Paid advertisement The Associated Press recently reported that Minneapolis-based retailer Target TGT “will no longer accept personal checks from shoppers." While the written check, whose use dates back to the early eleventh century, may be going the way of the Dodo bird, the transaction accounts from which checks are drawn remain an important part of the American banking system Checking accounts in America have not changed since 1974. That's when a handful of small banks in New England began paying interest on checking account balances "Everyone thinks the checking account is a commodity," says Bill Harris, founder of Evergreen Money. "What we have done is take the basic checking account that comes with a debit card and everything you expect and need, and sweep the balance into U.S. Treasury bills."

On Tuesday, August 20th, U.S. stock markets closed lower, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow all experiencing modest declines, breaking an eight-day winning streak. This downturn comes as investors take a cautious pause ahead of the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, where global central bank representatives will convene. Among the 11 major sectors within the S&P 500, energy stocks experienced the steepest decline, while consumer staples were the top performers, gaining 0.5% Eli Lilly’s LLY shares rose 3.1% after its weight-loss drug Zepbound significantly reduced Type 2 diabetes risk. Palo Alto Networks PANW jumped 7.2% on strong fiscal 2025 forecasts, while Boeing fell 4.2% following an FAA directive for its 787 Dreamline The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.15% and closed at 40,834.97. The S&P 500 ended the day lower by 0.20% at 5,597.12, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.33%, finishing the session at 17,816.94 Eurozone at 06:15 AM E

Cryptocurrency markets are up as a policy adviser to Kamala Harris’ campaign stated that she will back any measures to assist in digital assets' growth. The response came when asked about the VP's efforts to engage the crypto community. Notable Developments Top Gainers Trader Notes: Crypto trader TradeButWhy noted that despite the three weeks since dump, his confidence has increased: CrediBULL Crypto predicts a “big breakout/squeeze to $63,000.” He believes the move is driven by a pretty relentless spot bid on Coinbase andconcluded, “If we do top here soon I am still interested in longs at $55,000-$56,000. If we continue to push will be looking for short again somewhere above $64,000.”

Click here to be part of GoodWag's crowdfunding campaign Investment firm Morgan Stanley MS says that the consumption habits of millennials, Gen Xers and Gen Zers could be bullish for the U.S. economy through the 2040s. This is one of the current trends that appear to be picking up in GoodWag's favor GoodWag is a woman-owned business based in Santa Barbara, California that believes it is tapping into an underserved market and creating essential solutions for pet owners. The company's flagship product, PooPail, is made in the USA, and the company says it is the "world's first" two-in-one system for cleaning and storing dog waste GoodWag founder, Sandy Stinson, says her company is "the go-to company when your dog goes number two." She adds that PooPail is a product designed to "speed up and simplify pet poop cleanup while eliminating plastic and single-use bags." The definition of a nuclear family has traditionally meant a married couple with children. Today, it could refer to any couple of people with pets. The Pew Research Center says that 13% of millennials with a spouse don't have children

Shares of Nvidia Corp. NVDA, the poster child of the artificial intelligence revolution, have seen some volatility in recent sessions along with the recent broader market. What Happened: Steve Grasso, a Wall Street trader and market analyst, said Tuesday that he now does not hold a position in Nvidia. “Just sold the balance of my $NVDA currently holding 0 Judging on price action I'll decide on re-entering,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter One of his followers probed as to when he would re-enter the stock, Grasso said, “Depends on the discount. I'm going to let it trade a bit.” On Monday, after Nvidia surged back to $130 from the $103 level it fell to during the Aug. 5 market downturn, Grasso revealed he had sold off 50% of his Nvidia shares. The founder of Grasso Global said he had bought the shares for $100 and would typically have sold 100% of them. “Feel as if it might have some juice left into earnings,” he said Why It’s Important: The next big catalyst for Nvidia is on Friday when Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to deliver his Jackson Hole Symposium address. Given that the stock has led the market, either on its way up or down, it is likely that Powell’s speech could have ramifications for the stock

