Khadija Saeed

A dedicated markets reporter, she covers stocks, macroeconomics, and major business developments with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.

Lumentum stock jolts again as Needham hikes target to $470 and Mizuho taps AI optics

Lumentum stock jolts again as Needham hikes target to $470 and Mizuho taps AI optics

New York, January 9, 2026, 17:31 EST — After-hours Lumentum Holdings Inc (LITE.O) bounced between $333 and $363 on Friday before settling up 0.9% at $351.42. In after-hours, the stock dipped roughly 0.4% to about $350, following Needham’s boost of its price target from $290 to $470, and a day after shares dropped 11.4%. (StockAnalysis) The tug-of-war is familiar now. Investors are eager to get a piece of the “pipes and picks” powering the AI buildout, and optical components remain a top target. Lumentum manufactures lasers and photonics components that shuttle data within and between large data centers. The real
Costco stock rises after December sales jump — what’s next for COST

Costco stock rises after December sales jump — what’s next for COST

NEW YORK, Jan 9, 2026, 17:17 EST — After-hours Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O) shares were up about 1.1% in after-hours trading on Friday at $924.88, after moving between $911.43 and $929.66 earlier in the day. The move keeps attention on Costco’s monthly sales updates, which often land weeks ahead of its quarterly earnings and can nudge near-term expectations. December is the key holiday month, and it sits inside the company’s fiscal second quarter. Investors typically zero in on comparable sales — sales from locations open at least a year — because it strips out the noise of new store openings.
Vistra stock jumps after Meta signs 20-year nuclear power deal to feed AI data centers

Vistra stock jumps after Meta signs 20-year nuclear power deal to feed AI data centers

NEW YORK, Jan 9, 2026, 17:13 EST — After-hours Vistra Corp (VST) shares rose 10.5% in after-hours trading on Friday after Meta Platforms said it struck 20-year agreements to buy power from three Vistra nuclear plants. Shares were at $166.37 after swinging between $150.83 and $178.40 earlier in the day. Meta also said it will work with Oklo and TerraPower on small modular reactors, or SMRs — smaller nuclear units meant to be built largely in factories. (Reuters) The deal lands as tech companies hunt for steady electricity to run data centers, where “always on” matters more than cheap power
Eli Lilly stock drops 2% as Zepbound arthritis data and Ventyx deal sink in

Eli Lilly stock drops 2% as Zepbound arthritis data and Ventyx deal sink in

New York, Jan 9, 2026, 17:30 EST — After-hours Eli Lilly and Co shares fell nearly 2% on Friday, closing at $1,063.56, after swinging between about $1,063 and $1,104 in the session. The stock was little changed after hours. The pullback comes as the drugmaker’s stock cools off from a fresh 52-week high set on Thursday, with traders quick to lock in gains after a fast run. The broader market rose on the day, but Lilly logged a second straight decline and ended the session about 6% below that recent peak. (MarketWatch) The latest company catalyst landed late Thursday, when
Walmart stock pops after AI board pick — what investors watch next

Walmart stock pops after AI board pick — what investors watch next

New York, Jan 9, 2026, 17:31 EST — After-hours Walmart Inc shares rose 1.3% on Friday and were last up at $114.53 in late after-hours trading, after the retailer announced a new board appointment that underscored its push to put more technology at the center of the business. The move matters now because investors are leaning hard into the “Walmart as a tech company” pitch — e-commerce, advertising and automation — even as a slower economy puts more pressure on low-price retailers. A board seat is not an operating change, but it signals what the company wants more of. The
AppLovin stock jumps 5% as Wells Fargo lifts target to $735

AppLovin stock jumps 5% as Wells Fargo lifts target to $735

New York, January 9, 2026, 17:33 EST — After-hours AppLovin Corp shares rose about 5% on Friday to close at $647.72, after swinging between $612.65 and $649.51. The stock was little changed in after-hours trading, with traders marking the day’s low as near-term support and the $650 area as the next resistance. The move matters now because the stock has become a pressure point into the next earnings update, with investors looking for any read on ad budgets early in 2026. AppLovin has also been one of the market’s more volatile ad-tech names, so even routine analyst tweaks can get
Home Depot stock jumps 4% on jobs report, Trump mortgage-bond plan — what Wall Street watches next

Home Depot stock jumps 4% on jobs report, Trump mortgage-bond plan — what Wall Street watches next

New York, Jan 9, 2026, 17:25 ET — After-hours Shares of Home Depot (HD) climbed 4.2% on Friday, closing at $374.64, boosted by strength in housing-related stocks following weaker U.S. jobs data and news on declining mortgage rates. The stock fluctuated between $360.58 and $375.43, with about 7.0 million shares changing hands. Lowe’s, its rival, also jumped 4.3%. This move is significant because Home Depot’s sales closely follow housing turnover and large remodel projects, both slowed down by high borrowing costs. In December, CFO Richard McPhail said on an investor call that the company had “not yet seen a catalyst
9 January 2026
AST SpaceMobile stock jumps on BofA target hike as valuation fight widens

AST SpaceMobile stock jumps on BofA target hike as valuation fight widens

NEW YORK, Jan 9, 2026, 17:03 (EST) — After-hours AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) shares rose 7.9% on Friday and were flat after the bell, after Bank of America lifted its price target to $100 from $85 while keeping a Neutral rating. The stock hit $101.68 before closing at $97.67. (StockAnalysis) The move puts the spotlight back on a stock that traders have been treating as a fast, high-risk way to play “direct-to-device” service — satellites connecting straight to standard smartphones, no special handsets. AST says it is building its BlueBird satellite constellation and is targeting service beginning in 2026 through agreements
9 January 2026
Lam Research stock jumps after target hikes as chip rally hits full stride

