The Street

Jim Cramer does not hand out compliments lightly during the lightning round of his show.

So when he called one stock terrific this week, investors paid attention.

The company he named has been public for 28 years, and it built its name speeding up websites.

That is starting to change, and the shift is the real reason the endorsement matters.

What Jim Cramer said about Akamai stock

During the lightning round on CNBC’s Mad Money, Cramer gave a firm endorsement to Akamai Technologies (AKAM), calling the stock terrific, CNBC reported.

Cramer hosts Mad Money and ran a hedge fund before moving to television, so his lightning calls sway many retail investors.

What makes Akamai interesting is the business behind the call.

How Akamai makes money and where its growth now comes from

Akamai started in 1998 by speeding up websites through a content delivery network that stores web content close to users, so pages load faster.

Co-founder Tom Leighton, an MIT mathematician who has been CEO since 2013, has moved the company toward higher-margin work in cybersecurity and cloud services.

Security is now Akamai’s largest business. 

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Its newer source of growth is cloud infrastructure, where Akamai rents out computing capacity for AI.

It recently teamed up with Nvidia to run AI inference across more than 4,400 edge locations, according to an Akamai press release. 

The AI deals that changed Akamai’s outlook

The clearest sign of the shift is the money the company has already committed.

Akamai reported in its second-quarter results that it has signed more than $2.8 billion in multi-year cloud deals in 2026.

Related: Goldman Sachs resets Dell stock price target by $60

That includes a $1.8 billion, seven-year contract with Anthropic, Bloomberg reported.

It also has a $600 million, four-year deal with a U.S. robotics company.

These deals give the business years of visible AI revenue.

What Akamai’s second quarter told investors

Akamai’s second-quarter report beat expectations, even as profit fell from a year earlier due to heavy AI spending. 

Shares rose about 12% after the release, according to Investing.com.

Here’s Akamai’s second quarter at a glance:

Revenue of $1.1 billion, up 5% from a year earlier

Security revenue of $604 million, up 10%

Cloud infrastructure revenue of $99 million, up 39%

Adjusted earnings of $1.59 a share, down 8%

The older delivery business keeps shrinking, so growth now depends on the AI and security segments.

Akamai is expanding its distributed network to run AI workloads for enterprise customers.SOPA Images / Getty Images

The spending and the risks investors should weigh

Akamai is investing heavily, and that comes with a cost.

The company’s management expects capital spending to be near 40% of revenue this year and paused buybacks to fund the expansion.

That affects near term profit.

Some analysts are also cautious about the stock. 

Citi cut its price target to $122 and kept a Neutral rating.

How Akamai stock stacks up, and what still needs to happen

Akamai is up about 30% in 2026, which is roughly double the S&P 500’s gain over the same stretch. 

At Citi’s 2026 Global TMT Conference, Leighton said the cloud unit should move from mid-single-digit to low-teens growth next year, Investing.com reported.

What bulls need to see next

The $2.8 billion in cloud deals turning into revenue, which the company expects to pick up in the fourth quarter

Margins steadying as new capacity fills up

Security sales holding double-digit growth

The stock trades near $111 at about 40 times earnings, so much of the optimism may already be priced in.

The bottom line on Akamai for investors

Cramer’s call brings fresh attention. However, the bull case depends on whether the AI and security businesses can outgrow its fading delivery business.

Akamai also has to do it fast enough to justify the spending.

The multi-year deals offer real visibility, but the heavy costs and full valuation mean patience matters.

Related: Anthropic-powered AI model sends shocking message to employee

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Why we love this deal

A lightweight jacket can be a staple in your closet. Morning runs, day hikes, or getting errands done can be difficult to dress for during those shoulder seasons where the weather is all over the place. The forecast says it will be sunny, then an hour later you’re caught in the rain, or it looks nice and warm outside during midday, then later in the evening it starts to cool down. Something that can keep the chill off and protect you from light rain while also offering a lightweight, easy-to-carry design can be extremely beneficial and time-saving in tons of situations.

The REI Co-op Swiftland Jacket is on sale for just $67 and offers an easy option to take anywhere. It’s easy to throw on for a chilly morning, then stuff in your bag later in the day, or roll up and keep in your car. It’s made for being active and can be layered or worn by itself. Shoppers can save 25% at REI.

REI Co-op Swiftland Jacket, $67 (was $90) at REI

Courtesy of REI

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Why do shoppers love it?

Designed for running, it also works for biking, long walks, windy days, and other activities that may take place in colder weather. It weighs just 3.2 ounces and packs down into its own zippered chest pocket, making it practical for any time you need an extra layer. The recycled ripstop nylon fabric is water- and wind-resistant up to 30 miles per hour, making it great for breezy days. A PFAS-free water-repellent treatment helps light moisture slide right off the surface, keeping you dry and comfortable, and the fabric is also abrasion-resistant, adding durability without making it heavy or bulky. 

