Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading lower after a rough start to the week, as rising oil prices, tensions with Iran, and rising interest rates have dampened the big risk-on move across equities over the last 3 weeks. When the final bell rang on Monday, all the major indices ended the day lower, with the small-cap Russell 2000 closing down 0.40% at 3,056, while Dow Jones industrials took a similar hit, closing at 53,459, down 0.51%. After closing at a new all-time high last week, the S&P 500 closed at 7,745, down 0.52%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq closed at 26,644, down 0.32%. With summer drawing to a close and second-quarter earnings nearly over, trading volumes have moved lower, which could add to volatility. It should be noted that Asset Managers and Hedge Funds have now constructed the largest Nasdaq Futures short position ever recorded. That doesn’t bode well for September, which is annually the worst month for stocks.
Treasury Bonds:
The Bond vigilantes were back at work to start the week, as yields were mostly higher across the Treasury curve, as oil and geopolitics were big factors Monday. The yield on the 30-year bond closed Monday at 5.32%, the highest print since 2007. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note closed at 4.73%. Slowly but surely, the bond market is doing what the Federal Reserve may not have to do by moving rates higher. The odds that the Fed will raise rates in September have dropped to 25%. Kalshi has 72% saying rates are unchanged and 28% for a 25-basis-point increase.
Oil and Gas:
Some bellicose rhetoric from Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz traffic dropping to zero over the weekend, fanned the buyers in the energy complex on Monday. When the final bell rang, Brent Crude closed the session at $90.86, up 2.64%, while West Texas Intermediate finished the day at $84.78, up 2.89%. Natural gas closed down 1.13% at $2.70.
Gold:
Geopolitical turmoil and cooling economic data provided a nice tailwind for bullion, as it continues its rally off the mid-July lows. Gold closed Monday’s session at $4,414, up 0.88%, while Silver closed at $65.63, up 1.63%.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrencies traded down modestly on Monday and continued to hover in a tight, low-volatility range. Bitcoin opened around $62,829 and ticked up toward $63,400, while Ethereum hovered near $1,894, as traders weighed geopolitical tensions and mixed macroeconomic signals. Trading volumes remain low, like equities, as analysts continue to debate whether the current low volatility signals an upcoming breakout or an extended bear-market bottom. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin is trading at $64,326, while Ethereum is trading at $1,902.
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 from Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Americold Realty Trust (NYSE: COLD | COLD Price Prediction) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Bank of America, which moved the target price to $16 from $15.
- America Movil (NYSE: AMX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which bumped the target price to $32 from $30.
- Bath & Body Works (NASDAQ: BBWI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup, with an unchanged $25 target price.
- Duolingo (NASDAQ: DUOL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at DA Davidson, with a $160 target price.
- Tapestry (NYSE: TPR) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Daiwa, with a $140 target price.
Downgrades:
- Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Raymond James, without a price target.
- Ameresco (NYSE: AMRC) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Baird, which trimmed the target price for the shares to $32 from $36.
- Autohome (NYSE: ATHM) was cut to Underperform from Neutral at Bank of America, which nicked the target price to $19 from $20.20.
- Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) was downgraded to Sector Weight from Overweight at KeyBanc, without a target price.
- Millicom International (NASDAQ: TIGO) was cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, which nudged the target price up to $105 from $100.
Initiations:
- Centrus Energy (NYSE: LEU) was initiated with an Equal Weight rating at Barclays, with a $207 target price.
- Gorilla Technology Group (NASDAQ: GRRR) was initiated with a Buy rating at Compass Point, with a $44 target price objective.
- Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE: HGV) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Susquehanna, with a $50 target price for the stock.
- Lumentum Holdings (NASDAQ: LITE) was reinstated with a Buy at William O’Neil, without a target price.
- Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) was also reinstated with a Buy rating at William O’Neil, without a target price.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks