Major Averages Close Broadly Higher After December Nonfarm Payrolls Report
The major averages closed broadly higher after the December nonfarm payrolls report. Stocks have shown resilience early in 2026 after a strong finish to 2025, but the run of gains had met headwinds earlier this week as investors considered cooling tech momentum and the labor data that could influence expectations for the Federal Reserve's policy path.Employers added 50,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, but total job gains last year were the weakest since 2020.Looking to commodities, gold prices were surging past $4,500, with the "safe haven" asset getting closer to its record high. Oil prices also jumped, with the commodity up over 2% as traders listen for more news coming out of Venezuela.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Metaannouncedwith Okloand VistraIntelshares were on the rise after President Trump touted aJohnson & Johnsonreached an agreement with the Trump administration to "improve access to medicines and lower costs" of drugs for American patients, and announcedSoftBankand OpenAI areDecember U.S. nonfarm, with the unemployment rate falling to 4.4%2. WALL STREET CALLS:Wells FargoAirbnbto Equal Weight, citing two years of share underperformanceAdobeto Market Perform at BMO, sees lack of positive catalystsBairdGE Vernovato Neutral from OutperformMizuho alsoZillow Groupto Neutral from OutperformQualcommto Neutral at Mizuho, which sees headwinds to Qualcomm's handset shipments and iPhone content in 20263. AROUND THE WEB:Amazonis planning a big-box retail store in the Chicago suburbs, The Information reportsViswas Raghavan, head of banking at Citigroup, told Nikkei in an interview that the big bank has "significant investment plans for Japan," with particular interest in midsize companies amid an increase in M&ANvidiahas hired Alison Wagonfeld, a Googlemarketing executive, as Chief Marketing Officer, CMO, at the company, WSJ reportsRokuCEO and chairman Anthony Wood believes the first 100% AI-generated "hit movie" will debut within the next three years, Variety reportsNomura Securities reports that Sandiskis on track to double the price of its high-capacity 3D NAND memory devices for enterprise-grade solid-state drives this quarter, Toms Hardware reports4. MOVERS:CG Oncologyincreases after announcing it expects PIVOT-006 Phase 3Allogene Therapeuticsgains after Citizensthe stock to OutperformuniQurehigher in New York after announcing ascheduled with FDAAquestivelower after announcing thein its NDA for AnaphylmBeta Bionicsfalls after BofAthe stock to Neutral5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCELi Auto, with revenue lower year-over-yearCarter'sprovidedand FY25Evolusprovidedand narrowed its outlook for FY25AXT Inc.cut itsChipMOS, with EPS higher year-over-yearINDEXES:The Dow rose 237.96, or 0.48%, to 49,504.07, the Nasdaq gained 222.86, or 0.95%, to 23,702.88, and the S&P 500 advanced 44.82, or 0.65%, to 6,966.28.
