The Real Comeback: Understanding Why Energy, Materials, and Staples Stocks Are Outperforming the Market.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 15h ago
0mins
Source: Barron's
Software Stock Slump: The recent decline in software stocks has raised concerns among investors, reflecting broader market volatility.
Bitcoin's Winter Meltdown: Bitcoin continues to experience significant downturns, contributing to a challenging environment for cryptocurrency investors.
Dollar's Ongoing Malaise: The U.S. dollar is facing persistent weakness, impacting global trade and investment strategies.
Memification of Precious Metals: Precious metals are becoming increasingly popular in meme culture, indicating a shift in how these assets are perceived and traded.
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Analyst Views on FCX
Wall Street analysts forecast FCX stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for FCX is 52.40 USD with a low forecast of 44.00 USD and a high forecast of 68.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
15 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 59.220
Low
44.00
Averages
52.40
High
68.00
Current: 59.220
Low
44.00
Averages
52.40
High
68.00
About FCX
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. is an international metals company focused on copper. The Company operates geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable mineral reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. The Company's segments include the Morenci and Cerro Verde copper mines, the Indonesia operations (including the Grasberg minerals district and PT-FI’s downstream processing facilities), the Rod & Refining operations and Atlantic Copper Smelting & Refining. Its operations include North America, South America and Indonesia. In North America, it manages seven copper operations: Morenci, Bagdad, Safford (including Lone Star), Sierrita and Miami in Arizona, and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico, and two molybdenum mines: Henderson and Climax in Colorado. It also operates a copper smelter in Miami, Arizona. In South America, it manages two copper operations: Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. In addition to copper, the Grasberg minerals district also produces gold and silver.
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.
The Real Comeback: Understanding Why Energy, Materials, and Staples Stocks Are Outperforming the Market.
Software Stock Slump: The recent decline in software stocks has raised concerns among investors, reflecting broader market volatility.
Bitcoin's Winter Meltdown: Bitcoin continues to experience significant downturns, contributing to a challenging environment for cryptocurrency investors.
Dollar's Ongoing Malaise: The U.S. dollar is facing persistent weakness, impacting global trade and investment strategies.
Memification of Precious Metals: Precious metals are becoming increasingly popular in meme culture, indicating a shift in how these assets are perceived and traded.
See More
US, EU, and Japan Unite to Counter China's Mineral Dominance
- Global Mineral Cooperation Agreement: The US and EU committed to a deal within 30 days to identify cooperation areas, stimulate demand, and diversify critical mineral supply, aiming to prevent supply chain disruptions and promote research and innovation, reflecting the strategic collaboration of three major economies in global mineral supply chains.
- Current Control of Critical Minerals: China controls 60% to 90% of the global critical mineral processing market, particularly in missile defense and energy infrastructure, which creates vulnerabilities for the US and its allies, compelling them to take action to ensure supply security.
- US Policy Shift: President Trump launched the $12 billion Project Vault to stockpile critical minerals, while Congress passed the Critical Mineral Dominance Act, marking a significant step in breaking China's control over mineral supply chains and expected to boost domestic mining and refining sectors.
- Surge in Copper Demand: Copper demand is projected to rise by 50% to 42 million metric tons by 2040, while supply is expected to decline by 7%, leading to a 10 million ton shortfall, particularly driven by emerging technologies like AI and electric vehicles, intensifying the demand for copper.
See More
Gold and Silver Market Turbulence and Investment Opportunities
- Gold Price Surge: Last week, gold prices exploded through $5,000 overnight, indicating strong market demand driven by central bank purchases and geopolitical tensions, potentially offering substantial returns for investors.
- Silver's Volatility: Silver rallied double digits in a single day before plummeting 37%, reflecting market uncertainty while also presenting short-term trading opportunities for agile investors.
- Optimized Investment Strategies: Investors are advised to utilize GLD and SLV ETFs for trading, as these instruments offer high liquidity and closely track metal prices, making them suitable for call spreads and short put strategies to mitigate risk and enhance returns.
