Major Averages Close Broadly Higher After December Nonfarm Payrolls Report
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 09 2026
0mins
Should l Buy META?
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.
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Analyst Views on META
Wall Street analysts forecast META stock price to rise
44 Analyst Rating
37 Buy
6 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 639.290
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
Current: 639.290
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
About META
Meta Platforms, Inc. is building human connections, powered by artificial intelligence and immersive technologies. The Company's products enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets, augmented reality (AR), and wearables. It also helps people discover and learn about what is going on in the world around them, enabling people to share their experiences, ideas, photos, videos, and other content with audiences ranging from their closest family members and friends to the public at large. The Company's segments include Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA segment includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads. RL segment includes its virtual, augmented, and mixed reality related consumer hardware, software and content. Its product offerings in VR include its Meta Quest devices, as well as software and content available through the Meta Horizon Store.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- New Super PACs Established: The company is quietly launching two new super PACs, one backing Republicans and the other supporting Democrats, aiming to leverage political influence to counter regulatory threats to the AI sector.
- Funding Flow and Utilization: Last year, Meta allocated $45 million to the American Technology Excellence Project, with expectations that these funds will flow into the newly established PACs, thereby enhancing the company's political clout.
- Initial Spending Plans: Meta's expenditures are set to commence this week in Illinois and Texas, primarily backing incumbent Democratic and Republican candidates, reflecting the company's strategic inclination to maintain the existing political landscape.
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- Rate Policy Disagreement: The Federal Reserve's meeting minutes reveal divisions among officials, with some prioritizing labor market support over inflation control, indicating potential uncertainty in market expectations regarding future rate movements.
- Positive Market Reaction: Major U.S. indexes rose on Wednesday, driven by tech stocks, with Nvidia shares climbing after Meta announced it would utilize the chipmaker's next-generation systems, highlighting the tech sector's strong performance's positive impact on the overall market.
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- Market Reactions: Investors are responding positively to recent economic indicators, indicating a willingness to capitalize on any potential gains.
- Federal Reserve Influence: The current market behavior reflects a broader trend of data dependency among investors, similar to that of Federal Reserve officials.
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- Google's AI Potential: Google's Gemini generative AI platform is rapidly growing, with analysts expecting revenue and EPS to grow at CAGRs of 15% and 12% from 2025 to 2028, highlighting its strong potential in the digital advertising and cloud infrastructure markets.
- Amazon's Market Advantage: As the world's largest e-commerce and cloud infrastructure company, Amazon leverages AWS profits to expand its retail business, with analysts projecting revenue and EPS growth at CAGRs of 12% and 18% from 2025 to 2028, indicating robust future growth.
- Investment Recommendation: Analysts view both Alphabet and Amazon as evergreen stocks worth investing in, and Robinhood investors' choices reflect confidence in these stocks, especially amid current market volatility, showcasing their long-term investment value.
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