USDA’s NASS slashed its August corn yield estimate to 180.7 bushels per acre and lowered projected ending stocks, tightening the supply outlook. The agency raised planted area by 1.4 million acres, but the revised balance sheet still sparked a sharp rally. CmdtyView’s national average cash corn price rose 20.25 cents to $4.2725, while CBOT December corn gained 20.25 cents to $4.8075. EIA data showed ethanol output edged up to 1.117 million barrels per day and inventories also increased slightly.

The USDA’s August Crop Production report raised U.S. cotton planted area by 0.62 million acres to 10.47 million, while trimming the production outlook by 90,000 bales to 13.61 million. Markets focused on the prospect of higher supply, and ICE cotton futures fell 60–70 points on Wednesday, according to the USDA report. The U.S. dollar index edged higher and crude oil prices were little changed. New-crop ending stocks were cut by 100,000 bales to 4 million, while U.S. spot sales totaled 517 bales at an average price of 75.24 cents.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projected corn yield at 180.7 bushels per acre in its Crop Production and WASDE reports, below market expectations. The agency also raised planted acreage by 1.4 million acres to 96.7 million and harvested acreage by 1.2 million to 88.6 million. Production was estimated at 16.013 billion bushels, up 13 million bushels from the July WASDE figure but nearly 80 million bushels above the market’s average estimate. Corn futures rose 12 to 13 cents by midday, while the national average cash corn price gained 13 cents to $4.2075 per bushel.

Robinhood’s event-contracts revenue surged more than tenfold year over year to $156 million, surpassing crypto revenue for the first time. Gold subscriptions reached a record 4.8 million members, and Gold Card holders topped 1 million. The company’s Trump Accounts product drew 7 million signups. Total revenue rose 32% to a record $1.3 billion, while HOOD shares are down 17% over the past year, trailing Interactive Brokers and the S&P 500.

Mark Cuban has warned that Nvidia is effectively financing much of the AI boom, and IREN is cited as a clear example. Nvidia holds a five-year option to buy up to 30 million IREN shares, a potential $2.1 billion investment, and has also signed a separate five-year $3.4 billion cloud-services agreement under which IREN supplies GPU computing power. The contract sets a revenue floor of roughly $680 million a year for IREN, even as the company posted $144.8 million of revenue in its most recent quarter and spent $1.36 billion on capital expenditures. IREN reported its fiscal 2026 third-quarter results on May 7.

US July CPI rose 3.4% year on year, down from 3.5%, while core CPI eased to 2.5% with moderate monthly gains. The inflation data came in softer than the prior reading, pushing markets to price a lower probability of a Fed rate hike in September, falling to 39% from 51%. Risk sentiment improved, lifting the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 alongside a rise in Treasury prices.

Bank of America downgraded AppLovin to “Neutral,” sending the stock down nearly 6% to $319. The move followed second-quarter results in which revenue rose 53% year over year to $1.92 billion and adjusted EBITDA increased 58% to $1.61 billion, but both fell short of management’s guidance. The miss has fueled doubts about AppLovin’s long-run pledge of 30% annual revenue growth, with analysts questioning whether gains tied to its self-learning algorithms can be sustained.

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen may abandon a $56 billion proposal to acquire eBay, a move analysts say could reduce financial strain and be supportive for GME shares. GameStop, which has an $8.43 billion market capitalization, had planned to fund the deal with cash and stock while raising up to $20 billion in financing. Cohen already holds about a 9.8% economic stake in eBay via GameStop, allowing him to retain strategic influence. GME shares fell 1.93% on Monday, near a more-than-two-year low.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest recently sold about $17 million worth of Palantir shares, even as PLTR has surged 37% over the past month. The company posted a strong Q2, with revenue of $1.94 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.41, both topping Wall Street expectations. Palantir also raised its FY26 guidance and reported adjusted free cash flow of $1.2 billion.