5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

News of the day for March 11, 2024

Nvidia’s (NVDA) shares are rising after a sharp decline on Friday; Equitrans Midstream (ETRN) shares are surging as EQT Corp. (EQT) closes in on a $5.5 billion deal to buy back its former unit; Oracle (ORCL) is set to post fiscal third-quarter earnings after the closing bell, with a focus on its cloud segment and AI data centers; Reddit is seeking $748 million from its upcoming IPO; and Boeing (BA) shares are down after the Justice Department opened a criminal probe into its door plug blowout. Ahead of Tuesday’s crucial consumer price inflation report, U.S. equity futures are slipping, while bitcoin topped $71,000 for the first time. Here’s what investors need to know today.

1. AI Chip Giant Nvidia Gains After Friday’s Rout 

Nvidia (NVDA) shares were up 2% about two hours before Monday’s opening bell after the artificial intelligence (AI) market darling staged a dramatic intraday reversal on Friday and closing 5.6% lower. Investors have been locking in profits of the chip giant after prominent Wall Street analysts raised concerns over the stock’s lofty trading levels. The AI chipmaker’s stock, which has nearly quadrupled over the past 12 months, on Friday initially rallied to a new all-time-high of $974.00 before tumbling.

2. Equitrans Shares Surge on $5.5B All-Stock Takeover Plan by EQT 

Equitrans Midstream (ETRN) shares surged almost 10% following a Wall Street Journal report that EQT Corp. (EQT) has struck a roughly $5.5 billion deal to buy back its former unit in a bid to create a big, vertically integrated natural-gas provider. Each outstanding share of Equitrans common stock will be exchanged for 0.3504 share of EQT stock, representing a value of $12.50 per Equitrans share. Equitrans shares closed Friday at $11.15. The combined company is expected to be valued at more than $35 billion, including debt.

3. Oracle Set to Report Q3 Gains; Focus Cloud Segment, AI Data Centers

Oracle’s (ORCL) fiscal third-quarter earnings report, due after the closing bell, is expected to show that revenue and profit rose, although investors will be more focused on how sales in its cloud segment are faring amid concerns growth is slowing. Also in investors’ sights will be whether the firm’s data center expansion to meet AI demand is weighing on margins. Analysts project Oracle’s quarterly revenue to come in at $13.28 billion, up from $12.4 billion in the year-ago period, and diluted earnings per share (EPS) at $1.37, compared to $1.22 in the same period a year earlier.

4. Reddit Seeking Up To $748M From NYSE IPO 

Reddit Inc. aims to raise up to $748 million as part of its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), according to a corporate filing on Monday, valuing the social media platform at as much as $6.5 billion. The company plans a sale of 22 million shares for $31 to $34 each and has also set aside roughly 1.76 million shares for some users and moderators, known as Redditors, who want to participate in the IPO and created their user accounts before Jan. 1. Investors are closely watching Reddit’s upcoming IPO, which will be this year’s first major tech stock launch and the first social media IPO since Pinterest went public in 2019.

5. Boeing Shares Fall as Justice Department Opens Criminal Probe Into Carrier 

Boeing’s (BA) shares fell about 1% in premarket trading as the Justice Department has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX 9 blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight. Investigators have contacted some passengers and crew on the Jan. 5 flight, which made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., after a fuselage panel ripped off midair, according to The Wall Street Journal. Alaska Airlines (ALK) shares were down 0.2%.

Read the original article on Investopedia.