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Baker Hughes on Friday reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil was unchanged at 738 this week. The figure had climbed by 9 rigs last week. The total active U.S. rig count, which includes oil and natural-gas rigs, climbed by 8 to 915, according to Baker Hughes. December West Texas Intermediate crude was up $1.24, or 2.3%, from Thursday, to $56.38 a barrel, continuing to find support from expectations that OPEC will agree to extend its production-cut pact when it meets later this month. Prices traded at $56.42 shortly before the rig data.

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has pre-ordered five Tesla trucks for its U.S. operations and 10 units for Walmart Canada, the company told MarketWatch Friday. Wal-Mart’s fleet has about 6,000 trucks in the U.S., the company said. Wal-Mart is “excited to be among the first to pilot this new heavy-duty electric vehicle. We believe we can learn how this technology performs within our supply chain, as well as how it could help us meet some of our long-term sustainability goals, such as lowering emissions,” the company said in a statement. Tesla late Thursday unveiled the heavy-duty electric truck and the stock has gained on the news, which also included unveiling a new Roadster, a reboot of the company’s first luxury sports car. Earlier Friday, transportation and trucking company J. B Hunt Transport Services Inc. said it had also placed orders for the new rig.

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Despite the weakness seen in the stock market’s benchmark indexes, exchange data suggests the market of stocks is actually rising, boosted by smaller-capitalization stocks. The number of advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by a 1,761-to-1,014 margin on the NYSE and by a 1,529-to-1,116 score on the Nasdaq. The total volume of advancing stocks was 67.5% of the total volume on the NYSE and 62.3% of the total volume on the Nasdaq. Meanwhile, among the large-cap benchmark indexes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 92 points, or 0.4%, with 20 of 30 components trading lower, and the S&P 500 fell 0.2%. But the Russell 2000 small-cap tracker climbed 0.3%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to test Tesla Inc. heavy-duty truck, according to a report Friday on CNBC quoting a statement obtained from the retailer. The pilot program is planned for the U.S. and Canada, the report said. Tesla late Thursday unveiled the all-electric semi truck, promising a range of 500 miles between charges and some autonomous capabilities. Tesla stock gained on the news, which also included unveiling a new Tesla Roadster, a reboot of the company’s first luxury sports car.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Shares of Stitch Fix Inc. rallied in their debut, a pleasant surprise after the online clothing service’s initial public offering priced well below the expected range. The online clothing service’s stock opened at $16.90 at 10:26 a.m. ET, or 12.7% above the $15 IPO price, and was recently trading up 15.0%. The IPO priced late Thursday below the expected range of $18 to $20. Stitch Fix sold 8 million shares in the IPO to raise $120 million before options granted to underwriters. Stitch Fix went public at a time when the Renaissance IPO ETF has gained 9.3% over the past three months and the S&P 500 has tacked on 6.2%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Shares of MoviePass majority owner Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. surged almost 8% Friday, after the company announced its latest offer for the movie theater subscription service. The company is offering a one-year subscription plan for $89.95, or $6.95 a month with a $6.55 processing fee. Existing MoviePass customers will get a 25% savings from their current $9.95 a month plan if they sign up, the company said in a release. The new offer will only be available for a limited time. Helios and Matheson hares have gained 305% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 15%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who opposed her party’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, said her vote on the tax legislation making its way through the upper chamber is content on passing a separate bill to stabilize the individual health insurance market. “If the Congress is going to move forward with repeal of the individual mandate, we absolutely must have the Alexander-Murray piece that is passed into law,” Murkowski said, according to Roll Call. The Senate tax bill includes a provision that would repeal the mandate to buy health insurance or face a tax.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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SailPoint Technologies Holdings Inc. shares rallied in their first day of trading Friday after the enterprise identity-management company priced its initial public offering late Thursday. SailPoint shares surged 21% to $14.46 in early trading. Late Thursday, the Austin, Texas-based company priced its IPO at $12, above the expected range of $9 to $11 a share. The company offered 14.3 million shares with private-equity firm Thoma Bravo and insiders offering another 5.7 million shares.

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Shares of diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. tumbled 4.1% in morning trade Friday toward a 2 1/2-month low, in the aftermath of Tesla Inc.’s unveiling of its new electric-powered Semi truck. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Michael Baudendistel said at Cummins’ analyst workshop ending Thursday morning–Tesla’s unveiling was after Thursday’s close–Cummins made a case that it was more than just a diesel engine company. In addition, Baudendistel said that Cummins indicated that the vehicle type that was not well suited for electrification is long-haul, over-the-road heavy duty trucks, basically what Tesla unveiled. Cummins’ stock has rallied 17% year to date, while Tesla shares have soared 51% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has run up 18%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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