Investopedia Markets News (all except PF)

• McDonald’s plans to invest up to $8.5 billion by 2036 to help franchisees modernize restaurants and improve operations.
• The company said greater efficiency could boost the average U.S. restaurant’s annual cash flow by $100,000.

McDonald’s said it plans to spend billions of dollars over the next decade to improve restaurants. Shareholders don’t seem too keen on the idea.

McDonald’s (MCD) shares were down nearly 6% in recent trading, leading Dow Jones Industrial Average decliners after the company unveiled the plan and other initiatives at its investor day Wednesday.

McDonald’s told shareholders it will offer $8.5 billion in support through 2036 to help franchisees “accelerate restaurant modernization, technology deployment and operational improvements.”

The fast-food chain said it believes improvements in efficiency could mean “roughly $100,000 in annual cash flow benefits for the average U.S. restaurant, the majority of which is expected to benefit the restaurant’s bottom line over time.”

The Chicago-based company also said it expects a low-to-mid 50% operating margin range by 2030, and that it’s targeting “1.5 percentage points of market share gains in both chicken and beverage categories by 2030 while maintaining its leadership position in beef.”

With Wednesday’s drop, McDonald’s shares have lost more than 20% of their value since the start of the year.

• Activist investor Jana Partners is pressuring Six Flags to explore a potential sale.
• Six Flags has seen widening losses as it works to turn around its business.

One of America’s biggest amusement park chains faces pressure to sell its business.

Activist investor Jana Partners is calling for Six Flags Entertainment’s (FUN) board to pursue a sale after the struggling amusement park operator’s results disappointed, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Jana did not respond to an Investopedia request for comment in time for publication. A spokesperson for Six Flags told Investopedia the company remains “committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders.”

Six Flags has seen widening losses as it works to turn around its business. Last month, Six Flags reported a loss of $203 million, compared to $100 million a year ago. Its revenue dropped 9% to $864.92 million. 

Jana Partners announced last October that it was teaming up with other investors, including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, to push for changes at Six Flags. In November, the amusement park operator hired John Reilly as its new CEO, in a move that Jana applauded. In March, the company announced a deal to sell seven of its parks to EPR Properties (EPR) for $331 million, along with a partnership for Kelce to serve as a brand ambassador for the company.

Six Flags shares were up less than 1% Wednesday afternoon, leaving them down nearly 20% for 2026 and close to 50% over the last 12 months. 

This article has been updated since it was first published to include a statement from Six Flags and reflect more recent prices.

News of the day for Sept. 23, 2026

Stock futures are pointing to modest declines this morning after two straight record closes for the Nasdaq; the AI rally that has powered the Nasdaq this week is stumbling today; Meta is expected to announce updates to its AI products and smart glasses at its annual Connect event; Apple is nearing a $5 trillion market cap; and Six Flags stock is rising following a report that an activist investor is pushing the amusement park operator to sell itself. Here’s what you need to know today.

Stock futures are down slightly this morning as chip stocks lose ground after two days of gains that powered the tech-heavy Nasdaq to record highs. Nasdaq futures were down 0.3% recently, while futures tied to the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. The major indexes were mixed yesterday, with the Dow posting a small decline while the S&P was flat and the Nasdaq climbed to a second straight record close. WTI crude oil futures were little-changed at $90.50 per barrel in recent trading. Bitcoin, which has rallied over the past week, traded around $85,500, down from an overnight high of $87,300, while Gold futures were down 0.6% to $4,350 an ounce. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was at 4.99%, up from 4.97% at yesterday’s close.

The AI rally that has sent the Nasdaq to record highs has stalled this morning. After posting sizable gains in each of the last two sessions, shares of Intel (INTC), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Micron (MU), Sandisk (SNDK) and other chipmakers are losing ground in premarket trading. Enthusiasm around Meta Platforms’ (META) newest AI product and fading worries about last week’s talk of an AI development slowdown helped boost chip stocks this week, but fears about the sustainability of the sector’s financing are likely to continue spurring volatility for AI stocks. The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) and the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) were each down more than 1% in recent premarket trading.

