Investors can breathe a sigh of relief now that September — historically the worst month of the year for stocks — is in the rear-view mirror. This past September certainly lived up to its reputation, with the S & P 500 and the Nadsaq suffering its biggest monthly loss in 2023. However, changing the calendar may not be enough to erase three material hurdles standing in the way of stocks returning to their winning ways. We’re talking about this year’s rise in bond yields, oil prices and the dollar — all at the time same. The 10-year Treasury yield on Monday hit its highest level since October 2007, breaking slightly above 4.7%, in a continuation of its march higher since April. In the third quarter alone, the 10-year yield climbed from roughly 3.8% to Friday’s settle of nearly 4.58%. In the three months that ended Friday, both the U.S. oil benchmark and the international crude standard posted their largest quarterly price increases since the first quarter of 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine roiled energy markets and sent the commodity soaring. The U.S. dollar index — which measures the greenback against six other currencies including the euro and Japanese yen – is riding an 11-week win streak, en route Monday to fresh highs for the year. To be sure, other factors such as a potential U.S. government shutdown — which has been temporarily avoided — and the multiweek United Auto Workers strike against General Motors (GM), Jeep parent Stellantis (STLA) and Club holding Ford Motor (F) have also injected uncertainty into the marketplace. Nevertheless, bond yields, oil prices and the dollar always have far-reaching implications for the stock market. Here’s a closer look at how they’re currently impacting things. US10Y YTD mountain 10-yield Treasury yield YTD It all starts with the bond market. “The higher yields, that’s what’s been pressuring the equity market,” Wharton School professor Jeremy Siegel said Monday on CNBC. Indeed, U.S. government bond prices sold off in September. The resulting jump in yields — which move inversely to bond prices — accelerated after the Federal Reserve on Sept. 20 indicated interest rates may stay “higher for longer,” as the central bank seeks to bring inflation down further, and the market finally listened. Of course, there are those of us who are worried that the full impact of the 11 rate hikes already made by the Fed since March 2022 has not fully been realized in the economy. Therefore, we think a higher for longer policy may be misguided. In September, the S & P 500 dropped 4.9% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slumped 5.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average proved to be the relative outperformer, falling only 3.5% in the month. Still, the Dow’s decline was its worst monthly decline since February. Bonds impact stocks in multiple ways, including competing over investment dollars. Higher yields on U.S. government notes — which are the closest possible thing to a risk-free investment — can make bonds more attractive to own compared to stocks. That results in fewer incremental dollars going into riskier equities. Essentially, the risk-reward bar for stocks is raised when bonds offer more competitive returns than they did before. This plays out most notably in the Utilities sector , which has by far been the worst-performing sector in the S & P 500 this year, down more than 20%. The group traditionally is slower growing but offers large dividend payments, kind of like bonds. Bonds figure heavily into the way investors think about valuing stocks, especially for growth-oriented companies whose profits are largely expected to be generated years down the road. In a higher yield environment, those projected future earnings are worth less to investors today. This dynamic manifests in investors reconsidering the “multiple” they’re willing to pay for each dollar of earnings — which in turn can lower the price at which they’re willing to buy shares of a given company. Unprofitable companies tend to get hit harder when interest rates rise, which is why when the Fed started hiking last year we made a rule for the Club to only buy stocks of profitable, cash-flow generative companies. In general, companies generating substantial profits are typically less sensitive to the change in yields. @CL.1 @LCO.1 YTD mountain WTI vs. Brent crude YTD In the third quarter, West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. oil standard, rose more than 28% to nearly $91 per barrel. The global benchmark, Brent crude, jumped more than 27% to just over $92 per barrel. Both oil gauges are riding four-month win streaks after WTI traded in just the upper $60s in mid-June and Brent traded in the low $70s around the same time. The increase in oil prices over the summer months into the fall largely reflects a mismatch between demand (as economic data has proven more resilient than expected) and available supply (as major oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia took voluntary steps to reduce production). In early September, the two countries announced their supply cuts would extend through year-end, a surprise decision that added upward pressure on oil prices. For oil-and-gas companies, such as Club names Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and Coterra Energy (CTRA), higher prices are a boon to their financials. It’s no surprise energy was the only positive sector of the 11 in