🆕 Newsmakers — 9:30a ET, 2026-08-18 — new since last alert

📰 NEW MARKET THEMES: • Contrarian vs. the crowd: One trader made a massive bet against chip stocks The biggest single options trade in the entire market Monday was a $129 million bet against the VanEck Semiconductor ETF. — cnbc.com · 08/18 9:13a https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/18/contrarian-vs-the-crowd-one-trader-made-a-massive-bet-against-chip-stocks.html • American Is Adding Seat-Back Screens to More Than 800 Planes The airline plans to add more first-class rows and extra-legroom seating; rivals United and Delta have featured screens for years. — wsj.com · 08/18 9:00a https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/american-is-adding-seat-back-screens-to-more-than-800-planes-14088607 • U.S. Import Prices Fell in July U.S. import prices decreased in July, driven by lower prices for fuel imports, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. — wsj.com · 08/18 8:53a https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/u-s-import-prices-fell-in-july-3096ca98 • Expect bitcoin to move back up over $100,000 again, says SkyBridge's Anthony Scaramucci Anthony Scaramucci, SkyBridge Capital founder and managing partner, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest bitcoin price trends, whether there are any near-term catalysts, impact of the Clarity Act, state of crypto, and more. — youtube.com · 08/18 8:49a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jyu85yWmbU • Who's behind the bond bear market? HFE's Weinberg explains Carl Weinberg, chief economist and managing director at High Frequency Economics, discusses the sell-off in sovereign bond markets. He argues that rather than being driven by bond vigilantes, rate hike expectations or inflation concerns, rising yields may reflect a “crowding out… — youtube.com · 08/18 8:44a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiZiu4UNWL4

📈 NEW GAINERS:

1. FDMT +19% $14.54 (744M cap) 4D Molecular Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FDMT) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy? 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FDMT - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday. The company traded as high as $15.03 and last traded at $14.55, with a volume of 3444983 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.19. Wall Street Analyst W… — defenseworld.net · 08/18 3:45a https://www.defenseworld.net/2026/08/18/4d-molecular-therapeutics-nasdaqfdmt-sets-new-12-month-high-time-to-buy.html

2. VCX +19% $41.00 (1.8B cap) (no fresh news today — likely technical / low-coverage move)

3. ARGX +16% $987.84 (61B cap) These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Argenx Argenx SE (NASDAQ:ARGX) on Monday disclosed positive topline results from its Phase 3 ALKIVIA study. — benzinga.com · 08/18 8:12a https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-stock-ratings/price-target/26/08/61269975/these-analysts-boost-their-forecasts-on-argenx

4. FIGR +14% $35.76 (6.3B cap) Figure Technology CFO Minchung Kgil Sells 4,000 Shares The transaction involved the sale of 4,000 shares at ~$30.03 per share, representing $120,120 in total value as of the August 12, 2026 transaction date. The disposition reduced the CFO's direct equity holdings by 0.81%. — fool.com · 08/17 9:20a https://www.fool.com/coverage/filings/2026/08/17/figure-technology-cfo-minchung-kgil-sells-4-000-shares/

5. CAPR +12% $7.45 (442M cap) Kaplan Fox Alerts Investors of a Securities Class Action Against Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (CAPR) - Deadline is September 28, 2026 New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 18, 2026) - Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. ("Capricor" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CAPR) on behalf of investors that purchased or otherwise acquired… — newsfilecorp.com · 08/18 8:45a https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/310087/Kaplan-Fox-Alerts-Investors-of-a-Securities-Class-Action-Against-Capricor-Therapeutics-Inc.-CAPR-Deadline-is-September-28-2026

— new items only (already-sent headlines filtered). Full list in the 10am/3pm digest.