Today: 7 February 2026
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Khadija Saeed

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

Johnson & Johnson stock ends 2025 steady as Halda deal closes and Barclays hikes target

Johnson & Johnson stock ends 2025 steady as Halda deal closes and Barclays hikes target

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 8:48 PM ET — Market closed Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) shares eked out a 0.02% gain to $206.95 on Wednesday, a rare green finish as U.S. stocks slipped in the final session of 2025. The S&P 500 fell 0.74% and the Dow lost 0.63%. MarketWatch The muted close leaves investors searching for a clean catalyst after a strong year for the stock. The next big read comes when management updates guidance and lays out how recent deals will flow through earnings. That focus sharpened this week after the company said it completed its $3.05 billion
1 January 2026
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Sandisk sets Jan. 29 earnings date; SNDK dips after-hours as NAND outlook comes into focus

Sandisk sets Jan. 29 earnings date; SNDK dips after-hours as NAND outlook comes into focus

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 19:48 ET Sandisk Corp said it will report fiscal second-quarter results on Jan. 29, 2026, and host an earnings conference call at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time (4:30 p.m. ET), with a live webcast and replay available online. Business Wire Shares of the Nasdaq-listed flash-memory maker were down about 1.2% at $237.38 in after-hours trading on Wednesday, with Western Digital, Seagate Technology and Micron Technology also lower. Traders have been sizing up year-end profit-taking after Sandisk’s outsized 2025 run, with investors focused on whether NAND flash — memory chips used in solid-state drives — can maintain
1 January 2026
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10% yield play on Lululemon draws options interest as SM Energy tops investor search lists

10% yield play on Lululemon draws options interest as SM Energy tops investor search lists

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 19:49 ET A new options trade pitch targeting about a 10% annualized return is putting Lululemon Athletica back on investors’ screens as the stock trades far below its highs. The setup matters now because investors are trying to balance two competing forces: bargain hunting after sharp drawdowns and the appeal of cash-like returns that can be earned while waiting. It also shows how options — once mainly the domain of professionals — are increasingly being used as a “paid waiting” strategy, especially when shares are volatile and valuations are in focus. Trefis said Lululemon (LULU)
1 January 2026
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Costco stock slips into year-end as investors focus on Jan. 7 sales report

Costco stock slips into year-end as investors focus on Jan. 7 sales report

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 19:53 ET Costco Wholesale shares edged lower in thin year-end trading on Wednesday as investors looked ahead to the retailer’s next update: a monthly sales report due in early January. The move was modest, but the timing matters. Costco’s December sales snapshot will be one of the first reads on holiday-season demand as investors recalibrate expectations for U.S. consumers in 2026. With liquidity lighter into the year-end break, smaller orders can move prices more than usual. Investors are also weighing how quickly interest rates may fall, a backdrop that can sway valuation-sensitive consumer and retail
1 January 2026
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IonQ stock ends lower as quantum names cool into the New Year — what’s next for IONQ

IonQ stock ends lower as quantum names cool into the New Year — what’s next for IONQ

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:15 ET — Market closed IonQ Inc shares fell 0.9% to $44.87 at Wednesday’s close, after hitting a session low of $44.68 and a high of $46.42. Quantum-computing peers Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum and Quantum Computing Inc also ended lower, and about 11.4 million IonQ shares changed hands. The group has traded like a high-beta corner of tech, where sentiment shifts can move prices quickly even without major earnings catalysts. For many investors, customer wins and system-delivery milestones remain the clearest near-term signals of demand. IonQ’s latest headline was a South Korea delivery agreement as
1 January 2026
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Rigetti (RGTI) stock ends 2025 lower as year-end selling hits quantum names — what to watch next

Rigetti (RGTI) stock ends 2025 lower as year-end selling hits quantum names — what to watch next

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:16 ET — Market closed Rigetti Computing shares closed down 1.2% on Wednesday at $22.15, ending the final session of 2025 lower as investors trimmed exposure to quantum-computing plays in thin year-end trade. StockAnalysis The move mattered more for what it signaled than the size of the drop: holiday-shortened weeks can exaggerate risk-off flows, and speculative technology names often feel it first when liquidity dries up. Reuters With U.S. markets closed on Thursday for New Year’s Day, positioning for the first full session of 2026 will be in focus as investors gauge whether demand returns
1 January 2026
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Chevron stock (CVX) ends 2025 near flat as oil posts steep annual drop; Venezuela sanctions, Kazakhstan export hiccups in focus

Chevron stock (CVX) ends 2025 near flat as oil posts steep annual drop; Venezuela sanctions, Kazakhstan export hiccups in focus

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:08 ET — Market closed. Chevron Corp (CVX) shares edged up 0.1% to $152.41 on Wednesday, trading between $151.67 and $152.55 on volume of about 3.2 million shares. Yahoo Finance That quiet finish capped a year-end stretch in which energy stocks have taken their cues from crude benchmarks, as investors reset 2026 profit and cash-return expectations for the oil majors. Politics and logistics stayed in the mix. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned four companies it said were operating in Venezuela’s oil sector and four vessels on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump’s administration steps up pressure on
1 January 2026
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Home Depot stock slips into the year-end close as yields rise; here’s what investors watch next

