Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories.
Major U.S. indexes ended the week higher, with the Dow up 0.4%, S&P 500 gaining 0.7%, and Nasdaq rising 0.8%, breaking a three-week decline streak.
The S&P 500’s strong Christmas Eve performance fueled hopes for a “Santa Rally,” a historical trend showing gains 64 out of 96 years during December’s final week. Markets started recovering from the Fed’s hawkish rate cut signals but faced renewed volatility Friday, tempering Santa Rally expectations.
Despite near-term uncertainty, 2024 remains exceptional, with the S&P 500 matching last year’s 24% gain and U.S. stocks outperforming global markets by the widest margin since 1997.
Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week’s most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.
The Bulls
“AMD And Micron Are Top Analyst Picks For AI And Next-Gen Tech Growth,” by Anusuya Lahiri, highlights Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD being a top 2025 analyst’s pick for CPU/GPU momentum and AI edge opportunities, and Micron Technology, Inc. MU for its dominance in high-bandwidth memory.
“Dogecoin Whales Load Up Coins Worth $92 Million Over 4 Days As Meme King Outperforms Bitcoin, Ethereum In 2024,” by Shivdeep Dhaliwal, reports that whale investors acquired 270 million Dogecoin DOGE/USD, worth $92 million, over four days, boosting DOGE's 274% YTD rally, far outpacing Bitcoin BTC/USD and Ethereum ETH/USD gains of 132% and 53%, respectively.
“Quantum Computing Stock QUBT Soars 157% While Bitcoin Drops Post Google's ‘Willow’ Reveal,” by Aniket Verma, highlights Quantum Computing Inc. QUBT surging after Google's “Willow” chip breakthrough, outperforming key indices, while Bitcoin faced a downturn amid concerns Willow’s quantum power could undermine cryptographic security.
For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:
Top 7 Blue-Chip Stocks With The Best Return Potential Going Into 2025
Why Trump’s Return To Office Could Drive Gold Demand In 2025
The Bears
“MicroStrategy Sinks After Nasdaq 100 Inclusion: Bitcoin Bet Under Fire,” by Piero Cingari, reports MicroStrategy Inc. MSTR shares dropping 8.5% after its Nasdaq 100 debut, as analysts question its $561 million Bitcoin purchase at a 12% premium to current levels, marking its smallest acquisition amid declining stock performance.
“Are Sub-$30,000 Cars Disappearing? Trump’s Tariff Plans Could Reshape US Auto Market,” by Chris Katje, explores Donald Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, potentially pushing the price of vehicles like Ford Motor Co.‘s F Maverick and Honda Motor Co.‘s HMC Civic above $30,000, with one-third of sub-$30,000 cars currently made in Mexico.
“Tesla Shorts Gordon Johnson And James Chanos Skeptical Of Robotaxi Potential Amid Usage Data Debate,” by Kaustubh Bagalkote, details criticism from Gordon Johnson of GLJ Research and short-seller James Chanos, who argue Tesla Inc.‘s TSLA robotaxi ambitions overpromise revenue potential, citing New York City ride-share data.
For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:
‘Zelle Became A Gold Mine For Fraudsters’: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Lawsuit
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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