Happy Christmas, Traders!…👋

U.S. stock futures are edging lower Friday as concerns grow over potential export restrictions on Nvidia, just ahead of a pivotal jobs report.

Markets are resuming after the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, with today’s nonfarm payrolls report expected to show a slowdown in hiring. Investors are watching closely to see how this data will impact the Treasury market, where the 10-year yield has climbed more than a full percentage point from its mid-September lows.

Adding to market tension, reports suggest the White House is preparing new restrictions on AI microchip exports—a move criticized by Nvidia, which could further weigh on tech stocks.

In more tech news, the Supreme Court is set to hear TikTok’s appeal regarding the potential ban on its service. TikTok has warned of a shutdown if the law proceeds, although its parent company, ByteDance, could still opt to sell the platform.

Happening Today

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Average Hourly Earnings (MoM) (YoY) (Dec)

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Nonfarm Payrolls (Dec)

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Unemployment Rate (Dec)

✓ 10:00 AM ET – Michigan Consumer Expectations & Sentiment (Jan)

✓ 12:00 PM ET – WASDE Report

✓ 03:30 PM ET – CFTC Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 speculative net positions

✓ 04:30 PM ET – Fed's Balance Sheet

PREMARKET SNAPSHOT 📈

Market futures are down, with the S&P 500, Dow, and NASDAQ all showing slight declines.

SECTOR SNAPSHOT✨

Yesterday markets saw modest gains across most sectors, with consumer discretionary, financials, health care, and industrials posting steady growth. Materials and real estate also edged higher, reflecting cautious optimism. However, energy dipped slightly, and communication services lagged behind with a notable decline. Information technology remained relatively flat, while utilities held steady, signaling a mixed but mostly positive trading session.

PreMarket Unusual Volume Stocks

📈 Inspira Technologies Oxy B.H.N. Ltd (IINN) gained 30.00%, closing at 1.30. The trading volume surged to 13,529,536 shares, well above its average volume of 161.47.

📈 Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings Inc (BAER) rose by 50.90%, ending at 4.21. The company traded 8,719,229 shares compared to its average volume of 250.31.

📈 Vision Marine Technologies Inc (VMAR) saw a strong increase of 91.45%, closing at 2.91. The trading volume reached 20,530,548 shares, significantly higher than its average volume of 896.48.

📈 ScanTech AI Systems Inc (STAI) experienced a 30.73% rise, finishing at 2.85. The stock traded 3,855,466 shares, surpassing its average volume of 290.85.

📈 ZyVersa Therapeutics Inc (ZVSA) advanced by 44.07%, closing at 1.70. The trading volume climbed to 16,381,482 shares, far above its average volume of 1,292.33.

Premarket Picks

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (BAER) saw a pre-market price of $4.01, marking a surge of 43.72%. This increase follows the company’s congratulations to Timothy P. Sheehy, its founder and former CEO, for being sworn in as the U.S. Senator for the State of Montana.

Vision Marine Technologies Inc. (VMAR) experienced a remarkable pre-market surge of 103.94%, with its price reaching $3.10. The surge was driven by the company’s announcement of a new production line for custom cooling plates, created in partnership with Calip Group, a leader in high-tech welding processes.

Zoomcar Holdings, Inc. (ZCAR) saw its pre-market price rise to $2.22, a 24.71% increase. This surge comes after the company revealed a milestone achievement in its financial performance, based on select unaudited results for the third fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2024.

Microvast Holdings, Inc. (MVST) gained 33.16% in pre-market trading, bringing its price to $2.49. The surge followed the company’s announcement of a significant milestone in the development of its True All-Solid-State Battery (ASSB) technology.

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

Top Upgrades:

1. Sunrun Inc. (RUN)

Analyst Firm: UBS
Upgraded: Neutral to Buy
Price Target: $17
Wednesday's Close: $10.75

UBS raised its rating on Sunrun to Buy from Neutral, setting a price target of $17.

Sunrun Inc. (RUN), which specializes in designing, developing, installing, selling, owning, and maintaining residential solar energy systems in the U.S., has a stock price target range from $7.78 to $30.00. The median target is $18.00, with an average target of $17.71.

2. KB Home (KBH)

Analyst Firm: RBC Capital
Upgraded: Underperform to Sector Perform
Price Target: $67
Wednesday's Close: $65.34

RBC Capital upgraded KB Home to Sector Perform from Underperform, setting its price target to $67.

KB Home, a prominent homebuilding company operating in the U.S. across regions like the West Coast, Southwest, Central, and Southeast, has a stock price target range from $65.00 to $100.00. The median target stands at $82.00, and the average is $80.31.

3. NIKE, Inc. (NKE)

Analyst Firm: Piper Sandler
Upgraded: Neutral to Overweight
Price Target: $90
Wednesday's Close: $71.29

Piper Sandler analyst Anna Andreeva upgraded Nike to Overweight from Neutral, increasing the price target to $90 from $72.

NIKE, Inc. engages in the design, development, marketing, and sale of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services globally. The stock price target for NIKE ranges from $50.00 to $110.00, with a median of $87.03 and an average target of $84.71.

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.