Good MorningEquities markets corrected in a sell-the-news event following the FOMC's December policy announcement. As expected, the FOMC cut rates by 25 basis points and confirmed a reduced outlook for cuts in 2025. The new outlook assumes only two 25 basis point cuts next year, down from the previous four, because the United States economy remains resilient and the labor market healthy. The takeaway is that the FOMC won't cut rates as deeply as previously expected, but corporate earnings will continue to flow and fuel robust capital returns.
Next week is Christmas. The trading week will be shortened, with markets closing early on Tuesday and not reopening until Thursday. Traders should expect light volume and a potential for directionless, volatile trading. The next hurdles will come early in January as December's economic data is released and the Q4 earnings reporting cycle shifts into a higher gear. Featured: Gold to $4,900—Here’s the Real Play (Ad) 
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Finance | |
At the end of each year, a plethora of Wall Street analysts come out with their stock market projections for the next year. This includes price target projections for the all-important S&P 500 Index. These projections provide different perspectives on what level of success stock market inves... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Looking for better stock ideas? Sign-up to receive The Early Bird Stock of the Day. Each day, MarketBeat's team of expert research analysts identifies one compelling stock and provides both a bull case and a bear case for each company. | | Get The Early Bird's Stock of the Day (Free) |
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Transportation | |
With incoming president Donald Trump's focus on tariffs as a means of controlling trade, investors might reasonably expect that the cost of importing some international goods could substantially increase after the arrival of the new administration in 2025. One possible outcome of this move might b... Read the Full Story |
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Retail/Wholesale | |
CarMax (NYSE: KMX) has headwinds in 2204 but is navigating difficult times well, selling more cars than expected and sustaining a solid margin. The company isn’t thriving but is growing and building leverage for when economic headwinds ease.
Between then and now, the company can execute i... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | According to Yahoo Finance, Elon Musk's latest project could 'upend another industry just as he did with cars and rockets.' Tech investor Jeff Brown - a former senior executive at Qualcomm, Juniper Networks, and NXP Semiconductors - says one tiny chipmaker, 148 times smaller than NVIDIA, is set to supply Musk with 5 billion chips over the next two years.
Early investors in Tesla and SpaceX saw life-changing returns. Brown believes this overlooked chipmaker could offer a similar opportunity, with entry points currently around $50. | | Click here to see Jeff Brown's full breakdown of this chipmaker |
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Technology | |
Is quantum computing the next trillion-dollar market opportunity? Investors are certainly betting on it. The quantum computing sector is heating up, and two companies are at the forefront of its development. Both companies have experienced impressive stock growth fueled by investor excitement and ... Read the Full Story |
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Energy | |
There are several reasons to believe that 2025 may be a gusher for long-suffering investors in the oil sector. Despite the United States pumping more oil than ever before, energy stocks, in general, have underperformed the market in 2023 and 2024. That underperformance speaks to the cyclical nat... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | The Wall Street Journal is already raising the alarm about a potential market crash, and Weiss Ratings research points to the first half of 2026 as a particularly rough stretch for certain holdings.
Some of America's most popular stocks could take serious damage as a radical market shift plays out. Analysts at Weiss Ratings have identified five names you may want to remove from your portfolio before this unfolds.
If any of these are in your portfolio, now is the time to review your positions. | | See the 5 stocks to avoid |
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Basic Materials | | Global mining firms face significant uncertainty heading into 2025. Ongoing geopolitical turmoil has been both a help and a hindrance—at times it has driven investors toward safe haven assets like precious metals, but it also makes operations for many mining firms more challenging. The prospec... Read the Full Story |
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Consumer Staples | | Now that the latest data on inflation and demand in the United States economy are out and the Federal Reserve (the Fed) has decided to cut interest rates for a third consecutive time, a new cycle in agriculture stocks and the manufacturing sector might be underway. This is why today’s view on ... Read the Full Story |
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Energy | |
The global race towards sustainable transportation is accelerating, creating lucrative opportunities for companies at the forefront of renewable energy innovation. Opal Fuels (NASDAQ: OPAL) is uniquely positioned to compete strongly in this race. As a vertically integrated leader in renewable na... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
After a massive rally over the past quarter, shares of MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ: MSTR) started to face some controversy regarding the underlying business model and methods of this technology stock accumulating Bitcoin on their balance sheet through shareholder dilution. However, that pressure qu... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
At the end of 2024, advances in quantum computing technology seemed to arrive at a dizzying pace. The race to develop this promising, game-changing technology seems to only be speeding up. Major tech players have dominated some of the headlines—Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), for example, anno... Read the Full Story |
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Monday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Match Group, Inc. engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Dallas, Texas. | | View Today's Stock Pick |
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