the S & P 500 in September. The picture is less clear-cut when considering the impact higher oil prices can have on consumers and non-energy companies. Consumers needing to pay more at the gas pump, in theory, cuts into the money they have available to spend on discretionary goods — an important dynamic to watch given consumer spending makes up about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. Discretionary spending is on stuff consumers want, not the staples they have to have to conduct their daily lives. For much of the first part of the year, lower energy prices contributed to the decline in inflation. Now, crude has gone from tailwind to headwind in the battle to bring down inflation. To bond traders who have been driving yields higher, stickier inflation means possibly a heavier-handed Fed — the higher-rates-for-longer scenario. Inflation reduces the attractiveness of owning bonds, motivating investors to sell and in the process pushing up yields. “Don’t forget: Bondholders look at overall inflation. They don’t just look at core inflation,” Siegel said. “Core inflation might be doing good. Overall inflation is going to be affected by those oil prices.” Non-energy companies feel pain from more expensive oil, increasing transportation and freight costs that could cut into profit margins. Of course, firms could mitigate higher fuel costs by raising prices on the finished products — protecting their bottom lines in the near term but adding to the inflationary pressures in the broader economy. Technically, the Fed focuses on core inflation data, which strips out more volatile food and energy prices. However, companies passing through their higher energy costs would eventually make their way into inflation data. To be sure, firms “might struggle to pass on rising input costs this time, in contrast to [2021 and 2022],” JPMorgan global equity strategists wrote in a note to clients Monday. In many cases, crude prices trending higher could be interpreted as a sign of economic health — if there’s a lot of activity out there, that’s going to drive demand for oil, supporting prices. In those situations, equity investors might be more encouraged by the strong economic data and what that means for revenue and profit growth, rather than their concern about the inflationary impacts. It’s a bit more nuanced this time around, with the rise in oil prices primarily tied to a “supply shock, Wharton’s Siegel said, versus a significant increase in demand. @DX.1 YTD mountain U.S. dollar index YTD The U.S. dollar is once again something for stock market investors to worry about — territory it occupied for a good chunk of last year, as it soared to its highest levels in two decades. Higher rates often lead to a stronger dollar. In that way, the Fed’s higher-for-longer approach served not only to pump bond yields but the dollar, too. After a downward trend that began last fall , the U.S. dollar index reached its lowest level of 2023 on July 13, at 99.77 – representing a 12.6% decline from its September 2022 high of 114.11, according to FactSet. However, the U.S. dollar index has returned to rally mode, up about 7% to 106.89 on Monday since its July nadir. “Historically, strengthening [in the dollar] was almost always met with risk-off in equities,” JPMorgan wrote in its Monday to clients. A strengthening U.S. dollar is particularly problematic for U.S.-based companies that generate a significant portion of their sales overseas, such as Club holding Procter & Gamble (PG) and tech stalwarts like Meta Platforms (META) and Apple (AAPL). Converting profits generated overseas in weaker currencies into stronger dollars can weigh on reported revenue sales and bottom-line earnings. At the Club, we tend to look through currency fluctuations and focus more on each company’s underlying fundamentals. Our longer-term focus enables this approach, but we recognize that other, influential traders and investors take a different view, which can impact the overall market. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long META, AAPL, PG, PXD and CTRA. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
People walk along Wall Street outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on May 03, 2023.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Investors can breathe a sigh of relief now that September — historically the worst month of the year for stocks — is in the rear-view mirror. This past September certainly lived up to its reputation, with the S&P 500 and the Nadsaq suffering its biggest monthly loss in 2023. However, changing the calendar may not be enough to erase three material hurdles standing in the way of stocks returning to their winning ways.
Forget fumbling with cables or hunting for batteries – TILER is making electric bike charging as seamless as parking your ride. The Dutch startup recently introduced its much-anticipated TILER Compact system, a plug-and-play wireless charger engineered to transform the user experience for e-bike riders.
At the heart of the new system is a clever combo: a charging kickstand that mounts directly to almost any e‑bike, and a thin charging mat that you simply park over. Once you drop the kickstand and it lands on the mat, the bike begins charging automatically via inductive transfer – no cable required. According to TILER, a 500 Wh battery will fully charge in about 3.5 hours, delivering comparable performance to traditional wired chargers.
