The Final Tally: Traders Chill as Iran Flashes Peace Sign… Trump Hands Altman “AI + Energy” Jackpot

As if launching ChatGPT wasn’t already the ultimate “I run the future now” move, Sam Altman followed it up by taking his nuclear startup public… because building the AI and powering it too just makes sense, right? Oklo’s up 594% in the past year, in case anyone missed the giant flashing follow the money sign. And now, finally, Wall Street’s connecting the radioactive dots.

That’s right, Uranium stocks were the surprise standout Monday as investors warmed up to the idea that nuclear might be the only energy source capable of feeding AI’s bottomless power pit. The Global X Uranium ETF jumped 7%, while Cameco, Oklo, and NexGen all skyrocketed.

This comes after Trump signed a stack of pro-nuclear executive orders last week… fast-tracking permits, cutting red tape, and tossing more federal money at the sector (somewhere between ALL CAPS rants aimed at China and Jerome Powell). Like it or not, when Trump picks an industry to pump, Wall Street pays attention and (shockingly) both political parties are mostly on board (with Nuclear, that is).

Over in “Indexland” the broader market bounced back from last week’s poor finish. The Dow rose 325 points, the S&P 500 climbed 0.9%, and the Nasdaq added 1.5% after reports that Iran might be open to nuclear talks (the good kind). That helped calm oil markets (WTI dipped back to $71) and gold gave back some gains as even Peter Schiff had to admit that maybe the world isn’t ending this week.

Over in the land of magic internet money, Bitcoin exploded past $107,000 after Michael Saylor did what Michael Saylor does: bought another billion dollar’s worth. MicroStrategy now holds nearly 600,000 bitcoins, which sounds great in a press release… just don’t ask about their cost basis unless you want to watch another McConnell episode.

Circle stock continued its post-IPO glow-up, popping another 18%. It’s now up over 400% since launch. If you didn’t get the memo, stablecoins are hot again… at least until regulators realize they don’t even know what one is. Nvidia tacked on 2.5%, creeping toward another all-time high. Meta rose 2% after confirming they’ll start shoving ads into WhatsApp (because what your private convos really needed was sponsored messages). Roku spiked 10% after teaming up with Amazon Ads to make sure your smart TV knows more about you than your spouse.

Even U.S. Steel got some love… up 5% after Trump gave the thumbs-up to its merger with Nippon Steel, pushing the stock to its highest level since before Instagram existed (so maybe don’t invest in steel unless you never want to retire).

With markets calming down, the Fed takes center stage on Wednesday… and yes, the dot plot is back to ruin everyone’s mood. A pause is widely expected, but Trump’s still out here demanding cuts like he’s yelling into a drive-thru speaker: “We need a Big Mac, a Filet-O-Fish… and a full-point cut. The best cut. People are saying it will be a beautiful cut… maybe the best ever. Believe me.” Powell, however, is juggling sticky inflation, oil that won’t behave, and a deficit growing faster than Saylor’s bitcoin tab (thanks to that Big, Beautiful Bill). If those little dots show fewer cuts than Wall Street’s been dreaming of, don’t be shocked if the rally hits a wall… and traders suddenly remember what “risk-off” feels like.

If you read all of this, congrats for having a 10 second attention span (better than me). As always, here’s our heatmap for today.