Good Morning, Traders!…👋

U.S. stock futures slipped Friday as China responded to White House tariffs with its own retaliatory move — a 34% levy on all U.S. goods, matching President Trump’s recently announced tariffs on Chinese imports. This escalation has raised investor concerns about the future of global trade negotiations.

While President Trump signaled Thursday that he's now open to discussions — a shift from prior hardline rhetoric — markets remain on edge over whether meaningful trade deals can be reached.

All eyes this morning will also be on the March jobs report. Economists expect a gain of 140,000 nonfarm payrolls, with unemployment holding at 4.1%.

Earnings Watch

Earnings drop today from Levi Strauss $LEVI ( ▼ 3.81% ), RPM International $RPM ( ▼ 3.87% ), and American Shared Hospital $AMS ( ▲ 1.35% ), among others.

Analysts expect Levi to hit $0.45 EPS on denim strength, RPM to brush up $1.65 EPS with industrial growth, and AMS to shine with healthcare demand—could these outperform and lift shares?

Happening Today

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

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

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

✓ 11:25 AM ET – Fed Chair Powell Speaks

✓ 12:45 AM ET – Fed Waller Speaks

✓ 04:30 PM ET – CFTC Nasdaq 100 and S&P500 speculative net positions

PREMARKET SNAPSHOT 📈

U.S. stock futures are sharply lower, with the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq all posting steep losses as investor anxiety over trade tensions and economic uncertainty intensifies.

SECTOR SNAPSHOT✨

Yesterday markets took a heavy hit across the board, with deep losses in key sectors. Consumer discretionary, energy, and tech saw steep declines, dragging the broader market lower. Financials, industrials, and communication services also dropped sharply. Health care and utilities held up better but still ended

PreMarket Unusual Volume Stocks

📈 Entero Therapeutics Inc. $ENTO ( ▲ 16.48% )  is attracting significant early attention with 4.46M shares traded pre-market, a massive surge from its average volume of just 17.8K. With the stock up over 36%, this unusual activity suggests traders are eyeing it for a breakout move.

📈 CXApp Inc. $CXAI ( ▲ 76.0% )  is on the move this morning with 4.42M shares traded versus its 89.8K average. Up nearly 24%, the stock’s pre-market rally indicates growing interest—possibly driven by investor speculation or news flow.

📈 Wellchange Holdings Co. $WCT ( ▲ 43.59% )  is showing strong momentum, climbing nearly 54% pre-market. Volume stands at 36.11M, well above its 3.63M average, pointing to a significant uptick in trader interest.

📈 CIMG Inc. $IMG ( ▲ 12.52% )  has traded 1.84M shares early today, far surpassing its 189.2K average volume. The stock is up over 22%, drawing attention as a potential momentum play.

📈 Trident Digital Tech Holdings Ltd $TDTH ( ▼ 0.64% )  is quietly gaining with a 6% bump in price and 122.37K shares traded, up from its 42.3K average. Though the gain is modest, the early action suggests some eyes are turning toward this low-float name.

Premarket Picks

Mullen Automotive, Inc. (MULN) saw a significant surge in pre-market trading, rising 69.81% to a price of $0.13. This increase was driven by the company’s announcement that its use of US-sourced components provides a competitive edge under new tariff rules.

CXApp Inc. (CXAI) experienced a pre-market surge of 36.34%, reaching a price of $1.10. The company reported record business performance for 2024 and highlighted the growing momentum of its Agentic AI-based CXAI platform.

Jayud Global Logistics Limited (JYD) gained 13.34% in pre-market trading, bringing its price to $0.48. This surge followed the company's release of a statement regarding recent market activity.

Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (SGMO) saw its stock rise by 28.52% to a price of $0.80 in pre-market trading. This was triggered by the announcement of a capsid license agreement with Lilly, aimed at delivering genomic medicines for diseases of the central nervous system.

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

Top Upgrades:

1. Flagstar Financial, Inc. $FLG ( ▼ 3.24% )  

Analyst Firm: Citi
Upgraded: Neutral to Buy
Price Target: $15
Yesterday's Close: $10.79

Citi raised its rating on Flagstar Financial to "Buy" from "Neutral," setting a price target of $15. Flagstar Financial, Inc., the parent company of Flagstar Bank, N.A., provides banking products and services across the U.S. Analysts have set the following stock price targets for FLG: a high of $14.75, a median of $13.25, a low of $10.50, and an average of $13.23.

2. Eastman Chemical Company $EMN ( ▼ 5.56% )  

Analyst Firm: Citi
Upgraded: Neutral to Buy
Price Target: $101
Yesterday's Close: $79.98

Citi analyst Patrick Cunningham also upgraded Eastman Chemical to "Buy" from "Neutral," with a target price of $101. Eastman Chemical Company, a global leader in specialty materials, operates in the U.S., China, and other international markets. Analysts have projected stock price targets for Eastman at a high of $128.00, a median of $112.00, a low of $103.00, and an average of $113.42.

3. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. $ELS ( ▼ 2.9% ) 

Analyst Firm: BMO Capital
Upgraded: Market Perform to Outperform
Price Target: $78
Yesterday's Close: $68.02

BMO Capital analyst John Kim moved Equity Lifestyle to "Outperform" from "Market Perform," with a price target of $78. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on owning and operating manufactured home and RV communities. The stock price targets set by analysts for ELS are a high of $82.00, a median of $73.00, a low of $68.00, and an average of $74.19.

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.