It’s an elegantly simple concept (albeit a bit chunky) with a convenient upside: less clutter, fewer broken cables, and no more need to bend over while feeling around for a dark little hole.
TILER claims its system works with about 75% of existing e‑bike platforms, including those from Bosch, Yamaha, Bafang, and other big bames. The kit uses a modest 150 W wireless power output, which means charging speeds remain practical while keeping the system lightweight (the tile weighs just 2 kg, and it’s also stationary).
Advertisement – scroll for more content
TILER has already deployed over 200 charging points across Western Europe, primarily serving bike-share, delivery, hospitality, and hotel fleets. A recent case study in Munich showed how a cargo-bike operator saved approximately €1,250 per month in labor costs, avoided thousands in spare batteries, and cut battery damage by 20%. The takeaway? Less maintenance, more uptime.
Now shifting to prosumer markets, TILER says the Compact system will hit pre-orders soon, with a €250 price tag (roughly US $290) for the kickstand plus tile bundle. To get in line, a €29 refundable deposit is currently required, though they say it is refundable at any point until you receive your charger. Don’t get too excited just yet though, there’s a bit of a wait. Deliveries are expected in summer 2026, and for now are covering mostly European markets.
The concept isn’t entirely new. We’ve seen the idea pop up before, including in a patent from BMW for charging electric motorcycles. And the efficacy is there. Skeptics may wonder if wireless charging is slower or less efficient, but TILER says no. Its system retains over 85% efficiency, nearly matching wired charging speeds, and even pauses at 80% to protect battery health, then resumes as needed. The tile is even IP67-rated, safe for outdoor use, and about as bulky as a thick magazine.
Electrek’s Take
I love the concept. It makes perfect sense for shared e-bikes, especially since they’re often returning to a dock anyway. As long as people can be trained to park with the kickstand on the tile, it seems like a no-brainer.
And to be honest, I even like the idea for consumers. I know it sounds like a first-world problem, but bending over to plug something in at floor height is pretty annoying, not to mention a great way to throw out your back if you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore. Having your e-bike start charging simply by parking it in the right place is a really cool feature! I don’t know if it’s $300 cool, but it’s pretty cool!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Tesla has launched a new software update for its vehicles that includes the anticipated integration of Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car yet.
Today, Tesla started pushing the update to the fleet, but there’s a significant caveat.
The automaker wrote in the release notes (2025.26):
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Grok (Beta) (US, AMD)
Grok now available directly in your Tesla
Requires Premium Connectivity or a WiFi connection
Grok is currently in Beta & does not issue commands to your car – existing voice commands remain unchanged.
First off, it is only available in vehicles in the US equipped with the AMD infotainment computer, which means cars produced since mid-2021.
But more importantly, Tesla says that it doesn’t send commands to the car under the current version. Therefore, it is simply like having Grok on your phone, but on the onboard computer instead.
Tesla showed an example:
There are a few other features in the 2025.26 software update, but they are not major.
For Tesla vehicles equipped with ambient lighting strips inside the car, the light strip can now sync to music:
Accent lights now respond to music & you can also choose to match the lights to the album’s color for a more immersive effect
Toybox > Light Sync
Here’s the new setting:
The audio setting can now be saved under multiple presets to match listening preferences for different people or circumstances:
The software update also includes the capacity to zoom or adjust the playback speed of the Dashcam Viewer.
Cybertruck also gets the updated Dashcam Viewer app with a grid view for easier access and review of recordings:
Tesla also updated the charging info in its navigation system to be able to search which locations require valet service or pay-to-park access.
Upon arrival, drivers will receive a notification with access codes, parking restrictions, level or floor information, and restroom availability:
Finally, there’s a new onboarding guide directly on the center display to help people who are experiencing a Tesla vehicle for the first time.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla is really playing catch-up here. Right now, this update is essentially nothing. If you already have Grok, it’s no more different than having it on your phone or through the vehicle’s browser, since it has no capacity to interact with any function inside the vehicle.
Most other automakers are integrating LLMs inside vehicles with the capacity to interact with the vehicle. In China, this is becoming standard even in entry-level cars.
In the Xiaomi YU7, the vehicle’s AI can not only interact with the car, but it also sees what the car sees through its camera, and it can tell you about what it sees:
Tesla is clearly far behind on that front as many automakers are integrating with other LLMs like ChatGPT and in-house LLMs, like Xiaomi’s.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Robinhood stock hit an all-time high Friday as the financial services platform continued to rip higher this year, along with bitcoin and other crypto stocks.
