Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on what's moving the needle.
SpaceX shares have pulled back eighteen percent from their recent peak, but context matters here. The stock remains substantially above its opening price, and the underlying business — launch cadence, Starlink subscriber growth, government contracts — hasn't changed. Investors who understand the asset are holding firm.
Shifting to the private markets conversation, CNBC has released its Elite Advisors rankings, spotlighting the top wealth management firms serving ultra-high net worth clients heading into two thousand twenty six. The list reflects a broader industry pivot toward alternative assets and bespoke planning as traditional portfolio construction faces mounting pressure from rate uncertainty and geopolitical volatility.
And in the talent economy, a twenty-three-year-old software engineer walked away from Google to build an AI startup — and her story is resonating. Aashna Doshi says staying felt riskier than leaving, a sentiment increasingly common among early-career technologists who see the AI buildout as a once-in-a-generation window. The opportunity cost of inaction, for some, now outweighs the security of a blue-chip paycheck.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
