New York, January 11, 2026, 05:24 EST — The market has closed.
- Trade Desk closed Friday at $37.29, holding steady from the previous session
- Stifel stuck with a Buy rating, naming the ad-tech company one of its top picks
- Tuesday’s U.S. inflation report might shape the outlook for growth stocks sensitive to interest rates
The Trade Desk shares closed Friday at $37.29, showing little movement as investors braced for a week packed with macroeconomic events. The ad-tech stock remains in search of a stable footing after a tough run.
Stifel stuck with a Buy rating and named The Trade Desk its top pick in ad tech. Analyst Mark Kelley said that as election-cycle impacts wane, the comparisons “should start to look significantly better in 2Q and beyond.” 1
This matters because digital advertising stocks often act as a proxy for growth sentiment — and growth itself is closely tied to interest rate expectations. Should Tuesday’s inflation data prompt investors to reassess monetary policy, high-multiple software and internet shares could get hit hard.
U.S. stocks climbed to new peaks on Friday following a mixed jobs report, sparking debate over the timing of the Federal Reserve’s next rate cut. 2
Trade Desk, known for its software that helps advertisers buy digital ads across the “open internet,” is expanding its toolkit. This week, it launched the initial group of publishing partners for OpenAds, an auction system it claims offers publishers a more direct and transparent route to sell their inventory. 3
The stock fell roughly 1% during the week, weighed down by early losses before leveling off by Friday’s close. 4
Kelley noted that the company is overcoming rollout problems with Kokai, its ad-buying platform. He added that skeptics citing Amazon as a looming competitive threat might struggle to make their case if growth metrics get better.
That said, the setup isn’t without risks. Any dip in ad spending or fresh client cutbacks would hit hard in a name so tied to marketing budgets and campaign timing.
The key risk right now is macro-driven: the U.S. consumer price index for December comes out Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET. That data could shift rate expectations almost instantly. 5
Traders are also gearing up for a slew of U.S. data later this week—retail sales and producer prices among them—to gauge whether the economy is losing steam or holding steady. 6
