Good Morning, Traders!…👋

U.S. stock futures dipped on Friday as Wall Street continued to face challenges from President Trump’s escalating trade war.

After a rollercoaster week, stocks had initially risen on hopes that Trump might scale back his tariff plans. However, markets took a sharp turn on Wednesday following the announcement of new auto import duties.

Today, investors are focusing on the release of February’s Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation. This data will help clarify how inflation is progressing compared to the Fed's 2% target.

The Federal Reserve has already forecast higher inflation and slower economic growth due to the tariffs. Despite Fed Chair Jerome Powell's reassurances that the inflation uptick may be "transitory," concerns continue to grow as the trade war intensifies. Many Fed officials have expressed uncertainty about the economic trajectory, with some policymakers citing "zero visibility" for the road ahead.

Earnings Watch

Earnings roll out today from CarMax $KMX ( ▲ 4.93% ), China Automotive $CAAS ( ▲ 0.48% ), and Canoo $GOEV ( ▼ 14.29% ), among others.

Analysts expect CarMax to shine with $1.45 EPS (up 12% YoY) on used-car strength, China Automotive to ride auto demand with $0.18 EPS, and Canoo to spark EV buzz.

Happening Today

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Core PCE Price Index (MoM) (YoY) (Feb)

✓ 08:30 AM ET – Personal Spending (MoM) (Feb)

✓ 10:00 AM ET – Michigan Consumer Expectations (Mar)

✓ 12:15 PM ET – Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Barr Speaks

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

PREMARKET SNAPSHOT 📈

​U.S. stock futures are down as investors react to President Trump's announcement of a 25% tariff on auto imports and await the release of the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation metric. ​

SECTOR SNAPSHOT✨

Yesterday markets saw a mixed close with modest gains in consumer staples, health care, and consumer discretionary helping offset broader weakness. Energy, industrials, and financials edged lower, while tech and communication services extended their declines. Materials and real estate were mostly flat, and utilities hovered just below the line, reflecting overall cautious sentiment.

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PreMarket Unusual Volume Stocks

📈 Portage Biotech Inc. $PRTG ( ▼ 15.5% )  is leading the pre-market action with 2.17M shares traded versus its average of 20K, marking a volume explosion of over 10,000%. The stock is up nearly 174%, drawing strong speculative attention—likely fueled by biotech news or clinical developments.

📈 Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc. $SNSE ( ▲ 6.09% )  is active with 3.2M shares traded compared to its average volume of 50K, representing a surge of over 6,300%. The stock is up close to 9%, signaling growing investor interest possibly tied to early biotech momentum.

📈 ARB IOT Group Limited $ARBB ( 0.0% )  has seen 220.21K shares change hands in the pre-market, well above its average of 5.8K—a spike of more than 3,700%. Up over 10%, the low-float name is drawing speculative eyes.

📈 Top Wealth Group Holding Limited $TWG ( ▼ 4.66% )  is surging with 30.35M shares traded versus an average of 1.1M, showing a massive early volume increase. A gain of over 34% suggests strong momentum, potentially driven by retail enthusiasm.

📈 WiMi Hologram Cloud Inc. $WIMI ( ▼ 9.36% )  is trading actively with 4.48M shares exchanged compared to a 533K average. The 20% jump in price highlights rising pre-market interest, possibly linked to AI or tech-sector buzz.

Premarket Picks

TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. (RNAZ) saw a pre-market price of $0.63, marking a surge of 22.00%. This increase came after the company announced the initial dosing in the fourth cohort of its Phase 1 clinical trial with TTX-MC138.

Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc. (SNSE) experienced a pre-market price of $0.48, with a surge of 8.57%. The rise followed the release of initial results from the dose expansion portion of its Phase 1/2 trial evaluating solnerstotug, a monoclonal antibody targeting VISTA.

DBV Technologies S.A. (DBVT) had a pre-market price of $6.07, with a significant surge of 49.88%. This spike was attributed to the company's announcement of securing up to $306.9 million in financing to advance its Viaskin® Peanut Patch through the biologics license application process and potential U.S. launch.

Portage Biotech Inc. (PRTG) saw its pre-market price jump to $9.46, with an impressive 100.00% surge. This increase came after the company reported promising preclinical results in Mesothelioma, supporting the upcoming first-in-human trial of its treatment, PORT-7.

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

Top Upgrades:

1. Tanger Inc. $SKT ( ▲ 1.85% ) 

Analyst Firm: Goldman Sachs
Upgraded: Neutral to Buy
Price Target: $39
Yesterday's Close: $32.86

Goldman Sachs raised its rating on Tanger from Neutral to Buy and increased the price target from $39 to $40.

Tanger Inc., a prominent owner and operator of outlet and open-air shopping centers with over 44 years of retail experience, has a stock price target range with a high of $42.00, a median of $39.00, and a low of $35.00. The average price target stands at $39.

2. Ferrari N.V. $RACE ( ▲ 1.84% )  

Analyst Firm: Barclays
Upgraded: Equal Weight to Overweight
Price Target: $522.42
Yesterday's Close: $507.14

Barclays upgraded Ferrari from Equal Weight to Overweight while keeping the price target steady at $522.42.

Ferrari N.V., a global leader in designing, engineering, manufacturing, and selling luxury sports cars, has analysts predicting a stock price target high of $584.06, a median of $499.60, and a low of $385.28. The average target price for Ferrari is $495.38.

3. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP)

Analyst Firm: Goldman Sachs
Upgraded: Market Perform to Outperform
Price Target: $245
Yesterday's Close: $231.31

Goldman Sachs boosted its rating on Check Point from Market Perform to Outperform, raising the price target from $245 to $275.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a key player in providing IT security products and services worldwide, has an estimated stock price target high of $280.00, a median of $240.00, and a low of $208.00. The average stock price target for Check Point is $239.22.

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.