Related: REI has a $99 plaid wool flannel shirt for 50% off that’s perfect for fall adventures

The material has a small amount of stretch, while the hood can be adjusted with a bungee cord to keep wind and rain out of your face, and can be stowed away with a bungee loop at the back of the neck when not in use so it’s not in the way. The hem also features an adjustable drawcord to keep warmth in and cold air out when closed, or to offer a more breathable fit when open. The thumb loops help keep your hands warm and your sleeves in place, and the jacket also has a chest pocket to keep your keys, phone, or credit card secure while going about your day or while on a run. It’s available in sizes XS through 3X, and on sale in the colors Lilac Ash and Yellow Volt. 

Details to know

Sizes: Choose from XS to 3X.

Color: Lilac Ash and Yellow Volt are both on sale. 

Compact: The whole jacket can be stuffed into its own pocket to make it easy and portable. It features a loop to clip onto your pack, and it’s small enough to fit in your pack.

One reviewer wrote, “I use it several times a week to run in Michigan during the spring and fall when it’s often windy, rainy, and some version of cold. It’s a phenomenal windbreaker either by itself or over warm layers. It’s also a good layer for when there’s a light sleet or drizzle.”“It did not disappoint,” wrote another shopper. “I took it out for a run on a windy day with light rain, and it did what it said it would: blocked the wind and protected me from the light rain.”

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REI Co-op Flash Hyperstretch Fleece Jacket, $50 (was $100) at REI

Vuori Fitness Crop Jacket, $103 (was $148) at REI

The North Face Antora Rain Hoodie, $99 (was $140) at REI

The REI Co-op Swiftland Jacket is a feature-rich jacket that packs down easily and keeps you warm when you need it without being overly bulky or difficult. The drawstrings offer adjustability, and the pocket keeps it convenient. For $67, this is a versatile option that will last. 

Every fast-growing consumer platform chases the same finish line. Get enough people through the door for free, then figure out how to charge them later.

Adobe Inc. (ADBE) crossed that finish line on September 10, 2026, when its fiscal third-quarter results showed its total user base topping one billion people for the first time in company history. Wall Street’s reaction was a shrug, not a celebration.

Morgan Stanley did not budge. According to a Morgan Stanley note shared with TheStreet, dated September 11, 2026, analyst Adam Wood reiterated an Underweight rating and a $240 price target on Adobe, the same call his team made two months earlier.

That target sits nearly 5% below where the stock closed on Friday, a gap that says more about what Wall Street wants from Adobe than the earnings report itself does.

Related: Adobe ends an 18-year era as AI pressure mounts

Behind the billion user milestone

The quarter backed up the headline number. Revenue reached $6.76 billion, up 13% year over year, according to a regulatory filing Adobe submitted alongside its results. Non-GAAP earnings per share climbed to $6.13, up 15% from a year earlier, and total annualized recurring revenue reached $27.5 billion, according to the same filing.

Creative freemium users, including Firefly and Express, surpassed 100 million, up more than 70% year over year, according to The Wall Street Journal.

That combination, record revenue and the fastest user growth in company history, is exactly what bulls have wanted since the freemium pivot began. Shares closed at $252.23 on Friday, up 1.37% on the day, after tumbling as low as $241.51 earlier in the session.

The stock remains well below its 52-week high of $370.86, but comfortably above its 52-week low of $190.12.

Why Morgan Stanley isn’t convinced yet

The problem is not what Adobe reported. It is what stayed the same. Full-year guidance for annualized recurring revenue growth held at 10.2%, and operating margin guidance held at 45%, even after the beat, according to Adobe’s own targets.

Remaining performance obligations grew just 8% year over year, down from 12% to 13% growth earlier in the year, a deceleration Morgan Stanley called a source of added caution.

Hitting that full-year target now requires roughly $775 million of net new annualized recurring revenue in the fourth quarter, according to Morgan Stanley’s math, nearly double the third-quarter total, which itself fell 38% from a year earlier.

Morgan Stanley set this same $240 target back in July, when it first moved Adobe to Underweight over concerns about freemium conversion and leadership uncertainty. Two months and one record quarter for Adobe later, Morgan Stanley’s math has not changed enough to change its mind.

Adobe shares closed at $252.23 on Friday, up 1.37%, even as Morgan Stanley kept its Underweight rating and $240 price target unchanged after Q3 earnings.JHVEPhoto / Getty Images

A new CEO inherits an unfinished bet

The timing compounds the pressure. Adobe announced on September 3 that Anil Chakravarthy will become president and CEO on December 1, succeeding Shantanu Narayen as executive chair, according to Bloomberg.

Narayen has led Adobe since 2007, and the handoff lands one week before its most consequential strategic bet in years.

More Adobe:

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Reuters reported that Adobe is racing against a wave of AI native rivals challenging its design dominance, a landscape Chakravarthy inherits on day one. Morgan Stanley’s own note was more specific, citing three things converging at once: a leadership change, an interim finance chief, and an unproven monetization strategy.

The broader financial picture:

A $300 price target and Outperform rating came from CLSA one day before Morgan Stanley’s original downgrade in July, a split that has only widened.

