NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 18:56 ET — Market closed
- NuScale Power shares rose 15.1% on Friday to $16.31.
- Nuclear-linked peers also advanced, alongside a jump in the uranium ETF URA.
- Traders head into Monday watching rates, U.S. data and fresh nuclear-sector headlines.
NuScale Power Corp (SMR) shares climbed 15.1% on Friday to $16.31, after trading between $14.33 and $16.73. Volume was about 31.1 million shares.
The move put the spotlight back on small modular reactor developers, a corner of the market that has been driven as much by shifting risk appetite as by company-specific milestones.
“Value is outperforming growth and AI infrastructure is up, and … energy probably too,” said Jed Ellerbroek, a portfolio manager at Argent Capital in St. Louis, describing the market tone on the first trading day of 2026. Reuters
NuScale’s jump tracked gains across the nuclear complex. Oklo (OKLO) rose 8.4%, Centrus Energy (LEU) gained 12.2% and BWX Technologies (BWXT) added 5.2%, while the Global X Uranium ETF (URA) climbed 7.8%.
One headline in the sector on Friday was a temporary shutdown at Finland’s Olkiluoto 2 nuclear unit during a software update. Plant operator Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) said a malfunction triggered a “reactor trip” — an automatic safety shutdown that stops the nuclear reaction — and said the plant operated as designed with no impact on nuclear safety. TVO
TVO said Olkiluoto 2 was resynchronized to the national grid early Saturday, after an interruption lasting 17 hours and 46 minutes, and that the ramp-up would take about 10 hours.
NuScale develops small modular reactors, or SMRs — smaller nuclear plants intended to be built with factory-made components and deployed in multi-module configurations. The company says its NuScale Power Module can generate 77 megawatts of electricity and be scaled to a 12-module plant.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved NuScale’s 77-megawatt design in May 2025, a key regulatory step after the company’s earlier 50-megawatt certification.
Before Monday’s open, traders may be left without a near-term company update to anchor expectations. NuScale’s investor calendar lists no upcoming events.
Macro signals are also in focus after a choppy start to the year, with rate expectations and upcoming U.S. data seen as key drivers for higher-volatility thematic stocks.
On the chart, Friday’s intraday low near $14.33 is a level some traders will watch as short-term support, while $16.73 marks the session high that could act as near-term resistance.
Beyond the weekend, policy and funding headlines remain part of the bull case for the sector. The U.S. Energy Department said in December it would provide up to $800 million to support development of two small modular reactor projects, underscoring ongoing federal interest even as questions persist about SMR costs and timelines.
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