- Shifting Market Funds: Funds are shifting from tech stocks to hard assets like metals and energy, with seasonal factors and high volatility creating a favorable trading environment, underscoring the importance of adopting prudent trading strategies in the current market landscape.
See More
FCX Options Contract Analysis and Investment Opportunities
- Put Option Appeal: The current bid for the $51.00 put option is 72 cents, and if an investor sells-to-open this contract, they commit to buying the stock at $51.00, resulting in an effective cost basis of $50.28, which represents a 13% discount to the current price of $58.64, making it attractive for those looking to enter at a lower cost.
- Yield Potential Analysis: Should the put option expire worthless, it would yield a 1.41% return on cash commitment, or an annualized yield of 10.31%, referred to as YieldBoost, highlighting the investment's appeal under current market conditions.
- Call Option Returns: The $63.00 call option has a current bid of $2.90, and if an investor buys FCX shares at $58.64 and sells this call, they could achieve a total return of 12.38% if the stock is called away at expiration, providing an additional revenue opportunity.
- Risk-Reward Tradeoff: With the $63.00 strike representing a 7% premium over the current stock price, there is a 57% chance that this call option may expire worthless, allowing investors to retain both their shares and the premium collected, thus enhancing investment flexibility.
See More
Market Movements Ahead of U.S. Mining Conference
- Mining Stocks Surge: Ahead of the upcoming U.S. mining conference, MP Materials saw a 9.3% increase, with a nearly 30% rise year-to-date in 2026, indicating heightened market interest and demand for critical minerals, which may drive future investments and expansions for the company.
- Software Sector Decline: The S&P Software and Services sector dropped nearly 4% on Tuesday, with Cognizant plummeting 10%, reflecting investor concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence, which could undermine confidence in software companies and affect their growth potential moving forward.
- Walmart Hits $1 Trillion Market Cap: Walmart crossed the $1 trillion market cap for the first time on Tuesday, with shares up 25% over the past three months, indicating a strong recovery in the retail sector under new CEO John Furner, which may attract more investor interest.
- Biotech Earnings Reports Ahead: Eli Lilly and AbbVie are set to report earnings on
See More
US Stocks Close Lower as Tech Sector Retreats
- Market Decline: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.84%, the Dow Jones by 0.34%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 1.55%, indicating a sharp sell-off after reaching record highs, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
- Tech Sector Retreat: Data service and software stocks plummeted following the release of an automation tool by AI firm Anthropic, with Thomson Reuters and EPAM Systems down over 15% and 13% respectively, reflecting a loss of confidence in tech stocks.
- Precious Metals Rally: Gold prices surged over 6% and silver over 8%, leading to gains in mining stocks, with Hecla Mining and Freeport McMoRan rising more than 8% and 6% respectively, indicating increased demand for safe-haven assets.
- Economic Outlook Improvement: Richmond Fed President noted an improving US economic outlook despite ongoing risks, with markets focusing on upcoming economic data and the passage of a spending bill to gauge future economic trends.
See More
The Real Comeback: Understanding Why Energy, Materials, and Staples Stocks Are Outperforming the Market.
Software Stock Slump: The recent decline in software stocks has raised concerns among investors, reflecting broader market volatility.
Bitcoin's Winter Meltdown: Bitcoin continues to experience significant downturns, contributing to a challenging environment for cryptocurrency investors.
Dollar's Ongoing Malaise: The U.S. dollar is facing persistent weakness, impacting global trade and investment strategies.
Memification of Precious Metals: Precious metals are becoming increasingly popular in meme culture, indicating a shift in how these assets are perceived and traded.
See More
US, EU, and Japan Unite to Counter China's Mineral Dominance
- Global Mineral Cooperation Agreement: The US and EU committed to a deal within 30 days to identify cooperation areas, stimulate demand, and diversify critical mineral supply, aiming to prevent supply chain disruptions and promote research and innovation, reflecting the strategic collaboration of three major economies in global mineral supply chains.
- Current Control of Critical Minerals: China controls 60% to 90% of the global critical mineral processing market, particularly in missile defense and energy infrastructure, which creates vulnerabilities for the US and its allies, compelling them to take action to ensure supply security.
- US Policy Shift: President Trump launched the $12 billion Project Vault to stockpile critical minerals, while Congress passed the Critical Mineral Dominance Act, marking a significant step in breaking China's control over mineral supply chains and expected to boost domestic mining and refining sectors.
- Surge in Copper Demand: Copper demand is projected to rise by 50% to 42 million metric tons by 2040, while supply is expected to decline by 7%, leading to a 10 million ton shortfall, particularly driven by emerging technologies like AI and electric vehicles, intensifying the demand for copper.
See More
Gold and Silver Market Turbulence and Investment Opportunities
- Gold Price Surge: Last week, gold prices exploded through $5,000 overnight, indicating strong market demand driven by central bank purchases and geopolitical tensions, potentially offering substantial returns for investors.
- Silver's Volatility: Silver rallied double digits in a single day before plummeting 37%, reflecting market uncertainty while also presenting short-term trading opportunities for agile investors.
- Optimized Investment Strategies: Investors are advised to utilize GLD and SLV ETFs for trading, as these instruments offer high liquidity and closely track metal prices, making them suitable for call spreads and short put strategies to mitigate risk and enhance returns.
- Shifting Market Funds: Funds are shifting from tech stocks to hard assets like metals and energy, with seasonal factors and high volatility creating a favorable trading environment, underscoring the importance of adopting prudent trading strategies in the current market landscape.
See More
FCX Options Contract Analysis and Investment Opportunities
- Put Option Appeal: The current bid for the $51.00 put option is 72 cents, and if an investor sells-to-open this contract, they commit to buying the stock at $51.00, resulting in an effective cost basis of $50.28, which represents a 13% discount to the current price of $58.64, making it attractive for those looking to enter at a lower cost.
- Yield Potential Analysis: Should the put option expire worthless, it would yield a 1.41% return on cash commitment, or an annualized yield of 10.31%, referred to as YieldBoost, highlighting the investment's appeal under current market conditions.
- Call Option Returns: The $63.00 call option has a current bid of $2.90, and if an investor buys FCX shares at $58.64 and sells this call, they could achieve a total return of 12.38% if the stock is called away at expiration, providing an additional revenue opportunity.
- Risk-Reward Tradeoff: With the $63.00 strike representing a 7% premium over the current stock price, there is a 57% chance that this call option may expire worthless, allowing investors to retain both their shares and the premium collected, thus enhancing investment flexibility.
See More
Market Movements Ahead of U.S. Mining Conference
- Mining Stocks Surge: Ahead of the upcoming U.S. mining conference, MP Materials saw a 9.3% increase, with a nearly 30% rise year-to-date in 2026, indicating heightened market interest and demand for critical minerals, which may drive future investments and expansions for the company.
- Software Sector Decline: The S&P Software and Services sector dropped nearly 4% on Tuesday, with Cognizant plummeting 10%, reflecting investor concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence, which could undermine confidence in software companies and affect their growth potential moving forward.
- Walmart Hits $1 Trillion Market Cap: Walmart crossed the $1 trillion market cap for the first time on Tuesday, with shares up 25% over the past three months, indicating a strong recovery in the retail sector under new CEO John Furner, which may attract more investor interest.
- Biotech Earnings Reports Ahead: Eli Lilly and AbbVie are set to report earnings on
See More
US Stocks Close Lower as Tech Sector Retreats
- Market Decline: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.84%, the Dow Jones by 0.34%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 1.55%, indicating a sharp sell-off after reaching record highs, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
- Tech Sector Retreat: Data service and software stocks plummeted following the release of an automation tool by AI firm Anthropic, with Thomson Reuters and EPAM Systems down over 15% and 13% respectively, reflecting a loss of confidence in tech stocks.
- Precious Metals Rally: Gold prices surged over 6% and silver over 8%, leading to gains in mining stocks, with Hecla Mining and Freeport McMoRan rising more than 8% and 6% respectively, indicating increased demand for safe-haven assets.
- Economic Outlook Improvement: Richmond Fed President noted an improving US economic outlook despite ongoing risks, with markets focusing on upcoming economic data and the passage of a spending bill to gauge future economic trends.
See More
