Quick Read

NVIDIA’s earnings beat drove the Nasdaq up 1.57% and lifted the broader tech sector, with AI and data center stocks leading Thursday’s gains.

Bitcoin spot ETFs logged 8 straight days of net inflows totaling $2.8 billion, keeping Bitcoin steady near $80,000 ahead of a major options expiry.

Oil snapped a week-long slide, with Brent surging 2.17% to $89.75 after stalled Iran-Oman talks raised fresh concerns over Strait of Hormuz access.

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Pre-Market Stock Futures:

Futures are trading flat as we finish out the last full week of the summer months on a positive note, as once again NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) knocked the earnings and revenue forecasts ball out of the proverbial park and gave a boost to the entire technology world, with everything from chips to software posting strong gains on the day. The Artificial Intelligence/data center trade was also a big beneficiary of the NVIDIA strength and forward outlook.

When the dust settled on Thursday, all of the major indices finished the day higher, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading the way, closing up 1.57% at 26,541. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 also had a strong session, closing at 7,730, up 0.72%. The small-cap Russell 2000 closed up 0.38%, at 3,017, while the Dow Jones Industrials, which actually started the day lower, rallied to finish at 53,568, up 0.20%.

The historic Wall Street in New York York City.

ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com Treasury Bonds:

Yields were modestly higher across the Treasury curve except for a few short-maturity T-Bills. The bond market and much of Wall Street are awaiting Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s first true keynote economic address at the Jackson Hole symposium this morning. Traders will try to gauge where rates are headed and whether the Fed chief addresses the buying of long-dated Treasury debt. The 30-year bond closed Thursday at 5.19%, while the 10-year note last traded at 4.67%.

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Oil and Gas:

After serious selling over the last week, the energy complex finally hit levels that brought in buyers, as both major oil benchmarks finished the day higher. The lack of progress on a deal between Iran and Oman on opening the Strait of Hormuz was cited as a central reason for the rise in oil prices. By the close, Brent Crude ended the day at $89.75, up 2.17%, while West Texas Intermediate was last seen at $83.69, up 1.75%. Natural gas also closed higher at $2.90, up 0.87%. 

Gold:

Gold continued to move higher despite some early anxiety Thursday among traders over the Warsh speech. The bullion finished the day at $4,604, up 0.23%, while Silver finished the session at $69.23, up 1.82%. 

Crypto:

CoinDesk reported that on Thursday Bitcoin traded steadily around $80,000 as spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) logged their eighth straight day of net inflows. Spot bitcoin ETFs added another wave of capital, bringing the streak total to roughly $2.8 billion. Traders are watching for upcoming signals from the Federal Reserve regarding interest rates and positioning ahead of a large options expiry. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $79,632, while Ethereum was trading at $2,505.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports every day to identify fresh investment ideas for investors and traders alike. These daily analyst notes include recommendations on stocks to buy, sell, or avoid, as well as new coverage initiations. Important reminder: No single analyst report should ever be the sole basis for buying or selling a stock. 

Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Friday, August 28, 2026. 

Upgrades:

Baozun (NASDAQ: BZUN) was upgraded to Outperform from Hold at CLSA, which raised the target price to $3.80 from $3.20.

Element Solutions (NYSE: ESI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Freedom Capital, which bumped the target price for the shares to $48 from $42.

Evolution Petroleum (NYSE: EPM) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Northland, with a $4 target price.

Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Bradesco BBI, with a $20 target price.

Downgrades:

EHang Holdings (NASDAQ: EH) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at DBS Bank, with a $5 target price.

Vtex (NYSE: VTEX) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which trimmed the target price to $4 from $4.50.

Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Capital One, with a $219 target price.

Initiations:

Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ: CBSH) was started with a Market Perform rating at Raymond James, without a target price.

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RYTM) was initiated with a Hold rating at Deutsche Bank, with a $120 target price.

Terawulf (NASDAQ: WULF) was started with an Outperform rating at William Blair, with a $31 target price.

TMC the metals Company (NASDAQ: TMC) was initiated with a Buy rating at Stifel, with a $10 target price.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ: UMBF) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Raymond James, with a $165 target price. 

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