Today: 7 February 2026
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Stocks to watch next week after U.S. strike on Venezuela: energy and defense names in focus

Stocks to watch next week after U.S. strike on Venezuela: energy and defense names in focus

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 13:33 ET — Market closed U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, a shock development that sets up a headline-driven week for markets when U.S. trading resumes on Monday.  Reuters For investors, the immediate question is whether the operation tightens near-term crude supply or speeds a longer-run shift in Venezuela’s oil sector. Venezuela sits on some of the world’s largest oil reserves, and Washington’s policy stance has already been a central variable for how much of that crude reaches the water.  Reuters U.S. stocks are
3 January 2026
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Energy stocks jump to start 2026 as Exxon, Chevron rise; OPEC+ and Venezuela in focus

Energy stocks jump to start 2026 as Exxon, Chevron rise; OPEC+ and Venezuela in focus

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 13:36 ET — Market closed U.S. energy stocks kicked off 2026 with broad gains on Friday, with oilfield services and exploration-and-production names outperforming even as crude futures finished slightly lower. Oil Services ETF OIH rose 3.9% and the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF XOP gained 2.1%. Among large caps, Exxon Mobil ended up 1.9% at $122.65 and Chevron gained 2.3% to $155.90, while oilfield services provider SLB jumped 4.8% to $40.20. The outperformance matters now because investors began the year rotating into value-linked sectors and “real economy” beneficiaries, even as markets
3 January 2026
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Utilities stocks punch higher in 2026 opener as XLU beats market; NextEra filing in focus

Utilities stocks punch higher in 2026 opener as XLU beats market; NextEra filing in focus

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 13:39 ET — Market closed U.S. utility stocks started 2026 on a stronger footing, with the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) rising 1.2% on Friday to $43.18. The ETF traded between $42.66 and $43.38, setting up near-term chart levels traders often watch for support and resistance. The move matters because utilities are often treated as “bond proxies” — a shorthand for dividend-heavy stocks that can become less attractive when interest rates rise. U.S. Treasury yields still climbed, with the 10-year yield up 3.8 basis points (one basis point is 0.01 percentage point) to 4.191%,
3 January 2026
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Basic materials stocks jump to start 2026 — XLB rises as copper steadies and miners climb

Basic materials stocks jump to start 2026 — XLB rises as copper steadies and miners climb

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 1:42 PM ET — Market closed U.S. basic materials stocks ended the first session of 2026 higher, lifting the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLB) — an exchange-traded fund that tracks a basket of large U.S. materials companies — 1.7% to $46.12 at Friday’s close. MarketWatch The basic materials group spans miners, chemical makers and building-material producers, leaving it especially sensitive to swings in metals prices and shifts in the economic outlook. With markets reopening after the holiday lull, investors are using early-January trading to recalibrate exposure to cyclical sectors tied to growth. Yahoo Finance
3 January 2026
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Healthcare Stocks Today: XLV edges up as drugmakers raise U.S. list prices on 350 medicines

Healthcare Stocks Today: XLV edges up as drugmakers raise U.S. list prices on 350 medicines

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 13:21 ET — Market closed Drugmakers are lifting U.S. list prices on hundreds of medicines as 2026 begins, putting drug-pricing politics back in focus for healthcare investors. The sector finished higher in Friday’s session, the last U.S. trading day before the weekend. Drugmakers plan to raise U.S. prices on at least 350 branded medicines for 2026, including vaccines for COVID-19, RSV and shingles, as well as Pfizer’s cancer drug Ibrance, Reuters reported, citing data from healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. The median list-price increase is about 4%, and the changes do not reflect rebates
3 January 2026
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Defense and space stocks jump to start 2026 as Boeing, Rocket Lab lead gains

Defense and space stocks jump to start 2026 as Boeing, Rocket Lab lead gains

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 13:12 ET — Market closed U.S. aerospace, defense and space-linked stocks rose sharply on Friday, led by Boeing and Rocket Lab, as investors returned to the group on the first trading day of 2026. MarketWatch The move matters because the sector sits at the intersection of two market themes that have been driving flows into January: geopolitical risk and government-backed demand. Defense contractors typically draw buyers when investors want revenue visibility, since much of their work is tied to multi-year contracts. Investing The rally also came as Wall Street steadied after a late-December slide, with
3 January 2026
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Rare metals stock CRML jumps 17% — what’s driving Critical Metals after the 2026 open

