4 stocks to watch on Friday: Adobe, Microsoft and more
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Wall Street's major averages closed with a jump of more than 1% each the previous day, and stock index futures on Friday pointed to an extension of those gains. Investors have shrugged off the Federal Reserve's signal of further rate hikes and have instead upped their bets that the central bank would have to end its tightening cycle sooner rather than later. Here are some stocks to watch on Friday:

Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) shares were nearly 5% higher in pre-market trading, after the design software maker reported a beat-and-raise Q2. Analysts were also positive on the monetization potential of the company's Firefly AI tools and the prospects from generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking of AI, Microsoft (MSFT) closed at a record high on Thursday, and was inching higher ahead of the opening bell. The Satya Nadella-led firm became the third mega-cap technology name to scale new highs this year, after Apple (AAPL) and NVIDIA (NVDA). Microsoft (MSFT) is seen as a front-runner in the adoption of AI after its massive investment in OpenAI, which runs ChatGPT.
Nikola (NKLA) along with several other electric vehicle (EV) names such as Lordstown Motors (RIDE) and NIO (NIO) made strong gains in pre-market trading, as positive sentiment around the EV and EV charging sector continues to drive a rally.
Nucor (NUE) on Thursday issued Q2 earnings per share guidance of $5.45 to $5.55, which was above consensus but well below the record $9.67 per share the steel giant earned in the same period a year ago. The company expects improvement in earnings from its steel mills and raw materials segments.

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