: Nikola names Mary Chan as COO, and stock adds to gains

Shares of Nikola Corp. NKLA gained 0.8% in premarket trading Monday, adding to the recent sharp gains, after the electric vehicle maker said it named Mary Chan as its chief operating officer, effective Oct. 9. Chan was a managing partner at VectoIQ, which was the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that took Nikola merged with to go public. “Mary brings a solid understanding of business, combined with extensive experience in technology and transportation, spanning both engineering and management,” said Nikola Chief Executive Steve Girsky. “Her expertise will be a tremendous asset to the Nikola team.” The stock has soared 36.8% over the past two sessions, fueled by the company saying it expects the first hydrogen fuel cell trucks to be delivered by the end of the month. The stock was little changed over the past three months through Friday but has tumbled 44.9% year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has advanced 15.9% this year.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.