By Joe Woelfel and Elsa Ohlen
Stock futures fell early Monday as President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Traders are watching as a resolution to the war in Ukraine could reduce geopolitical uncertainty and boost markets.
These stocks were poised to make moves Monday:
Dayforce stock jumped 22% after Bloomberg reported that private-equity firm Thoma Bravo was in talks to acquire the HR management software company. The deal could close in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. A sale price wasn't disclosed in the report. Dayforce and Thoma Bravo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
UnitedHealth was up 2.8% in premarket trading after shares of the health insurer jumped 12% Friday for their best daily percentage gain since March 24, 2020, when they rose 13%, according to Dow Jones Market Data. UnitedHealth rose 21% last week, the stock's best weekly performance in more than 16 years. Boosting the stock was the disclosure that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway had purchased roughly 5 million shares in the company, worth about $1.6 billion.
Applied Materials rose 0.3%. The chip-equipment maker tumbled 14% on Friday after issuing a range of revenue guidance for the current fourth quarter that at the $6.7 billion midpoint was below consensus of $7.3 billion. Friday was the stock's worst trading session since March 16, 2020, when it fell more than 20%.
Intel fell 0.6% after it rose almost 24% last week, the chip maker's best weekly performance since January 2000, according to Dow Jones Market Data. A report from Bloomberg said the Trump administration was in talks to have the U.S. government potentially take a stake in Intel.
Solar stocks rose ahead of the open, building on big gains Friday. First Solar was up 3% and Sunrun climbed 3.3%. Enphase Energy rose 1.4%. The Trump administration released new guidance on clean energy tax credits Friday that were better than feared for solar companies.
Earnings reports are expected Monday from Palo Alto Networks, Fabrinet, and XP Inc.
Reports are expected later in the week from Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, TJX Cos., Medtronic, Keysight Technologies, Viking Holdings, Amer Sports, XPeng, Toll Brothers, Analog Devices, Baidu, Estée Lauder, Intuit, Workday, Ross Stores, Zoom Communications, and BJ's Wholesale Club.
Write to Joe Woelfel at joseph.woelfel@barrons.com
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August 18, 2025 05:49 ET (09:49 GMT)
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