Pre-Market Stock Futures:
The futures are trading flat on Wednesday after a second strong day for Wall Street, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit another record high, closing over $49,000 for the first time at $49,484, up a solid 1.04%. The S&P 500 also posted a record high, closing at 6,947, up 0.66%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq also scored a win on Tuesday, closing the day at 23,546, up 0.64%. Continued momentum from Monday carried stocks higher, plus solid economic news on multiple fronts also added to the bullish sentiment. Semiconductor stocks are still leading the technology charge, and many feel the top companies could post outstanding fourth-quarter earnings, which will start next week with the big money-center banks reporting. Plus, after hitting a wall at the end of 2025, AI and data center stocks have shown renewed momentum as investors chase more big gains in 2026.
Treasury Bonds:
Yields were mixed across the Treasury curve after a solid start to the week on Monday. While buying was seen in the shorter T-bill maturities, there was some modest selling across the middle and longer maturities. Investors are clearly focused on upcoming economic data and geopolitical events, such as developments in Venezuela. However, recent market shifts saw yields dip amid broader Fed uncertainty and tech bubble fears, creating a volatile environment for safe-haven assets. The 30-year long bond was last seen Tuesday at 4.85% while the benchmark ten-year note finished the day at 4.17%
Oil and Gas:
After a solid Monday, stocks were down across the energy complex, and some of the same worries from 2025 resurfaced on Tuesday as expectations of a global supply surplus in 2026 and the lack of immediate supply disruption from geopolitical tensions in Venezuela, as Chevron reported that it will keep Venezuelan oil flowing despite the political upheaval there. Traders are focused on market fundamentals, which point to ample supply and subdued demand concerns. Brent Crude closed at $60.49, down 2.06%, while West Texas Intermediate was last seen at $56.91, down 2.42%. Natural gas also saw sellers reappear, as unseasonably warm weather in many parts of the country was a factor. Nat gas closed at $3.40, down 3.43%.
Gold:
Gold and Silver continued their respective marches higher, albeit not as dramatically for Gold as some of the trading days we have seen recently, when both precious metals would bolt higher by 5-10% and more. The song remains the same as central bank buying, massive retail inflows, and geopolitical concerns continue to drive investors to chase both Gold and Silver. Gold closed the session up almost 1% at $4,492. However, Silver continued a hot streak, closing up 6.06% at $81.18.
Crypto:
Crypto markets traded mixed on Tuesday as investors remained cautious ahead of key macroeconomic data releases. Bitcoin pulled back slightly but generally held above the $91,000 to $92,000 range, while some altcoins like XRP and Solana posted notable gains. Many crypto analysts on Wall Street are starting to signal they feel the bottom after a sizable sell-off that began last year may be in the process of being put in. At 8A EST, Bitcoin was quoted at $91,940, while Ethereum was trading at $3,212.
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 Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Amcor plc (NYSE: AMCR) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird with a $10 target price.
- Block Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at BNP Paribas with an $82 price target.
- Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler, which bumped the target price for the stock to $88 from $82.
- Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler, which raised the target price for the stock to $213 from $193.
- McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD | MCD Price Prediction) was raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer with a $355 target price.
Downgrades:
- Bank of America Inc. (NYSE: BAC) was downgraded to Peer Perform from Outperform at Wolfe Research with a $58 target price.
- BigBear.ai Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BBAI) was cut to Neutral from Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, which trimmed the target price to $6 from $7.
- Deckers Outdoors Corp. (NYSE: DECK) was cut to Underweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler, which lowered the target price to $85 from $100.
- GitLab Inc. (NASDAQ: GTLB) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, which slashed the target price on the shares to $40 from $60.
- Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS, which dropped the target price for the stock to $34 from $40.
Initiations:
- Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: APLD) was initiated with a Buy rating at Freedom Capital with a $36 target price. Arete also initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a gigantic $99 target price.
- Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC) was resumed in coverage with a Sector Perform rating at RBC Capital, which lifted the target price on the utility to $51 from $42.
- Natera Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA) was started with a Buy rating at Citigroup, which has set a $300 target price objective for the shares.
- Rithm Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: RPT) was initiated with a Buy rating at Compass Point with a $24 target price.
- Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) was started with an Outperform rating at Citzens with a $175 target price objective.
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