U.S. Stocks Close Higher on Friday, Nasdaq Slightly Declines, Market Sentiment Neutral
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 05 2026
0mins
Source: Benzinga
- Stable Market Sentiment: The CNN Money Fear & Greed Index remained at 44.6 on Friday, indicating a neutral market sentiment with minimal change from the previous reading of 44.8, suggesting that investor emotions are stable without significant fluctuations.
- Positive Stock Performance: The Dow Jones gained approximately 319 points to close at 48,382.39, while the S&P 500 rose 0.19% to 6,858.47, reflecting an overall positive trend in the market, despite the Nasdaq Composite slightly declining by 0.03%.
- Strong Chip Stock Rebound: Key chip stocks, including Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), showed strong gains during the session, reflecting ongoing investor confidence in tech stocks, even as overall market sentiment remains neutral.
- Economic Data Decline: The S&P Global manufacturing PMI fell from 52.2 to 51.8 in December, indicating a slowdown in manufacturing activity that could pose risks to future economic growth, prompting investors to closely monitor subsequent economic indicators.
Analyst Views on MU
Wall Street analysts forecast MU stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MU is 336.12 USD with a low forecast of 235.00 USD and a high forecast of 500.00 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.
26 Analyst Rating
24 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 389.090
Low
235.00
Averages
336.12
High
500.00
Current: 389.090
Low
235.00
Averages
336.12
High
500.00
About MU
Micron Technology, Inc. provides memory and storage solutions. The Company delivers a portfolio of high-performance dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NAND, and NOR memory and storage products through its Micron and Crucial brands. The Company's products enable advancing in artificial intelligence (AI) and compute-intensive applications. Its segments include Compute and Networking Business Unit (CNBU), Mobile Business Unit (MBU), Embedded Business Unit (EBU), and Storage Business Unit (SBU). CNBU segment includes memory products and solutions sold into the data center, PC, graphics, and networking markets. MBU segment includes memory and storage products sold into the smartphone and other mobile-device markets. EBU segment includes memory and storage products and solutions sold into the intelligent edge through the automotive, industrial, and consumer embedded markets. SBU segment includes SSDs and component-level storage solutions sold into the data center, PC, and consumer markets.
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.
