It’s likely that the Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell will announce a 25-basis-point rate cut this afternoon.
Traders are worried sticky inflation and a slowly improving outlook for jobs could be the tailwind for what could be hawkish commentary from the Chairman.
If Kevin Hassett is the next Fed Chairman, he could bring a more dovish style to back President Trump’s call for lower rates.
If you’re thinking about retiring or know someone who is, there are three quick questions causing many Americans to realize they can retire earlier than expected. take 5 minutes to learn more here
Futures are trading modestly lower as the big day has finally arrived: the Federal Reserve will wrap up its last meeting of 2025, and the odds still heavily favor a 25-basis-point rate hike. The worry hanging over traders is that many fear a “hawkish rate cut.” Where they do cut 25 basis points, but the commentary from Chairman Powell could be hawkish, and future cuts could be moved to the sidelines. The major indices finished mixed on Tuesday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower by 0.38% at 47,560, while the S&P 500 closed flat at 6,840. The Nasdaq put in a winning session, finishing trading at 23,576, up 0.13%.
Yields were mixed across the Treasury curve on Tuesday as bond traders, like their equity counterparts, are laser-focused on the Federal Reserve interest rate decision and the commentary that will follow. One datapoint that will be scrutinized is the JOLTS data, which showed more job openings than were expected. In addition, a $58 billion auction of 3-year notes saw strong demand, with yields clearing lower than expected, indicating good appetite for shorter-term debt. The 30-year-long bond finished the session on Tuesday at 4.81%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.19%.
Following Monday’s poor showing, prices across the energy complex were lower for the second day in a row. The song remains the same: abundant supplies, combined with expectations of slowing demand, were the culprit once again. Sector analysts also cited that Iraq restored production at its giant West Qurna 2 oilfield after an export pipeline leak, adding about 460,000 barrels per day to global supply, about 0.5% of world output. Brent Crude was last seen at $62.05, down 0.70% while West Texas Intermediate closed at $58.35, down 0.90%. Natural gas took a beating for the second day running, closing at $4.56, down 7.21% on continued profit taking and weather-related fundamentals.
Gold and Silver were higher on Tuesday, as rate-cut expectations provided a tailwind for the precious metals. The big story across the sector was Silver rising to a record high of $60.73 an ounce on strong industrial demand and investor interest. A real shortage of the metal boosted silver prices to record levels, as major mines faced disruptions, limiting supply. Gold was last seen on Tuesday at $4,212, up 0.56%.
Crypto trading today on Tuesday showed a generally stable but slightly mixed market, with Bitcoin hovering around $90,000-$93,000, posting small daily gains or dips. At the same time, Ethereum and other major altcoins also experience minor fluctuations, with overall market cap figures fluctuating between $3.1 and $3.2 trillion and increased trading volume for some assets, such as Ethereum. Key themes include Bitcoin defending support near $90k and analysts watching for potential breakouts in specific altcoins, such as ADA. At 4 P.M. EST, Bitcoin was quoted at $93.130, while Ethereum was trading at $3,316.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports daily to identify new investment ideas for both investors and traders. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock.
Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) was raised to Buy from Hold at HSBC, which has a $265 target price for the shares.
Blue Owl Capital Inc. (NYSE: OWL) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Market Perform at Raymond James with a $65 target price.
Commercial Metals Co. (NYSE: CMC) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Jefferies, which has a $78 target price objective.
EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley with a $110 target price.
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) was upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer with a $855 target price.
Helmrich & Payne Inc. (NYSE: HP) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan with a $34 target price.
PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which has set a $164 target price for the stock.
Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) was downgraded to Reduce from Hold with a $143 target price.
Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Oddo BHF, which has a $395.49 target price for the company.
Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LECO) was cut to Sell from Neutral at CFRA with a $215 target price.
Noble Corp. plc (NYSE: NE) was cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, which has a $33 target price posted.
Veralto Corp. (NYSE: VLTO) was cut to Hold from Buy at Jefferies with a $105 target.
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) was initiated with a Buy rating at Guggenheim with a $300 target price objective.
Birkenstock Holding PLC (NYSE: BIRK) was started with a Buy rating at Guggenheim, which has set a $60 target price for the shares.
Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE: CLH) was started with a Neutral rating by Citigroup, which has a $263 price target for the stock.
Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX) was initiated with a Buy rating at B. Riley with a $125 target price.
SharkNinja Inc. (NYSE: SN) was started with a Buy rating at TD Cowen with a $135 target price.
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) was initiated with a Buy rating at B. Riley, which has set a $300 target for the shares.
You may think retirement is about picking the best stocks or ETFs, but you’d be wrong. Even great investments can be a liability in retirement. It’s a simple difference between accumulating vs distributing, and it makes all the difference.
The good news? After answering three quick questions many Americans are reworking their portfolios and finding they can retire earlier than expected. If you’re thinking about retiring or know someone who is, take 5 minutes to learn more here.
