Let’s take a look at some of the stocks making the biggest moves during intraday trading. Chip Trends – The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) rebounded more than 2% after two days of losses as investors returned to chips. Lam Research shares rose 8%, while ASML and Applied Materials rose 6%. Intel — The stock soared nearly 10% after President Donald Trump posted a flattering message about Intel on social media following a meeting with CEO Lip Vu Thanh. “The U.S. government is proud to be a shareholder in Intel, and through its U.S. ownership, it has already made tens of billions of dollars for the American people in just four months,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. CLEVELAND-CLIFFS — The steelmaker rose nearly 6% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from equal weight to overweight. “In our view, Cleveland-Cliffs is particularly well-positioned as the only domestic producer capable of real change,” the bank said in a memo. Home Builders, Building Materials — Stocks rose after mortgage rates fell to their lowest level in nearly three years and President Trump ordered the purchase of $200 billion in mortgage bonds to further squeeze interest rates. The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) rose 5%, Builders First Source rose more than 11%, and DR Horton and Pulte Group each rose more than 6%. Home Depot’s sales rose about 4%. Lockheed Martin — The defense contractor’s stock soared 4% after Trust Co. upgraded the stock from hold to buy. The company’s new price target of $605 implies an upside of 17% from Thursday’s closing price. Defense Strategies — The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) rose 2%, with aerospace and military-related stocks rising for the second day in a row. Earlier this week, stocks rose after President Trump called for a $1.5 trillion military budget in 2027. Northop Grumman rose about 4% and L3 Harris rose 2%. Bistra, Okro — Nuclear power companies soared 11% and 9%, respectively, after signing a deal to advance Meta’s AI ambitions. Southwest Airlines — The company rose nearly 4% after JPMorgan upgraded the stock from underweight to overweight. The bank also raised its price target to $60 from $36, according to a new JPM note to clients. WD-40 — Stock price fell about 4%. Earnings per share for the first quarter were $1.28, down 8% from the same period last year. The chemical manufacturer reaffirmed its 2026 net sales growth and earnings per share outlook. General Motors — Shares fell more than 3% after General Motors, the parent company of Cadillac and Buick, announced late Thursday that it would take a $7.1 billion special charge in the fourth quarter, citing restructuring in China and weak demand for electric vehicles. GM will report fourth quarter earnings on January 27th. —CNBC’s Fred Imbert and Scott Schnipper contributed reporting.
