U.S. stock index futures are higher after middling job gains. Dow futures were up 0.33, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.35% and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.42%.
The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on a soft note, with job creation in December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the estimate for 60,000.
At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, compared to the forecast for 4.5%.
Notable Stock Movers: Semiconductors, housing platforms, nuclear small modular reactors, and utilities featured prominently in pre-market action. OKLO up 18.73% at $115.88; OPEN up 9.18% at $7.02; SMR up 12.00% at $22.03; VST up 11.83% at $168.42; SOXL up 3.44% at $51.36; INTC up 3.11% at $42.39; AGQ up 2.35% at $186.19; SLV up 1.29% at $70.61; TSM up 0.98% at $321.12; GOOG up 0.98% at $329.22; AMD up 0.54% at $205.79; NVDA up 0.49% at $185.94; TSLA up 0.45% at $437.74; AAPL up 0.14% at $259.40. Selected ADRs eased: BABA down 2.27% at $150.97; XPEV down 0.44% at $20.43; META down 0.10% at $645.40; AXTI down 12.89% at $22.50.
Pre-market narratives center on semiconductor and AI supply-chain visibility, mortgage-policy headlines, and deal speculation. TSMC’s stronger-than-expected quarterly revenue supports upstream foundry and silicon demand, while mortgage support chatter aligns with strength in platforms like OPEN. Nuclear small modular reactor names (SMR, OKLO) and power utilities (VST) remain active amid energy-security and capacity themes. Chinese-platform regulation and selective AI chip import developments add cross-border context to BABA and NVDA flows.
02 Other Markets
10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose 0.14%, to 4.19%.
U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.17% to 99.04.
WTI crude oil futures rose 0.92% to 58.29 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures rose 0.47% to 4481.60 USD/ounce.
03 Key News
TSMC reported fourth-quarter revenue above forecasts, reinforcing AI chip demand momentum. The company posted revenue of T$1,046.08 billion, surpassing consensus and aligning with prior guidance. As a key supplier to leading AI platforms, the beat supports pre-market strength in TSM up 0.98% at $321.12 and related semiconductor sentiment.
Ark Invest adjusted holdings, selling Palantir and adding Broadcom and Rocket Lab to align with AI and aerospace themes. An Ark ETF offloaded shares of Palantir while increasing exposure to Broadcom and Rocket Lab as it rebalanced towards perceived structural growth areas. In pre-market trading: PLTR up 0.42% at $177.61; AVGO up 1.10% at $336.15; RKLB up 1.11% at $84.00.
Merck is in talks to acquire Revolution Medicines, highlighting continued oncology M&A interest. The potential deal would expand pipeline depth and oncology capabilities for the buyer, reflecting appetite for targeted therapies. Investors are tracking valuation alignment and regulatory pathways given the strategic overlap in RAS-targeted treatments.
The U.S. President pledged to direct representatives to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds via housing agencies to lower rates. The initiative aims to reduce borrowing costs and monthly payments by leveraging reserves at key government-sponsored entities. Housing and mortgage-adjacent equities responded pre-market, including OPEN up 9.18% at $7.02, as investors weighed affordability impacts.
CrowdStrike announced a deal to buy identity security startup SGNL for $740 million to strengthen AI-era defense tooling. Integrating continuous identity risk evaluation is intended to harden customer environments against credential-centric threats. The move advances platform breadth as autonomous agents proliferate, increasing potential attack surfaces.
Intel drew attention after the U.S. President touted a meeting with its CEO and highlighted domestic sub-2nm CPU progress. The statement emphasized resurgent U.S. chip manufacturing ambitions and suggested strategic alignment with federal priorities. Pre-market, INTC up 3.11% at $42.39, reflecting policy-sensitive sentiment tied to advanced-node capacity.
Rio Tinto confirmed preliminary talks with Glencore regarding a possible merger of some or all businesses, signaling mining consolidation. A tie-up would reshape copper and diversified mining exposure, potentially creating the largest global miner. Investors are assessing potential antitrust, asset rationalization, and copper-supply implications in a capacity-constrained market.
Chinese regulators moved to prohibit platform operators from coercing merchants into promotions, affecting major e-commerce firms. The policy seeks to temper aggressive tactics in quick-commerce competition, potentially altering discounting and margin dynamics. Pre-market, BABA down 2.27% at $150.97, as markets evaluated compliance costs and marketplace behavior changes.
Reports indicated authorities are prepared to allow limited imports of Nvidia H200 chips for select commercial uses, aiding AI progress. The development could support model training capacity for qualified enterprises and mitigate bottlenecks in high-performance compute. Pre-market, NVDA up 0.49% at $185.94, as investors weighed incremental demand visibility and supply allocations.
The U.S. President said he would not pardon FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, distancing pro-crypto policy from fraud cases. The stance underscores regulatory and legal distinctions between crypto-market development and enforcement actions. It may help clarify policy optics as digital-asset infrastructure advances alongside ongoing judicial processes.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.