AMC, Bitcoin, Lordstown, Merck: What to Watch When the Stock Market Opens Today

Futures are down, putting the S&P 500 on track for its worst week in almost a year. Here’s what we’re watching ahead of Friday’s market open.

  • Theater chain and meme stock favorite AMC Entertainment AMC 7.09% rose 2.3% premarket after announcing the repurchase of debt securities that lowered its overall interest costs.
  • Cryptocurrencies were broadly on the rise Friday. Bitcoin’s price jumped nearly 10% on from its 5 p.m. ET level on Thursday. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase COIN 0.98% Global’s shares gained 5.6% premarket.
  • Lordstown Motors RIDE 8.42% climbed 4.4% ahead of the bell. The electric-truck maker plans to sell its factory in Ohio to contract assembler Foxconn, marking a major pivot for the cash-strapped startup as it works to bring its first pickup to market.

Lordstown Motors’ employees show a section of the assembly process of the Endurance truck inside their factory in Lordstown, Oh.., on June 22, 2021.

Photo: Nate Smallwood for The Wall Street Journal

Chart of the Day
  • A niche corner of the cloud software market that helps companies connect with customers has produced some impressive returns for investors. Skyrocketing share prices are helping fuel a deal frenzy in the space.

Write to James Willhite at james.willhite@wsj.com

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