Alcohol Industry Insights - 54% of Americans drink alcohol, marking an all-time low compared to 68%-71% in the 1970s and early 80s, raising questions about whether this is a secular trend or a phase, particularly among Gen Z [1] - Alcohol consumption has historically fluctuated due to health concerns, with companies like Brown-Forman and Diageo experiencing new 52-week lows, indicating a decline in alcohol consumption [2][4] - The average number of drinks per adult per week in the U.S. has remained stable between 10 and 12 for decades, only slightly below its 2021 peak, suggesting that regular drinkers maintain their consumption patterns despite market softness [10] Demographic Trends - From 2023 to 2025, the share of drinkers in households earning less than $40,000 fell by 14 percentage points to 39%, indicating affordability issues may be influencing drinking habits [7][8] - The decline in drinking among higher-income households may be attributed to health concerns or a reset of drinking norms after excessive consumption during COVID [9] Company Performance: Brown-Forman - Brown-Forman has faced challenges, including a 5% decline in sales and a 14% drop in earnings per share in Q2 2026, with expectations of low single-digit declines for the remainder of the year [21] - Analysts project Brown-Forman to earn $1.65 per share in 2026, trading at 15.4 times this estimate, with an enterprise value of $14.42 billion, indicating a more favorable valuation compared to Wayfair [22] Company Performance: Wayfair - Wayfair's stock has increased by 143% over the past 12 months, but the company has a poor history of profitability, with only six profitable quarters since going public in 2014 [13][16] - In Q3 2025, Wayfair reported a loss of $99 million, which is $25 million higher than the loss in Q3 2024, highlighting ongoing financial struggles [18] Investment Considerations - The comparison between Brown-Forman and Wayfair suggests that despite current challenges, Brown-Forman is viewed as a more stable investment due to its history of profitability and dividend payments, while Wayfair is seen as chasing an uncertain future [22]

Oddity Tech (ODD) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.The power ...

On Dec. 5, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced the companies that would be joining and leaving the S&P 500 Index (SPY), S&P MidCap 400 Index (MDY), and S&P SmallCap 600 Index (VIOO) effective Dec. 22, 2025. Now in the first full trading week of 2026, the major S&P indexes have all been rebalanced and welcomed new members, including Carvana (CVNA), Comfort Systems USA (FIX), and CRH (CRH), among others. Why Does the S&P 500 Rebalance? It's crucial for investors to understand why the S&P 500 or any index rebal ...

Core Insights - The article compiles significant research calls from Wall Street that are influencing market movements [1] Upgrades - Barclays upgraded Wayfair (W) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $123, increased from $104, citing accelerated market share in 2025 and expected continuation into 2026 [2] - Oppenheimer upgraded McDonald's (MCD) to Outperform from Perform with a price target of $355, reflecting a more optimistic outlook for the restaurant sector into 2026 after 2025's underperformance [2] - Barclays upgraded Lowe's (LOW) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $285, up from $259, based on a positive outlook for discretionary goods demand, particularly among mid- and high-income consumers due to upcoming tax changes [2] - Piper Sandler upgraded Hershey (HSY) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $213, increased from $193, noting the easing of cocoa costs and removal of cocoa tariffs, which provide Hershey with flexibility for growth and earnings enhancement [2] - BofA double upgraded Regeneron (REGN) to Buy from Underperform with a price target of $860, up from $627, driven by a more favorable view following the realization of prior underperformance concerns regarding Eylea SD and adjustments in consensus estimates [2]

Key Points UPS stock offers a high-yielding dividend but sluggish long-term returns, making it a suboptimal pick for most investors. The logistics company delivers a lot of Amazon boxes to people's doors, and investors may want to consider shares in the e-commerce leader instead. Amazon has multiple growth levers that are dominating domestic and global markets, while UPS has fewer options. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is one of the most recognizable fre ...

Economic Indicators - Private sector employment in the U.S. increased by 41,000 jobs in December, which was slightly below the expected increase of 47,000 jobs, following a revised loss of 29,000 jobs in November [2][22]. - Small establishments showed positive hiring at the end of the year, recovering from November job losses, while large employers reduced hiring [3][22]. - The Institute for Supply Management is expected to report a slight decrease in service sector activity, with the services PMI projected to edge down to 52.3 in December from 52.6 in November [23]. Stock Market Performance - The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 484.90 points (1.0%) to close at 49,462.08, while the S&P 500 increased by 42.77 points (0.6%) to 6,944.82, both reaching new record closing highs [4]. - Amazon's shares surged by 3.4%, contributing significantly to the Dow's performance, following the announcement of Alexa.com rollout to compete with ChatGPT and Gemini [5]. - The NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index saw a notable increase of 4.3%, while the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index rose by 4.1% due to a sharp increase in gold prices [7]. Commodity and Currency Markets - Crude oil futures fell by $0.36 to $56.77 per barrel after a previous drop of $1.19 [10]. - Gold prices decreased by $44 to $4,452.10 per ounce after a significant rise of $44.60 in the previous session [10]. - The U.S. dollar traded at 156.38 yen, slightly down from 156.62 yen, and was valued at $1.1692 against the euro, compared to $1.1687 previously [10]. Global Market Trends - Asian stocks ended mixed, with China's Shanghai Composite Index marginally higher amid escalating tensions with Japan and weak U.S. data raising hopes for rate cuts [11][16]. - Japanese markets fell sharply due to rising geopolitical tensions, with the Nikkei 225 Index down by 1.1% [15][16]. - European stocks showed mixed performance, with the German DAX Index up by 0.7% while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index fell by 0.6% [19].

