US Market Key News Summary August 18, 2026

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U.S. ADP Employment Report

U.S. July New Home Construction Rate

Chip stocks rose broadly on Monday (17th), as a series of fresh developments strengthened investor belief in the sustainability of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Micron Technology (MU-US) climbed 4.1% on Monday. According to Dow Jones market data, Micron posted gains for five consecutive trading sessions, with a cumulative increase of 17.5%, marking its longest winning streak since January this year. SanDisk (SNDK-US) surged 8.9% on Monday. Other storage equipment manufacturers also advanced, with Western Digital (WDC-US) rising 5.4% and Seagate Technology (STX-US) up 2.2%.

SpaceX's major shareholders have finally been revealed. Latest filing documents show that Alphabet (GOOGL-US), Fidelity Investments, NVIDIA (NVDA-US), and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) all hold substantial stakes in SpaceX. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of shares held by early investors are being gradually unlocked from trading restrictions, raising market concerns over whether the resulting supply surge could dampen the recent rebound.

Jensen Huang estimates that OpenAI's data center could bring NVIDIA $600 billion in business opportunities. NVIDIA (NVDA-US) briefly edged higher during Monday's (17th) session but ultimately closed lower. Investors appear cautiously optimistic about the chip giant's support for OpenAI's large-scale data center investment plan. On Monday, NVIDIA confirmed it will provide financial backing for OpenAI's massive data center campus, PORTS-Pike Technology Campus, in Ohio, USA.

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro to launch next month—six key upgrades revealed. Apple is expected to unveil its next-generation iPhone lineup next month. While the first foldable iPhone, 'iPhone Ultra,' is drawing attention, the primary sales drivers will remain the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Based on current supply chain and Wall Street reports, the new models are expected to feature upgrades across six areas: design, chip, camera, battery life, camera controls, and in-house developed modems.

Tied to Microsoft yet offering a 7% yield—$8 billion pours into AI data center bonds. Demand for 'Project Odyssey' data center bonds linked to Microsoft (MSFT-US) has been robust. With subscription interest exceeding $8 billion, the issuance size may increase by approximately $1 billion to $3.9 billion, reflecting how near-junk bond level high yields successfully attracted investors. Sources indicate the bonds will be issued through a subsidiary of QTS Realty Trust, a data center operator backed by Blackstone (BX-US), with proceeds funding a data center project in Georgia. After several days of roadshows, market demand has more than doubled the originally planned issuance size, creating room for expansion.