Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading mixed as the same issues that weighed on Wall Street Monday returned Tuesday. Higher oil prices, the highest 10-year and 30-year yields since 2007, and growing concerns that the war in Iran could become another Middle East quagmire are weighing on futures. When the dust settled Tuesday, all major indices finished lower, with the Nasdaq leading the way, closing at 26,289, down 1.33%, and the Russell 2000 closed the day lower by 1.30% at 3,017. The S&P 500, which was busy setting new all-time highs last week, finished Tuesday at 7,691, down 0.69%, and the Dow Jones Industrial fared the best, closing at 53,343, down 0.22%.
Treasury Bonds:
Fortunately, the highest yields on Treasury notes and bonds in almost 20 years finally got the attention of the fixed income complex as buyers turned out in full force Tuesday and yields fell across the curve. Inflation worries, while still present, have calmed, and a rate hike that looked like a lock for September may be off the table. The 30-year bond closed the session at 5.28%, while the benchmark 10-year note last traded at 4.70%.
Oil and Gas:
Energy prices were modestly higher on Tuesday, which, like the bond buying, was also a positive, albeit a small one. When the final trade hit the tape, Brent Crude was up 0.33% at $98.20, while West Texas Intermediate closed the day at $85.22, up 0.93%. Natural gas had a very solid day, closing the session at $2.79, up 3.75%.
Gold:
After a solid start to the week and a good first half of August, sellers stepped into the bullion market on Tuesday. Oil and interest rates helped encourage sellers as Gold closed the day at $4,333, down 1.87%, while Silver was last seen at $63.21, down 3.74%.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrencies followed a pattern Tuesday that’s been in place for a while, with Bitcoin trading in a narrow band between $64,000 and $64,700 after a brief intraday spike above $65,000; the broader market showed continued signs of consolidation. Ethereum, meanwhile, held near $1,910, as ongoing geopolitical tensions kept overall crypto sentiment cautious and price action largely range-bound across the session. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $64,435, while Ethereum was quoted at $1,921.
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 Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Ciena Corporation (NYSE: CIEN | CIEN Price Prediction) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Northland, with a $500 target price.
- Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) was upgraded to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies, which lifted the target price to $135 from $85.
- Dominion (NYSE: D) was raised to Buy from Hold at TD Cowen, which raised the target price for the utility to $80 from $69.
- Fabrinet (NYSE: FN) was upgraded to Outperform from Equal Weight at Fox Advisors, without a target price.
- Honeywell Aerospace (NASDAQ: HONA) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, with a $295 target price objective.
Downgrades:
- Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, which slashed the target price for the stock to $80 from $130.
- CME Group (NYSE: CME) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank, with a $270 target price.
- Core Natural Resources (NYSE: CNR) was cut to Neutral from Buy at UBS, which bumped the price target up to $105 from $101.
- Klarna Group (NYSE: KLAR) was cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, which trimmed the target price to $18 from $22.
- Pershing Square (NYSE: PS) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, with an unchanged $45 target.
Initiations:
- Aflac (NYSE: AFL) was initiated with an Underperform rating at Wolfe Research, with a $103 target price.
- BioMarin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BMRN) was initiated with an Outperform rating at BMO Capital, which has a $98 target price.
- Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) was initiated with an Outperform rating at RBC Capital, with a $276 target price.
- Hut 8 (NASDAQ: HUT) was started with a Buy at Freedom Capital, with a $132 target price objective.
- Zoom Communications (NASDAQ: ZM) was reinstated with a Buy rating at Bank of America, with a $130 price target.
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