Meta is in the spotlight as it holds its annual Connect event, where it is expected to provide updates to its product lineup. Analysts are looking for news on Meta’s AI development plans following this month’s largely successful release of its Muse personal agent. The company could also announce updates to its smart glasses, including a version with no camera, as the glasses have become a target of criticism amid growing reports of people using them to film others without consent. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to give a keynote address at 7 p.m. ET today, with more events focused on software developers set for tomorrow. Meta shares, which recently rallied to their highest point since last October, were little-changed ahead of the opening bell.

Apple (AAPL) is approaching the record highs it set back in July, when it closed above $340 for the first time ever and briefly recaptured the title of the world’s most valuable company from Nvidia (NVDA). The iPhone maker set a new intraday high yesterday at $345, also briefly pushing it back above the $5 trillion market cap threshold for the first time since that July rally. Shares closed at $339.75, giving the tech titan a market cap of about $4.96 trillion. Positive reactions to Apple’s latest iPhones, including the foldable iPhone Duo, have boosted shares as investors buy into new CEO John Ternus’ plans to continue Apple’s growth. Apple shares, which have gained 25% since the start of the year, were up slightly ahead of the opening bell. If Apple closes with a $5 trillion market cap, it will join Nvidia as the only companies with a market value above that threshold.

Shares of Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) are rising this morning on a report that the amusement park operator could be for sale. The Wall Street Journal reported late Tuesday that activist investor Jana Partners has called for the Six Flags board to hire an investment bank to pursue a sale. Jana Partners, along with other investors including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, invested in Six Flags last October to push for changes. The Journal reported that Six Flags’ latest earnings disappointed the activist investors. Last month, Six Flags reported a 9% drop in revenue to $865 million, with a net loss that widened to $203 million from $100 million a year ago. Six Flags shares were up 2% in recent premarket trading.

• Costco is set to report earnings Thursday afternoon, with traders expecting the stock could move 3% in either direction by the end of the week.
• Analysts expect Costco to report rising sales and profits, but warned it could be challenged to impress investors with its results.

Costco is set to report earnings later this afternoon, with traders expecting a move that could drag the stock back near where it started the year.

Based on current options pricing, Costco (COST) shares are seen swinging up to 3% in either direction by the end of the week. A move of that size from the stock’s recent level just under $900 could drag the shares below $875, erasing much of their year-to-date gains, or push them up to about $925.

Costco shares are up less than 5% for the year so far, after a big pullback from their May record. Though the retailer’s shares got a boost earlier this year as inflation-weary consumers flocked to the wholesaler in search of deals, they’ve taken a hit after results that failed to top lofty targets.

Despite signs that Costco’s value proposition is resonating with consumers, it could be challenged to impress investors in the face of macroeconomic headwinds.

Ahead of the results, Bank of America analysts trimmed their price target to $1,095 from $1,200, citing a “more cautious” view of Costco’s margins amid high fuel costs and the likelihood that Costco will use tariff refunds to cut prices. UBS analysts said investors could also be more focused on Costco’s membership growth.

Costco is projected to report a record $94.85 billion in fiscal fourth-quarter revenue, up 10% year-over-year. Earnings per share are seen coming in at $6.52, compared to $5.87 a year ago, per Visible Alpha estimates. Comparable store sales are expected to have grown 8.88%, while Costco’s membership base likely swelled to 84.68 million, up from 81 million a year ago.

Wall Street analysts remain largely bullish on Costco. Seven of the 11 analysts tracked by Visible Alpha consider the stock a “buy,” while three hold neutral ratings and just one advises selling. Their mean target of $1,048 would suggest 16% upside from Wednesday’s close.

This article has been updated since it was first published to reflect more recent prices.

