Wall Street’s renewed confidence in the chocolate giant reflects easing cocoa costs and improving market share dynamics. Morgan Stanley’s bullish call highlights a sector rotation into consumer staples. A senior financial analyst at Fimatron walks you through why Hershey shares offer compelling value after brutal cost headwinds. The investment bank upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral while raising the price target to $211 from $195. The Cocoa Crisis Eases Hershey faced severe margin pressure as cocoa prices surged to record highs. The company implemented double-digit price increases across its confection portfolio to offset the commodity spike. Those aggressive hikes...

The final week before holidays delivers a condensed barrage of delayed reports that could reshape Federal Reserve expectations. Government shutdown fallout creates unprecedented uncertainty as critical numbers arrive simultaneously. A lead broker at Fimatron discusses why December 16-18 presents exceptional volatility risk. Three consecutive days bring labor market snapshots, consumer spending figures, and inflation readings that typically space out across weeks. The Tuesday Double Header Non-farm payrolls for both October and November release simultaneously at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on December 16. This unusual combined report makes interpretation challenging for analysts accustomed to isolating monthly trends. Economists expect the unemployment rate...

The Bank of Japan’s imminent policy shift threatens to unwind carry trades that supported risk assets for years. Market watchers brace for volatility as the world’s third-largest economy exits ultra-loose monetary policy. Fimatron‘s junior broker highlights why all 50 economists surveyed expect the BOJ to raise rates to 0.75% this Friday. This marks the first increase since January and represents the highest policy rate in approximately 30 years. The Unanimous Verdict Bloomberg’s survey showed 100% consensus that the Bank of Japan will hike at its December 18-19 meeting. This unprecedented unanimity reflects Governor Kazuo Ueda’s clear signaling that conditions for...

Precious metals rocketed to fresh record highs while manufacturing data collapsed and geopolitical tensions escalated. The yellow metal’s historic surge reflects deep concerns about economic stability and currency debasement. A financial expert at Fimatron examines why gold broke through $4,300 per ounce, cementing gains exceeding 62% year-over-year. The rally accelerated on December 15 as weak economic indicators hammered the U.S. Dollar Index and collapsed real yields. Manufacturing Shock Triggers Rally The Empire State Manufacturing Survey showed deeper contraction than economists anticipated. Regional factory activity deteriorated significantly, raising recession fears and expectations for aggressive Federal Reserve easing. Monetary policy loosening reduces...

Global energy markets face a supply tsunami that’s overwhelming tepid demand growth. The glut threatens producers while offering consumers rare relief from years of elevated fuel costs. Fimatron‘s senior broker explains why crude oil prices collapsed below $57 per barrel, levels unseen since early 2021. Both WTI and Brent benchmarks declined more than 3% last week as evidence mounted that production growth far outpaces consumption. The Supply Side Dominates The International Energy Agency projects a record surplus stretching into 2026. Global oil supply jumped 3 million barrels daily in 2025, while demand increased just 830,000 barrels daily. This imbalance creates...