U.S. equities gained in Wednesday's afternoon trade ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's latest minutes for clues on the central bank's monetary policy direction going forward, even as the United States government shutdown entered its eighth day, leading to delays in the release of economic data.

Meanwhile, gold prices continued to climb on Wednesday. Spot gold prices climbed to a new high of $4,059 per troy ounce, surging by 1.9% before paring some of the gains. Gold futures maturing in December gained 1.9% to rise to $4,081, before paring some of the gains.

The SPDR S & P 500 ETF (SPY), which mirrors the S & P 500 index, was up 0.53% at the time of writing, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), which mirrors the Nasdaq 100 index, surged 0.81%. The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA), which tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average, gained 0.27%.

Here are the top stocks making the biggest moves in Wednesday's afternoon trade:

AST SpaceMobile Inc. (ASTS)

AST SpaceMobile shares surged over 12% on Wednesday after the company announced an agreement with Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) to offer direct-to-device cellular service to the carrier's customers beginning in 2026.

ASTS stock is up 298% year-to-date.

Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO)

Fair Isaac shares were down more than 8% on Wednesday afternoon after rival Equifax Inc. (EFX) announced that it would offer its VantageScore 4.0 mortgage credit score at $4.50 through the end of 2027, lower than the price of $10 per score announced by Fair Isaac last week.

FICO stock is down 13% year-to-date.

Rocket Lab Corp. (RKLB)

Rocket Lab shares soared over 7% in Wednesday's afternoon trade after the launch services provider signed a multi-launch deal with the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space.

RKLB stock is up 159% year-to-date.

Confluent Inc. (CFLT)

Confluent shares surged over 19% on Wednesday before paring some of the gains to hover 10% higher after a Reuters report stated that the company is exploring a sale.

CFLT stock is down 19% year-to-date.

Joby Aviation Inc. (JOBY)

Joby Aviation shares fell over 8% in Wednesday's afternoon trade after the company announced late on Tuesday that it will sell 30.5 million shares at $16.85 apiece, scooping up proceeds of nearly $514 million. 

JOBY stock is up 115% year-to-date.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

MENAFN08102025007385015968ID1110169634