Episode 313 of the Express Podcast With Caleb Silver (Sept. 21, 2026)

Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / PlayerFM

The autumn wind is blowing in, and it’s taking interest rates higher as the Federal Reserve boosted the overnight lending rate by a quarter point last week, as expected. Investors may be getting used to higher-for-longer interest rates and inflation, as the stock market has been running in place for over a month. It’s the bond market that everyone is focused on, and it’s the focus of Robin Wigglesworth‘s new book, “A Fabulous Debt.” He joins the Express to discuss the history of bonds and why they are so pivotal amid the geopolitical tensions that define 2026. Plus, Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire’s chairman, but his legend continues.

• Jefferies analysts boosted their target for Meta’s stock on optimism around the company’s new Muse AI agent.
• Muse “has all the signs of a killer app,” Jefferies wrote, citing “unprecedented” adoption by consumers.

Early signs of success from Meta’s Muse AI agent have Wall Street analysts growing more bullish on the stock, with some now anticipating a run to new highs. 

Jefferies analysts lifted their price target for Meta (META) shares to $875 from $710 in a note yesterday, well above the Street’s $782 consensus. The shares were little changed at $742 in recent trading, leaving the stock about 7% off last August’s record around $796. 

The analysts told clients they believe Meta’s Muse “has all the signs of a killer app,” calling it “better than many gave META credit for” and citing “unprecedented” adoption by consumers in the wake of this month’s launch. 

That could lead to an “outsized monetization opportunity” for Meta from subscriptions and commerce that “flips the narrative” around Meta’s competitiveness, wrote Jefferies. 

Analysts at JPMorgan recently upgraded Meta’s stock to “overweight” and lifted their price target to $820 from $640 as well, pointing to the early response to Muse and the potential for AI-driven growth.

Citi analysts have said this week’s Connect conference could also serve as a catalyst for gains, with Meta seen announcing updates to its AI strategy. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to give a keynote address at 7 p.m. ET tomorrow.

• Diesel fuel prices hit a fresh record high on Tuesday, as disruptions to supplies from the wars in Iran and Ukraine continued to push up energy costs.
• Rising fuel prices are likely to push up the cost of groceries and most other goods, as higher transportation costs are passed down the supply chain.
• High fuel prices could stoke inflation, at least in the short term, economists warned.

The soaring cost of diesel fuel is likely to find its way into all kinds of other prices.

The price of diesel fuel hit a record high Tuesday after renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran intensified the supply chain disruptions that have driven up energy costs this year. The national average of $6.53 per gallon is 77% more expensive than the same day last year.

In early September, the price surpassed the previous record set in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has set fresh records every day for the last two weeks according to AAA.

Even before the record high, economists had warned that rising fuel prices could result in higher inflation overall, at least in the short term.

Transportation costs are passed down the supply chain, ultimately reflected in the price tags on all kinds of products. In the U.S. economy, gasoline moves people, since most passenger cars run on gasoline, but diesel moves everything else: trucks, not to mention farm and construction equipment, run on diesel.

“U.S. diesel prices have never been this high. and now the countdown starts for the trickle down to everything consumers buy... record diesel will start funneling down into the economy,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at fuel price tracking site GasBuddy, wrote on social media last week.

Surging fuel prices risk pushing up inflation, which has run above the Fed’s 2% annual target for more than five years.

“Every other commodity is dirt plus diesel,” Jeffrey Currie, economist and founder of 1947 Oil and Gas, posted on social media last month.

Currie’s remark highlights the importance of diesel fuel prices to just about everything else in the economy, whether it’s metals dug up from the earth with the aid of diesel-powered machines or food grown in the dirt and harvested with the aid of tractors running on diesel.

“Diesel is the cost base of everything. Every container, every tractor, every locomotive, every mine truck - you get the idea,” he wrote. “That pass-through will reach into trucking, food and producer prices, and it is barely getting started.”

• Shopify shares surged on a partnership with Meta’s new AI agent, Muse.
• The partnership enables agentic checkout with Shop Pay on all Shopify stores.

