Market Watch: Chip Rally, Automaker Challenges, and China Stimulus Impact

10 things to watch in the stock market Thursday, including the Micron-fueled chip rally

-- Today's newsletter was written by the Investing Club's director of portfolio analysis, Jeff Marks. 1. Wall Street is looking at a higher open Thursday, led by surging tech stocks after memory chipmaker Micron delivered a better-than-expected quarter and upside guide. Micron shares jumped 18%. China stocks rallied again -- this time on signs the Chinese government is prepared to add fiscal stimulus to this week's central bank monetary stimulus. The commentary out of China supported global markets. 2. Micron said high bandwidth memory sold out for calendar year 2024 and 2025. Personal computers set to have a better second half of 2025 as artificial intelligence PCs gain momentum. Micron's smartphone unit growth expected to continue in 2025. Jim Cramer said on X: "If you bought Micron off of our suggestion from our [Mad Money] Gameplan last Friday I would not sell it. That was some forecast for every business in 2025. It also affirms AMD and NVDA outlooks." Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices are Club stocks. 3. Starbucks was upgraded to an outperform buy rating at Bernstein. Even after the stock's 27% move since Brian Niccol was named CEO, the analysts think the valuation of the Club stock "does not fully appreciate the earnings power that Starbucks could unlock." Starbucks also was getting a bump on the fiscal stimulus commitment from the Chinese government. 4. GE Healthcare was downgraded to sell at UBS on concerns about rising competition from Chinese competitors. The analysts' pessimism seems overblown. The company has a strong relationship in China and has been manufacturing there for 30 years. Health-care stimulus packages in China have been slow to roll out, and that's weighed on the Club-owned maker of MRI machines. Here's our screen on China exposure for all of our 32 portfolio stocks. 5. Bank of America raised its Meta Platforms to $630 per share from $563, representing 10% upside to Wednesday's close. JPMorgan took its PT on Meta to $640. The fresh bullish commentary followed the wearable showcase at the company's Connect 2024 product and developer conference. CEO Mark Zuckerberg brought out prototype AR glasses that received rave reviews, including a stamp of approval from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. 6. Southwest Airlines upped its third quarter forecast and announced a $2.5 billion share repurchase program and other changes at its investor day on Thursday. The carrier is making the moves as it battles activist investor group Elliott Management. 7. Truist started First Solar and power play GE Vernova with buy ratings. For the Club, our solar and renewable play is Nextracker, whose technology makes sure solar panels are always facing the sun. We also own Eaton as a way to benefit from the growing complexity of energy infrastructure in the age of AI. 8. Jefferies Financial dropped on a quarterly profit and revenue miss. The results provided an early look into investment banking and capital markets activity before the big banks, including Club names Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, report in a couple of weeks. Jefferies said IB was strong and capital markets were only down a bit compared to tough comps. 9. JPMorgan raised its DraftKings price target to $54 per share from $48 and kept its overweight buy rating. The analysts said positive comments at online betting and iGaming platform Flutter Entertainment's Capital Markets Day is good news for DraftKings. Flutter is FanDuel's parent company. 10. Hershey was downgraded to an underperform sell by Jefferies research analysts on chocolate snacking concerns. The analysts said that "everyday chocolate is being bought less frequently, especially by low-income consumers," because prices are so high.

10 things to watch in the stock market Wednesday, including automaker downgrades

-- Today's newsletter was written by the Investing Club's director of portfolio analysis, Jeff Marks. 1. The S&P 500 is on track for a muted open Wednesday following another record close Tuesday. Club holding Nvidia helped lift the market Tuesday but earnings loom from fellow chipmaker Micron. Our trusted momentum indicator, the S&P Short Range Oscillator, remains very overbought. 2. Morgan Stanley's well-known auto analyst Adam Jonas downgraded his view on the U.S. auto industry to "in line" from attractive while also lowering his ratings on Ford, General Motors and Rivian. Jonas cited a range of factors for his sector downgrade, including Chinese competitors and vehicle affordability in the U.S. We sold out of Ford earlier this year. 3. Tyson Food was downgraded to a sell-equivalent underweight at Piper Sander on worsening beef margins and rising chicken supply. Shares, down more than 4% over the past month, were lower Wednesday. 4. KeyBanc upgraded DoorDash to an overweight buy and lifted its price target on the food delivery platform to $177 a share. Analysts said they've become more confident in DoorDash's ability to sustain gross order volume growth and demonstrate operating leverage. The firm also raised its price target on Uber to $90 on a belief that cost discipline can further boost earnings. 5. Wells Fargo upgraded oilfield services provider Baker Hughes to overweight from a hold-equivalent, citing its diversified business model. It lowered its price targets on peers Halliburton and SLB to reflect a more muted macro outlook. Despite a lift Tuesday on China stimulus news, oil prices have been trending lower since the spring. 6. Baird analysts added Foot Locker to their "Bearish Fresh Pick Trading Call" list through November, which means they are negative on the stock over that stretch. They cited what they see as signs of softer spending trends and lower near-term sales visibility. CNBC's Gabrielle Fonrouge had a nice look at Foot Locker's turnaround efforts earlier this week. 7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise was upgraded to a buy-equivalent overweight at Barclays on growing AI server revenues, improvement in storage, and accretion from the Juniper Networks deal. The server makers like HPE, Super Micro Computer and Dell Technologies have been a closely followed group this year. 8. Evercore ISI downgraded Union Pacific to a hold-equivalent in line rating from outperform. Analysts think the railroad stock looks fully valued at around $249 a share based on its medium-term earnings outlook. 9. Expedia was downgraded to hold at Cowen on a slower turnaround in its business-to-consumer operations, which include vacation rental platform Vrbo and Hotels.com. Those brands have been losing share, according to analysts. 10. Oppenheimer cut its price target on Club holding Alphabet to $185 a share due to uncertainty on the Department of Justice's antitrust pursuits. The company lost a case last month over its Google Search business and is in currently in court to defend its advertising business against monopoly allegations.

