Traders and investors return from the long holiday weekend with an eye towards the beginning of the first-quarter earnings season, which starts in earnest next week on April 14th, when the large-cap financials report.

Wall Street got a surprise on Friday, when the non-farm payrolls for March came in much better than expected, even though the market was closed.

Look for another volatile week as oil continues to trade at levels not seen since 2022, and an end to the war in Iran remains the wild card.

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Futures are trading mixed as we get ready to kick off the first-quarter earnings season next week, and, as usual, the big money-center banks and brokerage firms will headline the first results. All of the major U.S. indices saw wild swings on Thursday, and after opening the day deep in the red, which some attributed to perceived ambiguity in President Trump's address to the nation last Wednesday. However, three of the four rallied off their morning lows and, as the trading day wore on Thursday, moved into positive territory. The small-cap Russell 2000 led the pack Thursday, closing up 0.70% at 2,530, while the Nasdaq clawed out a 0.18% gain and finished at 21,879. The S&P 500 ended the session at 6,582, up 0.11%, and the only loser Thursday was the venerable Dow Jones Industrials, which finished lower by 0.13% at 46,504.

Yields were mixed across the Treasury curve as sellers appeared for the  2-year and under maturities, while there was some light buying on the belly and the longer end of the yield spectrum. The 30-year long bond closed the day and the week at 4.31%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.36%. Reaction to the non-farm payroll, which came out on the Friday holiday, will likely be a big part of today's conversation, one way or the other.

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When the President's speech on Wednesday didn't give a clear timeline for the cessation of hostilities, and the threat of continued air strikes from the U.S. and Israel, the price of oil immediately spiked higher. While both major indices closed off the day's highs, the result was again brutal. Brent Crude finished the session at $109, up 7.78%, while West Texas Intermediate was up an astonishing 11.41% to close the day at $111.50. While these were the closing prices on Thursday, and the landscape could change in days, the pricing impact for American consumers ahead of the summer driving season is not an election winner for the midterms.

Gold and Silver had a rough time on Thursday after a solid week.  Prices faced pressure amid a strengthening dollar and geopolitical tensions, marking a volatile end to the week. While some are becoming more cautious after a big run for both of the top precious metals, others feel they are putting in a floor at current levels for a move higher later in the year. Gold was last seen at $4,676, down 1.7%, while Silver finished Thursday's trading at $72.90, down 2.7%.

Crypto markets endured a rough stretch over Thursday and Friday last week before bouncing back strongly over the weekend. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum lost ground following President Trump's prime-time address on Wednesday, with the ongoing Iran War and concerns over its economic repercussions weighing heavily on demand for riskier assets. Thursday saw the Fear & Greed index slide into "Extreme Fear" territory, with the market hit by a double shock: Trump's confirmation of continued military operations against Iran and a major $285 million hack of the Drift protocol, the largest DeFi exploit of the year, which rattled Solana-based tokens in particular. By Friday, Bitcoin was hugging a tight range near $66,600 ahead of the Good Friday holiday, as a surge in Brent crude oil to around $120 per barrel, levels not seen since 2008, pushed inflation expectations higher and undercut the case for rate cuts, a key pillar of Bitcoin's recent rally. Ethereum opened Friday roughly 3.8% lower than Thursday's open, while Bitcoin was about 1.7% lower, with continued weakness fueling pessimism about the near-term outlook. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin traded at $69,647, while Ethereum traded at $2,151.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports daily to identify new investment ideas for both investors and traders. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock.

Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies with an $85 target price.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs, which boosted the target price for the stock to $120 from $100.

Northern Trust Corp. (NASDAQ: NTRS) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman Sachs, which nudged the target price for the white glove bank to $151 from $148.

Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies, which raised the target price for the shares to $160 from $125.

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler, which raised the target price for the company to $75 from $61.

Avis Budget Group Inc. (NYSE: CAR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank, with a $128 target price.

Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Bank of America, which cut the target price for the stock to $360 from $400.

Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW) was cut to Underperform from Neutral at Bank of America, which nudged the target price for the chemical giant to $35 from $31.

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: KNSL) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which slashed the target price for the shares to $350 from $450.

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) was cut to Sell from Hold at Melius Research, with a $70 target.

Avalo Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: AVTX) was started with an Outperform rating at Citizens, with a $52 target price.

MDA Space Ltd. (NYSE: MDA) was initiated with a Buy rating at Jefferies, which has a $41 target price for the stock.

PayPay Corp. (NASDAQ: PAYP) was initiated with a Buy rating at Jefferies, with a $28 target price. Citigroup started coverage with a Neutral rating and a $23 target, while Bank of America initiated coverage with a Buy rating and has a $26 target. The stock was a recent IPO.

Satelllos Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: MSLE) was started with an Outperform rating at Leerink, with a $20 target price.

Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ: SEZL) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Keefe Bruyette, which posted an $85 prce target for the shares.

 

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