Robinhood, up more than 160% in 2025, hit an intraday high above $101 before pulling back and closing slightly lower.
The reversal came after a Bloomberg report that JPMorgan plans to start charging fintechs for access to customer bank data, a move that could raise costs across the industry.
For fintech firms that rely on thin margins to offer free or low-cost services to customers, even slight disruptions to their cost structure can have major ripple effects. PayPal and Affirm both ended the day nearly 6% lower following the report.
Despite its stellar year, the online broker is facing several headwinds, with a regulatory probe in Florida, pushback over new staking fees and growing friction with one of the world’s most high-profile artificial intelligence companies.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a formal investigation into Robinhood Crypto on Thursday, alleging the platform misled users by claiming to offer the lowest-cost crypto trading.
“Robinhood has long claimed to be the best bargain, but we believe those representations were deceptive,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
The probe centers on Robinhood’s use of payment for order flow — a common practice where market makers pay to execute trades — which the AG said can result in worse pricing for customers.
Robinhood Crypto General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz told CNBC its disclosures are “best-in-class” and that it delivers the lowest average cost.
“We disclose pricing information to customers during the lifecycle of a trade that clearly outlines the spread or the fees associated with the transaction, and the revenue Robinhood receives,” added Moskowitz.
Robinhood is also facing opposition to a new 25% cut of staking rewards for U.S. users, set to begin October 1. In Europe, the platform will take a smaller 15% cut.
Staking allows crypto holders to earn yield by locking up their tokens to help secure blockchain networks like ethereum, but platforms often take a percentage of those rewards as commission.
Robinhood’s 25% cut puts it in line with Coinbase, which charges between 25.25% and 35% depending on the token. The cut is notably higher than Gemini’s flat 15% fee.
It marks a shift for the company, which had previously steered clear of staking amid regulatory uncertainty.
Under President Joe Biden‘s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on U.S. platforms offering staking services, arguing they constituted unregistered securities.
With President Donald Trump in the White House, the agency has reversed course on several crypto enforcement actions, dropping cases against major players like Coinbase and Binance and signaling a more permissive stance.
Even as enforcement actions ease, Robinhood is under fresh scrutiny for its tokenized stock push, which is a growing part of its international strategy.
The company now offers blockchain-based assets in Europe that give users synthetic exposure to private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX through special purpose vehicles, or SPVs.
An SPV is a separate entity that acquires shares in a company. Users then buy tokens of the SPV and don’t have shareholder privileges or voting rights directly in the company.
OpenAI has publicly objected, warning the tokens do not represent real equity and were issued without its approval. In an interview with CNBC International, CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged the tokens aren’t technically equity shares, but said that misses the broader point.
“What’s important is that retail customers have an opportunity to get exposure to this asset,” he said, pointing to the disruptive nature of AI and the historically limited access to pre-IPO companies.
“It is true that these are not technically equity,” Tenev added, noting that institutional investors often gain similar exposure through structured financial instruments.
The Bank of Lithuania — Robinhood’s lead regulator in the EU — told CNBC on Monday that it is “awaiting clarifications” following OpenAI’s statement.
“Only after receiving and evaluating this information will we be able to assess the legality and compliance of these specific instruments,” a spokesperson said, adding that information for investors must be “clear, fair, and non-misleading.”
Tenev responded that Robinhood is “happy to continue to answer questions from our regulators,” and said the company built its tokenized stock program to withstand scrutiny.
“Since this is a new thing, regulators are going to want to look at it,” he said. “And we expect to be scrutinized as a large, innovative player in this space.”
SEC Chair Paul Atkins recently called the model “an innovation” on CNBC’s Squawk Box, offering some validation as Robinhood leans further into its synthetic equity strategy — even as legal clarity remains in flux across jurisdictions.
Despite the regulatory noise, many investors remain focused on Robinhood’s upside, and particularly the political tailwinds.
The company is positioning itself as a key beneficiary of Trump’s newly signed megabill, which includes $1,000 government-seeded investment accounts for newborns. Robinhood said it’s already prototyping an app for the ‘Trump Accounts‘ initiative.