Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading higher after President Trump signalled that talks with Iran are progressing positively, as we get ready to start another trading week, with the same issues that have dragged the stock market down for four consecutive weeks still in place. While we have had a virtual March Madness in stocks, there are at least some positive developments that could slow the massive rise in energy prices, not the least of which is getting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. All of the major indices closed lower again on Friday, with the Russell 2000 leading the way, finishing the session down 2.61% at 2,429, and is now officially in correction territory, while the Nasdaq closed down 2.01% at 21,647. The S&P 500 was last seen at 6,506, down 1.51%, which could be a bad break for the legacy index, as most technicians have warned that breaking the 6,600 support level could lead to more selling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average held up best, ending the day at 45,577, down 0.96%.
Treasury Bonds:
The song remains the same, as yields across the Treasury curve rose again on Friday. The recent rise in inflation and the growing belief across Wall Street that interest rate cuts may be off the table until the summer, with some firms indicating there will be no rate cut this year, have contributed to the selling. The 30-year long bond finished Friday at 4.96%, while the benchmark ten-year note was last seen at 4.38%. One thing is for sure: if you see the 10-year note hit 4.75%, it would make sense to buy that level.
Oil and Gas:
Despite the United States trying in numerous ways to increase supply and distribution, oil traded higher on Friday but backed off from levels reached earlier in the day. Despite the efforts, Brent crude still finished the day up 3.62% at $112.60, while West Texas Intermediate continues closing in on the $100 level, and was last seen at $98.29, up 2.87%. Natural gas was a surprise, closing down 2.24% at $3.10.
Gold:
Gold and Silver both continued the epic slide that started in earnest about a month ago, on Friday, and this could very well carry through this week. The combination of a stronger US dollar, rising Treasury yields, and reduced expectations of immediate interest rate cuts was cited as a reason for the weakness. The surge in oil prices has intensified inflation concerns, prompting investors to liquidate gold positions to cover margin calls and making it a source of cash in volatile markets, despite its usual role as a safe haven. Gold finished Friday at $4,487, down 3.4%, while Silver closed the session at $67.97, down 6.45%.
Crypto:
After a week of heavy swings, the cryptocurrency market attempted to stabilize on Friday, with Bitcoin hovering between $70,000 and $71,000. Despite recovering from recent lows, the crypto market continues to face headwinds from Middle Eastern geopolitical instability and a dip in institutional momentum. At 7 AM EDT, Bitcoin traded at $68,549, while Ethereum traded at $2,048.
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, March 23, 2026.
Upgrades:
- APA Corporation (NYSE: APA) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays, which has a $35 target price for the oil giant.
- Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSE: LNG) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, which raised the target price for the LNG leader to $313 from $236.
- MongoDB Inc. (NASDAQ: MDB) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Mizuho, which boosted the target price for the stock to $325 from $290.
- Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) was raised to Buy from Hold at Stifel, which nudged their target price for the shares to $42 from $40.
- Venture Global Inc. (NYSE: VG) was raised to Overweight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley, which lifted the target price for the stock to $22 from $8.
Downgrades:
- Brookfield Renewable Corp. (NYSE: BEPC) was downgraded to Underweight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which lowered the target price for the shares to $95 from $120.
- Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE: CCI) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, which has an $85 target price for the stock.
- PG&E Corp. (NYSE: PCG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which trimmed the target price for the utility to $19 from $20.
- Super Micro Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI | SMCI Price Prediction) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Northland, with a $22 target price.
- Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ZBH) was cut to Neutral from Buy at BTIG, without a target price for the company.
Initiations:
- Terawulf Inc. (NASDAQ: WULF) was initiated with a Buy rating at Arete, which has a huge $30 prce target for the company.
- Hut 8 Corp. (NASDAQ: HUT) was started with a Buy rating at Arete, which has a $136 target price for the shares.
- Jasper Therapeutics (NASDAQ: JSPR) was assumed with a Neutral rating at UBS, with a $1.50 target price.
- Red Rock Resorts Inc. (NYSE: RRR) was started with a Buy rating at Benchmark, which has a $67 target price for the iconic Colorado music venue.
- Odysight.AI Inc. (NASDAQ: ODYS) was initiated with a Buy rating at Benchmark, with a $10 target price objective.
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