Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading modestly higher after a blowout midweek rally spurred by reports that a peace agreement with Iran could be forthcoming soon and by incredible technology earnings and forecasts that destroyed Wall Street estimates. All of the major indices were once again printing new highs as investors cheered the potential for good news and home-run earnings reports. The Nasdaq led stocks higher on the strength of Advanced Micro Devices’ (NASDAQ: AMD | AMD Price Prediction) stunning earnings and formidable forward guidance, closing up 2.03% at 25,838, while the S&P 500 finished the session at 7,365, up 1.46%, the first close ever for the venerable index over 7300. The Dow Jones Industrials closed at 49,910, up 1.24%, while the small-cap heavy Russell 2000 was last seen at 2,888, up 1.52%.
Treasury Bonds:
After the 5% level for long Treasury bonds was breached earlier this week, buyers once again stepped in on Wednesday, and yields across the entire Treasury curve finished the day lower. Like the action in equity markets, bond traders cited the potential for a peace deal with Iran and tumbling oil prices as major factors behind the strength. The 30-year-long bond closed the day at 4.94%, down 4 basis points, while the benchmark 10-year note closed the session at 4.35%.
Oil and Gas:
Needless to say, with oil plunging, sellers were quick to hit bids, and both major oil benchmark indices finished the day dramatically lower. This comes as U.S. fuel exports hit all-time highs due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent Crude finished the day at $101.50, down 7.65%, while West Texas Intermediate closed at $95.33, down 6.94%. Natural gas closed at $2.72, down 2.15%
Gold:
After a difficult stretch for precious metals, the news of a potential peace plan and falling oil prices was just what the doctor ordered, as Gold and Silver both traded higher on Wednesday. Gold closed the day at $4,697, up 3.10%, while Silver was the star of the day, closing at $77.47, up 6.56%.
Crypto:
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 Thursday, May 7, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Alcoa (NYSE: AA) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Wells Fargo, which bumped the target price for the aluminum giant to $70 from $67.
- Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) was raised to Buy from Neutral at BTIG, with a $125 price target.
- Freshpet (NASDAQ: FRPT) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which bumped the target price for the shares to $68 from $66.
- Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Arete with a $255 target price.
- United Therapeutics (NASDAQ: UTHR) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Wells Fargo, which boosted the target price for the stock to $735 from $575.
Downgrades:
- Chiron Real Estate (NYSE: XRN) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Compass Point, which lowered the target price for the stock to $38 from $50.
- Clear Secure (NYSE: YOU) was cut to Neutral from Buy at DA Davidson, which dropped the target price for the stock to $60 from $65.
- Kennametal (NYSE: KMT) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which keeps a $47.50 price target for the shares.
- Modiv Industrial (NYSE: MDV) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Alliance Global, which bumped the target price for the company to $19 from $18.
- PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Macquarie, which trimmed the target price for the shares to $50 from $58.
Initiations:
- Abacus Global Management (NYSE: ABX) was started with a Buy rating at Freedom Broker, which has set a $13 target for the shares.
- Aprea Therapeutics (NASDAQ: APRE) was started with an Outperform rating at Oppenheimer, with a $5 target price.
- CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNH) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Bernstein, with an $11 price target.
- Innovex International (NYSE: INVX) was initiated with a Buy rating at Citigroup, with a $35 target price.
- Surf Air Mobility (NASDAQ: SFRM) was initiated with an Overweight rating at Northland, which has a $5 target price for the stock.
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