Benzinga Bulls And Bears: Nike, SpaceX, Ultragenyx — And Chinese Tech Stocks Slide

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week — here's a look at some of our top stories.

U.S. stocks opened 2026 with modest gains as investors returned from the holiday break, lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 while the Nasdaq Composite lagged. Trading volumes were light, but the session marked a rebound from late-December weakness, reflecting cautious optimism after a strong 2025 for equities.

Chipmakers led early gains, with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Micron (NASDAQ:MU) among the standout performers as enthusiasm around AI demand carried into the new year. However, weakness in several megacap technology and consumer discretionary names capped broader market upside, keeping gains uneven across sectors.

Investors are now turning their focus to upcoming economic data and Federal Reserve signals to gauge the outlook for rates and growth in 2026. With valuations elevated and liquidity still thin, strategists caution that early-January moves may not set the tone for the months ahead.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

"Nike Stock Jumps As Insider Bets Ignite Investor Confidence", by Adam Eckert, reports that Nike, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) shares climbed as investors reacted to a wave of insider buying that many see as a vote of confidence in the company's turnaround strategy. The stock was up nearly 3% with Nike trading around the low $60s as CEO Elliott Hill disclosed a roughly $1 million open-market purchase and board member and Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook increased his stake, moves that helped lift sentiment despite Nike's recent underperformance and bearish technical indicators.

"EXCLUSIVE: SpaceX IPO Could ‘Open The Floodgates' – How Private Companies, Tesla Will Be Impacted", by Chris Katje, reports that a potential SpaceX IPO in 2026 could be one of the year's biggest market stories and might "open the floodgates" for other large private companies to go public, according to market strategist Jay Woods. On implications for Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), he said the IPO could initially prompt some rotation of capital out of Tesla as investors buy SpaceX shares but ultimately serve as a tailwind for Elon Musk-linked companies by signaling strong demand for high-profile tech listings.

"Energy Fuels Crushes Guidance and Charges Into 2026", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE:UUUU) shares climbed after the uranium and critical minerals producer closed out 2025 by exceeding its own guidance and reinforcing its status as a leading U.S. producer. The company delivered robust production results — mining more than 1.6 million pounds of uranium and projecting Q4 sales around 360,000 pounds with approximately $27 million in revenue — while securing long-term contracts with U.S. utilities.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

Intel Stock Has Soared Since Its Dow Ouster — Even Outrunning Nvidia, Its Replacement

Palantir: From Meme Stock To Market Leader In 2025

‘Stranger Things' Finale Could Boost Both Netflix, AMC Stocks: Here's How

The Bears

"Holiday Lull, Weak Data Hit China's Tech Stocks", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE:BABA), JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) and PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) all traded lower Monday as thin holiday volume and disappointing Chinese economic data dragged sentiment. The pullback in U.S.-listed Chinese tech stocks mirrored weakness in Hong Kong markets, where the Hang Seng and Hang Seng Tech indexes slipped, as fresh industrial profit figures showed a sharper decline and dampened hopes for an end-of-year rally.

"Ultragenyx, Mereo Bone-Drug Trial Disappoints; Stocks Hit 52-Week Lows", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ:RARE) and Mereo BioPharma Group plc (NASDAQ:MREO) shares plunged to fresh 52-week lows after a late-stage clinical trial of their investigational bone disease therapy failed to meet its primary endpoint. The Phase 3 study did not show a statistically significant improvement over placebo in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemia, prompting disappointment among investors and analysts who had anticipated strong results.

"Corcept Therapeutics Stock Sinks on FDA Setback for Relacorilant", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ:CORT) shares slid sharply after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a refuse-to-file letter for its investigational Cushing's syndrome drug relacorilant, citing deficiencies in the submission that require additional clinical data. The setback surprised investors who had been anticipating an early 2026 launch and sent the stock to its lowest levels in months as analysts reassessed the company's near-term regulatory pathway.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

EXCLUSIVE: Trump's Moves Added To 2025's Crypto Overload — Now 2026 Looks Rough, Expert Says

FuelCell Energy Stock Slides After Hours: Here's Why

Top 10 Most Shorted Stocks: Lucid, MARA, Hims and More

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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.