10 things to watch in the stock market Tuesday, including long-awaited China stimulus

Top 10 things to watch Tuesday, Sept. 24 1. Wall Street is looking at a higher open Tuesday, one day after the S & P 500 closed at a record high. China related stocks were on the move Tuesday after the People's Bank of China said it will cut interest rates. The Chinese central bank also unveiled other stimulus measures. 2. Club name Starbucks was downgraded to an underperform sell rating from hold at Jefferies. The analysts don't seem to be believers in new CEO Brian Niccol, the former boss of Chipotle. They characterized the stock gains since the CEO switch as too much, too soon. They think a reset to Starbucks fiscal 2025 guide is coming. What the Jefferies downgrade misses is the market is giving Starbucks a pass as Niccol builds his team and makes changes. 3. Truist downgraded Club holding Costco to a hold rating ahead of earnings, which are out after Thursday's close. The analysts said the stock's valuation leaves little room for error. We can't argue against the stock being expensive but it always is. Truist also upgraded Walmart to buy on accelerating share gains and fast-growing higher margin revenue streams like advertising. 4. Club name Salesforce was upgraded to an overweight buy at Piper Sandler. Analysts think free cash flow per share could double to more than $20 by fiscal 2029 from $9.65 in fiscal 2024. They also Like Salesforce's artificial intelligence optionality. 5. Oppenheimer sees "clearer skies ahead for home improvement," upgrading Lowe's to an outperform buy. The analysts still have a hold-equivalent rating on Club holding Home Depot but boosted their price target to $400 per share. Oppenheimer prefers Lowe's for its discounted stock valuation. We like Home Depot's exposure to professional customers. 6. Barclays raised its Constellation Brands price target to $309 per share from $295. The analysts like the Mexican beer powerhouse's healthy topline and profit growth trends. They also see the potential for incremental cash returns from the Club name. 7. Leerink analysts downgraded Regeneron to a market perform hold after a negative Eylea 2mg biosimilar preliminary injunction ruling. Truist called the selling on this news an overreaction. 8. Eli Lilly 's donanemab, brand name Kisunla, was approved in Japan for treating early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Japan is the second major market to clear the drug following the U.S. in July. 9. Pinterest was initiated at Oppenheimer with an outperform rating and $45 price target. The analysts see potential from ads, citing integrations with the platforms of Club names Amazon and Alphabet. 10. The Justice Department is planning to file a monopoly lawsuit against Visa over its debit card business, according to a Bloomberg report. -- Today's newsletter was written by the Investing Club's director of portfolio analysis, Jeff Marks. Sign up for my Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free (See here for a full list of the stocks at Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. 1. Wall Street is looking at a higher open Tuesday, one day after the S&P 500 closed at a record high. China related stocks were on the move Tuesday after the People's Bank of China said it will cut interest rates. The Chinese central bank also unveiled other stimulus measures. 2. Club name Starbucks was downgraded to an underperform sell rating from hold at Jefferies. The analysts don't seem to be believers in new CEO Brian Niccol, the former boss of Chipotle. They characterized the stock gains since the CEO switch as too much, too soon. They think a reset to Starbucks fiscal 2025 guide is coming. What the Jefferies downgrade misses is the market is giving Starbucks a pass as Niccol builds his team and makes changes. 3. Truist downgraded Club holding Costco to a hold rating ahead of earnings, which are out after Thursday's close. The analysts said the stock's valuation leaves little room for error. We can't argue against the stock being expensive but it always is. Truist also upgraded Walmart to buy on accelerating share gains and fast-growing higher margin revenue streams like advertising. 4. Club name Salesforce was upgraded to an overweight buy at Piper Sandler. Analysts think free cash flow per share could double to more than $20 by fiscal 2029 from $9.65 in fiscal 2024. They also Like Salesforce's artificial intelligence optionality. 5. Oppenheimer sees "clearer skies ahead for home improvement," upgrading Lowe's to an outperform buy. The analysts still have a hold-equivalent rating on Club holding Home Depot but boosted their price target to $400 per share. Oppenheimer prefers Lowe's for its discounted stock valuation. We like Home Depot's exposure to professional customers. 6. Barclays raised its Constellation Brands price target to $309 per share from $295. The analysts like the Mexican beer powerhouse's healthy topline and profit growth trends. They also see the potential for incremental cash returns from the Club name. 7. Leerink analysts downgraded Regeneron to a market perform hold after a negative Eylea 2mg biosimilar preliminary injunction ruling. Truist called the selling on this news an overreaction. 8. Eli Lilly's donanemab, brand name Kisunla, was approved in Japan for treating early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Japan is the second major market to clear the drug following the U.S. in July. 9. Pinterest was initiated at Oppenheimer with an outperform rating and $45 price target. The analysts see potential from ads, citing integrations with the platforms of Club names Amazon and Alphabet. 10. The Justice Department is planning to file a monopoly lawsuit against Visa over its debit card business, according to a Bloomberg report. -- Today's newsletter was written by the Investing Club's director of portfolio analysis, Jeff Marks.