Shopify stock is surging, thanks to a partnership with Meta’s hot new AI agent.

Shares of Shopify (SHOP) were up nearly 8% in recent trading, adding to yesterday’s 7% jump, sparked by Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke’s announcement that the company is partnering with Meta’s (META) new Muse personal agent. Meta shares were up about 1% recently, after jumping 11% yesterday.

“We are excited to announce we are partnering deeply with Muse to enable agentic checkout with Shop Pay on all Shopify stores, offering people an easy and delightful way to shop and check out with Muse,” Lutke posted on social media Monday afternoon. 

Deutsche Bank analysts called the partnership “strategically important” for Shopify, “because it provides another proof point that leading AI platforms are integrating with Shopify’s commerce infrastructure.”

Analysts have been bullish on early responses to Muse as well, with JPMorgan analysts writing Monday that they see it with “the potential to become the most widely used consumer AI application since ChatGPT.”

Not all shopping platforms are on board, however. Amazon (AMZN) has blocked Muse from completing purchases on its platform, a spokesperson for the company confirmed.

Even with Tuesday’s gains, Shopify shares are still down nearly 10% for the year, but are up more than 50% from their lowest point of the year back in May.

• Although gasoline prices remain below the record highs they hit in 2022, fuel prices are staying higher for longer than they did after prices spiked in 2022.
• The outlook for fuel prices is uncertain and depends on developments in the war between the U.S. and its allies and Iran, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Economists warn high fuel prices are posing increasing risks to the U.S. economy the longer they persist.

In February, a major power attacked a smaller country anticipating a swift victory. As the war dragged on, however, fighting disrupted supplies of crude oil and diesel and drove up fuel prices in global markets.

That was the story in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine and again in 2026 when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. In both cases, fuel prices surged to record highs, with major consequences for the U.S. and global economies. President Donald Trump invited comparisons between the two conflicts Sunday when he posted on social media that gasoline prices were higher in 2022 during the presidency of Joe Biden.

“Gas prices were much higher under Biden than under ‘TRUMP.’ So were almost all other prices,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

Indeed, gasoline prices are lower today than on June 14, 2022, when a gallon of regular unleaded averaged $5.02 nationwide according to data from AAA. (Every major category of living expenses besides energy is actually higher now than it was in 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.) As of Monday, gasoline averaged $4.48 a gallon, short of the 2022 record albeit well above the $2.98 average in February before the on-again, off-again conflict restricted oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and damaged energy facilities in the Middle East. In other ways, however, the fuel crisis today is harder on household budgets than it was in 2022.

High fuel prices have stoked inflation, forcing the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rate in an effort to push it down to its target of a 2% annual increase.

For one thing, the 2022 price spike subsided relatively soon after it began. At the same point in the 2022 crisis—205 days into the conflict as of Monday—the average price of gas had fallen steadily since its summer peak and had hit $3.68. By contrast, as of Monday, prices had gone up every day for two weeks and were approaching their 2026 high of $4.51.

Falling oil prices Monday offered some prospects for relief after a report Sunday that Trump was open to meeting the President of Iran at an upcoming meeting of the United Nations, even as Houthi fighters in Yemen launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, further threatening energy supplies from the Persian Gulf.

Despite the downtick in oil prices, few forecasters see a return to prewar prices on the horizon. In early September, the Energy Information Administration projected a gallon of gasoline would retail for $3.95 at the end of the year. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at gas price tracking site GasBuddy, noted in a newsletter that the outlook remains “deeply uncertain.”

Not only that, but the current conflict has been much more disruptive for diesel fuel supplies. At the beginning of September, the average diesel price broke its previous record high of $5.81 a gallon set in 2022 and has continued to shoot up, to a fresh high of $6.51 as of Monday. Because diesel is used in the production and transportation of almost everything consumers buy, diesel prices could ripple through the economy as producers pass along increased transportation costs, stoking inflation.

