<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div><p>Wall Street climbed to fresh record highs after the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest rate cut in nine months — hinting that more reductions could be on the way.</p><ul> <li><strong>VOO ETF has set new all-time highs this week. Check live chart here. </strong></li> </ul><p>On Thursday, the <strong>S&amp;P 500, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones </strong>and small-cap <strong>Russell 2000</strong> all closed at all-time highs as investors celebrated the Fed's move.</p><h2><strong>Fed Rate Cuts</strong></h2><p>At its September meeting, the central bank lowered rates by 25 basis points to a target range of 4%–4.25%, in line with expectations, as policymakers shifted their focus toward a cooling labor market.</p><p>The decision wasn't unanimous: Fed Gov. <strong>Stephen Miran</strong> — appointed by President Donald Trump to replace <strong>Adriana Kugler</strong>, who resigned last month — argued for a deeper 50-basis-point cut.</p><p>Fed Chair<strong> Jerome Powell</strong> called the move a &#34;risk management cut,&#34; stressing that the Fed acted preemptively to avoid a sharper labor market slowdown. He also played down inflationary pressures from tariffs, describing them as a temporary, one-off factor in the Fed's baseline outlook.</p><p>“A reasonable base case is that the [tariff] effects on inflation will be relatively short-lived,” Powell said.</p><p>The Fed's updated projections raised both growth and inflation estimates. Yet its rate forecast painted a more aggressive cutting path: two more reductions by the end of 2025, followed by one each in 2026 and 2027.</p><h2><strong>How Will Rate Cuts Impact Homebuyers?</strong></h2><p>Rate-sensitive sectors are already showing signs of revival. Mortgage demand spiked ahead of the Fed's decision, with homebuyers rushing to refinance. </p><p>In the week ending Sept. 12, total mortgage applications surged 29.7% from the prior week, while refinancing activity jumped 57.7% — the highest level since March 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.</p><h2><strong>Intel’s Surge</strong></h2><p><strong>Intel Corp.</strong> <span>INTC</span> was the standout stock of the week. Shares jumped 23% on Thursday after <strong>NVIDIA Corp.</strong> <span>NVDIA</span> revealed a $5 billion investment in Intel common stock at $23.28 per share, giving it roughly a 5% stake. The investment is part of a broader partnership to co-develop multiple generations of custom chips for data centers and PCs.</p><h2><strong>Ford Slumps, Auto Recall</strong></h2><p><strong>Ford Motor Co</strong>. <span>F</span>, meanwhile, posted its third straight weekly loss. The automaker recalled 101,944 U.S. vehicles after regulators warned that faulty door trim could detach while driving, posing a crash risk, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.</p><p><strong>Read Now:</strong></p><ul> <li>Nvidia And Intel Just Changed The AI Game—And The Pressure on AMD And ARM Is Rising</li> </ul><p><em>Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.</em></p></div></div></div>

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<p>Wall Street reached record highs following the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut in nine months, reducing rates by 25 basis points to a target range of 4%-4.25%. The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones, and Russell 2000 all closed at all-time highs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated more cuts could follow, with projections suggesting two more by 2025. Mortgage applications surged ahead of the decision, while Intel's shares jumped 23% after NVIDIA's $5 billion investment. Conversely, Ford faced a third weekly loss due to a vehicle recall.</p>

- Wall Street reached record highs following the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut in nine months, reducing rates by 25 basis points to a target range of 4%–4.25%.  
- The Fed's decision, influenced by a cooling labor market, was not unanimous, with one governor advocating for a deeper cut.  
- Mortgage demand surged in response to the rate cut, while Intel's shares rose significantly due to NVIDIA's investment, contrasting with Ford's ongoing struggles amid a vehicle recall.

Wall Street Tops Record Highs As Fed Cuts Rates, Signals More Ahead: This Week In Markets