Image Source:  Gold bids cooled back below $2,650, crimping the week’s gains at the tail end. Market risk appetite recovered on Friday after US ISM data improved. Fedspeak further cooled investors concerns, Fed’s Barkin soothes market concerns. XAU/USD dipped on Friday, with Gold prices falling roughly two-thirds of a percent and dipping back below $2,650 per ounce as market sentiment recovers from the early week’s risk-off appetite. It’s been a wobbly start to global markets during the first week of the 2025 trading season, but investors are still looking for reasons to firm up their stance heading into the new year.Federal Reserve (Fed)  Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin spoke to a bankers association in Maryland on Friday, highlighting that the Fed has already reduced interest rates by a full percentage point during 2024, bringing the fed funds rate down to the 4.25%-4.5% range. The US unemployment rate is also holding at historically low levels, while inflation appears to be drifting back toward the Fed’s target of 2% annually. Fed’s Barkin also downplayed the potential negative effects of incoming President Donald Trump’s plans to enact sweeping tariff proposals on his first day in office that would see the US functionally enter into simultaneous trade wars with all of the US’ closest allies and trading partners unilaterally. According to Fed policymaker Barkin, markets shouldn’t be too worried about a potential 10%-20% fee on all imported goods into the US, because the “pass-through from tariffs to prices is not straightforward, it depends on multiple factors […]

Image Source: Tesla Inc. ( – ) skidded 6% at the start of the new year following a fourth-quarter delivery miss despite an increase in promotional deals. Global vehicle deliveries also fell in 2024 for the first time in more than a decade. The decline in share price has wiped out around $175 billion in market value for Tesla.As a result, ETFs with a substantial allocation to this luxury carmaker are in focus. These include The Nightview Fund, Simplify Volt TSLA Revolution ETF, ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF, Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF and ARK Innovation ETF.This leading electric carmaker delivered 495,570 (471,930 Model 3/Y and 23,640 other models) cars worldwide in the fourth quarter. Though the figure is up 2.3% from the year-ago quarter and marks the second consecutive quarter of year-over-year delivery growth, it came below consensus analyst forecasts of 498,000 deliveries, according to FactSet. The miss reflects a relatively aged product and increased availability of lower-priced vehicles globally ahead of the hyped introduction of the cheaper new model (Juniper) in early/mid-2025.The EV market is becoming increasingly competitive. Until recently, Tesla had been one of the only automakers mass-producing battery-electric vehicles. The company is now facing intense competition from domestic automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Rivian, as well as BYD in China, Hyundai in Korea, and European auto giants BMW and Volkswagen. Additionally, reduced subsidies in Europe are dampening demand, while a growing shift toward hybrid vehicles in the United States is altering consumer preferences. Tesla produced 459,445 (436,718 Model 3/Y and 22,727 other models) vehicles during […]

Image Source: The gold stocks, which were very oversold have begun a bounce. The metals too.We assess the near-term outlook for Gold, Silver, and the miners.Video Length: 00:10:10Why 2025 Is Perfect Time To Buy Gold Stock Market Top Is Very Bullish For Gold & Gold Miners Opportunity Approaching In Gold, Silver & Gold Stocks

Image Source: The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today’s Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including UnitedHealth Group Inc. (), Costco Wholesale Corp. (), and International Business Machines Corp. (), as well as a micro-cap stock Smith-Midland Corp. (). The Zacks microcap research is unique as our research content on these small and under-the-radar companies is the only research of its type in the country.These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.Shares of UnitedHealth have declined -6.1% over the past year against the Zacks Medical – HMOs industry’s decline of -9.9%.  The company’s top line remains poised for growth on the back of a strong market position, new deals, renewed agreements and expansion of service offerings. The company’s solid health services segment provides diversification benefits.The Government business remains well-poised for growth in the future. Adjusted net earnings per share are anticipated to be in the $29.50-$30.00 band in 2025. A sturdy balance sheet enables investments and prudent deployment of capital via share repurchases and dividend payments.However, membership in its global business continues to be a concern. High operating costs due to rising medical expenses are hurting margins. A debt-laden balance sheet induces an increase in interest expenses. As such, the stock warrants a cautious stance.Costco’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Retail – Discount Stores industry over the past year (+41.1% vs. +25.1%). The company Being a consumer defensive stock, has been surviving the market […]

Sales growth can be a premier indicator of a company’s future success which has catapulted DoorDash ( – )  and Sea Limited’s ( – )  stock over the last year.These internet-centric stocks have landed spots on the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list and are starting to embark on their lucrative earnings potential.Image Source: Zacks Investment Research DoorDash Expansion  DoorDash’s expansion has been paramount with its online marketplace helping merchants interact with customers and fulfill orders through delivery personnel called “dashers”. Notably, DoorDash’s Zacks Internet-Services Industry is currently in the top 15% of nearly 250 Zacks industries.Boosting DoorDash’s growth has been the acquisition of Finnish food delivery company Wolt in 2021. Acquiring Wolt has expanded DoorDash’s presence into over 20 European markets with its reach now extending far outside of the United States to Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand as well.As a beneficiary of its strong business industry, DoorDash’s total sales are now expected to increase 23% in fiscal 2024 and are projected to expand another 19% in FY25 to $12.72 billion. More impressive, FY25 sales projections would represent a 340% increase from sales of $2.89 billion in 2020 when DoorDash went public. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Sea Limited Expansion  Similarly, Sea Limited is benefiting from a strong business environment as a consumer internet company that provides e-commerce services, digital entertainment, and digital financial services. Based in Singapore, Sea Limited’s reach extends to Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.  Furthermore, Sea Limited’s Zacks Internet-Software Industry is in the top 10% of all […]

Image Source: Watch what they do, not what they say. Government officials frequently tell us that global warming is an existential threat. And yet when it comes to public policy, the issue is treated almost as an afterthought. For example, the US currently blocks the importation of Chinese electric cars. If BYD’s excellent and very inexpensive EVs were allowed to be sold here, they would rapidly gain market share. It seems that a few union jobs are more important than global warming. We are frequently told that China is the greatest threat to US national security and that we need to work with our “allies” to counter that threat. So what are we to make of the  President Joe Biden has blocked the $14.1 billion sale of United States Steel Corp. to Nippon Steel Corp., killing a high-profile deal that sparked a political firestorm and tensions between the US and Japan. . . . “We need major US companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests,” Biden said in a written statement, adding that the deal “would place one of America’s largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains.” We claim that Japan is one of our closest allies. We demand that they sacrifice economic growth by refraining from the export of high-tech products to China. They accommodate our wishes. And then when a few union jobs are threatened, we turn around […]