As higher fuel prices continue to seep through the economy and crowd out other items in household budgets, economists are warning they pose increasing risks for the broader economy. The U.S. avoided a widely predicted recession in 2022 and 2023, but that may not be the case again.

“While the U.S. economy has been amazingly resilient (so far), there’s no guarantee that it can continue to shake off the impact of the oil supply disruption caused by the war with Iran,” forecaster Robert Fry wrote in a commentary last week.

News of the day for Sept. 22, 2026

Stock futures are little-changed this morning following a tech rally that pushed the Nasdaq to a record close yesterday; the AI stocks that powered Monday’s rally are down slightly in premarket trading; Treasury yields are extending their recent pullback; Alibaba stock is climbing thanks to a new AI chip and data center expansion plans; and AutoZone stock is wavering after the auto parts retailer released quarterly results. Here’s what you need to know today.

Stock futures are inching higher this morning after jumping to open the week yesterday. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up around 0.3% in recent trading, while futures tracking the S&P 500 rose 0.1% and Nasdaq futures hovered near unchanged. The major indexes surged yesterday, pushing the Nasdaq to a record closing high, as AI stocks soared (more on that below). The S&P 500 enters today’s session just 0.4% away from a record high of its own. WTI crude oil futures are down nearly 3% at $93 per barrel, losing ground for the fifth straight day, despite few signs that the Iran war could be nearing an end. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which hit its highest level in nearly two decades last week, was at 4.93% recently, down from 4.96% at yesterday’s close (read more below). Bitcoin was trading around $86,000 this morning, down from yesterday’s peak of $87,400, its highest price since January. Gold futures were down 0.5% to $4,360 an ounce.

After getting off to a hot start for the week, many of yesterday’s biggest gainers are down slightly in premarket trading. Shares of Meta Platforms (META), which jumped 11% yesterday to their best close since last October, were down nearly 1% ahead of the opening bell Tuesday. Meta shares have been boosted lately by the release of the Muse personal AI agent, and in anticipation of the company’s annual Connect event this week. Shares of Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) were each down more than 1% this morning, after climbing 12% and 10%, respectively, on Monday. AMD’s market capitalization topped $1 trillion yesterday for the first time. The AI trade has been especially volatile lately amid concerns about the sustainability of financing in the sector, while a few AI companies have recently reconsidered the timing of their planned initial public offerings.

Yields on government bonds are down again this morning, further evidence that market participants welcome the Federal Reserve’s commitment to fighting inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which affects interest rates on all sorts of loans, was at 4.93% this morning, down from last week’s high of 5.04%, which marked its highest point since 2007. The Fed raised its benchmark rate last week for the first time in three years, and officials indicated that more hikes are on the way as the central bank aims to bring inflation back down to its 2% annual target. Investors will be paying close attention in the coming days to scheduled speaking appearances from Fed officials.

Shares of Alibaba (BABA) are rising this morning after the Chinese tech giant unveiled a new AI chip, and laid out plans to expand its data center footprint. The company said its newest chip, the Zhenwu V900, is three times as powerful as the previous version, while it also announced updates to several of its AI models. CEO Eddie Wu said the rise of “thinking” done by machines could eventually outpace human thought, an idea that is “turning intelligence into a commodity supplied at scale.” Wu said the company expects to surpass 20 gigawatts of computing capacity by 2032 to help it meet AI demand. Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares were up 3% in recent premarket trading.

AutoZone (AZO) shares are little changed after the auto parts retailer posted a mixed earnings report. AutoZone said this morning that it earned $56.05 per share in its fiscal fourth quarter, beating estimates. The retailer’s $6.59 billion in revenue and 2.7% same store sales growth fell short of estimates. Auto parts have been caught up in recent political fighting, as the tariffs the Trump administration has placed on Canadian imports will likely drive up the price of parts coming from the country. A few retailers have also started limiting the purchase of motor oil thanks to the supply chain disruptions caused by the Iran war. AutoZone shares wavered between slight gains and losses ahead of the opening bell, after entering the day down about 17% for the year.