Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading mixed as we wrap up a wild and woolly week across Wall Street. Many thought that bad inflation prints for July were about to lock in a September rate hike; the data for both the consumer price index, which came in line with expectations, and the producer price index, which showed final demand was unchanged in July, came in below the consensus forecast of a 0.2% increase. Over the 12 months through July, headline wholesale inflation cooled to 4.7%, down from 5.5% in June. That was all that was needed to ignite a Thursday rally as all of the major indices finished the day higher, with the tech and AI-heavy Nasdaq leading the charge, closing up 0.81% at 26,803, while the S&P 500, which closed at a new all-time high, finished the session at 7,798, up 0.65%. The small-cap Russell 2000 also printed a new high and closed the day at 3,053, up 0.26%, and the venerable Dow Jones Industrial eked out a small gain, closing up 0.13 % at 53,839. With inflation data in and second-quarter earnings reports nearly over, investors should brace for a traditionally slow rest of August as we head toward Labor Day.
Treasury Bonds:
Just when a September rate hike looked inevitable, consumer and producer price index inflation came in at or below street expectations, igniting buying. Yields were lower across the entire Treasury curve, with the biggest buying over the belly and the long end. At the close, the 30-year bond last traded at 5.22%, while the benchmark 10-year note closed at 4.65%.
Oil and Gas:
Weak demand forecasts and a surprise rise in global inventories were all it took to get sellers back to the table on Thursday. When the dust settled, Brent Crude closed down 2.25% at $86.84, while West Texas Intermediate closed the day at $81.16, lower by 2.63%. Natural gas also closed lower at $2.73, down 2.60%.
Gold:
After a solid August rebound, the precious metals complex took a breather on Thursday, with sellers taking profits as the dollar strengthened. The final print for gold came in at $4,348, down 1.35%, while Silver closed Thursday’s session at $ 64.28, down 1.45%.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrencies traded lower and mostly sideways Thursday, with Bitcoin hovering near the $63,000–$63,500 range. Major tokens faced downward pressure after cooler-than-expected inflation data failed to spark fresh market demand, as traders awaited upcoming SEC regulatory updates. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $62,843, while Ethereum was trading at $1,878.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports every day to identify fresh investment ideas for investors and traders alike. These daily analyst notes include recommendations on stocks to buy, sell, or avoid, as well as new coverage initiations. Important reminder: No single analyst report should ever be the sole basis for buying or selling a stock.
Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Friday, August 14, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR | DLR Price Prediction) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at HSBC with a $240 target price.
- Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOXA) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which raised the target price for the stock to $82 from $70.
- Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Stifel, which trimmed the target price for the shares to $26 from $32.
- LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital, which bumped the target price to $45 from $41.
- Wayfair (NYSE: W) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein, which lifted the target price for the company to $125 from $100.
Downgrades:
- CareTrust REIT (NASDAQ: CTRE) was downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital, which nudged the price target down to $43 from $44.
- Cinemark Holdings (NYSE: CNK) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, which trimmed the target price for the stock to $39 from $40.
- Interparfums (NASDAQ: IPAR) was cut to Hold from Buy at Berenberg, which raised the target price to $130 from $113.
- Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, with a $165 target, down from $167. Broadcasting giant Fox is buying the company.
- T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS) was downgraded to Peer Perform from Outperform at Wolfe Research, without a price target.
Initiations:
- Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR) was initiated with a Buy rating at Jefferies, with a $175 target price.
- Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: UUUU) was started with an Outperform rating at BMO Capital, with an $18 target price.
- Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ: KRYS) was initiated with an Outperform rating at RBC Capital, which has a $400 target price objective.
- Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) was resumed with an Overweight rating at JPMorgan, with a $2,250 target price.
- Spyglass Pharma (NASDAQ: SGP) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Raymond James, with a $39 target price.
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