Today: 19 June 2026

Oil prices on alert after U.S. strikes Venezuela, PDVSA says output intact

Oil prices on alert after U.S. strikes Venezuela, PDVSA says output intact

U.S. forces struck Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, but PDVSA reported oil production and refining continued normally, with no damage to facilities. Brent crude settled at $60.75 a barrel and WTI at $57.32 before the weekend. Exports have dropped to about half their November pace due to a U.S. tanker blockade and cargo seizures. Traders await Sunday’s OPEC+ meeting and the crude-futures market reopening.
3 January 2026
·
Quantum computing stocks surge to start 2026: D-Wave, Rigetti, IonQ lead — what investors watch next

Quantum computing stocks surge to start 2026: D-Wave, Rigetti, IonQ lead — what investors watch next

Pure-play quantum computing stocks jumped 4%–8% Friday, far outpacing the Russell 2000’s 1.1% gain. D-Wave Quantum closed up 7.6%, Quantum Computing Inc 7.3%, Rigetti 6.6%, and IonQ 4.3%. The rally came as investors rotated into higher-risk names at the start of 2026. Focus shifts to CES 2026 demos and next week’s U.S. jobs report.
3 January 2026
·····
Oil stocks to watch Monday after U.S. attack on Venezuela: Chevron, Exxon, XLE in focus

Oil stocks to watch Monday after U.S. attack on Venezuela: Chevron, Exxon, XLE in focus

U.S. forces struck Venezuela and reportedly captured President Nicolas Maduro, raising concerns over oil exports. PDVSA facilities were undamaged and production continued, but U.S. tanker restrictions have already halved Venezuela’s shipments. Oil stocks led Friday’s gains, with XLE up 2.10%. Brent crude closed at $60.75 a barrel, down 10 cents.
3 January 2026
···
Chevron stock in focus after U.S. strikes Venezuela; traders brace for sanctions and oil-policy whiplash

Chevron stock in focus after U.S. strikes Venezuela; traders brace for sanctions and oil-policy whiplash

Chevron shares rose 2.3% to $155.90 after the U.S. said it struck Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro. PDVSA’s oil production and refining were unaffected, sources said. Investors are watching for changes in U.S. sanctions that could affect Chevron’s Venezuelan crude shipments. Severe damage was reported at Venezuela’s La Guaira port, but oil export infrastructure was not hit.
3 January 2026
··
Exxon stock faces a Monday test after U.S. strikes Venezuela — what oil traders watch next

Exxon stock faces a Monday test after U.S. strikes Venezuela — what oil traders watch next

Exxon Mobil shares face a potential repricing after President Donald Trump announced a U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelan oil production and refining remain unaffected, but the port of La Guaira was severely damaged. The U.S. seized two Venezuelan oil cargoes in December, halving exports. Oil futures closed lower Friday before the news, with Brent at $60.75 a barrel.
3 January 2026
··
U.S. attack on Venezuela: Gas prices, inflation and the U.S. economy

U.S. attack on Venezuela: Gas prices, inflation and the U.S. economy

U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro overnight, President Donald Trump announced Saturday. Oil prices closed at $60.75 for Brent and $57.32 for WTI on Friday. Venezuelan oil exports fell to about half of November’s 950,000 barrels per day after a U.S. blockade and cargo seizures. PDVSA’s production and refining continued normally after the strike, but its administrative systems remain affected by a December cyberattack.
3 January 2026
Big Tech stocks end first session of 2026 mixed as Tesla slides on deliveries, chips rebound

Big Tech stocks end first session of 2026 mixed as Tesla slides on deliveries, chips rebound

Tesla dropped 2.6% after reporting an 8.6% annual fall in deliveries, while Nvidia rose 1.2% as chip stocks rallied. The Dow gained 0.66%, the S&P 500 added 0.19%, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.03%. Treasury yields climbed, with the 10-year at 4.191%. Investors await next week’s U.S. labor-market data after delays from the government shutdown.
3 January 2026
·······
Natural gas price today slips on warmer outlook; UNG dips while LNG-linked stocks hold up

Natural gas price today slips on warmer outlook; UNG dips while LNG-linked stocks hold up