About 9.5 million shares were repurchased during the quarter, according to Adobe’s SEC filing, a pace unchanged even as executives tout the freemium bet’s long term payoff.

Fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $6.8 billion to $6.85 billion left investors wanting more, according to Investing.com, keeping pressure on the stock amid the CEO transition.

The freemium bet is bigger than one stock

Adobe is not alone in betting that scale now beats revenue now. Across enterprise software, companies facing pressure from cheaper AI native tools are making the same trade, absorbing the cost of free users today for a larger paying base tomorrow.

What makes Adobe’s version notable is its scale: a freemium base larger than the population of most countries, built on a two-decade subscription business.

The real test will not arrive with Chakravarthy’s first earnings call in December. It will arrive the moment Adobe’s net new annualized recurring revenue stops shrinking and starts confirming that a billion users can eventually pay.

Until then, expect Wall Street to keep grading Adobe on the metric it hasn’t delivered yet, not the one it just did.

Related: Adobe’s latest AI acquisition just breezed through Washington

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Why we love this deal

You won’t find a watch brand much more respected than Seiko. While Swiss luxury watchmakers are seen as the gold standard for high-end timepieces, the average Rolex or Omega wearer is often seen donning a Seiko on the regular. I can attest to this personally, as I own both of the former and currently have two Seikos in my collection. Japanese luxury watches are all about quality, beauty, and value. We found a piece on sale at Walmart that embodies all three of these elements, and we think it’s worth a look.

The Seiko 5 SNK393K Automatic Watch is currently available for $167. That’s 33% off the regular price of $250. If there was ever going to be a perfect time to add a new watch to your rotation, this deal signals the moment.

Seiko 5 SNK393K Automatic Watch, $167 (was $250) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

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Why do shoppers love it?

This watch delivers all the grace and specs you’d expect from a luxury watch, but it does so at an affordable price. The case and bracelet’s 316L stainless steel construction ensures that they’re rustproof and corrosion resistant. That’s apropos, as the timepiece has 30 meters of water resistance, which means it’s built to withstand moisture, splashes, and rain. The 37-millimeter case diameter is a classic size that communicates elegance and class, which is a change of pace from many of today’s oversized and ostentatious watches.

The deep black dial is protected by Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex mineral crystal that’s highly scratch-resistant. There are Arabic numeral hour markers at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions, and standard applied silver-toned baton markers at the remaining hour positions. There is also a beautifully-finished day date window at 3 o’clock. This allows you to keep track of your monthly calendar right on your wrist. The intricate jubilee style bracelet adds just enough flair to make others take notice without seeming desperate for attention.

Unlike most watches at this price point, it has a Seiko automatic movement powering it. Automatic movements use the motion of your arm to wind the mainspring throughout the day, releasing it in the form of a smoothly sweeping seconds hand. This is the same watchmaking technique used in the aforementioned Swiss luxury pieces, and the motion of that hovering seconds hand is a beautiful thing to watch. If you want to dip your toe in the deep end of luxury watches, then this Seiko is the perfect first step. 

Related: Amazon is selling a $325 Seiko automatic luxury watch with 100 meters of water resistance for $270

Details to know

Materials: Rustproof 316L stainless steel.

Movement: Seiko automatic movement.

Case diameter: 37 millimeters.

Water resistance: 30 meters.

Crystal: Scratch-resistant Seiko Hardlex mineral crystal.

Walmart customers were highly impressed with this watch. One claimed, “I bought this for my husband, and he loves it. It’s a very nice-looking watch, and it matches everything.”

Shop more deals 

Citizen Black Dial Watch, $143 at Walmart

Seiko Blue Dial Automatic Watch, $174 (was $220) at Walmart

Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph Watch, $267 at Walmart

If you think it’s time to up your watch game, then there’s no better way to do so than with the Seiko 5 SNK393K Automatic Watch. At the current sale price of just $167, today might be your only chance to get it for so little. Even if the price doesn’t go back up quickly, the inventory is likely to go down, so time is ticking.

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Why we love this deal

“Cozy” is always our vibes when it comes to clothes, but come fall, we take it to a whole other level. Gone are the tank tops, bathing suits, and cut off shorts that have been routinely circulated through for the last few months. Now, it’s all about fuzzy sweatshirts, thick, plush sweatpants, knit sweaters, and so many other soft, fluffy pieces of apparel. Our clothes from last year are certainly going to be fall staples, but with the start of a new season, you always have to add a few new pieces to the mix, and the Champion Joggers on sale at Amazon right now are giving us our first taste of a new wardrobe addition. 

The knit lounge pants designed for men but wearable by anyone typically retail for $35, but thanks to a sale and a special coupon you can get a pair of your own starting at $15. With chilly temperatures just around the corner (we hope) there’s no better time to add a few pairs of these popular pants with over 21,000 five-star ratings than right now when they are available for less than $20 and up to 57% off. 

