Khadija Saeed, Author at TechStock²

Utilities stocks jump to start 2026 as XLU rallies; NextEra outlook and U.S. jobs data in focus

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 13:57 ET — Market closed U.S. utilities stocks opened 2026 with a firm bid, pushing the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) up 1.2% to close at $43.18 on Friday, with about 20.5 million shares changing hands. U.S. markets were closed on Sunday. XLU is widely used as a proxy for large-cap U.S. utilities, tracking the sector inside the S&P 500. The group often trades as “rate-sensitive” because its steady dividends can look less attractive when bond yields rise. State Street Global Advisors That sensitivity matters now because investors are heading into a week packed

4 January 2026

NYSE:DUK·NYSE:ETR·NYSE:NE·Stock Market

Why basic materials stocks are back in play after XLB’s New Year rally

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 13:56 ET — Market closed The Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB), a widely watched proxy for U.S. basic materials stocks, rose 0.77, or 1.7%, to $46.12 in the first session of 2026, ending within 31 cents of its 52-week high. Investing That early bid matters because materials are one of the market’s cleanest reads on inflation and global demand. When metals and chemicals move, investors are usually responding to a mix of growth expectations and the path for U.S. interest rates. The calendar turns quickly from holiday trading to hard data. The U.S. employment

4 January 2026

ETFs·NYSE:CS·Stock Market

Energy stocks face a Monday test after OPEC+ holds output, oil near $61

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 13:55 ET — Market closed OPEC+ kept oil output unchanged on Sunday after a brief meeting, reaffirming a plan by eight key members to pause production increases — meaning no additional barrels — through March, the group said. It will meet again on Feb. 1, as the oil market digests political shocks from Yemen to Venezuela. “Right now, oil markets are being driven less by supply–demand fundamentals and more by political uncertainty,” said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy. Reuters That backdrop matters for energy stocks because the sector entered 2026 with

4 January 2026

Energy·NYSE:CVX·NYSE:SLB·NYSE:XOM

Nvidia stock heads into CES week after insider sale filing puts NVDA back in focus

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 13:49 ET — Market closed Nvidia (NVDA.O) shares closed up 1.2% on Friday after a company officer filed notice of a planned share sale, with investors also bracing for CEO Jensen Huang’s headline slot at CES in Las Vegas. SEC The filing matters because it lands at the start of a year when the market is looking for fresh proof that the artificial-intelligence spending boom is still translating into revenue and margins, not just bigger capital budgets. It also comes as tech valuations remain sensitive to interest-rate expectations, after Federal Reserve officials warned this weekend

4 January 2026

NASDAQ:NVDA·NVIDIA·Stock Market

Vertiv stock jumps on Barclays upgrade, $200 target; U.S. jobs report looms for AI-linked industrials

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:01 ET — Market closed Vertiv Holdings shares jumped 8.4% on Friday after Barclays upgraded the industrial stock to overweight and lifted its price target to $200. “The recent selloff in the shares creates an attractive entry point,” Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell wrote. TipRanks The upgrade matters now because the market has started 2026 trying to separate durable “picks-and-shovels” beneficiaries of artificial intelligence from the frothier corners of the trade. Vertiv sells the power and cooling gear that data centers need to run denser, heatier AI workloads. That theme helped value-tilted sectors including industrials hold

4 January 2026

NYSE:VRT·Stock Market·Technology

Consumer Cyclical Stocks wobble into Monday as Tesla drags XLY and jobs report looms

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 13:55 ET — Market closed The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF, a widely followed proxy for consumer cyclical stocks, ended Friday down 0.9% at $118.35 as Tesla and Amazon fell. Consumer cyclical stocks—companies tied to discretionary spending on items like cars and home furnishings—often swing with shifts in jobs and interest-rate expectations. That sensitivity matters heading into the first full trading week of 2026, with key U.S. data set to reset the market’s view on growth and rate cuts. Reuters “The market is looking for direction,” Matthew Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak,

