US stocks sputtered Wednesday as Wall Street prepared to wrap up an eventful, roller-coaster trading year with sizable gains. The blue chip-heavy Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI), S&P 500 (^GSPC), and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) all lost around 0.4%, with the major indexes eyeing their fourth consecutive day of losses. Those losses have dimmed hopes for a so-called "Santa Claus rally." But at least on Wednesday, Wall Street is ready to celebrate its gains in 2025. The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC ...

Maksim Safaniuk / Shutterstock.com Quick Read Exxon Mobil (XOM) reached a new 52-week high despite WTI crude falling nearly 20% in 2025. The stock recovered fully from April’s 16% drop. Exxon generated $25.4B in upstream earnings in 2024. Guyana operations remain profitable at oil prices around $30 per barrel. Exxon raised its dividend for 43 consecutive years and now yields 3.3%. The company targets $30 per barrel breakeven costs by 2030. A recent study identified one single habit that doubled Ame ...

Core Insights - West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices have dropped below $60 per barrel, driven by a combination of oversupply and weak demand [1] Industry Summary - The decline in WTI crude prices is attributed to an oversupply situation in the market, indicating that production levels are exceeding current consumption needs [1] - Weak demand for crude oil has further exacerbated the price drop, suggesting potential challenges for oil producers and related sectors [1]

Industry Overview - Oil stocks are experiencing an upward movement due to recent geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine, which have heightened expectations for oil demand. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has increased by 2.3% [1] Company Performance - APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) stock is trading at $24.27, reflecting a 0.4% increase. The stock has retreated from its one-year high of $27.72 but is finding support at its 80-day moving average near the $24 level. Year-to-date, APA has a gain of 5.3% [2] - Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) shares are up 1.5%, trading at $36.20. The stock has a year-to-date gain of 10.9%, following a recovery from its 52-week low of $25.89 recorded on April 9 [2] Options Market Insights - APA's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) is at 36%, which is higher than 96% of readings from the past year, indicating a relatively high level of volatility [3] - DVN's SVI stands at 28%, ranking in the 1st percentile of its annual range, suggesting that options premiums for this stock are currently inexpensive [3]

For Immediate ReleasesChicago, IL – December 19, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog includeExxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) , Chevron Corporation (CVX) and EOG Resources Inc (EOG) .Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:Can ExxonMobil Weather the Prevailing Softness in Oil Price?According to data from Oi ...

Core Insights - The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is currently above $56 per barrel, significantly down from approximately $70 per barrel a year ago, impacting the upstream business of integrated energy companies like Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) [1] - XOM operates in advantageous locations such as the Permian Basin and offshore Guyana, but lower oil prices are expected to negatively affect profits despite the company's strong balance sheet [1] Group 1: Financial Health and Debt Management - XOM's debt to capitalization ratio is 13.6%, which is considerably lower than the industry average of 28.7%, allowing the company to navigate low pricing environments effectively [2] - Chevron Corporation (CVX) and EOG Resources Inc (EOG) also maintain strong balance sheets with debt to capitalization ratios of 17.52% and 20.26%, respectively, indicating lower exposure to debt capital [4] Group 2: Market Performance and Valuation - XOM's shares have increased by 15.4% over the past year, outperforming the industry composite stocks, which improved by 13.7% [5] - The enterprise value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio for XOM is 7.62X, higher than the industry average of 4.69X, suggesting a premium valuation [8] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for XOM's 2025 earnings has not seen any revisions in the past week, indicating stability in earnings expectations [10]

Crude oil prices fell to levels not seen since the start of 2021 as a widely expected supply glut picked up momentum and peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict took steps forward. Futures on international pricing benchmark Brent crude (BZ=F) fell by more than 2.8% to trade below $58.86 on Tuesday morning, while futures on US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CL=F) temporarily fell by a deeper 3.1% to trade below $55. Both energy products reached levels Tuesday morning that had not been s ...

Crude oil prices fell to levels not seen since the start of 2021 as a widely expected supply glut picked up momentum and peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict took steps forward. Futures on international pricing benchmark Brent crude (BZ=F) fell by more than 2.8% to trade below $58.86 on Tuesday morning, while futures on US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CL=F) temporarily fell by a deeper 3.1% to trade below $55. Both energy products reached levels Tuesday morning that had not been s ...

Crude oil prices fell to levels not seen since the doldrums of the pandemic at the start of 2021, as a widely expected supply glut picked up momentum and peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict took steps forward. Futures on international pricing benchmark Brent crude (BZ=F) fell by 2.2% to trade below $59.30, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CL=F) fell by a deeper 2.4% to trade below $55.50. Both energy products reached levels Tuesday morning that haven't been seen since Februar ...

US stock futures edged higher on Tuesday after President Trump signed off on allowing Nvidia (NVDA) to resume shipments of flagship AI chips to China, with the start of a highly anticipated Federal Reserve meeting. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) were little changed, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) nudged up 0.1%. Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) were also up 0.1% after Wall Street stocks notched modest losses on Monday. Nvidia (NVDA) shares rose over 2% in premarket trading after Trump said ...