Tuesday, Nov 11
Data: NFIB Small Business Optimism Index
Summary: The NFIB report provides a look at "Main Street" sentiment on inflation, hiring, and sales.
Investor Take:
- A weak NFIB reading would signal stress in the small business sector, a key source of U.S. employment.

Wednesday, Nov 12
Data: MBA Mortgage Applications Index, EIA Crude Oil Inventories
Summary: A mid-week check on two key economic inputs: housing demand and energy prices. Mortgage applications provide a real-time signal of the housing market's health under current interest rates.
Investor Take:
- A rebound in mortgage applications could provide a lift to homebuilders ($XHB, $ITB).
- A large build in crude oil inventories could put downward pressure on energy prices ($XLE) and be seen as disinflationary.

Thursday, Nov 13
Data: Consumer Price Index (CPI) (Oct), Initial & Continuing Jobless Claims, EIA Natural Gas Inventories, Treasury Budget (Oct).
Summary: This is the most important data release of the week. The October CPI report will heavily influence the market's expectation for future Fed rate decisions. Jobless claims will show if the labor market is finally cooling.
Investor Take:
- A "hot" CPI reading (higher than expected) would be bearish for both stocks ($SPY) and bonds ($TLT), as it confirms the "higher for longer" narrative.
- A "cool" CPI reading would ignite a risk-on rally, sending stocks and bonds higher on hopes that inflation is beaten.

Friday, Nov 14
Data: Retail Sales (Oct), Producer Price Index (PPI) (Oct), Business Inventories (Sep)
Summary: A critical follow-up to Thursday's CPI. The Retail Sales report shows if the consumer is still spending. PPI measures inflation at the wholesale level, which is a leading indicator for future consumer prices.
Investor Take:
- Best Case (Soft Landing): Cool PPI + Strong Retail Sales. This would be bullish for stocks ($SPY).
- Stagflation Case: Hot PPI + Weak Retail Sales. This is the worst-case scenario for the Fed and bearish for most assets.
- Disinflation Case: Cool PPI + Weak Retail Sales. This would be extremely bullish for bonds ($TLT) as it would pull forward expectations for Fed rate cuts.

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CoreWeave's stock has recently dropped following the rejection of its $9 billion acquisition bid for Core Scientific. Despite this setback, the company remains a high-growth player in the AI cloud services market, with a strong backlog and key partnerships.

CoreWeave's $9 billion all-stock offer to acquire Core Scientific was rejected by shareholders, marking a significant blow to its expansion strategy. The deal would have secured vital power capacity for CoreWeave, but opposition from major shareholders like Two Seas Capital, who argued Core Scientific was more valuable as an independent entity, ultimately scuttled the agreement.

Despite the failed deal, CoreWeave is experiencing massive growth. Its Q2 2025 revenue soared 207% year-over-year to $1.2 billion, and its backlog has ballooned to over $30 billion. The company is a key partner for major players like OpenAI and Nvidia, further cementing its position in the AI infrastructure market.

While revenue is surging, CoreWeave is still operating at a loss as it invests heavily in expansion. Analysts remain cautiously optimistic, with a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average price target suggesting significant upside. The company's upcoming Q3 earnings report (11/10) will be closely watched for signs of progress toward profitability.

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Suneera Madhani, founder of Stax (formerly Fattmerchant), looked at the credit card processing industry and saw a racket. Small businesses were being bled dry by confusing, variable transaction fees. She built her billion-dollar unicorn by betting on a radically simple idea: subscription-based pricing. Instead of taking a cut of every single swipe, she charged businesses a flat monthly membership fee for access to direct-cost interchange rates. It was a classic "Netflix vs. Blockbuster" move, replacing an extractive, unpredictable cost with a transparent, predictable one. Her 'how' was to align her revenue model perfectly with her customers' desire for simplicity and savings. The replicable strategy is a challenge to every pricing model: If your industry profits from your customer's confusion, you have a massive opportunity to disrupt it with transparency. Find the hidden fees, kill them, and charge a fair, flat rate for the value you provide.

Read more about Suneera on her website

You already know the answer; you just want me to say it. For the vast majority of retail traders, options trading veers sharply into maysir (gambling).

Here’s the reality: Standard call and put options are derivative contracts. You aren't buying a piece of a business; you are making a side-bet on the future price movement of a stock you don't own. If you’re wrong, your contract can expire worthless—a classic zero-sum game that Shariah discourages.

While some scholars argue that options can be used permissibly for genuine hedging purposes (protecting an existing halal portfolio from massive downside), speculative day-trading of options is widely considered impermissible. If your strategy relies on "hitting it big" rather than the fundamental growth of an asset, you've left the market and entered the casino.

In today’s world, who you know is becoming more important than what you know. Join the largest online community of Muslim professionals in North America at muslimprofessionals.us.

That's all for this week. Make it a great one.