Core Insights - U.S. online holiday spending growth experienced a slowdown in the 2025 season, according to Adobe Analytics data, despite shoppers achieving record spending levels driven by significant discounts and increased adoption of buy-now-pay-later options [1] Group 1: Spending Trends - Online holiday spending growth decelerated in 2025 compared to previous years, indicating a shift in consumer behavior [1] - Shoppers set a record for online spending, highlighting a strong demand despite the overall growth slowdown [1] Group 2: Discounts and Payment Options - The record spending was supported by steep discounts offered by retailers, which played a crucial role in attracting consumers [1] - The wider use of buy-now-pay-later services contributed to the increased spending, suggesting a change in payment preferences among consumers [1]

Core Insights - The evolving landscape of meme stocks is significantly influenced by retail investors, with a notable shift in focus from traditional stocks to more speculative areas like nuclear, clean energy, and crypto-related stocks by 2025 [2][3] Retail Investor Influence - Retail investors accounted for 8-10% of U.S. equity market volume before the pandemic, increasing to 20-25% in 2025, and even reaching 35% at times, indicating their growing power in the market [4] - The resurgence of meme stocks such as OpenDoor and Krispy Kreme demonstrates the ongoing influence of retail investors, despite the volatility in their stock prices [3][10] Future of Meme Stocks - High valuations of hyper-growth stocks are seen as justified due to strong revenue and earnings growth, with emerging sectors like nuclear energy and quantum computing expected to drive the next wave of meme stocks in 2026 [5] - The distinction between Tesla and other meme stocks lies in Tesla's valuation being based on future potential, particularly in robotics and robotaxis, supported by a loyal investor base [6] Market Dynamics - Meme stocks thrive on hype rather than fundamentals, with retail investors leveraging online communities to challenge traditional Wall Street narratives [8] - The phenomenon of meme stocks gained prominence in January 2021, exemplified by the massive short squeeze of GameStop shares, which increased over 2,300% [9] Recent Performance - The Roundhill Meme Stock ETF experienced a decline of 24.64% over the past three months but saw a 3.93% increase on a recent Tuesday, closing at $7.40 [13]

After turning in a strong performance to kick off the first full trading week of the new year, stocks saw further upside during trading on Tuesday. With the continued upward move, the Dow and the S&P 500 reached new record closing highs.The major averages ended the day just off their highs of the session. The Dow jumped 484.90 points or 1.0 percent to 49,462.08, the Nasdaq climbed 151.35 points or 0.7 percent to 23,547.17 and the S&P 500 rose 42.77 points or 0.6 percent to 6,944.82.The Dow benefitted from ...

Core Insights - Deep-pocketed investors are showing a bullish sentiment towards Amazon.com, indicating potential significant developments ahead [1] - A notable increase in options activity for Amazon.com has been observed, with 125 extraordinary options activities recorded [2] Options Activity Summary - Among the options activities, 40% of investors are bullish while 34% are bearish, with 16 puts totaling $734,495 and 109 calls amounting to $7,169,226 [2] - The price window targeted by major players for Amazon.com options is between $85.0 and $340.0 over the past quarter [3] Volume and Open Interest Trends - The mean open interest for Amazon.com options trades is 11,404.14, with a total volume of 1,028,742.00 [4] - A detailed chart tracks the development of volume and open interest for call and put options within the strike price range of $85.0 to $340.0 over the last 30 days [4] Significant Options Trades - Notable trades include bullish call options with significant volumes and varying strike prices, indicating mixed sentiments among investors [7] Company Overview - Amazon.com is the leading online retailer, with retail-related revenue constituting approximately 74% of total revenue, followed by Amazon Web Services at 17% and advertising services at 9% [8] Market Standing - Analysts have set an average target price of $301.0 for Amazon.com, with varying ratings from different firms reflecting a mix of optimism and caution [10][11][13] - The current stock price of AMZN is $241.96, reflecting a 3.82% increase, with upcoming earnings expected in 30 days [12]