Ally Financial, CyberArk, Fortinet, Robinhood Markets, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Procter & Gamble and more

The historic Wall Street of New York City. — ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com

Equity markets continued their mid-December slump after gloomy economic news was released on Tuesday.
With inflation data due out on Thursday, any higher peak could be another negative data point for stocks.
The way stocks are trading amid AI/Data Center concerns and a slowing economy, hopes of a “Santa Claus” rally are fading a bit.
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Futures are trading higher on Wednesday as we reach the midpoint of the last full trading week of the year. Sellers again took their toll on two of the major indexes, while the Nasdaq posted minimal gains after falling around midday. The most significant talking point during the day was the release of the October and November payroll numbers on Tuesday morning. Late US jobs reports show a worrying turnaround: the US lost 105,000 jobs in October, mainly due to a massive cut in the federal government workforce, followed by a 64,000 job gain in November, with the health, social care and leisure and hospitality sectors driving growth as the unemployment rate rose to 46%. The data showed a weakening labor market despite some private sector hiring, with massive job cuts in October and a jump in long-term unemployment giving the bears all they needed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.62% at 48,114, while the S&P 500 was down 0.44% at 6,800. The Nasdaq scored a small win for the Bulls, ending the session at 23,111, up 0.23%.

The yields were down through the Treasury curve as buyers returned following the release of employment data. The slowing economy and weak jobs data are sending a signal to the bond market that there could indeed be more rate cuts in 2026, perhaps as many as two between now and next summer. Investors are also reacting to the Federal Reserve’s recent easing stance and are awaiting upcoming inflation data and other central bank decisions amid unemployment rising to 4.6%, the highest level since September 2021. The 30-year bond ended the day at 4.82%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.15%. Tomorrow’s consumer price index release could be a huge data point.

The prices were lower overall in the energy complex once again, with oil falling to its lowest levels since early 2021. The song remains the same, as fears of oversupply, plus the potential for an end to war between Ukraine and Russia, and gloomy economic data were the main market drivers. Brent crude ended the day down 2.91% at $58.80, while West Texas Intermediate was last seen down 2.97% at $55.13. Natural gas fell again, closing at $3.91. Natural gas has fallen an impressive 23% in the past 2 weeks.

Gold and Silver also took a breather on Tuesday, ending the day modestly lower, after recovering from overnight losses. Both have been in massive executions in 2026 and both continue to trade at all-time highs. Gold was last seen at $4,308, while silver closed at $62.89. Goldman Sachs continues to see gold reaching $4,900 in 2026 and has said a break above $5,000 is not out of the question.

The cryptocurrency Overall, the market declined amid persistent bearish sentiment and “extreme fear” among many investors. Major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP, were under pressure, with many multi-day sell-offs stretching out, but rallied late on Tuesday. As of 8am EST, Bitcoin was trading at $87,010, while Ethereum was trading at $2,927. It is important to remember that cryptocurrencies are traded 24/7/365.

Comments from 24/7 Wall St dozens of daily analyst research reports 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, no analyst call should ever be used as a basis for buying or selling a stock.

here they are some of the best Wall Street analyst updates, downgrades and starts seen on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Wells Fargo and raised their price target on the stock to $52 from $45.
FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE: FDS) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley, which raised its price target on the stock to $307 from $293.
Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at DA Davidson, which has set a target price objective of $246.
Procter & Gamble Company ((NYSE:PG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies, which raised its price target on the stock to $179 from $156.

Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which lowered the price target to $154 from $170.
CyberArk Software Ltd. (NASDAQ: CYBR) was cut to Neutral from Overweight on JPMorgan, raising the stock’s price target to $474 from $443.
Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT) was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which cut its price target on the stock to $75 from $85.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, which cut its price target to $38 from $42.

Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOD) was initiated with a Buy rating at Truist Securities with a $155 price target.
Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) was initiated with a buy rating on BTIG, which set a $335 price target on the stock.
ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW) was initiated with a buy rating on BTIG
Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE: SHAK) was initiated with a Buy on Freedom Capital with a price target of $120.

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