As of the close on October 6, 2025, North American markets extended their recent streak, with indexes pushing into fresh highs and small-cap equities enjoying broad participation. The rally faces headwinds — chiefly, the unresolved U.S. government shutdown — yet momentum in technology, AI-related names, and strong M&A headlines kept sentiment buoyant.

As midday settled on October 3, 2025, markets across North America were defying headline risk. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq climbed to fresh highs, buoyed by broad investor demand and renewed hopes for rate cuts, while small-cap names joined the uptrend.

When Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, the tech world was stunned. At the time, Instagram had just 30 million users and zero revenue. Critics called the deal overpriced. Yet today, Instagram is worth over $100 billion on its own, generating tens of billions annually for Meta.

As of the midday trading session on October 2, 2025, North American equity markets have defied headline stressors to post fresh highs, with small-cap stocks joining the rally. Investor optimism around potential Federal Reserve rate cuts has overshadowed concerns about the ongoing U.S. federal government shutdown.

As the U.S. entered a federal government shutdown at midnight, North American equity markets showed surprising composure on October 1. While futures opened softer and volatility ticked higher, the major indexes steadied, and small-cap stocks held onto gains from recent strength.

When Apple launched iCloud, many investors underestimated how powerful a simple subscription-based storage service could become. Today, iCloud is a multibillion-dollar recurring revenue machine, cementing Apple’s dominance over its ecosystem.