Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures fall after Wall Street's early 2026 rally stalls

🤖 Nvidia requires full upfront payment for H200 chips in China, sources say

Nvidia is requiring full upfront payment from Chinese customers seeking its H200 artificial intelligence chips, hedging it against ongoing uncertainty over Beijing's approval of the shipments, said two people briefed on the matter.

The U.S. chipmaker has imposed unusually stringent terms requiring full payment for orders ​with no options to cancel, ask for refunds or change configurations after placement, the people said.

In special circumstances, clients may provide commercial insurance or asset collateral as ‌an alternative to cash payment, one of the people added. Yahoo Finance reports.


🛡️ Defense shares advance pre-bell after Trump proposes $1.5 trillion military budget

Shares of defense contractors surged in Thursday's premarket activity after President Donald Trump called for a 50% increase in the US military budget.

“After the long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other political representatives, I have determined that, for the good of our country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our military budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 trillion, rather $1.5 trillion,” Trump said in a post on his TruthSocial platform late Wednesday.

Shares of Boeing rose 1% pre-bell, while Lockheed Martin jumped more than 7%. Northrop Grumman, Kratos Defense & Security, and RTX also gained 8%, 7%, and 5%, respectively. MarketScreener reports.


🥗 Kraft Heinz and Mondelez shares drop as Trump officials blast ultraprocessed foods and unveil new food pyramid

Shares in giant food companies such as Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo lost ground Wednesday as top officials in the Trump administration criticized ultraprocessed foods and sugary drinks while releasing new dietary guidelines. MarketWatch reports.


🏘️ Elme Communities shares fall 82.9% premarket

Elme Communities shares fall 82.9% premarket day after co pays out special dividend. MarketScreener reports.


🧬 Orion launches mid-stage study for cancer drug therapy

Orion has launched a phase 2 trial to evaluate its cancer treatment drug, ODM-212, in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, or other tumors.

The multicenter, open-label Teades study will focus on the drug’s safety, dose, tolerability, and efficacy in 300 participants across U.S. and European oncology centers, according to a Thursday release.

The pharmaceutical company added that it will also review ODM-212’s impact on overall response rate, as well as progression-free and overall survival. MarketScreener reports.


🔩 The world’s copper squeeze is set to intensify on AI and defense spending, S&P says

The race for artificial intelligence and surging defense spending are set to intensify a projected shortage of copper as producers struggle to expand, according to a new study by S&P Global.

Demand growth is accelerating just as mine supply faces structural limits, raising the risk that copper becomes a bottleneck for economic growth and technological expansion, S&P Global wrote Thursday in a report backed by the mining industry. Yahoo Finance reports.


🧠 Samsung’s profit triples after AI supercharges memory market

Samsung Electronics Co.’s quarterly profit more than tripled to a record high after global demand for AI servers sharply lifted memory chip prices.

South Korea’s largest company reported a preliminary operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the three months through December, up 208% and beating the average analyst estimate.

Revenue rose 23% to 93 trillion won, also a record.

Its shares rose as much as 2.5% Thursday morning in Seoul, extending a rally that’s lifted the stock 20% since the start of the year. Rival SK Hynix Inc.’s shares rose 6.2%. Yahoo Finance reports.

“Long-term success comes from separating value from popularity.”

– Hisashi Ishii

Sourced in: Japanese Value Investing Insights.

TradeZero America, Inc., a United States broker dealer, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC); TradeZero, Inc., a Bahamian broker dealer, registered with the Securities Commission of the Bahamas ; TradeZero Canada Securities ULC, a Canadian broker dealer, member firm of Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF); and TradeZero Europe B.V., a Dutch broker dealer, authorized and regulated by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) (collectively, the “TradeZero Broker Dealers”).

TradeZero Broker Dealers offer self-directed electronic securities trading to their customers. TradeZero Broker Dealers do not provide financial or trading advice and do not make investment recommendations to their customers. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security or instrument which it may reference. There is a risk of loss in online trading of securities including equities and options. Trading on margin is for experienced investors whereby the loss can be greater than your initial investment. Likewise, short selling as a securities trading strategy is extremely risky and can lead to potentially unlimited losses. Options trading is not suitable for all investors as it can involve risk that may expose investors to significant losses. Please read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options, also known as the Options Disclosure Document (ODD) at OCC.

If you have any specific questions about TradeZero's brokerage services, please reach out to the TradeZero Broker Dealer servicing your jurisdiction.