Lam Research stock jumps after target hikes as chip rally hits full stride

New York, January 9, 2026, 17:01 EST — After-hours Lam Research Corp shares jumped 8.6% to $218.36 after the close on Friday, after Mizuho lifted its price target on the chip-equipment maker to $220 from $200. The stock ranged from about $202 to $219.42 in the session, with roughly 16.7 million shares changing hands. (TipRanks) The move tracked a sharp run in chip stocks, with the PHLX semiconductor index up 2.7% to a record high as a softer-than-expected U.S. jobs report did little to dent bets for Federal Reserve rate cuts this year. “Investors are getting granular and picking the
Merck buyout chatter jolts Revolution Medicines (RVMD) stock after FDA breakthrough nod

Merck buyout chatter jolts Revolution Medicines (RVMD) stock after FDA breakthrough nod

New York, January 9, 2026, 17:15 ET — After-hours Revolution Medicines shares jumped 10.7% to $118.64 in after-hours trading on Friday, after the Financial Times reported Merck was in advanced talks to buy the cancer-drug developer for $28 billion to $32 billion. The stock swung between $109.88 and $125.79 in the session on volume of about 20.6 million shares. (Financial Times) The report lands as healthcare executives and bankers head to San Francisco for the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, a dealmaking magnet that often sets the tone for the year. “Deals … could have had more regulatory risk in
9 January 2026
Strategy Inc stock slides after hours as bitcoin slips and a fresh MSTR target cut lands

Strategy Inc stock slides after hours as bitcoin slips and a fresh MSTR target cut lands

New York, Jan 9, 2026, 16:41 ET — After-hours Strategy Inc (MSTR.O) shares were down 5.8% at $157.33 in after-hours trade on Friday, after sliding as low as $155.51 earlier in the day. Bitcoin fell 0.9% to $90,356. The move matters because Strategy trades less like a software firm these days and more like a high-beta bet on bitcoin, with swings that can dwarf the token’s day-to-day moves. It also comes as investors keep revisiting how index providers treat “digital asset treasury” stocks — a corner of the market that can live or die on passive flows. (Reuters) MSCI, which
Oklo stock jumps after Meta backs 1.2-gigawatt Ohio nuclear campus

Oklo stock jumps after Meta backs 1.2-gigawatt Ohio nuclear campus

New York, January 9, 2026, 17:10 EST — After-hours Oklo Inc. shares rose nearly 8% in after-hours trading on Friday after the company detailed an agreement with Meta Platforms to support a 1.2-gigawatt nuclear power campus in Pike County, Ohio. The stock was up 7.9% at $105.31 after swinging between $97.35 and $120.87 during the session. (Barchart.com) The tie-up lands as Big Tech scrambles for round-the-clock electricity to run artificial intelligence-heavy data centers, a demand surge that utilities and grid operators say is testing supply. Meta has said the contracts are meant to feed its Prometheus data center buildout in
9 January 2026

Stock Market Today

Bradesco stock drops on 2026 guidance — what BBDC4 investors watch next week

Bradesco stock drops on 2026 guidance — what BBDC4 investors watch next week

7 February 2026
Bradesco’s preferred shares fell 2.55% to 20.61 reais Friday after the bank issued 2026 guidance pointing to slower growth in some areas. Fourth-quarter recurring net income rose 20.6% to 6.5 billion reais, with 2025 ROAE at 15.2%. The Ibovespa closed up 0.45%. Bradesco ADRs ended down 0.5% at $3.98 in New York.
Stellantis stock slides 24% after €22 billion EV reset kills 2026 dividend — what to watch next

Stellantis stock slides 24% after €22 billion EV reset kills 2026 dividend — what to watch next

7 February 2026
Stellantis shares plunged 23.7% to $7.28 Friday after the company disclosed about €22.2 billion in charges tied to a reset of its electric-vehicle strategy and said it will skip its 2026 dividend. The automaker flagged a preliminary net loss of €19–21 billion for the second half of 2025. Shares rose 1.6% in late after-hours trading. Investors await Feb. 26 results and a May 21 Investor Day.
Intel stock jumps on China server CPU delays as traders map the week ahead

Intel stock jumps on China server CPU delays as traders map the week ahead

7 February 2026
Intel shares rose 4.87% to $50.59 Friday, trailing gains by Nvidia and Broadcom as chip stocks rallied. Sources said Intel and AMD warned Chinese customers of longer waits and higher prices for some server CPUs, with Intel lead times reaching six months. Intel said China accounts for over 20% of its revenue. Investors await key U.S. jobs and inflation data next week.
IRS tax refund delays? Watchdog flags staffing crunch as 2026 filing season ramps up

IRS tax refund delays? Watchdog flags staffing crunch as 2026 filing season ramps up

7 February 2026
IRS staffing has dropped to 2021 levels as the 2026 tax filing season begins, according to a Treasury watchdog. The agency faces a backlog of about 2 million returns, 129% above pre-pandemic levels. Most e-filers using direct deposit still get refunds within 21 days, but paper filings and amended returns could see delays. The IRS lowered its call-answer target to 70% for this season.
Go toTop