Rover’s Weekly Market Brief – 09/04/2026

New Guru Portfolios

We’ve updated our Guru Portfolios!

You can see a full list of all our Guru Portfolios here ^[7], and you can download any of the latest Guru Portfolios from the Stock Rover Investors Library. ^[8]

Economy

The August Chicago Business Barometer™ dropped ^[9] 10.5 points to 47.1, falling below the neutral 50 level for the first time since April and hitting its lowest reading since December. The decline was driven by falls in New Orders, Order Backlogs, Production, and Supplier Deliveries, with New Orders slipping 15.4 points into sharp contraction. Production fell 8.8 points to register its first contractionary reading since December, driven by slowing customer demand, while Order Backlogs softened 12.1 points to its lowest level since November. Supplier Deliveries eased 2.6 points, though it remained in expansion for a nineteenth consecutive month. Input cost pressures intensified as Prices Paid rose 3.8 points to the highest level since February 2022, spurred in part by higher metal costs. Employment provided a small positive offset, increasing 4.3 points to mark its first expansionary reading in five months.

The Federal Reserve System reported ^[10] in its Beige Book that overall U.S. economic activity increased modestly from early July through late August 2026, with 10 of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts expanding in the slight to moderate range while two reported no change. Consumer spending grew slightly on balance, as price sensitivity among households was offset by solid luxury purchases, as auto sales remained flat due to high fuel prices and elevated financing costs. Manufacturing activity picked up across most Districts, supported by strong demand for defense and data center projects, while nonresidential construction rose and service sector revenues expanded slightly to modestly. Employment rose very slightly overall, with seven Districts reporting slight to modest gains and five noting no change, while wage growth remained modest to moderate. Prices increased moderately in eight Districts, driven by rising input costs for energy, transportation, and raw materials, as the general outlook remained positive despite lingering geopolitical uncertainty.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported ^[11] that total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in August 2026, well above the average monthly gain of 31,000 over the prior 12 months, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%. Revisions added a combined 55,000 jobs to June and July, with June revised up to +31,000 and July revised up to +21,000. Job gains were led by food services and drinking places (+59,000) and local government education (+42,000), while manufacturing continued its upward trend (+16,000) and construction added 22,000 jobs. Conversely, the information sector lost 23,000 jobs, driven by declines in computing infrastructure, data processing, web hosting, and related services (-8,000) and publishing industries (-7,000). Average hourly earnings rose 10 cents to $37.75, up 3.1% over the year, while the average workweek edged up 0.1 hour to 34.4 hours. Meanwhile, the number of people employed part time for economic reasons fell by 414,000 to 4.4 million.

Upcoming Economic Reports:

Thursday September 10 – PPI (MoM) (August)

Friday September 11 – CPI (MoM) (August)

Earnings Calendar:

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Apartment Inv & Mgmt (AIV)	Casey’s General Stores (CASY)	Chewy (CHWY)	Adobe (ADBE)	Hooker Furnishings (HOFT)
Wuxi AppTec Co (WUXAY)	ServiceTitan (TTAN)	Cooper Companies (COO)	Macy’s (M)	Kroger (KR)