^{_{Welcome to the TraderTV Live Morning Research Note. Here's what's making major moves in the market today.}}

0830 - Export prices m/m for September: Expected -0.4%; Prior -0.7%
0830 - Import prices m/m for September: Expected -0.3%; Prior -0.3%

Semiconductors

+0.55%

On watch as a group after trading sharply lower on Tuesday, led by a 16% drop in US-listed shares of ASML. The company accidentally released its third-quarter earnings early, revealing a lowered 2025 sales forecast. The revision was attributed to slower recovery in key market segments despite AI growth. ASML is still trading lower premarket, though other chip stocks like Nvidia and AMD are trading marginally higher.

ASML, NVDA, AMD, QCOM, MRVL, MU, AVGO, ARM, AMAT, LRCX

Crypto Stocks

+2.04%

Trading higher as a group, mirroring strength in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin was trading just below $68,000 as of Wednesday morning, building off of a push into $67,000 on Tuesday, while Ethereum was well above the $2,600 level.

COIN, MARA, MSTR, IBIT, ETHE, RIOT, HUT, CLSK, IREN

Trump Media & Technology (DJT)

+4.84%

Trading sharply higher premarket following a volatile trading session on Tuesday, during which the stock initially gapped up and ended up closing nearly 10% lower. The sudden afternoon drop coincided with the conclusion of a live Blomberg interview with Donald Trump, the company’s largest shareholder and the Republican presidential candidate, as well as reports that Trump’s crypto token did not sell as well as planned amid issues with its website.

Tesla Inc (TSLA)

+0.56%

The company has received approval to begin the first stage of its Berlin gigafactory expansion despite local protests over environmental concerns, as reported by Reuters. The expansion includes infrastructure for storage, a battery cell test lab, and logistics, as Tesla faces a drop in new car registrations in Europe and lower-than-expected deliveries globally. Additionally, Tesla’s Model Y, Model 3, and Cybertruck were the top three best-selling EV models during Q3 2024, according estimates released by automotive research group Kelley Blue Book

Intel Corp (INTC)

-1.50%

Trading lower premarket after the Cyber Security Association of China called for a thorough review of the company’s products. The agent cited recurring cybersecurity vulnerabilities like GhostRace and Indirector, criticizing the company’s "irresponsible" handling of security flaws. The group also accused Intel of using remote management features to surveil users and install backdoors, posing threats to China’s national security, and expressed concerns over Intel's actions despite significant profits from the Chinese market.

Chinese ADRs

+0.35%

Chinese stocks trading overseas are approaching correction territory as disappointment grew over the slow pace of stimulus implementation, with the CSI 300 Index down nearly 10% from its October 8 peak. Optimism sparked by earlier central bank measures has faded as Beijing delayed outlining a more robust fiscal spending plan, fueling skepticism about its commitment to bolstering the economy. Separately, Alibaba's international division launched an upgraded AI-driven translation tool, Marco MT, which it claims outperforms competitors like Google's, DeepL's, and ChatGPT's offerings. The tool, supporting 15 languages, is designed to help merchants on Alibaba's platform create localized product pages.

BABA, BIDU, BILI, PDD, JD, LI, XPEV, ZK, NIO, KWEB, FXI

Morgan Stanley (MS)

+2.87%

Trading higher premarket following its Q3 2024 earnings report. The company report adjusted earnings of $1.88 per share and sales of $15.38 billion, exceeding expectations of $1.58 and $14.41 billion, respectively. CEO Ted Pick highlighted the firm’s emphasis on “durable growth” and shareholder value.

United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL)

+1.34%

Trading higher premarket after its earnings report, with adjusted earnings of $3.33 per share and sales of $14.843 billion beating estimates of $3.13 and $14.783 billion, respectively. However, the company’s Q4 adjusted earnings guidance of $2.50 to $3.00 per share missed estimates of $3.17. United also announced a $1.5 billion share buyback program.

Lithium Americas Corp (LAC)

+22.47%

The company announced an agreement with General Motors to form a joint venture for funding, developing, and operating the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada. The joint venture includes $625 million in cash and letters of credit from GM, along with a $2.3 billion conditional loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy. Lithium Americas has a short float of approximately 13.4%.

Smallcap Runners

+68.24%

Several smallcap stocks are trading sharply higher premarket in the aftermath of a two-day, catalyst-free rally for Bright Minds Biosciences (DRUG), which was up more than 1000% at its highs on Tuesday. Santech Holdings (STEC), Versus Systems (VS), and Biodexa Pharmaceuticals (BDRX) are all gapping up by more than 100% as of 8:00 AM on Wednesday; Versus announced a $2.5 million investment and licensing deal with ASPIS, while Biodex has regained Nasdaq compliance.

STEC, VS, BDRX