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All three major indices closed at all-time highs on Friday after a winning week for investors.
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Unemployment fell to 4.4% from 4.6% despite payrolls missing estimates.
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Large-cap money center banks report fourth-quarter earnings this week. They could very well set the tone for this earnings season.
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The futures are trading lower on Monday morning after a strong finish to the week on Friday, completing a winning week for investors as all three of the major indices closed at all-time highs. The news that Jay Powell, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, is under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice is being cited as the reason for the weakness in the futures. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 49,504, up 0.48%. At the same time, the S&P 500 was last seen at 6,966, up 0.65%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was the big winner Friday, closing at 23,671, up 0.82%. Positive economic data points, a decent non-farm payroll report on Friday that showed unemployment had dropped, alleviating fears that the Federal Reserve would have to resort to drastic near-term rate cuts. While the headline employment number was below Wall Street estimates, the unemployment rate declined to 4.4% from 4.6% in November, which was also better than expected. This “low-hire, low-fire” scenario suggested a cooling labor market without a sharp downturn, a desirable “Goldilocks” outcome for investors. With fourth-quarter earnings starting this week, the large-cap money center banks will be in the spotlight, as they are among the first to report.
Yields were higher across the Treasury, except for the most extended maturities that finished the day up on Friday. Yields generally traded within a narrow range, with some upward pressure from a stronger dollar and signs of a resilient economy, even as job additions fell short of expectations. Still, unemployment fell, keeping the market focused on potential shifts in Fed policy. Most feel there will be no further rate cuts in the funds rate until the spring or summer, unless there is an economic meltdown, which seems unlikely at this point. The 30-year bond closed Friday at 4.81%, while the benchmark 10-year note finished the session at 4.17%
Prices were mostly higher across the energy complex as the coming changes Venezuela contine to offer a potential prosperous path for the major oil giants looking to return to the nation were they were rudely interrupted in 2007 when the government forced foreign companies to cede majority control (at least 60%) of projects in the crucial Orinoco Belt, expropriating assets from firms like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). Brent Crude closed trading Friday at $63.02, up 1.66%, while West Texas Intermediate was last seen at $58.80, up 1.8%. Natural gas, which has been very volatile over the last month, tumbled 7.54% to finish the session at $3.15. Energy analysts cited milder weather forecasts for early 2026, signaling weaker near-term heating demand, while healthy production levels and ample storage override strong LNG demand.
Gold continued its march higher as buying by retail investors, institutional investors, and global Central Banks remained unabated, with the precious metal closing over $4,500 at $4508, up 0.71%. After a rough start to the week with some index reshuffling in the mix, Silver roared back on Friday, closing up 3.8% at $79.76. With markets at all-time highs, precious metals remain a safe hedge for equity portfolios.
The crypto market was rangebound and mixed on Friday, as major coins like Bitcoin held steady. At the same time, some altcoins saw gains (Solana, BNB, XRP). In contrast, others dipped, with Polygon surging on stablecoin news amid subdued overall trading and shrinking volumes, ahead of key economic reports on Friday and those coming this week. At 8 A EST on Monday, Bitcoin traded at $90,616, while Ethereum traded at $3,114.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports daily to identify new investment ideas for both investors and traders. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock.
Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Monday, January 12, 2026.
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Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ: ABNB) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at B. Riley, which lifted the target price on the stock to $170 from $140.
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Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) was raised to Overweight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley with a $115 target price.
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Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) was upgraded to Positive from Neutral at Susquehanna, which launched the target price of the stock to $400 from $180.
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Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America, which bumped the target price for the entertainment giant to $37 from $31.
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Datadog Inc. (NASDAQ: DDOG) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley with a $180 target price.
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AMKOR Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: AMKR) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS, which raised the target price for the shares to $55 from $38.
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CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) was downgraded to Sector Weight from Overweight at KeyBanc without a target price.
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GitLab Inc. (NASDAQ: GTLB) was cut to Underweight from Equal Weight at Barclays, which cut the target price for the shares to $34 from $42.
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Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, which keeps a $43 target price.
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Snowflake Inc. (NYSE: SNOW) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, which dropped the target price to $250 from $290.
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CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWV) was assumed in coverage at Goldman Sachs with a Neutral rating and a $86 target price.
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Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE: EPD) was started with a Hold rating at Jefferies with a $33 target price.
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Hims & Hers Health Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMS) was initiated with an Inline rating at Evercore ISI, with a $33 target price.
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Medline Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLN) was initiated with a Buy rating at Truist with a $52 target price. JPMorgan initiated coverage of the shares with an Overweight rating and a $50 target. The company recently had a major IPO.
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Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) was initiated with a Buy rating at HSBC with a $107 target price objective.
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