Pre-Bell | US Futures Edge Lower; Intel Falls 4%; Nike, Novo Nordisk up 2%; UiPath Rallies 8%; Dynavax Soars 38%

01 Stock Market

As of Dec 23, U.S. stock index futures are modestly lower ahead of the open. Dow Jones futures fell 0.08%, S&P 500 futures slipped 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.09%. The tone suggests a cautious start as investors weigh large-cap tech softness against pockets of strength in healthcare and select growth names. Moves remain measured, with the incremental dip in futures indicating light positioning adjustments rather than broad risk-off sentiment.

Notable pre-market movers are mixed, with healthcare and software showing strength while select megacaps ease. Standouts include Dynavax (DVAX) up 37.65% at $15.32. UiPath (PATH) up 8.33% at $17.29. Nike (NKE) up 2.34% at $58.68. Novo Nordisk (NVO) up 2.09% at $52.69. AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) up 2.35% at $87.68. Large-cap tech is mixed: Tesla (TSLA) up 0.14% at $486.23; Alphabet (GOOG) up 0.37% at $316.84; Amazon (AMZN) up 0.12% at $232.43; Micron (MU) up 0.12% at $276.60; Broadcom (AVGO) up 0.16% at $349.87. On the downside, Intel (INTC) fell 4.13% at $34.85; NVIDIA (NVDA) fell 0.53% at $188.21; Apple (AAPL) fell 0.14% at $271.98; Meta (META) fell 0.35% at $662.60; Oracle (ORCL) fell 0.47% at $194.42; Coinbase (COIN) fell 0.81% at $240.34.

Chinese ADRs and thematic ETFs show a mixed early tone, while precious metals proxies firm. Among ADRs, TSMC (TSM) up 0.42% at $298.20; PDD (PDD) up 0.51% at $112.63; Baidu (BIDU) fell 0.02% at $123.80; Alibaba (BABA) fell 0.40% at $150.63; JD.com (JD) fell 0.14% at $29.04; XPeng (XPEV) fell 0.36% at $19.63; NIO (NIO) flat at $4.89. Metals-linked funds gained: iShares Silver Trust (SLV) up 0.71% at $65.30; ProShares Ultra Silver (AGQ) up 1.22% at $168.01. Crypto exposure eased with Coinbase (COIN) fell 0.81% at $240.34 and MicroStrategy (MSTR) fell 0.18% at $157.59, reflecting softer digital-asset sentiment in early trade.

02 Other Markets

Other cross-asset indicators imply a cautious but orderly backdrop.

• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.29%, to 4.16%.

• U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.03% to 97.87.

• WTI crude oil futures rose 0.45% to 58.64 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures rose 0.24% to 4516.30 USD/ounce.

03 Key News

NVIDIA Did Test Intel’s 18A Process, But Reportedly Stopped Moving Forward, Suggesting No Foundry Deal From the AI Giant for Now

NVIDIA had reportedly tested Intel's 18A chips following their $5 billion 'mega-deal,' according to a new report, but the sampling didn't yield decisive results for the foundry division.

Nike Gains After Apple's Tim Cook Buys the Dip

Nike rallied in early trading on Wednesday after disclosing a new round of insider buying of the company's stock.

Independent director Tim Cook bought 50,000 shares at $58.97, worth approximately $2.95 million, on December 22. Cook currently serves as lead independent director and chair of the board's compensation committee. He is a longtime executive of Apple (AAPL) and the current CEO of the tech giant.

Waymo to Update Software After San Francisco Power Outage Snarls Self-Driving Vehicles

Alphabet unit Waymo said on Tuesday it will update software used to operate its self-driving vehicles and improve its emergency response protocols after its robotaxis stalled in parts of San Francisco on Saturday due to a widespread power outage that snarled traffic and gridlocked parts of the city.

Waymo paused service Saturday evening following a fire at a PG&E substation that knocked out power to roughly one-third of the city, affecting about 130,000 residents and forcing some businesses to close temporarily.

Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.