Champion Joggers, From $15 (was $35) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

Shop at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

In a world where so many pieces of apparel are made with synthetic fabrics, these sweatpants are 100% cotton. There’s nothing wrong with synthetics — they offer great water-resistance, durability, and are very affordable for the average shopper — but natural fibers offer superior breathability, are more skin-friendly and comfortable, and have complete biodegradability making them the eco-friendly choice. 

Made from super soft 6.1-ounces of cotton jersey fabric, these joggers are lightweight but super warm. Available in sizes small through XX-Large, the pants standard-fit with a 31-inch inseam, but the internal drawcord around the waist can be loosened or cinched to provide a more comfortable, customized fit. Both the waist and the legs cuffs at the bottom of the sweatpants are cinched, providing a more form-fitting feel. There are two pockets for holding your keys, phone, and other personal items as well as the iconic Champion “C” logo featured just below the hip on one of the pant legs. 

Related: Hanes fleece hoodie that comes in 30 colors is only $8 at Amazon

Designed as casual wear, the nice thing about these pants is that they can certainly be dressed up a bit with some sneakers and a zip-up or crewneck to look presentable if you’re running out for a quick errand. It is important to note that not all color options are made with the same percentage of cotton. The black and navy are 100% whereas the light grey and dark grey are made with cotton and polyester so keep that in mind when shopping.

Details to know

Material: Cotton.

Sizes: Small through XX-Large.

Colors: Four.

Care: Machine wash. 

With over 30,000 ratings, these sweatpants are certainly a popular purchase, and shoppers have a lot of great things to stay. They appreciate the stylish but comfortable design of the pants, and love the 100% cotton fabric that feels soft and gentle on the skin. Although a bit on the thinner side, they still provide adequate warmth when it gets chilly. “The fit is just right — neither too tight nor too loose,” one shopper said. “The elastic waistband with the drawstring allows for a customized fit, ensuring comfort throughout the day.” Others rave about how well the color and quality of the pants holds up after multiple wears and washes. 

Shop more deals 

Columbia Men’s Glennaker Lake II Rain Jacket, $49 (was $70) at Amazon

Hanes Men’s Zip-Up Hoodie, $11 (was $28) at Amazon

G Gradual Men’s Sweatpants, $25 (was $30) at Amazon

Soon the fall season will be in full swing, and you’ll be so happy you grabbed a pair of Champion Joggers to stay cozy in as the weather cools down. 

Income is what you earn. Wealth is what you keep. The distance between those two numbers is where most financial plans quietly fall apart.

The standard advice assumes a raise closes that distance. Earn more, save more, and the balance sheet sorts itself out. Most of us have run some version of that experiment on our own paychecks, usually with less to show for it than we expected.

The national data says otherwise. U.S. households owed $18.771 trillion at the end of the second quarter, and 6.97% of credit card balances flowed into serious delinquency, the New York Fed reported on Aug. 11.

The pressure has not let up since. Consumer prices rose 0.4% in August and 3.4% over the year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Sept. 11, and traders spent the rest of the day repricing a Fed hike for next week. Higher card rates are the mechanism that turns a national statistic into your minimum payment.

Ramit Sethi published a case study on Sept. 8 that makes the point more clearly than any national average can. It turns out that a couple grossing roughly $310,000 a year has surprisingly little to their name.

A large paycheck meets a thin balance sheet

The episode is titled “He has $100K of debt. Should I still marry him?” It features a couple Sethi calls Randy and Mack, both in their early 30s, and it posted to his site on Sept. 8.

Randy grosses $15,000 a month and holds a net worth of $102,000. Mack grosses $10,000 a month and holds a net worth of negative $56,000.

Combined, they bring in $25,833 a month. Combined, they are worth $45,890.

“I feel handcuffed into funding his rich life with my wallet,” Randy said on the episode.

A Sept. 8 Ramit Sethi case study profiles a couple grossing $25,833 monthly, worth $45,890.Lock Stock / Getty Images

Where the $100,000 of debt actually sits

Mack carries $100,000 in debt. Roughly $15,000 of that is student loans and the rest is consolidation loans, according to the figures published with the episode. Randy carries $12,000.

The consolidation piece is the tell. Borrowers reach for it once the original balances stop feeling manageable, and it resets the clock rather than shrinking the principal.

Sethi’s five-step debt playbook starts with knowing the exact balance and interest rate on every account. That is the step most borrowers skip, and skipping it is how a $100,000 balance becomes a number you describe in round terms instead of exact ones.

Fixed costs decide the outcome

Sethi’s Conscious Spending Plan puts fixed costs at 50% to 60% of take-home pay, investments at 10%, savings at 5% to 10%, and guilt-free spending at 20% to 35%, according to his site.

Mack’s fixed costs run 87%. Randy’s run 47%.

That single split explains the household. One partner has room to invest and one does not, and they are trying to build a joint life on two different machines.

Related: Kevin O’Leary’s 15% rule collides with a $44,115 reality check

When I lined those percentages up against Sethi’s own thresholds, the income stopped looking like the story. The $310,000 is doing almost nothing that the 87% does not immediately undo.

