© Bet_Noire / iStock via Getty Images
Pre-Market Stock Futures:
The futures are trading flat after a solid start to the shortened Christmas holiday week. All of the major indices finished the day higher, but with the big event just 48 hours away, you can bet the trading volume will fall off a cliff. Wednesday will be a day for the junior traders and interns, as many Wall Street pros will be on vacation through the end of the year. The Russell 2000 was the big winner on Monday, closing up 1.34% at 2,563, as investors continued a rotation into small and mid-cap stocks. The tech-heavy Nasdaq had another solid session, closing up 0.47% at 23,415. The S&P 500 was last seen at 6,871, up 0.54%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 48,342, up 0.42%. With no big economic data or market-moving news expected, look for a slow Tuesday and Wednesday.
Treasury Bonds:
Yields were slightly higher across the curve, and the best explanation is likely year-end profit taking. Investors may want to keep an eye on the 30-year bond, which closed at a yield of 4.85%. Should it trade to a 5% yield, there may be a trading opportunity in governement zero-coupon bonds, which are the most sensitive to interest rate changes because they have the highest duration and convexity for a given maturity, as their entire cash flow (principal repayment) occurs at maturity. The 10-year benchmark note closed the day at 4.17% yield.
Oil and Gas:
Prices were higher across most of the energy complex on Monday, as the song remains the same: the blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers, the concerns over Russian supply, and a degree of short covering were likely responsible for a nice move higher in the major oil benchmarks. Brent Crude finished the day at $62.05, up 2.61%, while West Texas Intermediate was last seen at $57.99, up 2.60%. The only loser on the day was natural gas, which closed at $3.97, down 0.38%.
Gold:
Gold and Silver continued their respective marches to new all-time highs. One major market call during the day came from JPMorgan, which predicted a price of $5,055 for gold by this time next year. Solid retail, industrial, and government demand, along with the prospects for more rate cuts in 2026, continue to drive precious metals higher. Gold closed trading at $ 4,436, up 2.26%, while Silver finished the session at $67.41, up 0.42%.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrencies were volatile on Monday as Bitcoin’s price jumped past $89,000 in the morning, hitting an intraday high of around $90,267, supported by expectations of future Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and a weaker U.S. dollar. However, it later pulled back slightly during U.S. trading hours, trading closer to $89,000 as precious metals like gold and silver surged to new record highs. At 8A EST, Bitcoin was quoted at $87,722 while Ethereum was trading at $2,956.
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, December 23, 2025.
Upgrades:
- AMETEK Inc. (NYSE: AME) was raised to Buy from Hold at TD Cowen with a $230 target price.
- Pool Corporation (NASDAQ: POOL) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at CFRA with a $304 target price.
- SEI Investments Company (NASDAQ: SEIC) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler with a $102 target price objective.
Downgrades:
- Brown & Brown Inc. (NYSE: BRO) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital, which trimmed the target price for the stock to $88 from $90.
- Clearwater Analytics Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWAN) was cut to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Sandler, which lowered the target price to $24.55 from $27.
- Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) was downgraded to In Line from Outperform at Evercore ISI with a $7 target.
- Janus Henderson Group PLC (NYSE: JHG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at TD Cowen with a $49 target price. Trian and General Catalyst are buying the company.
- Southern Copper Corp. (NYSE: SCCO) was cut to Underperform from Market Perform at Itau BBA with a $126 target price objective.
Initiations:
- Annexon Inc. (NASDAQ: ANNX) was initiated with a Buy rating at Chardon with a $16 target price.
- Arrivent BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ: AVBP) was started with an Overweight rating at Cantor Fitzgerald with a $38 target price.
- Brunswick Corp. (NYSE: BC) was initiated with a Hold rating at Loop Capital with a $74 target.
- Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Raymond James with a $26 target price.
- MasterCraft Boat Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MCFT) was started with a Hold rating at Loop Capital with a $21 target price.
- Spruce Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: SPRB) was reinstated with an Outperform rating at Oppenheimer with a $283 target.