Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. J.B. Hunt Transport Services – Shares fell more than 7% after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings came in weaker than expected. J.B. Hunt earned $1.53 per share, below the LSEG consensus estimate of $1.61 per share. Meanwhile, revenue for the period came in line with expectations at $3.15 billion. Qorvo – The stock rose more than 7% after The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that activist investor Starboard Value has built a 7.7% stake in the company and is looking to make changes to boost the company’s share price. MoonLake Immunotherapeutics – The biotech stock jumped more than 4% after receiving an upgrade to buy from neutral at Goldman Sachs. The firm cited the anticipation of positive phase 3 trial data for its treatment of a chronic skin condition known as hidradenitis suppurativa. Fastenal – Shares dropped more than 4% after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue missed Wall Street’s expectations. Fastenal earned 46 cents per share on revenue of $1.82 billion, while analysts polled by FactSet were expecting 48 cents per share on $1.84 billion in revenue. Life360 – The location-sharing app’s stock moved more than 3% higher after UBS upgraded it to buy from neutral , citing more confidence in the company’s midterm ad revenue opportunity as a catalyst. Rivian Automotive – The electric vehicle maker’s stock rose 2.6% after the company finalized a loan agreement with the Department of Energy for up to $6.6 billion to help build a new manufacturing site in Georgia. Construction is set to begin in 2026 with the production of customer vehicles expected to happen in 2028, according to the Thursday press release. Apple – The iPhone maker gained nearly 1%, clawing back some of the losses seen in the previous session. On Thursday, Apple shares fell around 4%, experiencing its worst day since August, on the backs of reports of lackluster iPhone sales in China . Lam Research , Applied Materials – The semiconductor equipment stocks rose about 2% after KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded both to overweight from sector weight. The investment firm said Lam Research and Applied Materials have exposure to AI-related devices which should help push their shares higher. Salesforce – The stock advanced 2% after a TD Cowen upgraded shares to buy from hold. The firm said its recent pullback has created a “compelling entry point” for investors. Cloudflare – Shares popped 3.5% on the heels of Citi’s upgrade to buy. Citi said it has improved confidence on the cloud stock’s fundamentals and growth potential. — CNBC’s Alex Harring, Jesse Pound, Sarah Min, and Pia Singh contributed reporting.
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Crypto stocks – Stocks tied to crypto prices jumped amid reports that President-elect Donald Trump could release an executive order making crypto a national priority as soon as the first day of his new term. Shares of crypto exchange operators Coinbase and Robinhood advanced 4.5% and 6%, respectively. Trading activity in small cap cryptocurrencies benefits trading platforms. Bitcoin proxies MicroStrategy and Mara Holdings gained 6% and 10%, respectively. Novo Nordisk — Shares slipped 5% after the company’s semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in the its diabetes drugs Ozempic and Rybelsus and its obesity treatment Wegovy, landed on a list of drugs that will be included in Medicare’s next round of price negotiations . Qorvo – Shares gained more than 12% after activist investor Starboard Value disclosed a 7.7% stake in Qorvo and is seeking changes to improve the company’s share price. Vistra — The energy company’s stock shed 1.9% after a major fire erupted at its battery-storage facility in Northern California and led to the evacuation of nearby residents. MoonLake Immunotherapeutics — The biopharma stock added 4% following an upgrade to buy from neutral at Goldman Sachs. Analyst Richard Law said that the company’s experimental treatment for a chronic skin condition, SLK, could “potentially deliver best-in-class results.” Lam Research , Applied Materials — The semiconductor equipment stocks rose 1.3% and 2.2%, respectively, after KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded both companies to overweight from sector weight. Lam Research and Applied Materials have exposure to artificial intelligence-related devices that should lead their stocks higher, the firm said. J.B. Hunt — The transport stock fell 6% after a fourth-quarter earnings miss. J.B. Hunt generated $1.53 in earnings per share, while analysts surveyed by LSEG were looking for $1.61. The company reported that revenue declined year over year in each of its major business segments. Fastenal — Shares of the fastener distributor added 1% even though the company missed fourth-quarter expectations due to ongoing manufacturing-related challenges. Fastenal earned 46 cents per share on revenue of $1.82 billion, while analysts polled by FactSet were expecting 48 cents per share on $1.84 billion in revenue. The company did see higher unit sales during the quarter amid growth at locations opened in the past two years. Life360 — The location-sharing app’s stock rallied 8% after UBS upgraded it to buy from neutral , citing more confidence in the company’s midterm ad revenue opportunity. Intel — Shares of the chipmaker popped by 8% as the beaten-up chipmaker continues to be a part of takeover speculation following the departure of its CEO in December. The stock, which was booted from the Dow in November, is still down more than 50% in the last 12 months. — CNBC’s Alex Harring, Sean Conlon, Jesse Pound, Tanaya Macheel, Samantha Subin, Lisa Han and Michelle Fox contributed reporting.
Capital One said an unspecified technical issue was hampering customer account access Thursday, as some users reported issues with direct deposits.
In response to complaints on social media platform X, a Capital One representative said the bank was experiencing a “tech outage” that was affecting “a variety of functions,” with no timetable for a restoration of services.
Just before noon Thursday, the company released an official statement about the problem.
“We are experiencing a technical issue with a third-party vendor that is temporarily impacting some account services, deposits, and payment processing for portions of our consumer, small business, and commercial bank,” it said.
Late Thursday, the vendor, Fidelity Information Services (FIS) released a statement saying it was working to restore applications affected by a local area power outage at one of its data centers. An FIS spokesperson did not respond to multiple follow-up questions.
According to Downdetector.com, which tracks reports of user complaints about digital services, the issues began around 6 a.m. ET, with some 2,000 reports observed.
The site indicated the frequency of reports had started leveling off around 9 a.m. ET, but by 4 p.m., there had still not been a significant reduction in complaints registered.
The issues at Capital One come a day after Citibank acknowledged a problem affecting customers’ ability to access their accounts from mobile devices, as well as an apparent issue related to fraud alerts. While the mobile access issue appeared to have been resolved, a Citi rep said on X on Thursday it was still working to fix the fraud-alert item.
Bitcoin should rip higher under President-elect Donald Trump, according to BlackRock’s ETF chief.
Samara Cohen, the firm’s ETF and index instruments chief investment officer, thinks cryptocurrency deregulation will “absolutely” propel bitcoin to another historic year.
“There will be progress made on… FIT21 [“Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act.] There will be progress made on stable coins. There will be progress made just on definitions in taxonomy,” she told CNBC’s “ETF Edge” this week.
“Bitcoin is a risky asset. So, 15% in the context of Bitcoin is not an enormous move. Investors should expect volatility,” said Cohen. “But in the long term, the price of bitcoin is really going to be determined by the level and pace of adoption.”
On Monday, BlackRock announced the official launch of its iShares Bitcoin ETF on CBOE Canada.
And, it’s not the only firm making an early year push deeper into cryptocurrency. Calamos Investments plans to launch its Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF next Wednesday – two days after Trump’s inauguration. According to the press release, it’s the “world’s first 100% downside protected bitcoin ETF.”