“At 91%, what does it tell me? You have no money left. You’re effectively broke,” Sethi wrote about a different couple on his Conscious Spending Plan page.

Avoidance costs more than the interest rate

The money is only half of it. This couple’s pattern is to ignore the issue.

“When people feel horrible about something, they don’t engage in it,” Sethi said on the episode.

Mack described what happens when the subject comes up. “My heart rate goes up and typically I just end up checking out because it’s like fight or flight,” he said.

Avoidance carries a price you can measure. The average rate on accounts assessed interest was 21.52% in the first quarter, and new card offers averaged 23.79% in June, according to LendingTree.

At 21.52%, a $100,000 balance you do not look at grows by roughly $1,793 in a single month before you pay a dollar toward it. That is my own arithmetic on the national average rate, not Mack’s blended rate, which the episode does not publish.

The debt numbers behind this couple

Combined monthly gross income of $25,833 and combined net worth of $45,890, according to Sethi’s Sept. 8 episode page. 

Mack at negative $56,000 net worth, $100,000 in debt, and fixed costs at 87% of take-home pay. 

Randy at $102,000 net worth, $12,000 in debt, and fixed costs at 47%. 

Total U.S. household debt of $18.771 trillion, including $1.263 trillion on credit cards and $1.651 trillion in student loans, according to the New York Fed. 

Serious delinquency transitions of 6.97% on credit cards, 7.83% on student loans, and 3.00% on auto loans, the New York Fed confirmed. 

An average rate of 21.52% on card accounts assessed interest, LendingTree noted. 

The national numbers point the same way

Student loans are the worst-performing consumer credit category, with 7.83% of balances flowing into serious delinquency, the New York Fed reported. Auto loans ran 3.00%.

“Delinquency rates across most products have held steady over the past two years. Still, new delinquencies for auto loans and credit cards remain at elevated levels,” said Joelle Scally, an economic policy advisor at the New York Fed, in the Aug. 11 release.

More Personal Finance:

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Maximize Social Security survivor benefits by avoiding common traps

The IRS just rewrote a fuel tax credit as diesel hit $5.94

Wages are not closing the gap, either. Average hourly earnings rose 3.1% over the 12 months through August, while payrolls grew 162,000 and unemployment held at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Sept. 4.

Rates are the part that can still move against you. Core prices rose 0.3% in August, a tenth above most forecasts, and a 25 basis-point hike at the Sept. 15-16 meeting carried an 86.3% probability on the CME Group FedWatch tool afterward, TheStreet reported.

A hike would push variable card rates higher within a billing cycle or two. Balances like Mack’s get more expensive without anyone doing anything.

What this means for your money

Run your fixed-cost number before you run anything else. Add rent or mortgage, insurance, utilities, minimum debt payments, and subscriptions, then divide by take-home pay.

Anything above 60% means the rest of your plan has no room to work. That holds at $50,000 of income and it holds at $310,000.

Write down every balance and every rate in one place this week, even if you do nothing else with them. You cannot outrun 21.52% by refusing to look at it.

If you are merging finances with someone, trade the actual numbers before the wedding rather than after. Two people with the same income and different fixed-cost ratios are not running the same household.

Then automate the piece you control. Sethi’s case is that the transfer you never see beats the discipline you have to summon every month, and this couple is the argument for the investing system most people skip.

What to watch at the September Fed meeting

The Fed answers on Sept. 16. If the hike lands, every variable-rate balance in the country reprices upward while wage growth sits at 3.1%.

That is the squeeze Randy and Mack are living in miniature, and it is why a $310,000 income is not the finish line anyone assumes it is. The number that decides your outcome is the share of your pay already spoken for before it arrives.

Related: When to buy a home instead of continuing to rent, according to Ramit Sethi

Making decisions about how to best spend your hard-earned money isn’t easy, particularly nowadays, given how credit card and mortgage rates have risen. Unfortunately, the situation isn’t going to get any better anytime soon and may worsen, according to longtime fund manager Chris Versace‘s latest Federal Reserve interest rate prediction.

Versace, a money manager who has been tracking markets since the 1990s, believes the next decision from the Fed won’t be to cut rates. Instead, he says that the next move is likely an interest rate hike when the Federal Open Market Committee meeting wraps up on September 16.

Versace’s opinion is that the economic data that has landed over the past few months, including inflation data driven by Middle East oil price pressure, puts Fed Chairman Kevin Warsch in a corner.

The Consumer Price Index data is the final straw for the Fed

We all thought we were making progress in 2024, but the August Consumer Price Index report shows that the Fed’s 2% inflation target is nothing more than a pipe dream.

After tariffs caused inflation to stop declining as companies boosted prices and sold less for more (shrinkflation is real), we’ve now seen the Middle East conflict spike oil prices, which in turn is once again causing prices to climb.

Also read: Middle East, Ukraine just dealt another blow to your wallet

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, headline inflation was 3.4% in August. Strip out volatile food and energy costs, and you still see price problems. Core CPI rose 2.4%.

