NEW YORK, January 2, 2026, 10:04 ET — Regular session
- Webull shares rose about 2.3% to $7.95 in early Friday trading.
- U.S. stocks opened higher on the first trading day of 2026, with the Nasdaq leading gains.
- Investors are focused on next week’s jobs and inflation reports as markets gauge the path for Fed rate cuts.
Webull Corporation shares (BULL) rose about 2.3% to $7.95 on Friday, after touching $7.96 earlier in the session. The stock traded between $7.85 and $7.96, with roughly 1.1 million shares changing hands.
The move matters because Webull has become a fast-twitch read on retail risk appetite and the rate outlook, two forces that tend to set the tone early in the year. Broker stocks can react quickly when traders reposition after year-end swings.
Friday’s uptick also comes as investors look ahead to macro catalysts that can move both market volatility and trading activity — two inputs that often shape sentiment around online brokers.
Wall Street opened higher on the first trading day of 2026, as risk appetite improved after the final sessions of 2025 ended in the red, Reuters reported. The S&P 500 was up 0.48% at the open and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.03%.
Rival brokerage names were mixed in early trade. Robinhood was up about 0.4% and Interactive Brokers gained about 2.4%, while Charles Schwab slipped about 0.2%.
Webull began trading on Nasdaq in April 2025 after merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC — a shell company that raises cash to take a firm public through a merger.
In its most recent quarterly update, Webull said total revenue rose 55% year-on-year to $156.9 million, while customer assets climbed 84% to $21.2 billion. The company also highlighted product rollouts ranging from corporate bond trading to an AI tool it calls Vega.
What investors are watching next is less about Friday’s small bounce and more about the next jolt to rate expectations. “The market is looking for direction,” said Matthew Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak.
The data calendar is the immediate test, with the U.S. jobs report due on January 9 and consumer price index data on January 13, Reuters said. Markets are also weighing whether the Federal Reserve’s next steps keep easing financial conditions — supportive for growth stocks — or revive concerns that the economy is losing momentum.
For Webull, shifts in the rate outlook can cut both ways. Lower expected rates tend to support equity valuations, but signs of sharper economic slowing can sap risk-taking and curb trading activity.
Chart watchers — traders who focus on price levels — are eyeing whether the stock can hold above the session low near $7.85 and push back through $8. A slip toward the low end of its 52-week range would keep the stock’s recent floor in focus.
