Jefferies Aggressively Hikes Mining Targets as Japan’s GDP Miss Weakens Yen

Group 1: Metals Sector - Jefferies analysts raised price targets for gold and copper miners, indicating a bullish outlook on precious and base metals [2][9] - Newmont's target increased to $158 from $136 and Barrick Gold's target raised to $66 from $60 [2] - Mid-tier players like Alamos Gold and Endeavour Mining also saw target increases to $61 and C$112 respectively [2] Group 2: Travel Sector - Jefferies cut its price target for Expedia from $285 to $240, reflecting concerns over potential headwinds in the digital booking space [3][9] - The firm remains optimistic about the aviation recovery in North America, raising Air Canada's target to C$22 from C$18 [3] Group 3: Economic Data and Currency - Japan's Q4 2025 GDP growth was below analyst forecasts, leading to a dovish outlook for the Bank of Japan and pushing the EUR/JPY exchange rate above 181.50 [4][9] - Industrial Production remained flat at -0.1% month-over-month in December, but Capacity Utilization rebounded by 1.3% [5] Group 4: Corporate Developments - ByteDance is enhancing safeguards against unauthorized use of IP and likenesses in response to concerns over its Seedance 2.0 project [6][9] - Jefferies raised its target for Moderna to $37 from $30, indicating a stabilizing outlook for the biotech company [7] - TD Cowen analysts upgraded Magna International's price forecast from $58 to $75, signaling confidence in the automotive supplier's growth trajectory for 2026 [7]