Rare metals stock CRML jumps 17% — what’s driving Critical Metals after the 2026 open

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 1:10 PM ET — Market closed Critical Metals Corp shares surged 17% on Friday to close at $8.12, capping a strong first session of 2026 for the rare metals stock. The shares were little changed in after-hours trading. Yahoo Finance The move matters because rare earths — a group of 17 elements used in powerful permanent magnets — sit at the center of supply-chain politics for electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense systems. For investors, junior rare earth developers have become a high-beta trade on industrial policy: sentiment can turn quickly on signs of government
3 January 2026
Data center stocks kick off 2026 with Vertiv jump after Barclays upgrade

Data center stocks kick off 2026 with Vertiv jump after Barclays upgrade

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 12:56 ET — Market closed Data center stocks ended the first trading day of 2026 on Friday with a sharp split between infrastructure suppliers and real estate landlords. Vertiv Holdings (VRT) jumped 8.4% and Applied Digital (APLD) rose 14.6%. Power-management supplier Eaton (ETN) gained 2.8%, while Digital Realty (DLR) and Iron Mountain (IRM) edged up and Equinix (EQIX) slipped. The moves matter now because investors are starting the year re-pricing what the AI data center build-out means for earnings, not just revenue. Stocks tied to power delivery and cooling can benefit when customers pack more
3 January 2026
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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

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 12:54 ET — Market closed Oil traders are bracing for the next crude-futures open after U.S. forces struck Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, while state company PDVSA said production and refining were operating normally. Two people familiar with PDVSA operations said the attack did not damage oil facilities, though the port of La Guaira near Caracas was badly hit. A U.S. tanker blockade announced in December and the seizure of two Venezuelan crude cargoes already pushed exports to roughly half their November pace, according to monitoring data and internal documents. Reuters The Venezuela shock
3 January 2026
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ServiceNow (NOW) stock price today: Shares slide nearly 4% to start 2026 as software lags

ServiceNow (NOW) stock price today: Shares slide nearly 4% to start 2026 as software lags

NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 12:48 ET — Market closed ServiceNow, Inc. shares closed down $5.71, or 3.7%, at $147.45 on Friday, after trading as high as $154.69 and as low as $145.65. Volume was about 9.9 million shares, according to trade data. The decline marked a third straight daily drop for ServiceNow and left the stock about 38% below its 52-week high, according to MarketWatch. The pullback came even as the S&P 500 rose 0.19% and the Dow gained 0.66%, while peers in enterprise software also fell, including Salesforce, which dropped 4.26%. MarketWatch Why it matters now: investors began
3 January 2026
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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

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 12:47 ET — Market closed Pure-play quantum computing stocks closed sharply higher on Friday, kicking off the first trading day of 2026 with outsized gains as investors returned to higher-risk corners of the market. The move matters because the group has become a barometer for “risk-on” appetite in smaller, thematic technology names. Quantum computing aims to use quantum bits, or qubits, to process certain calculations differently than classical computers, but most listed pure-plays are still early-stage businesses. The rally came as small caps rebounded in the broader market. “The market is seeing a ‘buy the
3 January 2026
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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

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 12:54 ET — Market closed Oil stocks are poised for a volatile start to the week after President Donald Trump said U.S. forces struck Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro. Annex Wealth Management’s Brian Jacobsen said oil markets might be among the few places to show an immediate reaction when U.S. trading resumes Monday.  Reuters The immediate question for traders is whether the attack disrupts Venezuelan crude exports once markets reopen. PDVSA’s production and refining were operating normally on Saturday and suffered no damage, although a source said the port of La Guaira near Caracas
3 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

Lucid stock jumps 14% as Dow tops 50,000 — what LCID investors watch next week

Lucid stock jumps 14% as Dow tops 50,000 — what LCID investors watch next week

7 February 2026
Lucid Group shares jumped 14% to $10.86 at Friday’s close, recovering from an 8% drop the previous day. The move followed a broad Wall Street rally that lifted high-volatility stocks. Lucid reported fourth-quarter deliveries of 5,345 vehicles and full-year deliveries of 15,841. Investors await Lucid’s Feb. 24 results for updates on cash and demand.
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