U.S. natural gas futures fell 1.84% to $3.618 per mmBtu Friday as forecasts showed warmer weather through mid-January. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a storage withdrawal of 38 bcf last week, below analyst expectations. The United States Natural Gas Fund dropped 1.6%. Production and LNG export flows hit record highs in December, according to LSEG.
3 January 2026
··
Wall Street kicks off 2026 higher as chipmakers rally, Tesla slides on deliveries

Wall Street kicks off 2026 higher as chipmakers rally, Tesla slides on deliveries

The Dow gained 319 points, or 0.66%, to 48,382.39 on Friday, while the S&P 500 rose 0.19% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.03%. Semiconductor and industrial shares led gains as Tesla fell 2.6% after reporting a 15.6% drop in fourth-quarter deliveries and losing its top EV-seller spot to BYD. Investors now await U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9 and inflation figures on Jan. 13.
3 January 2026
·········
Dow Jones today: Boeing, Caterpillar power blue-chip rise as jobs report looms

Dow Jones today: Boeing, Caterpillar power blue-chip rise as jobs report looms

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 319.10 points, or 0.7%, to 48,382.39 on Friday, while the S&P 500 gained 0.2% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.03%. Industrials led the Dow’s advance, with Caterpillar and Boeing together accounting for over 200 points of the rise. Chip stocks rallied, but Tesla shares fell about 2% after reporting an 8.6% drop in 2025 deliveries. President Trump delayed higher tariffs on some Chinese imports for a year.
3 January 2026
·······
AST SpaceMobile stock rockets nearly 15% — BlueBird 7 launch prep back in focus

AST SpaceMobile stock rockets nearly 15% — BlueBird 7 launch prep back in focus

AST SpaceMobile shares jumped 14.9% to $83.47 Friday after the company said its BlueBird 7 satellite arrived in Florida for launch integration. The stock move followed the recent BlueBird 6 launch from India and comes as investors await confirmation of the next launch window. AST reported $14.7 million in Q3 2025 revenue and $1.2 billion in cash as of September 30.
3 January 2026
CrowdStrike stock drops 3% to $453 as 2026 begins — here’s what investors are watching next

CrowdStrike stock drops 3% to $453 as 2026 begins — here’s what investors are watching next

CrowdStrike shares fell 3.2% to $453.58 on Friday, underperforming a slightly higher S&P 500. Other cybersecurity stocks, including Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet, also declined. Investors trimmed high-valuation software holdings amid renewed uncertainty over Federal Reserve rate cuts. Key U.S. economic data and CrowdStrike’s earnings are the next major events.
3 January 2026
·
1 … 1,040 1,041 1,042 1,043 1,044 … 2,084

Stock Market Today

  • Alphabet Stock Set to Outperform Market in 2026 on Strong AI and Cloud Growth
    June 19, 2026, 1:22 PM EDT. Alphabet (GOOG) trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 26 despite an 82% earnings growth, supporting a Buy rating and a $445 price target, implying 20% upside from the current $371.10 price. Google's Cloud revenue surged 63% in Q1 2026, with a backlog nearing $460 billion, providing long-term revenue visibility. Despite a recent 5.6% pullback after an $80 billion equity offering, Alphabet shares are up over 109% in the past year. The bullish case highlights accelerating Cloud growth, expanding operating margins, and strong Search performance. Risks include high capital expenditure and regulatory pressures, including a recent $3.5 billion European Commission fine. Analyst confidence remains high at 90%, forecasting Alphabet outpacing the broader market through 2026.

Latest articles

Tesla stock on hold for Juneteenth with AI spending, Europe FSD in focus

Tesla stock on hold for Juneteenth with AI spending, Europe FSD in focus

19 June 2026
Tesla closed at $400.49, up 1.04% before the Juneteenth holiday, but ended the week down 1.5% amid optimism over AI and robotaxi investments and fresh European regulatory scrutiny of its Full Self-Driving software, with investors eyeing upcoming delivery data and a key EU review on June 30.
NuScale Power halts after gains on Paragon SMR deal, Juneteenth pause

NuScale Power halts after gains on Paragon SMR deal, Juneteenth pause

19 June 2026
NuScale Power surged 13.54% to $11.74 after awarding Paragon a contract to complete key safety-system designs for its small modular reactor, but the stock still faces development risk with just $565,000 in Q1 revenue and a $776.9 million deficit; trading resumes Monday after the Juneteenth holiday.
Go toTop