Good Morning, Traders!…👋

Stock futures showed a split direction early Friday, August 15, following a record-setting streak for the S&P 500. Contracts tied to the index edged up 0.24%, while Nasdaq 100 futures dipped by 0.2%. Dow Jones futures outperformed, gaining 244 points—or roughly 0.76%.

The S&P 500 notched its third consecutive all-time closing high on Thursday, though the Dow and Nasdaq Composite ended slightly lower. Markets initially slipped after a hotter-than-expected July Producer Price Index, which dimmed optimism sparked earlier in the week by cooler consumer inflation data. Still, major indexes managed to recover some ground by the close.

Looking ahead, investors are closely watching a trio of economic reports set for release Friday—import prices, consumer sentiment, and July retail sales. With the Dow up 1.7% so far this week and small-cap stocks leading the way with a 3.6% gain, traders are hoping fresh data will clarify the path forward for the broader economy.

Earnings Watch

Earnings hit today from Flowers Foods $FLO, SharpLink Gaming $SBET, and Tuniu $TOUR before open.

Analysts expect FLO at $0.30 EPS with steady bakery demand, SBET at -$0.02 EPS amid gaming sector volatility, and TOUR at $0.01 EPS with travel recovery focus.

Happening Today

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Retail Sales

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Trade Prices

✓ 08:30 AM ET – NY Empire State Manufacturing Index (Aug)

✓ 09:15 AM ET – Industrial Production

✓ 10:00 AM ET – Business Inventories (MoM) (Jun)

✓ 10:00 AM ET – Retail Inventories Ex Auto (Jun)

✓ 10:00 AM ET – Michigan Consumer Sentiment

✓ 01:00 PM ET – Atlanta Fed GDPNow (Q3)

✓ 01:00 PM ET – U.S. Baker Hughes Rig Count

✓ 03:30 PM ET – CFTC Speculative Net Positions

✓ 04:00 PM ET – TIC Net Long-Term Transactions

SECTOR SNAPSHOT

On the last trading day, most sectors ended in negative territory, with Industrials, Materials, and Real Estate seeing the largest declines. Conversely, Consumer Discretionary, Financials, and Health Care managed to post gains, showcasing a mixed market sentiment despite the overall downward trend.

PreMarket Unusual Volume Stocks

Here's a quick rundown of today's pre-market high-volume stocks:

📈 Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. (PPSI) is surging +61.09% to $3.11 with monumental volume, driven by its Q2 2025 earnings report that showed a massive 147% revenue increase and a significant narrowing of its net loss.

📈 Dragonfly Energy Holdings Corp (DFLI) is up +45.61% at $0.2651 with very high volume, following its Q2 2025 earnings report which highlighted a 23% revenue increase and a nearly 50% reduction in net loss, signaling a significant financial turnaround.

📈 ECD Automotive Design, Inc. (ECDA) is gaining +8.39% at $0.1442 with notable volume, as it recently announced a $10 million debt-for-equity exchange to strengthen its balance sheet and regain Nasdaq compliance.

📈 Healthcare Triangle, Inc. (HCTI) is up +12.12% at $3.30 with high volume, continuing to see volatility as it works to address Nasdaq non-compliance and announced a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Rock Springs Energy Group for approximately $35 million.

📈 BitFuFu Inc. (FUFU) is up +28.74% at $3.97 with significant volume, following its Q2 2025 earnings report that beat earnings estimates and showcased a strong increase in its cloud-mining revenue.

Premarket Picks

Shares of Perfect Moment Ltd. (PMNT) surged 94.49% in pre-market trading to $0.57 after the company posted impressive fiscal Q1 2026 results. Revenue jumped 51% year-over-year, and the company achieved a record gross margin of 60.4%, signaling strong operational performance.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) climbed 12.75% to $306.26 pre-market after Berkshire Hathaway revealed a $1.57 billion investment in the company. The move reflects renewed investor confidence despite recent challenges facing the healthcare giant.

Dragonfly Energy Holdings (DFLI) saw a 54.13% increase in pre-market trading, reaching $0.41, following its Q2 2025 financial release. The company reported net sales of $16.2 million, up 23.0% from the same period last year, driven by continued growth in energy storage demand.

IO Biotech (IOBT) rose 12.50% to $1.44 ahead of the market open. The stock gained after the company shared its Q2 2025 financial results and business highlights, which investors received positively.

Top Upgrades:

1. Wingstop Inc. (WING)

Analyst Firm: Raymond James

Upgraded: Outperform to Strong Buy

Price Target: $420

Yesterday's Close: $325.59

Raymond James analyst Brian Vaccaro raised his rating on Wingstop from "Outperform" to "Strong Buy," keeping the price target steady at $420. Analysts have set a high target price of $477.00 for Wingstop Inc., with a median of $412.50 and a low of $345.00. The average price target stands at $407.41. Wingstop and its subsidiaries operate and franchise restaurants under the well-known Wingstop brand.

2. PAR Technology Corporation (PAR)

Analyst Firm: BTIG

Upgraded: Neutral to Buy

Price Target: $65

Yesterday's Close: $51.81

BTIG upgraded Par Technology from "Neutral" to "Buy" and set a price target of $65. PAR Technology has received a high stock price target of $97.00, with a median of $90.00 and a low estimate of $50.00. The average target comes in at $80.29. The company delivers cloud-based hardware and software solutions for businesses across the globe.

3. The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB)

Analyst Firm: CIBC

Upgraded: Neutral to Outperformer

Price Target: $64

Yesterday's Close: $57.34

CIBC analyst Robert Catellier boosted his rating on Williams from "Neutral" to "Outperformer," assigning a $64 price target. For The Williams Companies, analysts have projected a high target of $74.00, a median of $64.50, and a low of $54.00. The average target is $64.82. Williams operates as a key player in energy infrastructure, primarily throughout the United States.

Maeve Grace
Editor In Chief
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Important: This newsletter does not provide investment advice. The stocks mentioned should not be taken as recommendations. Your investments are solely your decisions.

Disclosure: I hold no positions in any companies mentioned, either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.