4 January 2026

NASDAQ:AMZN·NASDAQ:RIVN·NASDAQ:TSLA·NASDAQ:W·Stock Market·Tesla

Berkshire Hathaway stock: OxyChem deal closes as investors size up the Abel era

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:01 ET — Market closed Berkshire Hathaway said on Friday it completed its acquisition of Occidental Petroleum’s chemicals business OxyChem, a $9.7 billion all-cash deal that adds a major plastics and industrial chemicals producer to the conglomerate. Business Wire The timing matters. Berkshire is entering 2026 with investors focused on how the company puts money to work after a long stretch of sitting on cash and trimming some big equity positions, even as markets remain richly valued. It also lands as Berkshire shifts from a Warren Buffett-led story to one where capital allocation and succession

4 January 2026

NYSE:BRK.B·NYSE:OXY

Cloud computing stocks slide into 2026 as yields rise — what CLOU ETF investors watch next

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 13:43 ET — Market closed The Global X Cloud Computing ETF fell 2.34% on Friday to $22.09, ending the first U.S. trading session of 2026 on the back foot as investors trimmed rate-sensitive cloud software exposure. Global X ETFs The timing matters because cloud stocks have become a crowded way to express bets on corporate digital spending and AI-linked demand, but they tend to wobble when bond yields rise. On Friday, U.S. stocks finished mixed with the Nasdaq edging lower as megacap tech weighed, while Treasury yields climbed. Reuters Policy expectations are also moving. Philadelphia

4 January 2026

Cloud Computing·ETFs·NASDAQ:AKAM·NASDAQ:ZM·NYSE:CRM·NYSE:SHOP·NYSE:TWLO·Stock Market

Nike stock (NKE) heads into Monday after Friday dip as insiders and jobs data loom

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 12:45 ET — Market closed Nike, Inc. shares slipped in the first trading session of 2026, closing Friday down 0.67% at $63.28. The stock traded between $62.55 and $64.13, with about 22.2 million shares changing hands. StockAnalysis That matters now because Nike is trying to stabilize a multi-quarter reset while investors look for early proof the turnaround is working. In its last quarterly report, Nike said gross margin fell 300 basis points — three percentage points — to 40.6%, and Nike Direct revenue declined as digital sales dropped 14%. Macro risk is back in focus

4 January 2026

NYSE:NKE·Stock Market

Barclays upgrades Vertiv and this data center stock jumps 8% — what traders watch next

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 13:25 ET — Market closed Vertiv Holdings (VRT.N), a supplier of power and cooling equipment used in data centers, closed Friday up 8.4% after Barclays upgraded the stock to overweight, meaning it expects the shares to outperform. “The recent volatility in the stock has created an attractive entry point,” Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell wrote. Barron’s The call matters now because investors are re-pricing “picks-and-shovels” beneficiaries of data-center buildouts heading into 2026, after a choppy finish to the year for high-multiple industrial tech suppliers. A single upgrade can have an outsized impact when positioning is crowded

4 January 2026

Data Centers·NYSE:VRT·Stock Market

Northrop Grumman stock ends 2026’s first session higher — what could move space and defense shares next

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 13:22 ET — Market closed Northrop Grumman shares closed up 2.7% on Friday, the first trading day of 2026, as space and defense stocks tracked a firmer tone in industrials and broader “buy-the-dip” positioning. Marketwatch Why it matters now: defense contractors often trade on a mix of budget expectations, geopolitical headlines and interest-rate outlooks, and that mix is shifting into the first full week of the new year. Reuters’ “week ahead” agenda points to Venezuela developments and a heavy U.S. data calendar as potential volatility triggers when trading resumes Monday. Reuters The timing also matters

4 January 2026

Defense Industry·NYSE:NOC·Stock Market

USA Rare Earth stock jumps 19% to start 2026 — what traders watch next

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 13:10 ET — Market closed Shares of USA Rare Earth (USAR) jumped 18.9% on Friday, the first trading session of 2026, to close at $14.15. U.S. markets were closed on Sunday, leaving the move to be digested ahead of Monday’s reopen. The rally matters because rare earths — a group of 17 metals used to make powerful permanent magnets — sit at the center of the U.S. push to build domestic supply chains for defense and electric vehicles. Stocks tied to that theme have been prone to sharp swings, with timing and funding questions often

4 January 2026

NASDAQ:USAR·Stock Market

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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

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

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

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.

Khadija Saeed

Stock Market Today