CNBC Business News Update - Market Midday: Stocks Mixed, The S&P 500 Index And The Nasdaq Hit Fresh All Time Highs, Consumer Sentiment Tanks Again 9/12/25

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

From Wall Street to Main Street, the latest on the markets and what it means for your money. Updated regularly on weekdays, featuring CNBC expert analysis and sound from top business newsmakers. Anchored by CNBC's Jessica Ettinger.

I'm Jessica Ettinger. CNBC, Wall Street mixed this afternoon. As investors wait for a decision on interest rates next week by the Fed, they're hoping they see an interest rate cut. The Dow down 181 points this afternoon. Nike shares leading it lower. They're down about 3%. The S&P 500 index has slipped into the red. It's down three points. The NASDAQ up 72 points. And video shares are up about a quarter percent. This afternoon. Companies whose shares have hit fresh all-time highs today include Ticket Master Parent Live Nation, O'Reilly Auto, J.P. Morgan, General Dynamics, L3 Harris, and Lamb research. Consumer sentiment tanked again coming in at its lowest since last May, according to the University of Michigan. Investors are banking on an interest rate cut next week by the Fed as the job market weakens. The number one thing that matters is, of course, the resumption of the Fed's easing cycle. Even though that easing is going to be driven by weakness in the labor market, the broader setup is pretty constructive. We have a strong earnings backdrop. The economy is not

in recession. When you sprinkle easing on top of that, I think it's supportive enough for animal spirits over the coming few months to limit equity market downside. New York Life's Julia Herman on CNBC. Legendary investor, Abby Joseph Cohen, now a professor at the Columbia Business School, told CNBC investors need to be aware of an economic slowdown happening. Things have slowed down. We see it in the jobs numbers. We see it in the consumption data as well. And the other place we see it that many people are not talking about is business investment. We basically see that investment in equipment, investment in other categories related to AI had slowed. And the former National Economic Council advisor in the first Trump administration,

told CNBC that tariffs may be behind that job market weakness. They're being charged tariffs overnight. Companies are being forced to figure out how to deal with that conundrum. They can't deal with the input cost. They can't deal with the sales costs. Companies are figuring out that they can be dramatically more efficient and run with less human capital. So we're seeing companies cut down on the amount of employees.

Look at the data for Q2. They sold more product with less cost, and that cost wasn't cost. The cost was labor. You see it in unemployment rates. You see it in the jobs numbers. Look, when you squeeze the tube one place, it's got to come out somewhere else. The job market's weak. Well, the job market's weak because to make the equation work, companies are getting smaller.

IBM co-vice chair, Gary Cohn on CNBC. Stock watchers have their eyes on Paramount Skydance, the newly formed companies, preparing a bid to take over Warner Bros. Discovery. This would combine HBO Max and Paramount Plus for streaming and the newsrooms of CNN and CBS. The CEO of United Airlines says he expects Spirit Airlines to go out of business. It is still flying now in bankruptcy protection. United CEO Scott Kirby said at a meeting that the discount model will fail simply because of math. Adobe Shears were higher on better than expected quarterly results. New in theaters. Lions the long walk. Focus features

Downton Abbey Grand finale, and Bleaker Street's Spinal Tap 2. The end continues. Jessica Eddinger, CNBC. Celebrating 30 years of Squatbox and streaming on CNBC Plus.