Ten stocks stood stronger in last week’s shortened trading, amid a combination of Christmas rush and macroeconomic catalysts that bolstered buying appetite.
Of the 10 stocks, four were notably mining firms, thanks to the rush in prices of silver and gold, which hit new record highs.
In this article, we identify the names that led last week’s performance and detail the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused on the stocks with more than $300 million in market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
The stocks were based on the percentage change in their prices between December 19 and 26, 2025.
A trader analyzing stock market data. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
10. Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)
Micron managed to eke out a 7.1 percent gain week-on-week despite dipping in the red on Friday, amid a combination of Christmas rush and strong investor confidence, supported by its strong earnings performance and highly optimistic outlook for the fiscal year 2026.
In an updated report the week prior, Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) said that it more-than-doubled its net income during the quarter to $5.24 billion from $1.87 billion in the same period last year. Revenues climbed by 56 percent to $13.6 billion from $8.7 billion year-on-year, beating its earlier midpoint guidance of $12.5 billion. The cloud memory and mobile and client business units contributed the bulk of the revenues.
Following the results, Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) said that it is now targeting revenues in the second quarter to climb even higher, at $18.7 billion at the midpoint.
Diluted earnings per share are also pegged at $8.19 at the midpoint.
“Our Q2 outlook reflects substantial records across revenue, gross margin, EPS and free cash flow, and we anticipate our business performance to continue strengthening through fiscal 2026. Micron’s technology leadership, differentiated product portfolio, and strong operational execution position us as an essential AI enabler, and we are investing to support our customers’ growing need for memory and storage,” said Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) Chairman, President, and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.
9. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)
Freeport-McMoran jumped by 7.9 percent week-on-week, as investors gobbled up shares in copper producers after the metal cracked past a new record high of $12,000 during the week.
On Friday alone, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) registered a nine-day winning streak, mirroring the benchmark three-month copper prices on the London Metal Exchange after surging to $12,282 per ton.
The rally was primarily triggered by tight global supply, coupled with strong demand from various industries, as well as the ongoing tariff uncertainties in the US.
Further buoying sentiment was Wells Fargo’s price target upgrade for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) to $55 from $47 previously, while maintaining its “overweight” rating for its stock.
Wells Fargo said that the coverage was based on expectations that copper inventories would remain tight amid lingering concerns that the US would slap another round of tariffs on refined copper products, further pushing industries to stock up on supply.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) is one of the leading copper producers globally. It operates various mines in North and South America, as well as the Grasberg site in Indonesia—one of the largest copper mines in the world.
In the third quarter of the year, the company grew its net income attributable to shareholders by 28 percent to $674 million from $526 million in the same period last year. Revenues inched up by 2.68 percent to $6.97 billion from $6.79 billion year-on-year.
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