Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading higher this morning after reports are circulating that President Trump wants to end the war soon. This comes after Monday’s session, which saw three of the four major indices close lower, while oil traded above $100 for the first time since the summer of 2022. Conflicting headlines flew around; some were very positive, and some were more negative. When it was all said and done on Monday, only the venerable Dow Jones Industrial finished the day positive, closing up 0.11% at 45,216. The small-cap Russell 2000 took the biggest hit to start the holiday-shortened trading week, closing down 1.46% at 2,414, while the Nasdaq finished the day at 20,794, down by 0.73%, and the S&P 500 was last seen at 6,343, down 0.39%. Investors need to be careful, as all major indices are in or approaching correction territory and could be poised for a sharp decline if the war escalates.
Treasury Bonds:
After choppy trading last week, buyers returned in full force on Monday, as yields were lower across the entire curve amid a safe-haven trade back on in a big way. The combination of inflation returning as an issue, the potential for no rate cuts, and the possibility of a rate increase, combined with geopolitical worries, sent prices higher and yields lower. The 30-year-long bond finished the session at 4.91%, while the benchmark 10-year note closed Monday at 4.35%.
Oil and Gas:
West Texas Intermediate, as we noted, closed over the $100 level for the first time in almost four years, finishing the session Monday at $105, up 5.40%, while Brent Crude closed at $114.60, which was higher by 1.81%. The escalation of hostilities, with the Houthis joining Iran’s side, and concerns across the entire energy complex that distribution, along with exploration and production, will be in serious jeopardy in the Middle East, are issues investors are facing. Natural gas took a beating Monday, closing down 4.86% at $2,87.
Gold:
The precious metal markets, which had been in lockstep with every other asset class that traded down over the last month, are holding steady at current support levels. Current pricing reflects ongoing upward momentum, supported by market attempts to find a footing amid geopolitical tensions and navigate between high inflation fears and potential diplomatic developments. Gold closed trading on Monday at $4,510, up 0.38%, while Silver was last seen at $70.22, up 0.50%.
Crypto:
Crypto markets traded higher on Monday, briefly staging a relief rally after a bruising stretch that had left sentiment washed out and many crypto-linked equities down roughly 60% from recent highs. Bitcoin steadied in the upper-$66,000 to upper-$67,000 range throughout much of the Monday session, while Ethereum climbed as traders returned to beaten-down names and short-covering fueled the rebound. The move was helped by some easing geopolitical anxiety, albeit conflicting, and a modest improvement in broader risk appetite, which gave digital assets room to bounce after several sessions of macro-driven selling. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $66,660, while Ethereum was trading at $2,042.
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 Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Amphenol Corp. (NYSE: APH) was assumed with a Buy rating from Hold at Jefferies, which trimmed the target price for the stock to $145 from $150.
- Emerson Electric Company (NYSE: EMR) was assumed with a Buy rating from Hold at Jefferies, which raised the target price for the stock to $175 from $160.
- Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley, which nudged the target price down to $23 from $24.
- Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE: SHAK) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Bank of America, which raised the price target to $101 from $88.
- Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC | WDC Price Prediction) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein, which doubled the price target for the tech giant to $340 from $170.
Downgrades:
- Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at TD Cowen, which lowered the target price for the consumer staples giant to $85 from $96.
- Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LECO) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which cut the target price to $280 from $350.
- Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which slashed the target price for the shares to $380 from $490.
- Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: TERN) was cut to Hold from Buy at Truist, with a $523 target price objective.
- Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE: VRT) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which lowered the target price to $260 from $280.
Initiations:
- Arista Networks Inc. (NYSE: ANET) was started with a Buy rating at Truist, which has set a $161 target price for the stock.
- Block Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) was started with a Buy rating at Loop Capital with a $62 target price.
- Digital Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: DLR) was initiated with a Buy rating at Truist, which bumped the target price for the stock to $207 from $202.
- MiniMed Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MMED) was started with an Overweight rating at Morgan Stanley with a $19 target price. In comparison, Mizuho began covering the stock with an Outperform rating with a $21 target price. Citigroup initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $23 target price, while Wells Fargo has an Overweight rating with a $26 target price. The company was a recent IPO
- NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) was initiated with an Overweight rating at KeyBanc, which has a $52 target price objective.
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