Core Insights - Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group experienced a significant increase following the announcement of a $6 billion all-stock merger with TAE Technologies, a fusion energy company [1] Company Summary - Trump Media & Technology Group's stock surged on December 18 due to the merger announcement [1] - The merger is valued at $6 billion and is structured as an all-stock transaction [1] Industry Summary - The merger involves TAE Technologies, which operates in the fusion energy sector, indicating a strategic move towards energy innovation [1]

Market Performance - U.S. stocks experienced an upward trend, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining over 200 points on Thursday [1] - The Dow increased by 0.44% to 48,097.08, while the NASDAQ rose by 1.08% to 22,938.56, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.76% to 6,772.76 [1] Sector Performance - Consumer discretionary shares rose by 2% on Thursday, indicating strong performance in that sector [1] - Conversely, energy stocks fell by 0.5% during the same trading session [1] Inflation and Economic Indicators - U.S. inflation showed a greater-than-expected decline in November, with the Consumer Price Index rising by 2.7% year over year, down from 3% in September and below the expected 3.1% [2] - The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index dropped by 8.5 points to -10.2 in December, missing market estimates [10] - Initial jobless claims decreased by 13,000 to 224,000 for the week ending December 13 [10] Commodity Prices - Oil prices increased by 1% to $56.47, while gold prices decreased by 0.2% to $4,365.60 [5] - Silver prices fell by 1.9% to $65.640, while copper prices rose by 0.1% to $5.4360 [5] Company-Specific Movements - Athira Pharma Inc shares surged by 84% to $7.62 following an agreement to acquire rights for lasofoxifene [8] - Trump Media & Technology Group Corp shares rose by 29% to $13.47 after signing a merger agreement with TAE Technologies [8] - FuelCell Energy Inc shares increased by 32% to $10.47 after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter results [8] - Insmed Inc shares dropped by 16% to $166.17 after failing to meet efficacy endpoints in a clinical study [8] - Pyxis Oncology Inc shares fell by 55% to $1.52 following preliminary data from clinical studies [8] - Actelis Networks Inc shares decreased by 47% to $0.59 after announcing a public offering [8] International Market Performance - European shares were generally higher, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 gaining 0.56% and Spain's IBEX 35 Index rising by 0.60% [6] - Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei falling by 1.03% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gaining 0.12% [9]