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Allurion (ALUR) stock soars on weight-loss therapy update. (00:23) Stardust Power (SDST) breaks ground on Oklahoma lithium refinery. (01:22) OpenAI (MSFT) launches shopping agent Operator; Etsy, eBay tick higher. (02:15)
This is an abridged transcript.
Allurion (NYSE:ALUR) is up 83% in premarket action after ending Thursday’s regular session 21% higher.
Allurion (NYSE:ALUR) announced plans to conduct a clinical study of its gastric balloon weight-loss product in combination with GLP-1 drugs.
The company noted that while studies have shown GLP-1 use can lead to a significant reduction in muscle mass, patients treated with the Allurion Balloon were able to maintain and even increase muscle mass.
Both Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) semaglutide and Eli Lilly’s (LLY) tirzepatide are GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs. Novo (NVO) markets semaglutide for diabetes as Ozempic and for weight-loss as Wegovy, while Lilly (LLY) markets tirzepatide for diabetes as Mounjaro and for weight-loss as Zepbound.
Other companies working on GLP-1 drugs include AstraZeneca (AZN), Amgen (AMGN), Pfizer (PFE), Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY), Altimmune (ALT), Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), Zealand (OTCPK:ZLDPF), Terns Pharmaceuticals (TERN) and Structure Therapeutics (GPCR).
Stardust Power (NASDAQ:SDST) officially broke ground on its $1.2B lithium refinery in Muskogee, Oklahoma, but shares closed -36.3%.
The project will be developed in two phases, with Phase 1 focused on constructing a production line capable of producing up to 25K metric tons/year, and Phase 2 would add a second production line, bringing the total capacity to 50K tons/year.
“Our lithium refinery will be crucial for addressing U.S. national security and supply chain risks,” Stardust (SDST) CEO Roshan Pujari said. “By onshoring critical mineral manufacturing, we are helping to sustain America’s energy leadership.”
Stardust is reversing some of Thursday’s losses. SDST is up 13 percent premarket.
If you don’t feel like making a dinner reservation yourself or even shopping for your regular items on Instacart, you don’t have to.
Microsoft-backed (NASDAQ:MSFT) OpenAI launched its first artificial intelligence agent, Operator, which is designed to help users complete various shopping tasks.
Several shopping sites ticked up, including eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) and Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY), following the announcement.
Operator uses a web browser to shop and has an interface similar to ChatGPT. It collaborates with various companies such as DoorDash (DASH), Target (TGT), Stubhub, Open Table (BKNG), Etsy, etc. Basically, it can order from nearly any type of store with a website.
Operator is available in the United States for Pro users, and other countries will soon follow.
But OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, “Europe, unfortunately, will take a while,” Altman also teased more agents in the coming weeks and months.
OpenAI said they have safeguarded Operator by not allowing it to complete harmful or high-risk tasks. It is also designed to prevent Operator from falling victim to fraudulent websites or scams.
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Now let’s take a look at the markets ahead of the opening bell. Dow, S&P and Nasdaq futures are in the red. Crude oil is up 0.3% at $74/barrel. Bitcoin is up 3.5% at $105,000.
In the world markets, the FTSE 100 is up 0.3% and the DAX is up 0.2 %.
The biggest movers for the day premarket: Shares of Texas Instruments (TXN) fell 5% after the analog chipmaker issued cautious guidance for Q1 2025, overshadowing its better-than-expected Q4 results.
On today’s economic calendar:
Editor’s Note: This article covers one or more microcap stocks. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.
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