Stocks aim to stay hot after Monday rally 🔥

Stocks opened the trading week on a high note, with most U.S. benchmarks rallying by a point or more.

The Dow underperformed thanks to a sell-off in shares of Boeing [BA].

Futures are down in early morning trading. Dow and S&P 500 contracts are both showing a 0.3% decline.

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🇯🇵 Japanese Stocks Flirt with 34-Year Highs
Japan's premier stock index, the Nikkei Stock Average, reached a milestone not seen in almost 34 years, closing at 33,763.18 on Tuesday.

The surge in Japanese stocks mirrors the recent upswing experienced by U.S. tech giants.

🔮 Bullish Outlook
Strategist Masahiro Ichikawa from Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management anticipates the Nikkei could climb as high as 36,000 by the end of the year.

His seemingly optimistic forecast hinges on two key factors:

🏢 Governance is Good?
The ongoing improvements in corporate governance practices have been a significant factor in bolstering Tokyo shares since last year.

These reforms could help the Tokyo stock exchange maintain its momentum as we advance into 2024.

📢 Upcoming TSE Announcement:
The Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to release a list of companies that are transparent about their corporate governance efforts next Monday.

This initiative aims to encourage better governance practices by spotlighting firms that fall short in this area.

The ascent of Japanese stocks to such impressive heights not only reflects the current positive sentiment in the market but also underscores the broader economic and corporate governance advancements in Japan.

Juniper [JNPR] - Last Close: $30.22

Rumors of a possible acquisition by Hewlett Packard Enterprise [HPE] have triggered a big rally in shares of this mid-cap IT stock.

Hewlett Packard is reportedly nearing a $13 billion deal to acquire the company, and a deal could be announced as early as this week.

As of this time, neither company has responded to requests for comment.

JNPR is the top mover in the S&P 500 with a 23.6% gain on nearly 1 million shares traded in the premarket.

My Take: “Buy the rumor, sell the news” strikes again. Unfortunately, this bump may have taken some upside off the table for traders hoping to make a play on the official merger announcement.

Match Group [MTCH] - Last Close: $37.89

The online dating giant is charging higher after the Wall Street Journal reported Elliott Management has taken a $1 billion stake in the company.

According to the exclusive report, Elliott intends to work with Match to find ways to turnaround the company’s performance.

News of the activist hedge fund’s interest in the company rallied shares to a 13.7% gain with nearly 400K shares traded thus far.

My Take: MTCH has been trending higher since its last downturn bottomed out in early November. Today’s rally could help it break through resistance at the $45 mark.

Seres Therapeutics [MCRB] - Last Close: $1.56

An early-morning clinical update is boosting this tiny biotech to big gains.

Seres announced the FDA had granted a fast-track designation for SER-155, and provided new details on its recent commercial launch of VOWST™.

The company also said it plans to release data from the second cohort of the SER-155 Phase 1b trial sometime in the third quarter.

Seres also announced it will give a presentation tomorrow at the 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

MCRB is a top mover with a 37.1% gain on 8.5 million shares traded in the premarket.

My Take: MCRB is beginning to show signs of life after a trading sideways for several months. Tomorrow’s conference presentation could provide another catalyst for the stock, and its 17.28% short rate (as of Dec. 15th) could set up a short squeeze if the conditions are right.

Precision BioSciences [DTIL] - Last Close: $0.3980

This tiny biotech is breaking out after announcing a $17.5 million gene editing deal with TG Therapeutics [TGTX] early this morning.

Under the terms of the deal, TG Therapeutics receives an exclusive license to develop Azercabtagene Zapreleucel for autoimmune diseases, and other indications outside of cancer.

In exchange, Precision Bio gets a $17.5 million payment, plus potential milestones payments that could total as much as $288 million.

DTIL is one of this morning’s most active stocks, with nearly 8 million shares traded, and it’s up 16.1%.

My Take: DTIL has been very volatile over the past few months, but its trading range has narrowed as of late. Today’s rally could help it break out, but watch for resistance at the 55-cents mark.

Gainers
Sentage Holdings [SNTG] >> +99.5%
BT Brands [BTBD] >> +46.2%
Syra Health [SYRA] >> +26.4%
Decliners
Eco Wave [WAVE] >> (36.3%)
Grifols SA ADR [GRFS] >> (37.9%)
Spectaire [SPEC] >> (14.1%)