Premarket Movers Sept 29, 2026: BKYI, SLND, SSTI
BKYI, SLND, SSTI, SANG, and MSGY are the biggest premarket gainers on September 29, 2026. Here's what's driving each move before the open.
BKYI — BIO-key International (+64.2%)
BIO-key International is surging +64.2% to $2.89 in premarket trading on September 29, 2026, with a jaw-dropping 55.1 million shares already changing hands — against a 20-day average of just 69,399. That's roughly 794 times normal volume before the regular session has even opened.
Why it's moving: The catalyst is a two-part story. Headlines point to BIO-key's announcement of a partnership with Al Majlis Group to expand identity security services across the Arabian Gulf — specifically targeting organizations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Alongside that, additional coverage ties the spike to FIDO passkey news (FIDO is an industry standard for passwordless authentication), which appears to be attracting momentum traders to the name. As Timothy Sykes notes, the FIDO angle is also fueling volatile, fast-moving trading conditions around BKYI this morning.
BIO-key's market cap coming into today was just $2.5 million — that's micro-cap territory, where a single news item can send a stock flying. The free float is 90.6%, so this isn't a squeeze story driven by tight supply; the short interest is minimal at just 10,889 shares (0.3 days to cover) and the squeeze score is a low 2/100. This is a news-momentum move on an extremely small name.
The prior-day technical setup heading into this premarket spike is decidedly weak: RSI at 18 (deeply oversold), a bearish moving-average stack, an RS rating of just 5, a conviction score of 0/100, and a D grade from StockSetups. BKYI sat 82.9% below its 52-week high as of the prior close. That context matters — a stock this beaten down and thinly capitalized can make enormous percentage moves on almost any news, but those moves are notoriously unstable.
Risk note: A $2.5M market-cap stock soaring 64% pre-open on 794× normal volume is one of the highest-risk situations in markets. These moves can reverse violently once liquidity thins or momentum fades.
SLND — Southland Holdings (+52.7%)
Southland Holdings, an Industrials-sector contractor, is trading +52.7% to $0.93 premarket on 113.4 million shares — versus a 20-day average of just 102,897. That's more than 1,100 times average volume, making this the most extreme volume surge of the morning by ratio.
Why it's moving: The catalyst here is genuinely unclear, and what's on file is outright bearish. The most recent significant SEC filing — an 8-K dated September 25 — flagged delisting risk, which typically signals a company is at risk of being removed from its exchange for falling below listing standards (often related to share price, market cap, or financial reporting). There are no additional headlines explaining why the stock is surging toward $0.93 rather than away from it.
This appears to be a classic low-float, distressed-company momentum trade. "Low float" means the number of shares freely available to trade is small — here just 25.1% of shares outstanding — so even modest buying pressure can produce outsized price swings. With 3.4 days to cover and a squeeze score of 26/100, there is some short-side activity (616,265 shares short), and a rapid short squeeze — where short sellers are forced to buy back shares to cover losses, pushing the price higher — could be amplifying the move. Still, the squeeze score doesn't suggest this is the primary driver.
The prior-day technical picture is uniformly weak: bearish MA stack, ADX of 11 (very weak trend), RSI at 48, conviction 0/100, grade D, and 87.3% below its 52-week high. StockSetups assigned this no lane signal as of the prior close. A delisting-risk 8-K combined with this technical profile is a serious warning. Trading a stock against a confirmed delisting notice is extremely high-risk, regardless of the premarket pop.
SSTI — SoundThinking, Inc. (+51.9%)
SoundThinking — the technology company known for gunshot-detection systems — is up +51.9% to $8.31 premarket on 1.73 million shares, roughly 20 times its 20-day average of 86,198.
Why it's moving: There are no headlines or SEC filings on file to explain this move. That makes the catalyst unclear. Given the absence of a confirmed news driver, this looks like a technical and momentum-driven move, possibly amplified by the stock's beaten-down setup. As of the prior close, SSTI was sitting 54.6% below its 52-week high with an RSI of just 38 (approaching oversold), a bearish MA stack, and a D grade. The short interest is 273,393 shares with 1.3 days to cover and a squeeze score of 13/100 — not a high-conviction squeeze setup, but enough that a fast upward move could create some forced covering.
SoundThinking carries a $72M market cap — larger than BKYI and SLND — and a free float of 69.3%. That's a more liquid stock by nature, yet volume is still running at 20× normal pre-open, which is notable. When no catalyst is evident on a move of this size, traders should be especially cautious: moves without a clear fundamental driver tend to be shorter-lived and more prone to rapid reversals once the regular session opens.
StockSetups had SSTI in no defined lane as of the prior close, with a conviction score of 0/100. There's no technical setup here that StockSetups was tracking into this move.
SANG — Sangoma Technologies (+40.7%)
Sangoma Technologies is trading +40.7% to $4.98 premarket on 1.12 million shares — nearly 15 times its 20-day average of 76,884. This is the most fundamentally-grounded move of the morning.
Why it's moving: Sangoma announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by BRC Group Holdings, Inc., a deal aimed at scaling BRC's communications portfolio. Acquisition announcements almost always cause an immediate jump in the target company's stock because buyers typically pay a premium to the prevailing market price to win shareholder approval. Separately, Sangoma also reported its fourth quarter fiscal 2026 results on September 28, adding another layer of market-moving information to digest.