Versace put the Fed’s reaction to inflation data bluntly, writing “It’s hard to not see the Fed delivering a 25-basis point rate hike,” in a note to TheStreet Pro members.

The Federal Reserve may hike interest rates at the FOMC meeting on September 16, 2026.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty Images

Higher rates are not what the market, consumers, or even the Fed, really want

Stocks have enjoyed a historic AI-frenzy-driven run-up since 2022’s bear market drop. Earnings have surged as trillions of dollars have flowed into spinning up controversial data centers nationwide, propping up economic growth.

However, economic growth adds inflationary pressure, and crimping spending by raising the Fed Funds Rate is the Federal Reserve’s best way to wrestle inflation lower.

More Fed:

J.P. Morgan drops Fed rate bombshell over Warsh, inflation

Fed interest-rate decision rocks Wall Street’s inflation fears

BofA says Fed hike today would be one for the books

Raising rates to tap down demand, and thus, inflation, works, but is hardly a popular move, especially given how expensive it is to borrow on credit already.

The average credit card interest rate is 19.56%, according to Bankrate. As of September 11, new credit cards charge 23.82%, according to LendingTree.

In the second quarter, the delinquency rate on credit card loans was 2.85%, ranking amongst the highest levels since 2012, when consumers were still struggling post the Great Financial Crisis, according to data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

Mortgage rates are also already under pressure due to expectations for higher rates. Most banks benchmark mortgage rates to the 10-year Treasury Yield, which has surged to 4.97%, up from 3.96% in February. As a result, the average mortgage rate hit 7% this past week.

As our mortgage and housing market expert Laura Grace Tarpley pointed out:

“The MND mortgage rate was 6.89% on Sept. 8. Then it jumped by 0.08% on Sept. 9 and 0.10% on Sept. 10. Those are significant increases — until now, the largest day-to-day rate change in the past month had been 0.06%.”

Investors aren’t likely to be fans of a rate hike either, given that the resulting slower growth from higher rates means lower corporate profits.

And Warsh himself, likely, isn’t thrilled with the prospect of higher rates, given his installation at the Fed was predicated on President Trump’s anger at former Chairman Jerome Powell for maintaining higher rates.

Still Warsh may not have a choice, given the data.

“While the market would cheer another pause in monetary policy, it would also call into question Kevin Warsh’s credibility as Fed Chair following his Jackson Hole comments and others from him that, on his watch, monetary policy doesn’t rest on any one data point,” said Versace.

Now read: Fed rate-hike odds surge as Warsh faces inflation-weary markets

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

It’s no secret that one of the most sought-after commodities in any home is storage space. Whether that means keeping your overflow items in an outdoor shed or storing them in a mini dresser, there needs to be a place for things of all sizes. After all, the world keeps turning, and we all keep shopping. That’s why a tall storage cabinet is always good to have. It allows you to keep as much as you want stored away without making your space look too cluttered or messy. 

Most homes come with a fair amount of built-in cabinetry for general storage. Unfortunately, those cupboards tend to fill up quickly with dishes, tupperware, and the like. Once you’ve got all of your current items stored away, there’s no space left for anything new. Making things worse, most homes are being built smaller now than they were decades ago, limiting space even more despite rising house prices.

Hijob Corner Farmhouse Storage Cabinet

Courtesy of Walmart

Check price at Walmart

Fortunately, there’s a way to add storage space to your home without taking up too much valuable square footage. The Hijob Corner Farmhouse Storage Cabinet is a wonderful way to increase your storage capacity without sacrificing floor space or too much money. That’s because this corner storage cabinet is on sale for just $180 at Walmart, down from the regular price of $360. What’s more, it’s made from waterproof engineered wood, includes built-in door shelves, and has a motion sensor LED light. Add to that the fact that it fits neatly into a corner without taking up valuable main wall space, and there’s no reason not to buy it this instant.

Benefits of a corner storage cabinet

There are a few reasons why getting a tall corner storage cabinet is a great idea. One of the most obvious is that a corner unit maximizes what’s usually considered dead space. Very few interior corners of a home lend themselves to efficient use. Even if you plan to place a standard storage cabinet at an angle, you’re losing a major triangle-shaped area of open space that simply sits vacant behind the cabinet. A corner-shaped pantry makes use of that space and allows you to utilize it for storage, thereby maximizing its utility.

What’s more, these cabinets leverage vertical space. While shorter cabinets require a broader area, leading to less usable floor space, tall corner cabinets make the most of the floor-to-ceiling space that’s available. After all, it’s far more efficient to “build up” when it comes to overflow storage than to spread out. Add to that the corner orientation of these pantries, and you really can’t go wrong with buying one.

Most corners in your home get unused and either figuratively or literally collect dust. A nice corner storage pantry, especially one like the farmhouse model mentioned above, adds a nice touch to your home’s decor. Rather than finding a random plant or vase to place in the corner to fill the space, a storage cabinet specifically designed for a corner looks substantial and intentional, and it’s a great solution to the age-old storage problem.

