Nuclear-power startup Oklo along with S&P 500 nuclear giants Constellation Energy and Vistra soared in stock market trade as President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday to ease regulatory requirements on approvals for new nuclear reactors and enhance fuel supply chains.
Trump signed executive orders Friday afternoon to support the nuclear energy sector and put in place a "total and complete reform" of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC. The executive orders also look to speed up the deployment of new nuclear power reactors in the U.S.
Under Trump's executive orders, the NRC will have to decide on nuclear reactor licenses within 18 months.
The executive orders from the Trump White House also create a regulatory framework for the Departments of Energy and Defense to build nuclear reactors on federal land. White House officials told reports Friday that this "allows for safe and reliable nuclear energy to power and operate critical defense facilities and AI data centers." The Trump executive orders also target increased U.S. uranium mining and looks to expand domestic uranium enrichment capacity.
Nuclear-related stocks broadly soared at the opening bell for Friday's stock market action following a Reuters report late Thursday that the Trump executive orders would be signed. Early Friday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that Trump would sign the executive orders.
"The Trump Administration continues to go all in on AI which will significantly increase the need for computing power expected to skyrocket over the next 5-10 years which takes up a tremendous amount of energy," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote early Friday about the expected Trump executive orders.
The executive orders come as Trump announced earlier this year that Sam Altman's OpenAI, along with SoftBank and Oracle, are planning a joint venture called Stargate. The plan is to build data centers and other AI infrastructure in the U.S., with investments of up to $500 billion.
Trump Effect On Oklo, Nuclear Stocks
Oklo, the nuclear-power startup looking to bring its first commercial small modular reactor, or SMR, online in late 2027 or early 2028, spiked 23.1% to 48.91, hitting an intraday high of 52.17. S&P 500 components Constellation Energy and Vistra both advanced more than 2%, trading around possible entries.
Oklo entered Friday's stock market up around 67% in May. For the 2025 stock market, Oklo stock began Friday up 87% after entering this month's market action trading basically flat on the year.
However, OKLO had declined 32% since it hit an all-time high of 59.14 on Feb. 7. The stock jumped 101% in 2024. But the gain masked some wild gyrations.
Oklo Stock Soars After First-Quarter Earnings; OpenAI Deal Potential
Ives on Friday raised his price target on Oklo to 55, from 45.
S&P 500 nuclear stocks Constellation Energy and Vistra ran toward the top of the index in 2024 as investors flocked to artificial intelligence-adjacent plays. However, 2025 has been a different story, as uncertainty cuts through the market's optimism on AI.
Earlier in May, Constellation Energy underperformed first-quarter profit expectations but kept its 2025 guidance steady. Meanwhile, S&P 500 nuclear utilities play Vistra reported a surprise first-quarter loss, but similar to Constellation, it also kept its 2025 guidance steady.
"The Trump Administration, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright has already signed some executive orders showing its commitment to nuclear energy but the E.O. that will be signed on Friday is expected to be a significant tailwind for the industry with OKLO being the one of the main beneficiaries as support from the U.S. Government has gained significant traction since the Trump Administration took over in the past few months," Ives wrote Friday.
The Wedbush Securities analyst added that nuclear-related stocks NuScale Power, Lightbridge, Centrus Energy, Energy Fuels, Cameco and Uranium Energy are "other beneficiaries of this executive order."
Uranium Stocks Get Boost
Uranium miner Centrus Energy soared 20.7% higher Friday morning adding to a 34% advance in May.
On May 8, Centrus Energy soared more than 20% after reporting better-than-expected first quarter profit and sales amid plans to capitalize on billions of federal dollars for domestic nuclear fuel production.
In 2023, The Department of Energy was given $3.4 billion to shore up domestic enriched uranium supply. This came amid concern around U.S. reliance on Russian enriched uranium after the invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. has relied on Russia for about 25% of fuel for its nuclear reactors.
Meanwhile, uranium refiner Cameco jumped 11% in Friday's stock market trade. Cathie Wood and her Ark Invest funds repeatedly purchased Cameco in early 2025.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Cameco is one of the world's largest providers of uranium. Utilities around the globe rely on the company to provide nuclear fuel. The company also has direct exposure to SMR nuclear technology through its shared ownership of Westinghouse.
Uranium mining and exploration plays Uranium Energy stock and Energy Fuels stock surged 24.2% and 19.6%, respectively on Friday.
Please follow Kit Norton on X @KitNorton for more coverage.
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