Stocks to Watch Monday, Oct. 19: Exascale Labs, Huize, Upland Software, Alaunos, JBDI Holdings
By Tech & Money Press | Pre-market watchlist for Monday, October 19, 2026
Market Setup
Tech had a rough week. On Friday the Nasdaq fell 2.1% to 26,140 and the S&P 500 lost 1.1% to 7,659, while the Russell 2000 dropped 1.7% and the Dow slipped 0.3%. For the week, the Nasdaq lost about 4.5%, snapping a four-week winning streak, and the S&P 500 fell about 2%. The Dow still managed a weekly gain of 0.7%. AI-linked names led the selling again, with CoreWeave down about 12% on Friday, while energy was the best sector as WTI crude climbed 3.4% to $101.35 and Brent rose to $109.55.
The macro backdrop is still tight. Last week’s hot CPI and PPI readings pushed the 10-year Treasury yield as high as 5.33% before it eased back to around 5.09%. Traders are pricing a small chance of a Fed hike at the late-October meeting and a high chance by December. There is no major U.S. economic data on Monday. Fifth Third (FITB) reports before the bell, and Steel Dynamics (STLD), W.R. Berkley (WRB), Crown Holdings (CCK) and AGNC report after the close. The bigger tests come later in the week with Netflix on Tuesday and Tesla and Meta on Wednesday.
Even with the indexes under pressure, low-priced momentum names stayed active. Our five names for Monday all closed Friday between $1.73 and $2.63 and traded several times their normal volume.
1. Exascale Labs (XLAB) — Volume explosion off the lows
Close: $2.35 (+72.8%) | Day range: $1.75–$3.84 | Volume: ~171.6M (about 7x its 10-day average) | After hours: ~$2.14
Exascale Labs ran for a second straight day. Thursday it jumped about 50% (from $0.91 to $1.36) on 16M shares after weeks of steady selling. Friday it opened at $1.85, spiked as high as $3.84 and then gave back more than 40% from the high to close at $2.35. Trading-news coverage tied the move to optimism around its AI infrastructure business, but we couldn’t confirm a specific company announcement or filing behind it. The same coverage points to a thin balance sheet, with roughly $4.2 million in cash and negative stockholders’ equity, which raises the risk of a stock offering after a run like this.
Our Take: The long upper wick shows a lot of supply above $3. For a continuation, we’d want to see it hold above the after-hours level (~$2.14) and Friday’s low ($1.75), then reclaim $2.50. The next big level is the Sep. 24 high near $3.07, followed by Friday’s $3.84 high. A break below $1.75 would suggest the move is unwinding. Watch for any SEC filings before the open.
2. Huize Holding (HUIZ) — Breakout with after-hours follow-through
Close: $1.73 (+21.0%) | Day range: $1.39–$1.99 | Volume: ~7.1M (it usually trades tens of thousands of shares a day) | After hours: ~$1.88 (+8.7%)
Huize, a Shenzhen-based online insurance platform, broke out of a range it had been stuck in since mid-September and kept climbing after the bell. We couldn’t find a specific headline behind Friday’s move. The company is scheduled to present at the LD Micro Main Event in Los Angeles, which runs Oct. 19–21, with its presentation set for Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Our Take: This is the cleanest chart of the group. It closed above the Sep. 15 high ($1.69) and held near $1.88 after hours. The level to watch is Friday’s $1.99 high. A move through $2 with pre-market volume would put it in fresh territory for the past several months. Its normal volume is very thin, so spreads can be wide. A drop back under $1.69 would weaken the setup.
3. Upland Software (UPLD) — Late pop from a 52-week low
Close: $3.37 (+19.9%) | Day range: $2.75–$3.54 | Volume: ~197K | After hours: ~$3.80 (+12.8%)
Upland touched a new 52-week low of $2.75 on Friday, reversed to close up about 20%, and then added another 13% after hours on light volume (about 47,000 shares). We didn’t find any company news in October. The most recent updates were its second-quarter results in mid-August and a new CFO appointment in July. The company has only about 2 million shares outstanding, according to Webull, so it can move quickly in both directions.
