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MarketBeat Week in Review – 01/06 - 01/10

Key Points

  • Stocks continued to sell off after a stronger-than-expected jobs report dampened hopes for rate cuts in 2025.
  • Markets are also reacting to rising bond yields that continue to track higher.
  • Next week will signal the start of earning season as well as the latest readings on inflation.   
  • MarketBeat previews top five stocks to own in February.

Stocks gave up all the post-election gains after the December jobs report came in hotter than expected. The rate on the 10-year Treasury note climbed above 4.7%, and the 30-year note is close to 5%, which is bearish for the housing market.

Investors now have to consider that there may be no interest rate cuts in 2025. And things could get worse when the December readings for inflation come out next week. Confirmation that inflation is rising may cause stocks to drop even further as President-elect Donald Trump’s policies are likely to be inflationary in the near term. 

Next week also marks the start of the next earnings season. That means investors will hear from the big banks. However, if the banks deliver on the strong earnings growth that’s expected, it could put a floor on the current sell-off. 2025 is off to a volatile start, but you can count on the MarketBeat team of analysts to help make sense of the stocks and stories moving the markets. Here are some of our most popular stories this week.

Articles by Jea Yu

Amidst the volatility in the markets, healthcare stocks are likely to be a solid option. This week, Jea Yu explained why The Cigna Group Inc. NYSE: CI is becoming a best-in-class health insurance company that should be at the top of investors’ watch lists if they’re looking for opportunities in the sector in 2025.

Investors who piled into gene editing stocks at the beginning of 2024 were disappointed by the deliberate pace of progress that held these stocks back. However, Yu explained why progress is still being made and offered investors three gene editing stocks poised for a sector comeback in 2025.

President-elect Trump will sign executive orders on January 20 as part of his campaign pledge to expand U.S. oil production and exploration. Energy stocks are likely to benefit, but Yu highlighted three other stocks likely to benefit from lower fuel costs and higher airline profits.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

NVIDIA Corp. NASDAQ: NVDA continues to be the most important stock in the market. That’s the premise of this week’s article from Thomas Hughes that summarizes the highlights from NVIDIA CEO Jenson Huang’s keynote speech at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Hughes explained why the technological advances Huang revealed mean the stock may outperform current-year estimates.

Depending on where you live, you may be thinking, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” That’s why you may want to keep a close eye on natural gas stocks. That was the focus of Hughes’ article on three natural gas stocks and ETFs to consider as demand for natural gas is soaring.

Congressional stock trading is a topic that stirs the passions of MarketBeat subscribers. This week, Hughes highlighted the top five stocks purchased by members of Congress in 2024 and explained why those stocks will continue to be some of the best stock picks in 2025.

Articles by Sam Quirke

One of our most popular articles this week showed why demand for dividend-paying stocks remains strong. Sam Quirke wrote about the creme de la creme of dividend stocks known as Dividend Kings. The term refers to companies that have increased their dividend for at least 50 consecutive years. Quirke highlighted three dividend kings that will reward investors no matter how stocks perform.

The news from NVIDIA’s Jenson Huang sent shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) sharply lower. However, Quirke explained why the stock was already trading at a discount, and this latest move down ignores AMD’s fundamental strength, which may make AMD stock the best buy investors can make in 2025.

Technology stocks are always among the most closely watched during earnings season. However, each earnings season may push some stocks higher than others. Quirke explained why, fresh from a 2024 rally, Amazon.com Inc. NASDAQ: AMZNcontinues to look like one of the tech stocks ready to break out in 2025.

Articles by Chris Markoch

The recent performance of the Russell 2000 suggests that 2025 may be a breakout year for small-cap stocks, which may include some penny stocks. This week, Chris Markoch analyzed the potential for three penny stocks that could set investors up for long-term gains in 2025.

Markoch also looked at the demand for data centers as a bullish argument for GE Vernova LLC NYSE: GEV. The company spun off from General Electric Corp. NYSE: GE in 2024 and is already up 181%. However, the company’s position in natural gas and nuclear technology explains why the company is at the beginning of a multi-year surge.

Moderna Inc. NASDAQ: MRNA shot higher this week along with other vaccine makers over concerns regarding the first confirmed bird flu death in the United States. While the rally fizzled quickly, Markoch explained why institutional investors view Moderna’s pipeline as supportive of a speculative Buy.

