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Coal stocks, like Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) and Hallador Energy (NASDAQ: HNRG), are gaining momentum after the Trump administration ordered the Pentagon to purchase electricity from coal plants and announced funding for upgrades to coal facilities.
As noted by The New York Times, “Trump signed an executive order directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to enter into long-term contracts with coal plants across the country to power military installations. The move could provide financial support to dozens of coal plants that might have otherwise been set to retire in the coming years.”
He also directed the Department of Energy to issue funds to keep coal plants open in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky.
Futures are in the green this morning.
The S&P 500 is up 0.34%, or by 24 points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is up 0.42%, or by $2.93 a share. The Dow is up 0.31%, or by 151 points. The Nasdaq is up 0.39%, or by 98 points.
It’ll be interesting to see how markets continue to react to the better-than-expected jobs report and its potential impact on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook. Of course, we’ll have a better idea of potential direction when we see consumer price index numbers.
If CPI “comes in tame, at least the market can understand that the inflation part of the Fed’s equation is cooling,” Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, told CNBC. “And of course, now, if the job market is showing decent strength, it kind of relieves us from a macro perspective, because at least we’re not seeing an economic downturn,” Lee continued.
Analysts Say Shopify AI Fears Are Overdone
After dropping more than $8 a share, Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP | SHOP Price Prediction) is seeing strong support from TD Cowen and Mizuho analysts. Both firms argue that AI fears are greatly overdone.
Mizuho upgraded SHOP to an outperform rating with a price target of $150.
“We see AI acting as a structural tailwind for SHOP rather than a disruption risk, and believe the company is well positioned to sustain accelerated share gains by enabling merchants to leverage multiple channels for commerce,” they said, as quoted by CNBC.
“Amid rising fears of AI disruption to software, we view Shopify as one of the companies best-positioned to outperform over the NTM and view the recent pull-back (-26% YTD vs. IGV -21%) as an attractive entry point.”
TD Cowen says the stock’s recent pullback offers an attractive entry point, with a $159 price target. The firm also cited Shopify’s strong fundamentals as a tailwind for the stock.
Apple Fears are Overdone
According to Evercore ISI, fears over Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) delayed Siri upgrades are overdone.
“Apple is likely to delay the expected March launch of Apple Intelligence 2.0, given recent headwinds during testing. Expect a multi-phase release of Apple’s new AI features this year, with the potential for new/upgraded Apple Intelligence features mid-year and then a complete overhaul of Siri this fall. Privacy appears to be paramount, with Apple prioritizing data protection along with seamless integration before launching the upgrades,” said the firm.
Analysts at KeyBanc reiterated an overweight rating on Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). The firm noted that the tech giant is positioned to benefit from AI/ML secular data center growth.
TD Cowen also initiated a buy rating on D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS). The firm noted that the company is firing on all cylinders as it starts to realize commercial revenues.
Analysts at Wells Fargo reiterated its overweight rating on McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) with a price target of $355. That’s up $10 from its prior call.
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