Stocks To Watch – 1/21/2025

 Brief Overview

Welcome back to this week’s Stocks to Watch! We’re back to another 4-day week with the market being closed today in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Today is also the inauguration of President Trump so we’ll have a close eye on Tweets and the possible return of daily press conferences. With the short week, we’ll be focused on the best set ups and ready to alert them to our members! 

Let’s take a look at how last week went down.

The week started off mixed. The Dow was up 0.9%, and the S&P 500 managed a small gain of 0.2%. But the Nasdaq took a hit, dipping 0.4%, mostly thanks to struggling tech stocks. Investors are keeping a close eye on whether the tech sector can steady itself after a rocky start to the year.

Retail stocks took a hit as concerns about the sector’s growth in 2025 started swirling. With shifting consumer habits and economic uncertainty, investors are questioning how retailers will adapt. It’s clear this sector has a lot to prove moving forward.

Inflation talk was back in the spotlight midweek. Economists raised their 2025 inflation forecasts to 2.7%, up from 2.3%, thanks to proposed policies like higher tariffs and tax cuts from the incoming administration. For households, that could mean an extra $600 a year in costs—something to keep an eye on as these policies develop.

The IMF dropped its latest economic outlook, projecting global growth at 3.3% for both 2025 and 2026. The U.S. got a slight upgrade, but weaker projections elsewhere kept the overall picture steady. The IMF flagged that risks to growth are leaning toward the downside, so it’s not all smooth sailing.

Friday ended the week on a high note, with big-tech stocks leading a market rally. Both the S&P 500 and Dow notched their biggest weekly gains since November’s election. Meanwhile, Bitcoin topped $109k, showing that investors still have plenty of faith in digital assets.