Bulls, Bitcoin, & Beyond

Market Moves Yesterday

S&P 500 @ 6,047.15 ( ⬆️ 0.24%)

Nasdaq Composite @ 19,403.95 ( ⬆️ 0.97%)

Bitcoin @ $95,945.41 ( ⬇️ 0.21%)

Hey Scoopers,

Happy Tuesday! Here’s what we’re covering today 👇

👉 The S&P 500 index touches a fresh record high

👉 Analysts bullish on Citi and NextEra

👉 Cyber Monday spending remains strong

So, let’s go 🚀

Market Wrap

Stock market indices such as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite touched new record highs yesterday, led by companies such as Tesla and Super Micro Computer.

These gains followed a particularly strong November, the best month of the year for the three major equity indices.

Notably, the Russell 2000 small-cap index also rose 10% last month as investors expect the Trump administration to lower tax rates and interest rates over the next 12 months.

While December is historically a favorable month for stocks, InfraCap CEO Jay Hatfield predicts modest growth, projecting the S&P 500 to reach around 6,200 by year-end. He suggests that investors now await specific policy details while the market has priced in optimism for the new administration.

Meanwhile, the U.S. manufacturing sector improved in November but remained in contraction, with the November jobs report pending release.

Trending Stocks 🔥

Intel - The chipmaker initially ticked higher before ending in the red following the retirement of CEO Pat Gelsinger. Shares of the tech giant are down almost 50% in 2024.

Gap - The clothing retail stock jumped over 6% after JPMorgan upgraded shares to overweight. The firm cited a solid start to the holiday shopping season and a multiyear growth outlook for the upgrade.

Stellantis - The stock sank 9% after CEO Carlos Tavares stepped down from his role at the automaker, effective immediately. The company cited “different views” between Tavares and the board of directors as the reason for the departure.

What Does Wall Street Think?

Several major investment firms are feeling optimistic about stocks heading into next year, though they have different reasons why:

Oppenheimer believes stocks will keep climbing, even though the asset class is already quite expensive. Analyst John Stoltzfus points to how resilient the economy has been and particularly likes tech, financial, communication, industrial, and retail sectors.

UBS has noticed something interesting: investor confidence in stocks is at a 37-year high, but the firm remains cautious due to excessive optimism in areas like crypto and certain trading activities.

Looking at December specifically, Canaccord Genuity found some encouraging patterns. When stocks have performed well in the first 11 months (like 2024), December tends to be stronger than usual, with gains around 2%.

Bank of America is taking a longer-term view. While they acknowledge stocks are expensive now, they still think equities are a better long-term choice than bonds. BoA predicts 5-6% annual returns for stocks over the next decade, not counting dividends.

Analysts Bullish on Cloudflare, Okta, and More!

Morgan Stanley just made some exciting moves in the security tech space. Despite being cautious about security stocks overall for 2025, they've upgraded Cloudflare and Okta.

Cloudflare's stock jumped 7% after analyst Hamza Fodderwala gave it a vote of confidence, predicting it could rise another 30%.

Why? The analyst thinks Cloudflare can keep growing or even speed up its growth thanks to new products, better sales performance, and its position in AI technology. The company's already had a strong year, with its stock up 28% in 2024.

Okta also got an upgrade, with Morgan Stanley predicting a possible 25% rise in its stock price.

The reason? Morgan Stanley is seeing more stable demand, less competition, and promising new products hitting the market. While Okta's stock rose 4% on this news, it's still down 11% for the year.

Bank of America Bets On Citi

Here's a clear explanation of Bank of America's latest thoughts on Citigroup:

Bank of America is optimistic about Citigroup's future under Trump's presidency. BoA maintained a "buy" recommendation on the stock and thinks it could reach $90 per share next year—a potential 27% increase.

While Citigroup's stock rose 10% in November after Trump's win, it didn't climb as much as other big banks like JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley.

Notably, investors were worried about Citigroup's significant international presence, thinking it might be vulnerable to Trump's trade policies.

Morgan Stanley Is Bullish on NextEra

According to Morgan Stanley, the post-election sell-off for clean energy stock NextEra Energy Partners has gone too far.

Analyst Robert Kad upgraded the stock to overweight from underweight. In a note to clients, Kad said the company, which holds interests in multiple renewable energy projects and a natural gas pipeline, will likely be insulated from policy changes under the Trump administration.

“While the recent US election has raised uncertainty around federal clean energy policy likely to serve as an overhang until IRA revisions are clearer, we see limited impacts for renewable infrastructure and double upgrade NEP to OW,” the note said.

The stock is down roughly 15.5% since the election. In addition to being a prospective rebound trade, the company is conducting a strategic review that should be completed over the coming months.

Cyber Monday Spending Hits $13.2 Billion

Adobe Analytics expects this Cyber Monday to be the biggest online shopping day ever.

Adobe predicts shoppers will spend $13.2 billion on Cyber Monday - 6.1% more than last year. To put that in perspective, that's about $15.7 million spent every minute!

This follows an already impressive shopping weekend. Black Friday brought in $10.8 billion in online sales (up 10.2% from last year), and Thanksgiving Day saw $6.1 billion in sales (up 8.8%).

Adobe's analyst Vivek Pandya said the discounts have been better than expected since Thanksgiving. Data from Mastercard shows that U.S. retail sales, excluding automotive, increased 3.4% on Black Friday compared to last year.

This Smart Home Company is Growing 200% Month-Over-Month

Ever thought the smartest part of your home could be your window shades?

Meet RYSE, the company transforming ordinary blinds into cutting-edge smart home devices. With 10 granted patents, a major win against copycat sellers on Amazon, and products already featured in 127 Best Buy locations, RYSE is scaling rapidly in a market growing 23% annually.

And they’re just getting started. With 200% month-over-month revenue growth, international expansion on the horizon, and partnerships with retail giants like Home Depot and Lowe’s, RYSE is poised to redefine home automation.

Now, for just $1.75 per share, you can invest in this fast-growing company and be part of the smart home revolution.

Don’t miss out—invest today before the round closes!

Headlines You Can't Miss!

Donald Trump to block Nippon Steel’s bid for U.S. Steel

Elon Musk loses bid to get $56 billion pay package

GM to sell $1 billion stake in battery cell plant to JV partner

U.S. national debt surges past $36 trillion

South Korea’s retail crypto trades touch $1 billion, beating the stock market

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. The newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell assets or make financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.