Home Depot stock slips into the year-end close as yields rise; here’s what investors watch next

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:13 ET — Market closed. Home Depot (HD.N) shares fell 0.6% to $344.10 on Wednesday, after trading between $343.98 and $346.69. Rival Lowe’s (LOW.N) slid 0.8%, while the consumer-discretionary sector also eased. The move matters now because Home Depot is a read-through on U.S. repair-and-remodel demand, which often tracks housing activity and borrowing costs. With the calendar turning, investors are also repositioning around interest-rate expectations that can quickly change sentiment toward housing-linked stocks. Wall Street finished the final session of 2025 lower in light trading, and Treasury yields climbed after a labor-market update showed fewer
1 January 2026
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Verizon stock today: VZ ends 2025 nearly flat as investors circle Jan. 30 earnings, dividend dates

Verizon stock today: VZ ends 2025 nearly flat as investors circle Jan. 30 earnings, dividend dates

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:03 ET — Market closed Verizon Communications Inc. shares finished the year’s final trading session little changed on Wednesday, closing up 0.1% at $40.73 after trading between $40.67 and $40.96. Verizon’s investor relations site lists a fourth-quarter earnings webcast for Jan. 30 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The late-January report is the next major catalyst for a high-dividend stock that often tracks shifts in interest-rate expectations. Investors use the results to gauge whether Verizon can keep cash generation steady while U.S. wireless competition remains intense. Timing matters because the market will reopen on Friday after a
1 January 2026
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P&G stock slips on the year-end close — what to watch before Procter & Gamble’s Jan. 22 earnings

P&G stock slips on the year-end close — what to watch before Procter & Gamble’s Jan. 22 earnings

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:21 ET — Market closed Procter & Gamble shares ended down 0.5% at $143.31 on Wednesday, a subdued finish to the final trading session of 2025 as U.S. stocks drifted lower in holiday-thin trade. Reuters The move matters now because P&G is a heavyweight consumer-staples bellwether that many investors use as a defensive holding when markets turn choppy. U.S. markets are closed on Thursday for New Year’s Day, leaving Friday’s open as the next near-term sentiment check. Reuters The S&P 500 fell 0.74% to 6,845.50, the Dow dropped 0.63% to 48,063.29 and the Nasdaq slid
1 January 2026
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Costco stock slips into year-end as investors focus on Jan. 7 sales report

Costco stock slips into year-end as investors focus on Jan. 7 sales report

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 19:53 ET Costco Wholesale shares edged lower in thin year-end trading on Wednesday as investors looked ahead to the retailer’s next update: a monthly sales report due in early January. The move was modest, but the timing matters. Costco’s December sales snapshot will be one of the first reads on holiday-season demand as investors recalibrate expectations for U.S. consumers in 2026. With liquidity lighter into the year-end break, smaller orders can move prices more than usual. Investors are also weighing how quickly interest rates may fall, a backdrop that can sway valuation-sensitive consumer and retail
1 January 2026
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Warsaw commuters get 10-minute WKD trains in 2026 — until January works hit key station

Warsaw commuters get 10-minute WKD trains in 2026 — until January works hit key station

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 20:05 ET Warsaw commuter rail operator Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa (WKD) will roll out a new timetable on Jan. 1 that raises peak-hour service on its busiest section to every 10 minutes, the company said. WKD said it will operate a normal weekday schedule on Jan. 2 and Jan. 5, two working days that fall between Poland’s New Year and Epiphany holidays. Regional Review The update matters for riders who use WKD’s trains to get into central Warsaw from towns such as Grodzisk Mazowiecki and Milanówek, especially as offices and schools reopen after the holidays. It
1 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

BAT share price closes near 52-week high as buyback rolls on ahead of results week

BAT share price closes near 52-week high as buyback rolls on ahead of results week

7 February 2026
British American Tobacco shares closed up 1.2% at 4,609 pence Friday, near a 52-week high. The company disclosed further share buybacks and management share purchases ahead of its Feb. 12 full-year results. BAT bought 121,668 shares for cancellation on Feb. 5. Investors await updates on nicotine alternatives and cash returns.
Anglo American share price slips as BofA turns neutral after copper outlook cut

Anglo American share price slips as BofA turns neutral after copper outlook cut

7 February 2026
Anglo American shares closed down 0.75% at 3,435 pence Friday after BofA Global Research downgraded the miner to “neutral” and raised its price target to 3,600 pence. Anglo cut its 2026 copper production guidance and warned of continued weakness at De Beers. The company expects $200 million in charges tied to its Chile copper operations in the second half of 2025.
Amazon’s $200B AI Spending Jolt Spurs Stock Selloff as Big Tech Capex Nears $650B

Amazon’s $200B AI Spending Jolt Spurs Stock Selloff as Big Tech Capex Nears $650B

7 February 2026
Amazon shares fell Friday after the company announced a $200 billion AI infrastructure plan for 2026, exceeding analyst expectations and reviving investor concerns about profitability. Combined 2026 capex flagged by Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta now tops $630 billion. Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom shares surged on the news, while software and data firms remained under pressure.
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