Check out the companies making the biggest pre-market moves: McCormick — Shares rose more than 3% after Unilever confirmed it was in talks with the spice maker over a possible merger between Unilever Foods and McCormick. If the deal goes through, it would include “an upfront cash payment of approximately US$15.7 billion and a significant consideration in McCormick shares. Upon completion, Unilever and its shareholders are expected to own 65% of the combined company,” according to a Unilever news release. Diageo — The spirits giant rose nearly 3% after Deutsche Bank upgraded it from hold to buy. The bank said “structural and cyclical headwinds” such as weaker alcohol sales were already priced into the stock price. Amphenol — The system sensor and antenna maker rose more than 2% following an upgrade from Hold to Buy at Jefferies. Analysts at the bank pointed to strong order growth and solid margins for rating changes. Big Tech — The group rose along with the broader market following reports that President Donald Trump is seeking to end the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Metaplatforms and Microsoft each rose more than 1%. Nvidia and Apple rose 0.9% and 0.6%, respectively. The names of the four have been lowered since the conflict began.
