Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading mixed after a solid start to the week, with all the major indices, except the Russell 2000, finishing the day higher. Anticipation of earnings reports from mega-cap technology stocks, including Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla, and the January Federal Reserve meeting, where the Fed is expected to hold rates steady, were in play on Monday. Toss in some positive energy sector performances and news of Nvidia’s increased investment in CoreWeave, and all the ingredients were in place for a solid rally to open the week. The Dow Jones Industrials closed up 0.64% at 49,412, while the S&P 500 closed at 6,950, up 0.50%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended Monday’s session at 23,601, up 0.43%. As mentioned, the small-cap Russell 200 closed lower, down 0.36% at 2,659. Up over 7% in 2026, the Russell 2000 is leading all of the major indices as we get ready to close out the first month of the year.
Treasury Bonds:
Treasury yields were lower across the curve as buyers took advantage of a well-received auction of 2-year notes. Investor nervousness regarding inflation, anticipation of Federal Reserve policy, and international trade concerns were all cited as reasons for the positive day for U.S. governement debt. The 30-year bond closed at 4.80%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last at 4.21%.
Oil and Gas:
Prices were lower on Monday for the big oil benchmarks, while natural gas continued to roar higher as the massive winter storm began to finish up in the Northeast part of the country. Prices dipped due to a stronger-than-expected supply outlook, easing geopolitical tensions, and some serious profit-taking following the recent rapid rise in oil and natural gas prices. Despite initial spikes in U.S. production above 250,000 barrels per day due to the storm, the ongoing concern about a more-than-sufficient global supply remained at the forefront. Brent Crude closed Monday at $65.68, down 0.30%, while West Texas Intermediate closed at $60.76, down 0.31%. After surging over the $7 mark during the day, the highest since December of 2022, natural gas saw some profit-taking after its recent parabolic move higher and finished Monday at $6.47, up an astounding 22%.
Gold:
Gold once again continued its breathtaking rally, trading at one point in the day over $5,100, and finished Monday’s historic session at $5,011. The song remains the same: massive Central Bank buying, institutional and retail purchases, and safe-haven buying, combined with ongoing geopolitical worries, continue to lift the precious metal higher. Silver also had a solid day on Monday, closing at $103.76, up 0.56%.
Crypto:
The cryptocurrency market saw a sharp downturn on Monday with Bitcoin and Ethereum under pressure amid macroeconomic fears, triggering over $550 million in liquidations. Some of the top crypto analysts are pointing to a move by retail investors away from Bitcoin and other digital coins to gold as a hedge to equity and bond portfolios. At 8 AM EST, Bitcoin is trading at $87,897, while Ethereum is quoted at $2,915.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports daily to identify new investment ideas for both investors and traders. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock.
Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AFRM | AFRM Price Prediction) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Needham with a $100 target price.
- CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWV) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank with a $140 target price objective.
- FirstEnergy Inc. (NYSE: FE) was raised to Outperform from Peer Perform at Wolfe Research, which has set a $50 price target.
- TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) was upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer with a $270 target price.
- Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ZBH) was assumed with a Buy rating, up from Hold at TD Cowen, which raised the target price for the shares to $109 from $99.
Downgrades:
- Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which lifted the target price for the aluminum giant to $64 from $52.
- Insulet Corporation (NASDAQ: PODD) was assumed in coverage with a Hold rating, down from Buy at TD Cowen with a $294 target price.
- MobilEye Global Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLY) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Arete with a $15.70 price target.
- Noble Corp plc. (NYSE: NE) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at SEB Equities with a $33 target price.
- Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at TD Cowen, which bumped the target price for the consumer staples behemoth to $156 from $150.
Initiations:
- Block Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) was initiated with an Overweight rating at Cantor Fitzgerald with an $87 target.
- Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN) was assumed in coverage at Cantor Fitzgerald with an Overweight rating with a $277 target price objective.
- Datadog Inc. (NASDAQ: DDOG) was initiated with a Buy rating at Daiwa, which has set a $190 price target for the shares.
- Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) was initiated with a Buy rating and a $660 target price objective at TD Cowen.
- PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) was started with a Neutral rating at Cantor Fitzgerald with a $60 price target.
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