🚀 US and China holding trade talks

Market Overview
Read time 1.4 minutes

Year To Date Performances:

1. U.S. and Chinese officials met in Madrid on Sunday to discuss trade frictions, the looming deadline for TikTok’s U.S. divestiture, and Washington’s push for allies to impose tariffs on China over its purchases of Russian oil. The talks, led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer alongside Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, mark the fourth round of negotiations in as many months, but expectations for a breakthrough remain low. Analysts believe the most likely outcome is another short-term extension of TikTok’s Sept. 17 divestiture deadline, with more substantive agreements potentially saved for a future Trump-Xi meeting at the APEC summit in October. While the U.S. presses Beijing to reduce exports, curb support for Russia, and address national security concerns, China is seeking relief on tariffs and export controls—gaps that may take years to bridge, leaving Spain to host what appears to be more groundwork-laying than deal-making.

2. A growing number of car buyers are finding themselves “underwater” on their auto loans, with 26.6% of trade-ins carrying negative equity in the second quarter of 2025, the highest in four years, according to Edmunds. On average, drivers owed $6,754 more than their vehicle’s worth, often because of long loan terms, small down payments, or rapid depreciation. The problem intensifies when owners try to trade in, sell, or total a car, since they must either pay the shortfall in cash or roll it into a new loan, further inflating future payments. Experts advise holding on to a car as long as possible, shopping around for pre-approved financing, and considering gap insurance to protect against losses. Still, the trend underscores how stretched household budgets and rising loan lengths are reshaping the car market.

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4. Saquon Barkley, fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles, has quietly become one of the NFL’s savviest investors, channelling millions of his nearly $80 million in career earnings into tech startups, venture funds, and real estate. The 28-year-old running back, inspired early by Marshawn Lynch’s strategy of living off endorsements while investing his NFL salary, has backed companies like Anthropic, Neuralink, and Polymarket, while also writing checks into Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. His risk tolerance has grown in recent years, highlighted by a 2021 bet on Strike and a decision to convert all his marketing income into bitcoin—an investment that has more than tripled in value. Though startup investing carries obvious risks, Barkley has diversified across traditional assets, real estate, and over 10 young companies, usually with $250,000 to $500,000 stakes. He says his goal is to turn the short window of his playing career into generational wealth, guided by his business manager’s network and his own founder-level due diligence on every deal.

   Headlines

   1. Stock futures are flat over the weekend after a record high close for the NASDAQ last week.

   2. Investors are increasingly becoming concerned about an AI stock bubble.