Stock index futures were higher on Wednesday, helped by growing optimism that the U.S. government shutdown will end soon. Here are four stocks to watch on the day:
IBM (IBM) was up 2.1% in premarket trade after it said that it is on a path to deliver quantum advantage by the end of next year and fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029. In addition, the Armonk, N.Y.-based company showed off a new quantum processor, Quantum Nighthawk. Nighthawk is capable of delivering 30% more complex circuits and is expected to come to users by the end of the year.
Class C shares of Alphabet (GOOG) were up 0.7% before the opening bell even as Google was accused in a lawsuit of using its Gemini AI assistant to unlawfully track the private communications of users of its Gmail, instant messaging, and videoconference programs. In October, the company “secretly” turned on Gemini for all those applications, enabling it to collect private data “without the users’ knowledge or consent.”
Eli Lilly (LLY) rose 0.9% in premarket trade as it said that it is exiting CVS Health’s (CVS) drug benefit plan for its employees after the managed care giant decided to limit access to the company’s popular weight loss drug, Zepbound, in favor of Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) rival drug, Wegovy, earlier this year. Employees under Lilly’s (LLY) medical plan will be automatically switched to a pharmacy benefit coverage offered through Rightway, a privately held pharmacy benefit manager, effective Jan. 1.
Circle Internet (CRCL) dropped 3.8% before the opening bell even after it turned in better-than-expected Q3 top and bottom lines and now expects its full-year revenue less distribution cost margin to be at the high end of its previous guidance range. The stablecoin technology company, though, also expects its operating expenses to rise from its previous outlook.