By George Glover
Walmart stock was rising on Monday, powered higher by two developments underlining the retailer's transformation from big-box store chain to e-commerce powerhouse.
Shares jumped 3.1% to $118.08 ahead of the opening bell. Futures tracking the S&P 500 were 0.7% lower, as investors fretted about heightened geopolitical tensions and a threatened criminal probe against the chair of the Federal Reserve.
The move higher came after Nasdaq said on Friday that Walmart would become a component of the Nasdaq 100 index, replacing drugmaker AstraZeneca. The change will take effect before the market opens on Jan. 20.
Walmart transferred its shares to the Nasdaq Stock Market last month, after more than five decades trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Executives said at the time the move aligned with the company's technology-first approach. Under outgoing CEO Doug McMillon, who is set to step down on Jan. 31, Walmart has poured money into modernizing its supply chain, rolling out the Walmart+ loyalty program, and expanding a digital advertising business that has boosted margins.
Leveraging artificial intelligence is another important part of that strategy, and Walmart is one of several big retailers teaming up with Google to offer shoppers expanded AI features.
Walmart and Google said Sunday at the National Retail Federation's annual convention that they would introduce an instant checkout function that will allow customers to buy products through a range of payment providers without leaving Google's Gemini chatbot.
"The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail," said Walmart's incoming president and CEO John Furner in a statement.
Walmart and OpenAI announced a similar partnership in October, allowing customers to purchase products through ChatGPT using instant checkout.
Walmart shares surged 23% in 2025, boosted by resilient consumer spending and the retailer's successful e-commerce push. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which rose 16% last year.
Write to George Glover at george.glover@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 12, 2026 07:03 ET (12:03 GMT)
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