More corner storage cabinets

Maybe the Hijob Corner Farmhouse Storage Cabinet doesn’t exactly fit your needs. If that’s the case, then there’s no need to fret. We compiled a list of some favorite alternatives that offer many of the same benefits. Not only do these storage cabinets look great, but they have plenty of storage space for everything you need, no matter the size of your home.

Anpoo Corner Tall Farmhouse Storage Cabinet

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Buildhom 4-Door Farmhouse Corner Cabinet

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Innod Tall Fluted Corner Storage Cabinet

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Acekid Farmhouse Corner Storage Pantry

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TheStreet Shopping is your guide for shopping insights and advice. We look beyond the price tag to find the best value in home, tech, and wellness gear based on product features and real-world use. Read more about our Editorial Standards and How We Choose Our Shopping Deals.

Valued at a market cap of $116 billion, Adobe stock has underperformed the broader markets after touching all-time highs in late 2021. Today, Adobe (ADBE) stock is down 63% from those record levels. 

Adobe is in the middle of a leadership change and a major bet on artificial intelligence. That combination has made the stock a tricky one for analysts to price heading into next year.

The company just posted a quarter that beat expectations on nearly every measure investors normally watch. 

Yet one Wall Street bank still found a reason to lower its price target.

Adobe stock leans on its AI growth story

Adobe’s pitch to investors right now centers on user growth first and revenue second. The company is chasing what it calls a freemium strategy, meant to pull huge numbers of new users into its products before ever charging them.

The strategy showed up clearly in Adobe’s third quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call on September 10.

Chair and CEO Shantanu Narayen said the company’s tools now reach over one billion monthly active users across its businesses, up more than 20% from a year earlier. 

Related: Adobe ends an 18-year era as AI pressure mounts

Creative freemium monthly active users, which include Firefly and Express, crossed 100 million and grew more than 70% compared with the same period last year.

Adobe also disclosed that Narayen will move into an executive chair role on December 1, and Anil Chakravarthy, currently president of customer experience orchestration, will become the company’s next CEO. 

Narayen has led Adobe for 29 years and has overseen its growth from under $1 billion in annual revenue to more than $26 billion today.

JPMorgan trims Adobe stock price target

JPMorgan lowered its price target on Adobe stock to $315 from $340 while keeping an Overweight rating on the shares, according to The Fly.

The analyst told investors that Adobe’s fiscal third quarter results were “robust and beat expectations modestly.”

Total revenue of $6.76 billion, up 12% compared with a year earlier

Adjusted earnings per share of $6.13, up 15% year over year

Total ending annual recurring revenue of $27.5 billion, up 11.2%

Firefly ending annual recurring revenue up 40% from the prior quarter

Creative freemium users topping 100 million, up more than 70% year over year

Despite that beat, JPMorgan said Adobe’s fourth quarter revenue outlook came in modestly below consensus. 

The firm tied that softer guidance to Adobe’s ongoing focus on user acquisition rather than pricing.

Adobe’s current period remaining performance obligations, a measure of contracted future revenue, grew just 9% year over year, its slowest pace since early fiscal 2023.

JPMorgan also pointed to a slowdown in revenue growth expected in fiscal 2027. Even so, the firm argued the shares are now inexpensive and offer what it called a “low bar for upsides to the share price from a recovery in monetization.”

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Adobe management defends growth strategy

Adobe’s leadership has been direct about trading some near-term revenue for long-term reach.

Narayen addressed the tradeoff on the earnings call when asked about pausing planned price increases on Creative Cloud, stating:

“I’m actually really happy that we didn’t focus on the pricing actions, because that, while it may have provided some short term relief, would not be as critical as continuing to drive new user adoption.”

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Interim CFO Steve Day added that the softer bookings growth reflects that same strategy rather than any change in demand, noting that both remaining performance obligation measures typically step up in Adobe’s fourth quarter and stay flat for the following three quarters. 

He said this year is following the same pattern seen in prior years.

For now, Wall Street appears willing to give Adobe room to run its playbook. 

JPMorgan’s reduced price target still points to meaningful upside from current levels, and the firm’s “Overweight” rating suggests it believes the current dip in bookings growth is a phase, not a trend. 

Whether that patience pays off will likely depend on how quickly Adobe can convert its swelling user base into paying subscribers.

Related: Adobe’s rating cut to underweight as CEO search drags on

Money is the quietest weapon in any war. Armies make the evening news. Wire transfers do not.

That gap explains why six months of American economic pressure on Iran has been easy for investors to file under foreign policy and forget about. The war moved oil prices. The sanctions moved paperwork.

The paperwork is now moving oil prices too.

On Aug. 24 the Treasury Department launched a campaign it named Operation Economic Outcast, and Secretary Scott Bessent reached for a Second World War analogy to explain it.

The idea was to “drive the enemy from its positions, including those in third countries,” he said, according to Iran International.

Nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels landed on the sanctions list that day, and five more sectors of Iran’s economy were exposed to secondary sanctions, according to Cleary Gottlieb.

Which brings us to the announcement nobody in Washington will attach a name to. “A large bank” will be sanctioned next week, Bessent said Thursday, Sept. 10, reported CNBC.

Bessent says Treasury will sanction an unnamed large bank Monday, Sept. 14.Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

What Bessent actually said about the bank

He would not identify the institution, and he would not name the country it operates in.

He did tell people exactly when to look, which is Monday, Sept. 14.

The timing was deliberate. The action had been set for Friday and was pushed back out of respect for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, reported Reuters.

The warning underneath it was less delicate. Any company or person still dealing with Tehran is risking “an extinction-level event,” Bessent said, according to Reuters.

Why the sanctions cadence matters more than the target

When I mapped every Treasury action since the campaign began, the thing that stood out was not the severity of any single designation. It was the tempo.

Treasury has said it will move faster, and that anyone laundering money or evading sanctions on Iran’s behalf will be cut off “from the U.S. financial system,” according to a department statement.

The calendar makes the pattern hard to miss.

Aug. 24: Nearly 60 designations, plus new sector determinations covering shipping, aviation, gold, technology and digital assets, according to Cleary Gottlieb.

Aug. 28: The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed cutting the United Arab Emirates branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr off from U.S. correspondent accounts, according to Steptoe.

Sept. 4: Treasury sanctioned Turkey-based Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi and its subsidiaries, reported CNBC.

Sept. 8: Five general licenses covering personal remittances, academic exchange and sports were suspended, according to Orrick.

Sept. 14: One large bank, name withheld, per Bessent.

That is roughly one action a week for three straight weeks, and the fourth is already on the calendar.

A designation is not a fine. It blocks assets inside U.S. jurisdiction and bars American firms from transacting with the target, which in practice severs access to dollar clearing.

For a mid-sized bank in Turkey, the Gulf or North Africa, losing a correspondent account is closer to losing the ability to do business at all than it is to a penalty.

That is why the missing name is doing work of its own. Compliance departments at third-country lenders cannot wait until Monday to find out whether they are next, so the rational move is to cut Iran-linked exposure now and explain later.

The Egyptian bank case that set the template

Banque Misr is the clearest look at how these cases get built.

The FinCEN filing called its UAE branches “a critical access node to the U.S. dollar (USD) for Iranian illicit finance” and counted 103 suspected Iranian front companies moving about $1.8 billion through them between January 2024 and June 2026, according to Paul Hastings.

More Economic Analysis:

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Scott Bessent gives candid assessment of U.S. economy

UBS sends investors strong message about the economy

Washington is not running this alone, and it is not running it unopposed. The European Union has signaled support for the campaign, while China has called the actions illegal unilateral sanctions, according to Orrick.

Bessent describes these targets more loosely in public than the filings do. He said a Turkish bank financing Iranians would also be closed, and CNBC later corrected its report to specify the 30th largest Turkish bank rather than the largest, a gap that separates a systemic action from a surgical one.

What the bank campaign means for oil prices and your money

Here the story stops being about Tehran and starts being about the number on the pump. Brent crude averaged $91 a barrel in August, $7 above July, while shut-in crude production across the region averaged 6.7 million barrels a day, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Brent then settled near $108 on Sept. 10, the highest in nearly four months, reported Bloomberg.

It eased back toward $104 by Friday, Sept. 11, according to Trading Economics.

My read of the EIA outlook is that its path back to cheaper oil assumes physical supply returns. It does not assume a financial system that keeps shrinking.

Every bank cut off from dollar clearing removes another route for barrels to reach a buyer. That is a price floor the forecast does not fully carry, and it is the part most investors are not watching, including the ones reading Wall Street’s long-range market forecasts.

The underlying problem is still physical. Roughly one-fifth of global oil supply moved through the Strait of Hormuz before Iran blockaded it in February, reported Arab News.

For a household, this lands in two places. Fuel costs, which the EIA expects to stay elevated through the rest of 2026, and the inflation print the Federal Reserve reads before it decides anything about rates.

Neither shows up as a headline about sanctions. Both show up in a monthly budget, and both are why a Treasury announcement with no company attached to it still belongs in the same mental file as your 401(k).

What to watch when the sanctions land on Sept. 14

The same Monday Treasury plans to name a bank, foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iraq are expected to meet Iran’s foreign minister in Salalah, Oman, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.

The session is meant to “promote better understanding among the countries of the region,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, according to Al Jazeera.

One side of the Persian Gulf is negotiating a waterway back open. The other is closing bank accounts. Bahrain has already said it will skip the meeting until diplomatic ties with Tehran are restored, reported the Jerusalem Post.

Monday produces a name. The number worth writing down is the one after it, because a campaign built on tempo only works if the following Monday produces another.

If the list keeps growing one bank at a time, the risk premium sitting inside oil prices is structural, and it will outlast whatever does or does not get signed in Oman.

Related: Bessent just escalated his financial war on Iran