Live Nasdaq Composite: Markets Exhale on ‘Just Right’ Jobs Data

By Gerelyn Terzo Updated Jan 9, 11:24AM EST · Published Jan 9, 9:46AM EST

Quick Read

U.S. non-farm payrolls rose by only 50,000 jobs in December as tariffs and AI investments slowed hiring.
Meta signed nuclear power deals with Oklo and Vistra to support data center energy demands.
Bernstein maintained its $475 price target on Broadcom despite concerns about ASIC share in AI.
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Live Updates

Intel Rises

Jan 9, 2026 at 11:24 AM EST

President Trump has continued his fascination with legacy chipmaker Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), most recently meeting with CEO Lip-Bu Tan after the administration architected a plan to convert billions of dollars in grant funds into an equity position in Intel stock. INTC shares are currently up 6% on the day.

Supreme Court Pause Button

Jan 9, 2026 at 10:11 AM EST

Rather than issue a ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hit the pause button on their decision around the Trump administration’s tariff program, kicking the can down the road to revisit the issue in June. The Kalshi betting platform places the odds at 70% that the judges will eventually rule to block the tariff income.

The markets have turned mixed, with the Nasdaq Composite now modestly lower.

Wall Street Analyst Calls

Jan 9, 2026 at 9:47 AM EST

Goldman Sachs has reemphasized its “neutral” rating on Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) stock while lowering the price target by $18 to $112 per share leading up to the streaming content giant’s upcoming earnings report.

Berenberg analysts are bullish on CrowdStrike (Nasdaq: CRWD) stock, lifting shares of the cybersecurity stock to a “buy” rating on an attractive valuation.

Morgan Stanley remains bullish on Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) stock, reemphasizing their “buy” rating on the online used-car platform stock.

This article will be updated throughout the day, so check back often for more daily updates.

The markets are moving decidedly higher to cap off the week as they welcomed jobs data that was neither too hot nor too cold. All three of the major stock market averages are advancing, including a fractional gain in the Nasdaq Composite. Google parent company Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOGL | GOOGL Price Prediction) is tacking on 1%, buoying the tech sector and bringing the stock closer to the $4 trillion market cap level. The markets are also watching and waiting for a Supreme Court decision today on President Trump’s tariff run.

On the economic front, U.S. job growth came to a crawl in December, with businesses holding back on hiring due to import tariffs and bigger investments in AI. For example, Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk’s xAI doled out $7.8 billion through Q1-Q3 2025. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, giving Fed policymakers more to consider at their upcoming FOMC meeting later this month. The Labor Department revealed that non-farm payrolls rose by 50,000 jobs last month, after a revised increase of 56,000 in November.

Here’s a look at where things stand as of morning trading:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: 49,414.94 Up 148.83 (+0.28%)
Nasdaq Composite: 23,482.78 Up 2.7 (+0.03)
S&P 500: 6,935.64 Up 13.18 (+0.21%)

Market Movers

Bernstein analysts remain bullish on Broadcom (Nasdaq: AVGO) stock, maintaining an “outperform” rating with a $475 price target, assuring investors that worries about the company’s ASIC share in the AI market are “hugely overblown.” Broadcom stock is up slightly.

Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) has inked a nuclear power partnership with Oklo (Nasdaq: OKLO) on nuclear energy to meet escalating power demands from its data center, sending OKLO shares 18% higher. Meta is also teaming up with Vistra (NYSE: VST) and TerraPower for nuclear-related agreements. VST stock is soaring by 15% today.

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About the Author Gerelyn Terzo →

Gerelyn Terzo is the author of dividend investing handbook "Dividend Investing Strategies: How to Have Your Cake & Eat It Too." A veteran financial journalist, she covers agri-finance for outlets like Global AgInvesting and the broader stock market and personal finance for 24/7 Wall Street. She began at CNBC and later helped launch Fox Business in New York. Gerelyn currently resides in Woodland Park, Colorado and dabbles in nature photography as a hobby.