Wall Street’s main indices finished in the green territory on Friday amid a series of catalysts buoying investor appetite.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.80 percent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rallied by 1.26 percent and 1.77 percent, respectively.
Eleven companies—predominantly in the technology, energy, and aviation sectors—posted notable gains. Here is why:
To come up with Friday’s top advancers, we considered only the stocks with at least $2 billion in market capitalization and $5 million in daily trading volume.
Stock market data. Photo by Photo by Alesia Kozik
11. Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Shares of Nvidia Corp. rallied for a second day on Friday, up by 4.45 percent or 6.16 points to close at $144.47 apiece.
Analysts said investors snapped up shares of the company ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 from January 7 to 10 in Las Vegas.
Artificial intelligence is expected to be the key theme at the show, and Nvidia founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang is expected to introduce AI chips, including desktop graphics processing units.
Nvidia has been the go-to provider of powerful server processors for AI applications since the current generative AI craze started in November 2022 with the release of the ChatGPT chatbot from OpenAI.
10. TeraWulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF)
Bitcoin miner TeraWulf Inc. saw its stock price by 13.92 percent or 0.76 points to close this week’s trading at $6.22 apiece after the price of Bitcoin broke past the $97,000 mark, as it tries to gun its way to the $100,000 resistance level.
According to analysts, investors bought up shares of TeraWulf (WULF) and other Bitcoin mining companies as traders await more updates and developments on the cryptocurrency under the incoming presidency of Donald Trump.
The Trump family, through son Eric, already signaled earlier that the incoming administration will embrace cryptocurrency, a business sector in which the Trump family is directly invested.
The statement warmly welcomed investors, sending share prices of Bitcoin miners —including TeraWulf—rallying over the past few months.
9. CleanSpark Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSK)
Shares of CleanSpark rose for a second day on Friday, adding 14.29 percent or 1.35 points to close at $10.80 apiece as investors welcomed news of higher Bitcoin prices.
On Friday, prices of Bitcoin cracked past the $97,000 territory as the cryptocurrency tried to retest its $100,000 resistance level.
Bullish analysts also buoyed investor sentiment comments on Bitcoin miners such as CleanSpark (CLSK) as they are poised to capitalize on three key themes this year: higher yields, high-performance computing, and favorable regulatory shifts—all of which may drive growth and further spark investor interest.
CleanSpark also earned a “hold” rating from Zack Research over its growth prospects despite projecting a loss of $0.09 per share.
CleanSpark is a Bitcoin miner that owns sustainable data centers powered by low-carbon energy sources.
8. MARA Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA)
Shares of MARA Holdings (MARA) rose for a second day on Friday, rallying by 14.12 percent or 2.43 points to close at $19.64 each.
Similar to TeraWulf and CleanSpark, shares in MARA Holdings—a Bitcoin mining company—were buoyed by higher Bitcoin prices.
On Friday, prices of Bitcoin cracked past the $97,000 territory as the cryptocurrency tried to retest its $100,000 resistance level.
Investor sentiment was also buoyed by news that the company surpassed its annual hash rate target by an impressive 168 percent after reporting a solid month of Bitcoin production. In December alone, MARA achieved a record-breaking 53.2 exahashes per second (EH/s), surpassing its 50 EH/s target.
According to the company, the achievement represented a 15 percent improvement from the previous month, boosted by increased investment in mining equipment.
7. RocketLab USA Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB)
Shares of RocketLab rallied by 15.14 percent on Friday, adding 3.78 points to close at $28.74 apiece.
Excitements around space exploration are bolstering the company’s shares performance, especially after announcing its 16th successful rocket launch last month, a 60 percent improvement over the 10 rocket launches posted in 2023.
Prospects are even brighter for the company this year after its chief executive officer, Peter Beck, said that the company will increase its launch cadence in the new year.
Beyond rocket launch services, the company also continued expanding its space systems division, manufacturing critical satellite components and spacecraft for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other customers.
The development of its larger Neutron rocket is also expected to open new market opportunities.
6. NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR)
Shares of NuScale Power Corporation rallied by 17.73 percent on Friday, adding 3.14 points to finish at $20.85 each following news that the company raised $227.7 million from the sale of warrants.
In addition, the company, alongside other energy firms, rose following the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service’s revised rules for hydrogen production tax credits that address several key issues to help grow the industry and move projects forward.