Articles by Ryan Hasson

E-commerce continues to command more market share, but many investors may only focus on the United States. This week, Ryan Hasson suggested that investors may want to take a wider view and consider MercadoLibre Inc. NASDAQ: MELI, Latin America’s leading e-commerce player. The stock has shown tremendous growth since 2020, but a recent sell-off from its all-time high presents an opportunity for investors.

Nebius Group NV NASDAQ: NBIS is a rising star because of its position in the emerging AI infrastructure space. The company has only been publicly trading since October, and this week, Hasson explored whether or not NVIDIA’s investment in the company is enough to get you involved in the stock.

An intriguing story from this week was Bill Ackman’s bullish call on Fannie Mae OTC: FNMA and Freddie Mac OTC: FMCC. Despite repaying the government funds they received in 2008, the two companies still face political and regulatory hurdles. Still, Ackman believes the two companies could deliver massive returns if allowed to go public.

Articles by Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli

The start of a new year is a time for investment banks to issue their targets for the coming year. The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. NYSE: GS recently released its 2025 macro outlook report, and Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli highlighted three stocks that may dominate 2025 based on Goldman’s report.

Many traders look to start the year by buying value stocks at a discount before they rally. That means looking at stocks with fundamental strengths that the market is overlooking. This week, Osorio-Mazilli did your homework for you and delivered three stocks that offer great value now that they’re off recent highs.

More speculative investors may want to look at stocks with high short interest in hopes that they will prompt a short squeeze. Osorio-Mazilli analyzed the possibility of a short squeeze in three stocks with high short interest.

Articles by Leo Miller

Drones have been in the news a lot recently. However, Leo Miller explained why investors should view this as more than a curiosity and instead as an investment opportunity. With that in mind, Leo Miller wrote about two autonomous drone stocks that should be on the radar of growth-hungry investors.

Electric vehicle sales continue to rise in the United States and China. Miller explained that the industry still faces headwinds, but one way to get around them is by investing in one of these three ETFs that focus on electric vehicles.

Earnings season starts next week. For some companies, that will bring news of fresh stock buybacks. Frequently, investors can look at companies that recently authorized buybacks as good contenders for future buybacks. That’s the bullish case that Miller made for three stocks that look like solid contenders for stock buybacks in 2025.

Articles by Nathan Reiff

When most investors think about investing in electric vehicle stocks, Tesla Inc. NASDAQ: TSLA is the first name that comes to mind. However, this week, Nathan Reiff reminded investors that it shouldn’t be the only name to consider and offered up three EV stocks that may be worthy alternatives to Tesla.

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Companies Mentioned in This Article

CompanyMarketRank™Current PricePrice ChangeDividend YieldP/E RatioConsensus RatingConsensus Price Target
The Cigna Group (CI)
4.9978 of 5 stars
$278.77-0.2%2.01%26.30Buy$395.93
NVIDIA (NVDA)
4.904 of 5 stars
$135.91-3.0%0.03%53.49Moderate Buy$164.63
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
4.9134 of 5 stars
$116.04-4.8%N/A104.54Moderate Buy$185.22
Amazon.com (AMZN)
4.9444 of 5 stars
$218.94-1.4%0.09%46.88Moderate Buy$243.67
GE Vernova (GEV)
2.5347 of 5 stars
$367.53+0.3%0.27%N/AModerate Buy$314.35
General Electric (GE)
4.7639 of 5 stars
$171.65-0.7%0.65%30.17Moderate Buy$201.47
Moderna (MRNA)
4.5548 of 5 stars
$42.25-2.1%N/A-7.26Hold$78.83
MercadoLibre (MELI)
4.9892 of 5 stars
$1,758.77+1.1%0.03%62.06Moderate Buy$2,247.67
Fannie Mae (FNMA)N/A$5.26+5.5%N/AN/AHold$3.00
Freddie Mac (FMCC)N/A$5.05+2.2%N/A-84.15N/AN/A
The Goldman Sachs Group (GS)
4.9769 of 5 stars
$560.40-3.4%2.14%16.44Moderate Buy$569.31
Tesla (TSLA)
4.4515 of 5 stars
$394.74-0.1%N/A108.15Hold$295.69
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