Our Take: The after-hours price sits above the $3.55–$3.65 area where the stock stalled in early October. The next resistance is the $4.00–$4.08 zone (early October highs). Low liquidity is the main risk here, so we want to see real pre-market volume before trusting the after-hours price. If it fades, Friday’s high ($3.54) and close ($3.37) are the first levels to watch.
4. Alaunos Therapeutics (TCRT) — Still volatile after the Velaris deal
Close: $2.63 (+20.6%) | Day range: $2.31–$2.99 | Volume: ~32.2M | After hours: ~$2.51
Alaunos was on our Friday list, too. On Oct. 13 the company closed its acquisition of Velaris Therapeutics, a pulmonary arterial hypertension company, along with a roughly $350 million private placement of non-voting convertible preferred stock that it says funds operations into 2029. Thursday’s after-hours squeeze carried into Friday’s open at $2.81, but the stock topped out at $2.99 and closed below its open at $2.63, then drifted to about $2.51 after hours.
Our Take: TCRT is now trading inside a wide range between the Oct. 15 low ($1.80) and the Oct. 14 high ($4.40). The $2.99–$3.09 area is the near-term ceiling, and a push above it would be the first sign of a fresh leg. Friday’s low ($2.31) is the first support. Keep in mind that convertible preferred stock can become new common shares down the road.
5. JBDI Holdings (JBDI) — Low-float volatility
Close: $2.59 (+10.7%) | Day range: $2.27–$3.95 | Volume: ~7.2M | After hours: ~$2.59 (flat)
JBDI went from about $1 to an intraday high of $9.50 on Oct. 13 on more than 92 million shares, then closed at $3.43. Since then it has traded between roughly $2.05 and $3.95. On Friday it spiked to $3.95 and gave most of it back. We couldn’t confirm a company announcement behind any of these moves.
Our Take: This is the most speculative name on the list. Two long upper wicks (Oct. 13 and Oct. 16) show sellers stepping in on every spike. We’d want to see it reclaim the Oct. 15 high ($2.89) and then hold above $3 before treating it as a momentum play. Below Friday’s low ($2.27), the next support is around $2.05.
Also on the Radar
- AI selloff (CRWV, NBIS, PLTR): CoreWeave fell 11.9% to $61.39, Nebius dropped 12.2% and Palantir lost 7.2% on Friday. Watch whether the selling continues or buyers step in.
- Fifth Third (FITB): Earnings before the bell, as regional bank results keep coming.
- Recursion (RXRX): Down 16.7% to $3.47 on about 40M shares.
- Crescent Energy (CRGY): Up 10.1% to $13.77 as oil held above $100.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Tech & Money Press is not a registered investment adviser. Prices and levels mentioned are as of the close and after-hours session on October 16, 2026, and can change quickly. Small-cap and low-float stocks are highly volatile and can move sharply in either direction. Always do your own research and consider speaking with a licensed financial professional before making investment decisions.
Sources
- Price and volume data: Webull market data, October 16, 2026
- TheStreet — Stock Market Today (Oct. 16, 2026)
- Yahoo Finance — Markets News, Oct. 16, 2026
- StockTitan — Earnings Calendar for the Week of October 19, 2026
- StocksToTrade — XLAB Stock Slides As Traders Gauge Cash Runway And Volatility
- Yahoo Finance — Huize Holding Limited to Present at the 20th Annual LD Micro Main Event
- StockAnalysis — Huize Holding (HUIZ) overview
- StockTitan — Upland Software (UPLD) news
- StocksToTrade — TCRT Stock Explodes As Alaunos Seals Velaris Deal And $350M Raise
- Timothy Sykes — JBDI Stock Dips As Volatile Trading Tests Key Support