Stocks are mixed in the early going today, while gold and silver are jumping again. Crude oil is modestly higher along with the dollar, while Treasuries are flat.
The US ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, launching a lightning raid to grab him and his wife and bring them to the US to face drug trafficking charges. From a market standpoint, energy stocks are moving the most because of one stated goal of the move: to modernize the country’s oil infrastructure. US energy companies would lead the way, according to President Trump.
Still, the process of boosting Venezuelan oil output will take years even in a best-case scenario because of decades of mismanagement and underinvestment. As a result, we're seeing a modest move in the price of crude oil and a surge in gold, but bigger rallies in shares of US energy producers like Chevron Corp. (CVX) and oil services firms like Halliburton Co. (HAL). The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) rose almost 4% in early trading, while the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) popped 2.1%.
XLE, GLD (1-Day % Change)
Source: Yahoo Finance
With a new year upon us, how do things look in the auto sector? Not great, according to Cox Automotive. The firm noted that the annualized rate of vehicle sales slipped more than 5% in the fourth quarter of 2025, and said that sales will fall to 15.8 million cars and trucks in 2026. If that forecast pans out, it will mark the industry’s first year-over-year sales decline since 2022. Cox blames high auto prices and sliding confidence among middle-income Americans.
As for the stock market, top Wall Street strategists are forecasting more gains in 2026 – but muted ones. Following a 16% rise in the S&P 500 Index (^SPX) and 20% jump for the Nasdaq Composite Index in 2025, strategists at firms like Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are looking for single-digit percentage gains in the S&P this year.