The prior-day technical setup shows a mat hold candlestick pattern — a Japanese candlestick formation often read as a bullish continuation signal — with RSI at 40, ADX at 33, and a bearish MA stack. The stock sat 41.8% below its 52-week high as of the prior close, and StockSetups assigned a conviction score of just 7/100 and a D grade. That low conviction reflects the weak trend going in; the acquisition deal is the overriding driver, not the technicals.
One standout data point: short-volume is 98% of the premarket volume, and days to cover is an extraordinary 158.7 days — meaning it would theoretically take over five months of average volume for all short sellers to exit their positions. A confirmed acquisition deal, where shorts may now face an arbitrage ceiling (stock will converge toward deal price), can trigger an intense and rapid short squeeze. The squeeze score of 46/100 and a 77.3% free float confirm this is a real dynamic to watch when the regular session opens.
MSGY — Masonglory Ltd (+36.1%)
Masonglory Ltd, a small Industrials-sector company, is up +36.1% to $4.30 premarket on 13.9 million shares — approximately 4.8 times its 20-day average of 2.9 million. MSGY has also been making recent headlines; it appeared in our Top Stock Movers recap for September 25, signaling this name has been active for several sessions.
Why it's moving: Masonglory announced a US$1.0 million private placement to fund the continued acquisition of equity interests in Beta Beteiligungs und Besitz GmbH, an Austrian construction materials distributor. A private placement is when a company sells new shares directly to a select group of investors — rather than the open market — to raise capital. Coverage from TipRanks, Yahoo Finance, and Investing.com all confirm this is the anchor catalyst for today's premarket move.
The prior-day technical picture is the strongest of the five stocks this morning: StockSetups shows a bullish MA stack, RSI at 54, ADX at 58 (strong trend), a technical rank of 99/100, an RS rating of 99, a conviction score of 67/100, a grade of B, and a full Minervini trend-template score of 5. Those are rare readings — especially combined. A largest disclosed stake of 37.5% also registers as a smart-money signal, suggesting significant concentrated ownership. The short-sale restriction (SSR) is also active, which limits aggressive short selling by requiring most short sales to be executed at a price above the current bid.
The free float is 47.6% — relatively tight — though with just 0.6 days to cover and a squeeze score of 17/100, a traditional short squeeze isn't the primary story. The technical momentum and the private-placement catalyst are doing the heavy lifting. Note that private placements can be dilutive to existing shareholders depending on the pricing terms, which is a risk worth understanding before chasing this move.
The bottom line
This morning's five biggest premarket movers — BKYI, SLND, SSTI, SANG, and MSGY — span a wide range of catalysts and risk profiles. SANG has the clearest and most durable fundamental driver (a definitive acquisition agreement). MSGY has both a news catalyst and genuinely strong prior-day technicals. BKYI is riding partnership news on a $2.5M micro-cap with astronomical volume. SLND is a mystery surge against a backdrop of delisting risk. SSTI has no confirmed catalyst at all.
A few honest reminders before the open:
- Premarket moves are not guarantees. Volume is thinner before 9:30 AM ET, spreads are wider, and prices can shift dramatically in the opening minutes of the regular session — often in the opposite direction of the premarket spike.
- Chasing extended gainers is high-risk. Stocks up 40–64% before the bell have frequently already priced in the news. Buying into that kind of extension means you're often the last buyer before the reversal.
- Patterns and squeezes fail. Even the best technical setup (looking at you, MSGY) can fail when a stock is already extended. A high ADX and strong trend score going in don't tell you what happens after a 36% gap.
- Manage your risk first. Use position sizing and defined stops. Never risk more than you're prepared to lose on any single name.
StockSetups scans the full ~12,300-stock US universe every premarket morning — surfacing the biggest movers, detecting chart patterns, and scoring each setup for conviction, squeeze potential, and smart-money activity — so you can see the landscape clearly before the open. Check back after today's close for the full after-hours recap.
This article is educational only and is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
Frequently asked questions
Why is BKYI stock up today?
BIO-key International (BKYI) is surging premarket on September 29, 2026, following news of a partnership with Al Majlis Group to expand identity security across the Arabian Gulf, plus attention tied to FIDO passkey news. The stock has a $2.5M market cap and is trading nearly 800x its normal volume.
Why is SANG stock up today?
Sangoma Technologies (SANG) is up over 40% premarket after announcing a definitive agreement to be acquired by BRC Group Holdings, Inc. Acquisition targets typically spike because the deal price represents a premium to the prevailing market price. The company also reported Q4 fiscal 2026 earnings on the same day.
Why is SLND up so much premarket?
Southland Holdings (SLND) is up over 52% premarket with no clear positive catalyst on file — the most recent significant filing was an 8-K flagging delisting risk. The move appears momentum-driven on a very low-float stock. This is considered high-risk trading against a bearish fundamental backdrop.
What is a low-float short squeeze?
A low-float stock has very few shares available for public trading. When short sellers (who borrow and sell shares hoping to buy them back cheaper) are caught in a rising stock, they must buy shares to close their positions — adding more buying pressure and pushing the price even higher. This feedback loop is called a short squeeze. Low-float stocks are more vulnerable because limited share supply amplifies the price impact of any forced buying.
Are premarket movers safe to trade?
Premarket trading carries extra risk: volume is thinner, spreads are wider, and price moves can reverse sharply at the 9:30 AM ET open. Stocks that are up 40–60% before the bell have often already priced in the news. These are educational recaps, not buy recommendations — always do your own research and manage risk carefully.
Produced with AI assistance and published under the StockSetups editorial guidelines.
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