CNBC Daily Open: A different September market

September has been far from an ideal month for U.S. stocks for the past several years, with the S&P 500 dropping during the month in four of the past five years. 

This time, though, things seem to be better, supported by a flurry of upbeat economic data — including a 3.8% second-quarter GDP growth and jobless claims that suggest a resilient labor market.

With a couple of days still to go, will the markets finally get to end the month on a positive note, even as U.S. President Donald Trump continues with his aggressive tariff policy?

On Friday, Trump unveiled sweeping new tariffs, including on furniture, adding fresh uncertainty to an already jittery market. While on Friday investors appeared to shrug off tariffs, the weekly close told a different story: caution is creeping back in.

Inflation data came in line with expectations, which should’ve been a relief. But in a twist, strong economic signals could actually keep the Fed from cutting rates, reining in market bulls. Good news can be bad news for markets.

Still, the S&P 500 is up 2.84% so far this month — and if all goes well, it looks like the September jinx will be broken this year.

The Middle East could benefit from higher H-1B fees. As Trump hikes fees for H-1B visas, the Gulf region’s sustained push to become the next global artificial intelligence hub could see it outflank other geographies as it snaps up foreign talent that faces an uncertain future in the U.S.

Vance confident TikTok is ‘successfully separated’. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said he is optimistic about the future of TikTok in the U.S., saying “we have successfully separated this company from TikTok global and actually made it so that we can control people’s data security.” TikTok has long faced concerns about its data collection practices and parent company ByteDance’s relationship with the Chinese government.

Buffett Indicator at all time high. Warren Buffett’s one-time favorite yardstick for stock market valuations has climbed to an all-time high, reviving fears that investors are once again testing the limits of market exuberance.

Markets see a rally. All three major U.S. indexes climbed on Friday, but still finished the week lower following the release of crucial inflation data.  Over in Asia, markets were mostly up, with Hong Kong, China, and South Korea in positive territory, but Japan and Taiwan seeing losses. 

[PRO] Intel leads the list of most overbought stocks. The chipmaker’s shares may be getting a bit long in the tooth, at least in the near term. Intel rallied over 20% in the past week and seen a year-to-date gain of nearly 80%. However, this puts the stock is now even deeper into overbought territory.

China’s stock market has been on a roll — is it a boom or a bubble?

China’s stock market has seen a sharp rally this year as progress on artificial-intelligence, steps aimed at gaining chip self-sufficiency and Beijing’s campaign to rein in price wars fuel investor optimism.

The mainland CSI 300 index has climbed about 16% since the start of the year and is hovering close to more than three-year highs.

But as retail investors push the market higher, and bulls cheer liquidity support and policy tailwinds, some experts are raising questions if the market is entering bubble territory.

— Lee Ying Shan