The final rules clarify how producers of hydrogen, including those using electricity from various sources, natural gas with carbon capture, renewable natural gas (RNG), and coal mine methane can determine eligibility for the credit. To qualify for the full credit, projects must also meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship standards, continuing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to putting workers at the center of the clean energy economy and ensuring clean energy jobs are good-paying jobs.
5. Riot Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:RIOT)
Shares of Riot Platforms grew 17.97 percent on Friday, adding 1.88 points to finish at $12.34 apiece following news that Bitcoin broke past the $97,000 mark. Riot—a Bitcoin mining company—recently bought worth $510 million of the cryptocurrency last month, bringing its total ownership in Bitcoin to $1.8 billion as of December 16.
In other news, Defiance ETFs unveiled the first 2X long ETF. Called RIOX, it seeks to provide 200 percent long daily targeted exposure to Riot Platforms and provide leveraged exposure to disruptive companies without the need for a margin account.
“RIOX offers investors a unique opportunity to amplify their exposure to the rapidly evolving blockchain and cryptocurrency mining sector. Riot Platforms has positioned itself as a leader in Bitcoin mining, not only by capitalizing on the growing demand for decentralized digital assets and infrastructure but also by strategically adding Bitcoin to its balance sheet…further reinforcing its commitment to the crypto ecosystem,” said Defiance ETF CEO Sylvia Jablonski.
4. Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR)
Archer Aviation rallied by more than 20 percent anew on Friday, adding 1.94 points to close at $11.51 apiece following news that the US could restrict Chinese drones which would favor US companies like Archer.
On Thursday, the US Commerce Department said it was mulling over banning Chinese drones in the country over national security issues.
According to the department, threats from China and Russia “may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive US data.”
The final decision to write new rules restricting or banning Chinese drones will be made by the incoming Donald Trump administration, which takes over on January 20.
In September last year, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that she was considering imposing restrictions on China-made drones similar to those that would effectively ban Chinese vehicles from the US.
Raimondo said her department would focus on drones with Chinese and Russian equipment, chips, and software.
3. Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY)
Recent pronouncements from the US Commerce Department mulling over banning Chinese drones sent Joby Aviation’s share prices jumping by 20.77 percent on Friday to end at $9.77 apiece.
Similar to Archer Aviation, investor sentiment was buoyed by pronouncements of banning Chinese drones as it would favor US companies like Joby Aviation.
In addition, analysts said the company was benefitting from a strong interest in the future of urban air mobility.
Over the past year, the company has already seen more than 63 percent increase in share prices, signaling a strong market belief in the company’s growth potential and its strategic position within the burgeoning industry of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
According to Joby, it plans to conduct its first initial flight in Dubai in the first half of 2025, with full commercial operations targeted in the second half of next year.
2. Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO)
Shares of Oklo Inc. rose for a second day on Friday, alongside other nuclear and energy stocks, following news that portions of nuclear power plants would be eligible for tax credits to support clean hydrogen production.
The tax credits are expected to help prevent the closure of reactors by making it financially viable for plants to produce clean hydrogen.
The new tax credits, which were announced on Thursday, aimed to address several key issues to help grow the industry and move projects forward.
The final rules clarify how producers of hydrogen, including those using electricity from various sources, natural gas with carbon capture, renewable natural gas (RNG), and coal mine methane can determine eligibility for the credit. To qualify for the full credit, projects must also meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship standards, continuing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to putting workers at the center of the clean energy economy and ensuring clean energy jobs are good-paying jobs.
1. Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN)
Shares of Rivian Automotive Inc. rallied by 24 percent on Friday, finishing the trading week with an additional 3.24 points at $16.49 each after recording better-than-expected vehicle deliveries.
According to the company, it produced 12,727 vehicles at its plant in Normal, Illinois in the fourth quarter of the year and a total of 49,476 units for the full year. Deliveries were even better at 14,183 for the fourth quarter alone and 51,579 units for the full year 2024.
Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts earlier expected the company to deliver closer to 13,400 electric vehicles for the period and 51,000 for the entire year.
Last month, the company also sealed a deal with Volkswagen for the creation of a $5.8 billion joint venture company called “Rivian and VW Group Technology.” The new company will focus on developing an electrical and electronic architecture and software for electric vehicles that each automaker will utilize.
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