Good Morning, Traders!…👋

U.S. stock futures dropped on Wednesday following Nvidia’s (NVDA) announcement of costly new curbs on chip exports to China, as uncertainty over President Trump’s trade policies continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

Nvidia’s stock fell in premarket trading after the company revealed that the U.S. government has imposed new restrictions on its chips, sparking concern among investors. U.S. stocks lost momentum on Wednesday, drifting lower after a brief rally, with tech stocks, including AMD (AMD), facing pressure from negative news from ASML (ASML) and Nvidia.

On Wednesday, investors will be focused on retail sales data from the Census Bureau, with growing warnings of an economic slowdown on Wall Street.

In commodities, gold reached a new record as the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China drove investors toward safe havens. Gold prices surged past $3,275 an ounce for the first time late Tuesday, gaining 1.4% throughout the day.

Earnings Watch

Earnings roll out today from Abbott Labs $ABT ( ▼ 0.41% ), U.S. Bancorp $USB ( ▼ 0.33% ), and Travelers $TRV ( ▼ 0.48% )  before open, plus Kinder Morgan $KMI ( ▼ 0.07% )  and CSX $CSX ( ▼ 1.07% )  after close.

Analysts expect Abbott to hit $1.12 EPS on healthcare strength, U.S. Bancorp to deliver $1.02 EPS with banking gains, Travelers to post $4.75 EPS, Kinder Morgan at $0.29 EPS, and CSX at $0.47 EPS.

Happening Today

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Core Retail Sales (MoM) (Mar)

✓ 09:15 AM ET – Industrial Production (YoY) (MoM) (Mar)

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

✓ 10:30 AM ET – Crude Oil Inventories

✓ 01:00 PM ET – 20-Year Bond Auction

✓ 01:15 PM ET – Fed Chair Powell Speaks

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

PREMARKET SNAPSHOT 📈

​U.S. stock futures are mixed this morning, with the S&P 500 and Dow showing modest gains, while the Nasdaq is slightly lower. Investors are assessing the impact of recent trade tensions and awaiting key economic data.​

SECTOR SNAPSHOT✨

Markets cooled off on the final trading day, with most sectors slipping into the red. Consumer discretionary, healthcare, and industrials saw the sharpest declines, while gains in technology and real estate offered modest support. Energy and materials also edged lower, and even defensive sectors like consumer staples closed down. Only financials, real estate, and utilities managed small gains.

PreMarket Unusual Volume Stocks

📈 Synergy CHC Corp. $SNYR ( ▼ 12.97% )  is off to a quiet but notable start, with shares up over 6% in pre-market action. Volume has reached 98.66K, a significant leap from its 400 share average, signaling renewed trader interest.

📈 icad inc. $ICAD ( ▼ 0.61% )  is rallying aggressively, up more than 73% with 1.54M shares already exchanged—far above its 116.23K average. The surge suggests a strong catalyst is driving bullish momentum this morning.

📈 Treasure Global Inc. $TGL ( ▲ 1.65% )  continues to impress, rising nearly 78% pre-market. Volume has exploded to 8.85M, compared to its 1.07M average, pointing to heightened speculative enthusiasm.

📈 Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. $OMEX ( ▲ 77.21% )  is catching a wave of strong early momentum, jumping over 22%. With 13.74M shares traded vs. an average of 2.91M, this unusual activity could be signaling a breakout in the making.

📈 Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $PCSA ( ▼ 0.71% )  is moving modestly higher with an 8% gain in early trading. Volume is still light at 45.34K, falling short of its 372.93K average, suggesting traders are watching but not yet piling in.

Premarket Picks

In early trading, La Rosa Holdings Corp. (LRHC) surged by an impressive 92.42%, reaching a pre-market price of $0.39. The sharp rise follows news that the company has been granted a 180-day extension by Nasdaq to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Rule—an encouraging development for investors.

Innventure, Inc. (INV) also saw significant upward momentum, climbing 51.34% to a pre-market price of $5.10. The spike comes after the company filed a Form S-1 with the SEC, a move that often signals upcoming capital-raising activity or corporate developments.

Meanwhile, iCAD, Inc. (ICAD) jumped 74.61% in pre-market trading to $3.37, fueled by the announcement that RadNet, Inc. will acquire iCAD. The acquisition is aimed at accelerating the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer using AI-powered technology, a major milestone for both companies in the healthcare and AI sectors.

Rounding out the list, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) experienced a 6.63% gain, bringing its pre-market price to $71.44. The airline reported its strongest first-quarter financial performance in five years, a notable achievement given the ongoing macroeconomic challenges impacting the travel industry.

Below is a complete list of hot stocks in pre-market today:

Top Upgrades:

1. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. $FCX ( ▼ 0.74% ) 

Analyst Firm: Wolfe Research
Upgraded: Peer Perform to Outperform
Price Target: $39
Yesterday's Close: $33.37

Wolfe Research analyst Timna Tanners raised her rating on Freeport-McMoRan from "Peer Perform" to "Outperform" and set a price target of $39.

Freeport-McMoRan, a major player in the mining industry with operations in North America, South America, and Indonesia, has received a range of analyst price targets. The stock’s high estimate sits at $55.00, with a median target of $46.00 and a low of $40.00. On average, analysts expect the stock to reach around $46.76.

2. Union Pacific Corporation $UNP ( ▼ 1.0% ) 

Analyst Firm: Redburn Atlantic
Upgraded: Neutral to Buy
Price Target: $259
Yesterday's Close: $220.08

Redburn Atlantic boosted its rating on Union Pacific, moving it from "Neutral" to "Buy," with a new price target of $259.

Union Pacific Corporation, which operates one of the largest railroad networks in the U.S. through its subsidiary Union Pacific Railroad, has a broad range of price targets. Analysts forecast a high of $486.00, a median of $259.50, and a low of $200.00. The average target price currently stands at $262.89.

3. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. $GO ( ▼ 0.95% )  

Analyst Firm: Jefferies
Upgraded: Hold to Buy
Price Target: $18
Yesterday's Close: $13.90

Jefferies upgraded Grocery Outlet from "Hold" to "Buy" and increased its price target from $13 to $18.

Grocery Outlet, known for its chain of independently operated grocery stores across the U.S., has more conservative analyst estimates. Price targets range from a high of $18.00 to a low of $10.00, with the median target at $15.00. The average analyst estimate is currently $14.33.

Happy investing,

Maeve Grace
Editor In Chief
Premium Stock Alerts

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.