Toll Brothers Inc TOL reported third-quarter financial results that topped analyst expectations after the market close on Tuesday. Here’s a look at how the homebuilder fared during quarter. Q3 Earnings: Toll Brothers reported third-quarter revenue of $2.73 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 billion, according to Benzinga Pro. The luxury homebuilder reported adjusted earnings of $3.60 per share, beating analyst estimates of $3.31 per share Home sales revenues were up 2% year-over-year to $2.72 billion as homes delivered jumped 11% to 2,814. Net signed contract value increased 11% year-over-year and contracted homes grew 11% to 2,490. Toll Brothers ended the quarter with a backlog of $7.07 billion, down 10% year-over-year “Net signed contracts were up year-over-year approximately 11% in both units and dollars, with July being our strongest month in the quarter. We are also encouraged by our solid deposit and traffic activity through the first three weeks of August,” said Douglas Yearley Jr., chairman and CEO of Toll Brothers See Also: Jackson Hole Preview: 5 Important Questions Ahead Of Jerome Powell’s Fed Speech

Bitcoin investors showed their resilience when the flagship cryptocurrency got caught up in recent broader market volatility that sent the BTC price below $60,000. Investors rotated out of Big Tech recently amid economic and market uncertainty, but they may still have their eye on the AI and data center prize, which could bode well for Bitcoin miners and other companies operating in this arena.  Institutional investors reportedly bought the Bitcoin dip as $245 million in inflows moved into spot Bitcoin ETFs during the summer doldrums. While Bitcoin ETFs only recently made their debut, many investors seem to have proven their willingness to endure market swings. One company strategically positioning itself in the Bitcoin space is Bitdeer Technologies Group BTDR, which continues to advance its roadmap in 2024 Bitdeer has published its production and operations update for July, during which time it hit several key milestones. Among the highlights was the fact that Bitdeer mined 181 Bitcoins compared with 179 in June. Additionally, the company reports that it solidified a key engagement with Tier 3 and 4 data center consultant TLM Group, inched closer to the monetization of its power portfolio and proved to be on pace for the deployment of its Bitcoin self-mining ASIC chips Investors looking to gain exposure to Bitcoin but not prepared to directly buy into the asset class may want to investigate Bitdeer's stock, which they can learn more about her In July, mass production of Bitdeer's new mining chip, dubbed SEAL01, the powerhouse for the SEALMINER A1 mining rig series, remained on track while the company implemented air cooling and hydro cooling capabilities

Amazon Web Services CEO, Matt Garman, reportedly hinted at the possibility of artificial intelligence taking over a significant portion of coding tasks. What Happened: Garman’s remarks, made during a fireside chat in June, were not intended as a grim forecast but rather as a gentle push for software engineers, reported Business Insider, citing a recording of the meeting obtained by them “If you go forward 24 months from now, or some amount of time — I can’t exactly predict where it is — it’s possible that most developers are not coding,” said Garman The AWS CEO, who assumed his role in June, envisions a shift in the role of a software developer. He stressed that a developer’s skill set extends beyond coding to include innovation and creating engaging products for end users Garman’s comments come at a time when the potential of AI to transform or even replace jobs is a hot topic

The rivalry between Novo Nordisk A/S NVO and Eli Lilly and Co LLY has heated up as both companies vie for dominance in the booming obesity-drug market. But for investors, the real story may lie beyond just weight-loss treatments. While Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, have garnered significant attention, both companies are laying the groundwork for broader growth Novo Nordisk’s CEO, Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, has hinted at the company’s ambitions beyond its current portfolio, emphasizing a growing focus on cardioembolic diseases, reported CNBC. The move seemingly aims to leverage its expertise in diabetes and obesity to capture new markets Eli Lilly, meanwhile, is not just riding the wave of organic demand for its weight-loss drugs but is also making strategic moves in oncology and diabetes management. CEO David Ricks highlighted the “unbelievable demand” for their offerings, driven largely by organic consumer interest rather than aggressive marketing. But this demand surge is just the beginning, suggesting a diversified approach that could shield it from market fluctuations In contrast, Novo Nordisk continues to struggle with supplying Wegovy to the U.S. market. This could give Eli Lilly a significant advantage in the near term, but the long-term impact will depend on how each company manages these challenges