Sunday Review + Watchlist 1/4/2026

Space stocks rocketing, U.S. captures Venezuelan President

Jan 04, 2026

Market Recap

The last week of 2025 and first session of 2026 was a mixed start for U.S. stocks, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finishing slightly lower after hovering near record levels to end 2025. Under the hood, semiconductors were a clear bright spot on Friday, with chip names putting up strong gains to kick off the year. TSLA 0.00%↑ traded down on declining delivery numbers along with Software and some Mag 7 names.

Outside of tech, there were big moves in some space‑related and satellite names, with stocks like AST SpaceMobile ASTS 0.00%↑ extending an already large multi‑month run as 2026 opened.

The big story over the weekend is the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a large-scale military operation. Any time a big oil‑producing country is thrown into political uncertainty, markets immediately look to crude. In the short term, traders are bracing for some volatility in oil prices as algorithms and headline‑driven money react to every new development. However, many analysts do not expect a massive, immediate shock to global supply, partly because Venezuelan production has already been constrained for years and any meaningful increase or restructuring will take time.

Longer term, this could actually turn into a more meaningful story for energy and inflation. If a more U.S.-friendly government eventually opens the door for Western companies to invest and rehabilitate Venezuela’s oil industry, global supply could increase over time, putting additional downward pressure on oil prices. That would be a potential positive for consumers and most risk assets, since lower energy costs help keep inflation in check, though it could be a headwind for oil bulls and some energy stocks. For now, markets are treating the situation as “headline risk”: lots of attention in energy, emerging markets, and defense names, but not yet a full‑blown risk‑off event for the broader market.

Watchlist

SIDU 0.00%↑- Hottest small cap stock in the space sector, hopefully gap up on Monday and further extension for the eventual backside move.

SOPA 0.00%↑ - Put in a top on Friday, but on light volume, looking for continuation lower on Monday.

SLV 0.00%↑ - Silver double topped and now wedging with lower highs, looking for breakdown and test of $60, however the news with Venezuela may have some influence on precious metals.