NVIDIA shares hit a record high of more than $237 on Friday morning, lifting the company’s market value to about $5.7 trillion and pushing it closer to the $6 trillion milestone. The rally has been supported by expectations that demand for AI agents will boost semiconductor demand. The company has gained about 27% so far this year and announced a record $150 billion increase to its stock buyback plan. CEO Jensen Huang’s net worth rose to $203.2 billion, making him the world’s seventh-richest person.

Bitcoin fell below the $80,000 mark, down 3.5% on the day, as strong U.S. employment data reinforced expectations of a September rate hike by the Federal Reserve and pushed the dollar higher. The stronger dollar weighed on risk assets, dragging crypto-related stocks lower. Coinbase fell nearly 4%, while Strategy Inc. and Circle Internet Group each slipped about 2%. Fed Governor Christopher Waller suggested he could support keeping rates steady if inflation continues to cool down.

Indian sugar prices are currently around ₹46 per kg ex-mill, prompting mills to favor sugar production over ethanol because it offers better returns. As of August 17, whole rates rose to about ₹45.2–45.25 per kg as deficient rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka weighed on output while domestic demand remained strong. For the 2025-26 sugar year, India’s total sugarcane diversion to ethanol is estimated at three million tons, including about 0.9 million tons that directly supports the government’s E20 blending program.

A surprise decline in U.S. nonfarm payrolls for July, combined with earlier softer inflation readings, has cooled expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike in September, with implied odds falling to 33% from 47%. Gold prices have risen toward the $4,400 level in response. The Fed’s minutes from its July meeting are due on Wednesday and are expected to offer additional clues on the policy outlook. In India, physical gold discounts widened to their highest in more than two months as higher bullion prices weighed on demand.

Anthropic projects revenue of $190$200 billion by 2028, according to a report. By Q2 2026, the company expects revenue of at least $10.9 billion, more than doubling from the prior quarter. It is also forecast to post its first quarterly operating profit of $559 million. The projections are framed against public-market valuation benchmarks, including Palantir at 53 times this year’s expected revenue and SpaceX and Cloudflare at 41.6 times expected 2026 revenue.