Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. The S & P 500 hit another record high on Friday as the market closed out the first full trading week of 2026. And there was plenty for the market to digest. The Nonfarm Payrolls Report showed the economy added 50,000 jobs in December, below the Dow Jones estimate of 73,000 and slightly lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November. The market shrugged off a brief bout of disappointment after learning the Supreme Court would not rule today on President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs. Its next opinion day is scheduled for Wednesday. And then housing-related stocks like Home Depot caught fire in reaction to mortgage rates falling to their lowest level since February 2023 after Trump announced that government-sponsored entities would purchase $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 22 basis points to 5.99%, according to Mortgage News Daily . One retailer’s struggle is another’s opportunity. That’s how we’ve long felt about TJX Companies , the off-price retailer that can capitalize on retail closures not only through increased customer traffic but also by acquiring unsold inventory. When we see headlines about the luxury chain Saks Global on the verge of filing for bankruptcy, we can’t help but become increasingly positive about the long-term outlook for TJX. Saks’ merchandise skews toward luxury, but the company also operates roughly 100 off-price locations. If those locations close, people will have to shop elsewhere to get a good deal on branded merchandise. That’s where TJ Maxx fits in. Shares of TJX are up about 3% to start the year after rallying 27% in 2025. The newfound love for Boeing continues to pour in. Analysts at Baird raised their price target to a Street high of $300 from $250 on Friday and reiterated Boeing as one of their top picks in the aerospace industry. Baird’s bullish thesis is pretty simple: they see positive momentum in the CEO Kelly Ortberg’s turnaround. They see his focus on improving the company’s execution and accountability translating into a “material improvement in financial performance as deliveries ramp across the board,” with fixed-price-related headwinds in its Defense, Space & Security easing. Baird’s recommendation helped send Boeing about 3% higher on Friday. The stock is now approaching its 52-week high of $237.38, reached last September. Boeing is up a quick 8% this year, but it will exceed that high as monthly production rates for the 737 MAX and 787 gradually improve, leading to increased deliveries and stronger free cash flow generation. An important week is coming, filled with earnings reports, major conferences, and key economic data releases. On earnings, the big banks will kick off the fourth quarter earnings season . JPMorgan reports Tuesday, Wells Fargo , Citi , and Bank of America report on Wednesday, and Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley , and BlackRock report on Thursday. A few regional banks also report on Friday. Other non-financial companies scheduled to report include Delta , Taiwan Semi , and JB Hunt . Meanwhile, JPMorgan will host its annual health-care conference, where we’re likely to hear about new deals and partnerships, trial updates, and earnings preannouncements. On the data front, there are the December Consumer Price Index, the October and November Producer Price Index reports, and November retail sales. (See here for a full list of the stocks in 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.
The struggles of luxury chain Saks is another retailer’s gain
Posted by
No Comments
No Comments
