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Daily Finance & Markets Brief · August 19th
storyflo · finance and markets
Aug 19, 2026 · 7 min listen · Last updated August 19, 2026
From storyflo. This is your daily audio brief. Hey, Mason here. August 19th. The opening read — five stories that explain today's tape. Let's get into it. First, from Unusualwhales Newsletter. IMPORTANT: Unusual Whales and Siebert Financial Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch New Series of ETFs.
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Daily Finance & Markets Brief · August 19th
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IMPORTANT: Unusual Whales and Siebert Financial Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch New Series of ETFs
Siebert Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: SIEB) (“Siebert”), a diversified financial services company, and Unusual Whales, a financial data and market intelligence platform, today announced a strategic partnership to develop and launch a series of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Powell slams DOJ probe into his congressional testimony Gold and silver surge to new heights on news of the probe GOP rebel threatens to block all Fed picks Trump proposes a cap on credit card interest Bank stocks reel on credit card cap announcement DOW: 49514.93 (⬆️ 0.02%) S&P: 6975.63 (⬆️ 0.13%) NASDAQ: 23766.33 (⬆️ 0.40%) CBOE VIX Volatility Index: 15.10 (⬆️ 4.21%) Gold: $4614.80 (⬆️ 2.55%) Silver: $85.10 (⬆️ 7.21%) Bitcoin: $91,489 (⬆️ 1.13%) Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed Sunday that the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into his congressional…
Gold blasts to $5000 and shows no signs of stopping
Gold makes history yet again and its scaring people US Government secures yet another stake in Rare Earths Nvidia pumps $2Billion into CoreWeave to keep the AI party going Bitcoin suffers its worst day of 2026 Natural gas surges as winter storm hits Airlines start to pick up the piece after winter storm Fern DOW: 49337.70 (⬆️ 0.49%) S&P: 6928.95 (⬆️ 0.56%) NASDAQ: 23481.58 (⬆️ 0.59%) CBOE VIX Volatility Index: 16.03 (⬇️ 0.64%) Gold: $5097.40(⬆️ 2.36%) Silver:$117.06 (⬆️ 15.53%) Bitcoin: $87,724 (⬆️ 1.60%) Gold futures surged past $5,000 per ounce for the first time ever on Sunday, climbing to…
They leaked Trump's taxes, now Treasury has cancelled all their contracts
Major DC consulting firm kicked to the curb after Trump leak Betting markets put odds of a government shutdown at 80% Big Short Burry is now buying Gamestop Houston is buzzing over the prospect of Venezuela oil deals Disney CEO succession drama gives investors the jitters DOW: 48880.96 (⬇️ 1.08%) S&P: 6973.72 (⬆️ 0.33%) NASDAQ: 23804.07 (⬆️ 0.85%) CBOE VIX Volatility Index: 16.22 (⬆️ 0.43%) Gold: $5083.20(⬆️ 0.00%) Silver:$106.93 (⬇️ 7.42%) Bitcoin: $87,581 (⬇️ 0.13%) The Trump administration’s Treasury Department canceled all contracts with consulting giant Booz Allen Hamilton on Monday…
Issuers Have Launched Over 500 Options-Based ETFs Since 2024
Just like the menus at the Cheesecake Factory, maybe there are too many options. In nearly every year since 2021, the number of options-based ETF launches has increased, transforming what were once niche strategies into a category with more than 700 products, according to Morningstar Direct data. The sector includes derivative-income ETFs, which generate income by selling options, as well as defined-outcome ETFs, which use options to provide specified levels of downside protection and upside participation.
Bond Market Drives Long-Term Treasury Yields to 19-Year High, Shrugging Off Hesitant Fed
Watch out, Fed. The bond market is coming for your job. The US central bank may set short-term policy rates, but it’s the free market that controls where long-term Treasury yields head. Bond investors are demanding higher yields, essentially raising the cost of borrowing money no matter what the Federal Open Market Committee decides to do at its September meeting (as of Tuesday afternoon, odds are 65% that it will again hold rates steady). The 30-year Treasury yield skyrocketed to its highest level in 19 years this week.
Reddit became the second social media company in the S&P 500 yesterday, joining Meta. S&P Dow Jones Indices announced on Thursday that Reddit would replace AvalonBay Communities, a real estate investment trust being acquired by fellow S&P member Equity Residential. Investors initially upvoted Reddit’s stock ahead of the social platform joining the S&P 500. But sentiment switched not long afterward as concerns mounted about the company and its little alien mascot Snoo’s ability to perform in the big leagues.
How to Invest in the Nifty 50 Without Buying 50 Stocks
Hey, before we get to today’s newsletter, here’s a quick update. Our aim at Zerodha Varsity is to make financial education simple and accessible. Apart from writing these newsletters, we also conduct free bootcamps, workshops, and online sessions across topics such as stock markets, trading, macroeconomics, and personal finance. If you haven’t explored them yet, you can check out our online sessions here and upcoming events here. This past week, I sat down with my parents to discuss their stock market investments, and the conversation gave me an insight I wasn’t entirely expecting.
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