Stocks had another good week, with all the major indexes poised for weekly gains. This came despite, and perhaps because of, a jobs report that painted a mixed picture about the health of the job market. It also may nudge the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates when it meets later this month. Investors will learn more when the latest readings on inflation come out next week. They’ll also get data on new and existing home sales. More importantly, next week kicks off a new earnings season and, as is tradition, investors will hear from the big banks. This will give investors insight into what to expect from corporate earnings, which are expected to be strong. As always, MarketBeat analysts will be ahead of the stocks and stories that are moving the markets. Here are some of our top stories from this week. Articles by Thomas Hughes It can be difficult to process conflicting data about the economy and what it means for stocks. Thomas Hughes gave investors a way to keep it simple by focusing on three of the most important charts that may offer early signals that could shape market performance in the first quarter of 2026. SentinelOne Inc. (NYSE: S) has been a laggard in the red-hot cybersecurity sector. Hughes noted that there are reasons for that. But the sell-off in S stock now looks overdone and is creating an ultra-deep value opportunity for risk-tolerant investors. Investors looking for growth opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks in 2026 may want to look at Salesforce (NYSE: CRM). Hughes outlined five reasons to buy-and-hold CRM stock in 2026. Articles by Sam Quirke Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) stock hit a prior point of resistance this week. Sam Quirke explained why technical signals suggest this move may be different than prior moves to this level and could be setting up for a strong move higher after earnings. Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) stock has started off 2026 with the same volatility that investors have come to expect. Quirke pointed out that, while the long-term bullish trend remains intact, short-term momentum is slowing and gives investors two distinct choices for approaching TSLA stock before its earnings report. Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is back in a familiar pattern of moving higher before its quarterly print. However, Quirke pointed out the reasons why 2026 may be the year when Amazon moves higher on the strength of its Amazon Web Services (AWS). Articles by Chris Markoch The week started with news that could shift the story for many U.S. oil giants in Venezuela. Chris Markoch explained why renewed investment in the country’s oil industry changes the outlook for Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX). Consumer staples stocks may be ready to make a comeback in 2026. If so, Markoch highlighted five mid-cap stocks with attractive valuations and pricing power that could be a key driver for earnings growth. The direction and number of interest rate cuts continue to be a point of concern for investors. This week, Markoch took on the question of which stocks to look at if there are fewer rate cuts this year and offered up three financial stocks outside of traditional banking that may offer solid opportunities. Articles by Ryan Hasson Energy stocks, particularly those dealing with oil and gas, moved higher this week over renewed focus on Venezuela’s oil industry and what it would mean for U.S. energy policy. To help investors prepare, Ryan Hasson highlighted three options for trading the energy sector on expectations of bullish upside. Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) is starting off 2026 right where it left off in 2025. Hasson helped investors understand the key catalyst that will have to hit in order for the stock to keep the momentum going. Rocket Lab was also one of the stocks that Hasson included on his list of five stocks that retail investors are betting on in 2026. Execution will matter, but in recent years, retail has gotten it right. Articles by Leo Miller If you believe in the idea that history rhymes, it’s worth looking at the stocks that received the most upgrades in 2025. This week, Leo Miller highlighted three of the most upgraded stocks in 2025 and what analysts are forecasting for 2026. Earnings season is likely to bring another round of share buyback announcements. This week, Miller looked back at three stocks with buyback yields of over 10% in 2025 and the outlook for each stock in 2026. SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) soared around 550% in 2025, and Miller pointed out that the stock is off to another strong start in 2026. Strong demand for AI storage and flash memory should fuel even more growth in SNDK stock. Articles by Nathan Reiff The AI trade is expected to remain strong in 2026. However, Nathan Reiff noted that investors seeking the biggest gains may need to steer clear of the mega-cap names. That could lead to opportunities with companies that have strong fundamentals and a long runway in the cloud and AI space. Not surprisingly, some of the best-performing ETFs of 2025 were focused on the metals and mining theme. This was a red-hot sector last year, and Reiff put a spotlight on three of the top critical materials ETFs from 2025 and why strong demand is likely to bring about a repeat performance. Despite the volatility in the price of Bitcoin, crypto mining stocks had a strong year in 2025. There are clear risks in this sector, but Reiff explained why three crypto mining stocks merit a closer look. Articles by Dan Schmidt On a broad basis, stocks are overvalued heading into 2026. However, that makes the undervalued stocks the ones to watch closely. Dan Schmidt was doing exactly that and highlighted three discounted stocks that investors aren’t likely to ignore much longer. Articles by Jeffrey Neal Johnson If 2025 was the proof of concept for the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) industry, Jeffrey Neal Johnson pointed out that 2026 is a year when investors are betting the industry will become a commercial reality and what that means for three of the top stocks in the sector. Johnson also analyzed the sharp move higher in Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) stock after the announcement that it would spin off its hardware division. Johnson outlined the opportunities and risks associated with Baidu as part of the Chinese AI sector. Industrial stocks had a strong, but uneven, year in 2025. As 2026 kicks off, Johnson noted that the need for physical materials is going to drive copper, steel, and aluminum prices higher. With that in mind, Johnson explained why the recent rally in Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) stock may be just getting started. Articles by Jordan Chussler Jordan Chussler recapped 2025 with a reminder that retail investors “buying the dip” was a significant reason for the market’s bullish performance. But that wasn’t the case for Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and IonQ Inc. (NYSE: IONQ). Chussler wrote about why both companies hope that investors will look at them more favorably in 2026. It’s hard to resist the allure of high-growth stocks like many of the pure-play AI stocks. However, Chussler reminded investors this week that boring stocks may offer the potential for outsized growth this year. Read his article about three mega-cap leaders that may surprise investors in 2026. | 
Stocks had another good week, with all the major indexes poised for weekly gains. This came despite, and perhaps because of, a jobs report that painted a mixed picture about the health of the job market. It also may nudge the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates when it meets later this month. Investors will learn more when the latest readings on inflation come out next week. They’ll also Text "MarketBeat" to 68285 to get SMS breaking news alerts for stocks on your watchlist and other special reports. Learn More.
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