Good Morning, Traders!…👋

Stock futures rose on Friday, buoyed by hopes that US-China trade tensions might ease after positive earnings reports from Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN), which shed light on the potential cost of tariffs.

China's commerce ministry indicated that it is evaluating the Trump administration's recent signals on trade talks. The ministry stated that the “door is open” if the US agrees to scale back on reciprocal tariffs, potentially opening the path to formal negotiations.

With markets focused on trade, attention now turns to the release of the US jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET. Investors are looking for signs of how the ongoing trade war may have impacted April hiring. Economists predict 135,000 new jobs were added, down from 228,000 in March. While impacts from Trump’s tariffs are showing up in economic data, they are not expected to have fully impacted the labor market yet.

Earnings Watch

Earnings hit today from Exxon Mobil $XOM, Chevron $CVX, and Hershey $HSY before open, plus Charter Communications $CHTR after close.

Analysts expect Exxon to post $2.25 EPS with oil strength, Chevron to hit $2.16 EPS, Hershey at $2.78 EPS on snack demand, and Charter at $8.45 EPS—could these beats drive gains?

Happening Today

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

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

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

✓ 10:00 AM ET – Factory Orders (MoM) (Mar)

✓ 03:30 PM ET – CFTC Nasdaq 100 speculative net positions

PREMARKET SNAPSHOT 📈

U.S. equity futures advanced this morning, supported by the signs of easing U.S.-China trade tensions.

SECTOR SNAPSHOT✨

The market showed a modestly positive tone yesterday, led by strong gains in information technology and communication services. Consumer discretionary, energy, industrials, and real estate also posted advances. However, healthcare suffered a sharp decline, while consumer staples, financials, and materials ended in the red, reflecting sector-specific headwinds.

PreMarket Unusual Volume Stocks

📈 Classover Holdings, Inc. $KIDZ is leading the pre-market movers with a sharp 83% surge. Volume has exploded to 6.28M shares versus an average of just 5.07K, indicating a massive spike in interest.

📈 Springview Holdings Ltd $SPHL is also showing unusual activity, rising nearly 50% with 6.6M shares traded pre-market, compared to its average volume of 24.42K.

📈 Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ADIL is gaining close to 17% early, with volume reaching 1.57M—a sharp increase from its average of 6.02K, signaling potential momentum.

📈 Society Pass Incorporated $SOPA is up over 13% with 1.51M shares changing hands, compared to its average of 15.95K, pointing to rising interest from traders.

📈 Bit Origin Limited $BTOG is climbing more than 29% in early action. Pre-market volume stands at 24.34M, far exceeding its typical 635.52K, highlighting strong speculative attention.

Premarket Picks

XPeng Inc. (XPEV) surged 6.75% pre-market to $19.93 following strong sales growth reported for April 2025.

PMGC Holdings Inc. (ELAB) rose 10.04% pre-market to $2.63 after its subsidiary bolstered IP portfolio with new US patent filings.

American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (AREB) gained 6.91% pre-market to $3.25 on news of key strategic expansion initiatives.

Reddit, Inc. (RDDT) jumped 6.59% pre-market to $126.62 after announcing Q1 2025 earnings with record revenue growth and strategic progress.

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

Top Upgrades:

1. ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW)

Analyst Firm: Truist Securities
Analyst: Joel Fishbein
Rating Change: Hold → Buy
Price Target: Raised from $1,150 to $1,200
Last Close: $955.70
Implied Upside: 25.56%

Truist Securities upgraded ServiceNow to Buy, lifting the price target to $1,200, reflecting strong confidence in the company’s robust growth trajectory in enterprise workflow automation. Among 35 Wall Street analysts, the average 12-month price target is $1,047.72, indicating sustained optimism in ServiceNow’s ability to scale revenue through its expanding digital transformation suite.

2. Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)

Analyst Firm: Oppenheimer
Analyst: Kristen Owen
Rating Change: Perform → Outperform
Price Target: Maintained at $395
Last Close: $317.48
Implied Upside: 24.42%

Oppenheimer has upgraded Caterpillar to Outperform, pointing to cyclical tailwinds and increased infrastructure demand. While the price target remains at $395, it represents significant upside from current levels. Across 14 analysts, the average target is $344.69, supported by Caterpillar’s leadership in construction and mining equipment and strong cash flow generation.

3. PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG)

Analyst Firm: Fernlum Research
Analyst: Frank Mitsch
Rating Change: Hold → Buy
Price Target: Maintained at $124
Last Close: $108.77
Implied Upside: 14.00%

Fernlum Research raised its outlook on PPG Industries, upgrading the stock to Buy and maintaining the price target at $124. This move reflects growing confidence in margin recovery and resilient coatings demand. The broader analyst consensus sees an average target of $124.38, as PPG continues to navigate cost headwinds while capitalizing on housing and industrial demand.

Happy investing,

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.