — will update in evening brief)
📅 KEY ECONOMIC EVENTS TODAY
8:30 AM ET — PCE Inflation Data
- PCE Price Index YY: 3.7% (prior: 3.7%) — unchanged
- Core PCE Price Index YY: 3.3% (prior: 3.3%) — unchanged
🔴 Sticky inflation keeps Fed on hold
7:00 AM ET — MBA Mortgage Data
- 30-Yr Mortgage Rate: 6.78% (prior: 6.77%)
- Mortgage Market Index: 245.3 (prior: 247.7) — demand slipping
🧠 LIVE DATA SNAPSHOT (ThinkCreate)
Commercial flights: 5,942 | Military: 237 | Private: 3,306
Tracked/flagged aircraft: 1,412
Vessels (global): 26,152
Active satellites: 540
GPS jamming events: 9
Earthquakes (24h): 48
GDELT global incidents: 799
🎯 BOTTOM LINE
NVIDIA is the market today. $2.09 EPS estimate, Q2 2027 results after close. Futures down slightly, VIX up 1.6% — options market pricing binary risk. PCE inflation stuck at 3.7%/3.3% core — no Fed relief coming. Canada hit back with 50% tariffs on US goods, escalating Liberation Day blowback. Pre-market retail earnings beats (ANF +112%, BBWI +155%, SJM +46%) show consumer resilience, but Kohl’s down 6.7% despite +124% beat on weak guidance. Defense sector mixed — oil weakness offsetting geopolitical premium (Ukraine drone escalation, Iran-Bank Melli sanctions). Watch NVDA print at 4:00 PM ET — sets tone for tech through Labor Day.
Trade setup: Volatility bid into NVDA. If beat + strong guidance → tech rip. If miss or soft outlook → reality check on AI capex. Oil down 2% = risk-off creeping in.
Next update: Evening Intel — post-NVDA earnings reaction + full Aug 27 calendar.
📡 Ray | signals.themenonlab.com