91¶¶Òõ

Good morning and welcome to the stock market today! All eyes are on employment: The United States , beating expectations for 865,000. This took the unemployment rate down to 5.4%. With tapering, hiring and inflation all top of mind, what will the stock market do today?

Source: Shutterstock

• The S&P 500 is up 0.12%
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.38%
• The Nasdaq Composite is down 0.39%

So what else will the stock market do today? Here are some of the top stories.

What Will the Stock Market Do Today? Talk EVs.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden met with executives from leading U.S. automakers Ford (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Stellantis (NYSE:STLA). The end result was a pledge to have . As the New York Times reported, this ambitious goal could also benefit companies that have electric-first models, such as industry leading Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and startups like Lucid Motors (NASDAQ:LCID) and Rivian

.

Although it is not certain how these companies will carve up the battery-powered car market, it is certain that widespread electrification is coming. Legacy automakers are quickly moving to electrify their fleets, and startups are racing to get models in production by the end of 2021.

The U.S. is also not alone in its push to electrify roads — and its automakers are not the only companies racing for market share.

At surface level, investors are already watching as Chinese companies race to get their all-electric vehicles on roads throughout China… and the rest of the world. But as CoinTelegraph reported today, there is another catalyst for growth in the Chinese EV market.

In recent weeks, government officials have been taking a stand against cryptocurrency miners. Guizhou province, finding itself with freed-up power capacity, is already making a pivot. It has in 2021… and 5,500 by 2023.

So what is the bottom line? U.S. automakers are making a mad dash to electrify, but the ramifications of crypto crackdowns in China could complicate the story.

Your Vaccine Status, Please

Clear Secure (NYSE:YOU) came public at the end of June in an initial public offering that valued the biometrics company at $4.5 billion. Although the company may not be a household name, its solutions are certainly familiar. Clear Secure provides security solutions for airports, stadiums and other entertainment venues, such as its full-body scanners.

Importantly, at the start of the pandemic, Clear Secure made a smart pivot. With less people making their way through Transportation Security Administration processes, there was less of a need for its solutions. That prompted Health Pass — .

Or, in other words, users can insert their Covid-19 testing and vaccination information, and Clear Secure takes it a step further. Instead of just relying on an app (with potentially doctored information), Clear Secure links your vaccine status to your face or fingerprints. This makes it secure — and cracks down on fraud concerns.

Why does this matter? The first implication for investors is that YOU is a smart play for this new phase of the pandemic. Just today, United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) . With more and more employers following suit, health trackers like Health Pass could play a critical role.

The second implication, as the team at Robinhood Snacks writes, is that Clear Secure will be a winner in .

What Else We’re Watching

• The regulatory crackdown in China continues and Didi (NYSE:DIDI) is not considering drastic measures. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the ride-hailing company is considering . DIDI stock is down nearly 40% since coming public.
• Sorry Mark Zuckerberg, some things are just more “meta” than Facebook. It turns out that Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) is becoming the king of the meme stocks. As of market close on Wednesday, .
• Microvast (NASDAQ:MVST) is generating buzz on Friday, with shares up more than 10%. Without any news, it seems the electric vehicle battery company has earned the favor of retail investors.
• Mattel (NYSE:MAT) is looking to capitalize on the Covid-19 toy boom and thank healthcare workers all in one go. The company announced that it was honoring women fighting the pandemic.

On the date of publication, Sarah Smith did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.