Dear Readers,

U.S. equities fell on Friday, marking a cautious start to the corporate earnings season. Investor sentiment remained subdued as persistent inflation worries were compounded by geopolitical tensions.

The week saw broad-based selling, with the benchmark index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 1% and 1.9% respectively. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, however, managed to eke out a modest 0.1% gain for the week.

Oil prices continued their upward trajectory on reports of a potential Israeli military strike against Iran, raising concerns of a significant escalation in the Middle East. This news, coupled with fresh import data, further stoked inflation anxieties already weighing on the market. U.S. crude oil breached the $87 per barrel mark.

Consumer confidence also showed signs of waning, with the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for April falling short of analyst expectations. This, along with rising year-ahead and long-term inflation expectations, underscored growing frustrations amongst consumers regarding price pressures.

As of 12:18 PM ET, the Dow was down -363.9375 points, or -0.9463%, at $38095.14. The Nasdaq Composite lost -258.6289 points, or -1.4126%, at $18049.354. The S&P 500 declined -59.06 points, or -1.14%, at $5139.99. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 11 showed negative movement, with Consumer Discretionary leading the way with a 1.46% decrease.

Top Movers: Under $10

PaxMedica Inc (PXMD) is up 107.21% today to trade at the current level of $0.85. This comes after the company reached a key milestone in drug development.

EZGO Technologies Ltd (EZGO) zoomed 49.87% in today’s trade to $2.38 after announcing that it has entered into an RMB13 Million procurement agreement for sale of Security Patrol Robots and Platform.

In current trading, Indonesia Energy Corp Ltd (INDO) stock is at $5.07. Indonesia Energy (INDO) is a publicly traded energy company engaged in the acquisition and development of strategic, high growth energy projects in Indonesia.

NextPlat Corp (NXPL) rose 22.67% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $1.84 after the company proposed a merger with its majority-owned subsidiary Progressive Care (OTCMKTS: RXMD).

In the current trading session, Trio Petroleum Corp. (TPET) jumped 63.18% to $0.38 over a previous close of $0.23. The company provided an operational update for Monterey County Oil Producing Assets.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Alamo Group Inc. (ALG) is about to trade ex-dividend Monday, meaning that investors who buy the stock after tomorrow will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.26 per share. The company has fixed April 16 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on April 29. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.92 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, ALG has a trailing yield of 0.43% on the current stock price of $215.20.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends on Monday is A-Mark Precious Metals Inc (AMRK), having a market capitalization of $934.93M. It will pay a dividend of $0.2 per share, the payment date of which is January 29. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.93%.

Shares of Emcor Group, Inc. (EME) will be the talk of stock market on Monday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.25 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of $0.72 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that EME has a trailing yield of 0.20% on the current share price of $353.06.

Tomorrow, EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) is also set to go ex-dividend on Monday. The next dividend payment from EOG will amount to $0.91 per share. April 16 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for April 30. In the previous year, EOG distributed a total of $3.35 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for EOG stands at 2.45% based on the current stock price of $137.15.

Crypto Market Highlights

• The US government, alongside the UK and Germany, holds significant amounts of cryptocurrency, as per Arkham data.

• BlackRock, a major Bitcoin investor, achieves another successful quarter, with $10.5 trillion in assets under management, up $1.4 trillion from last year.

• Investors can soon own tokenized shares of a Hampton by Hilton hotel in El Salvador via the Bitcoin layer 2 Liquid Network.

• Sam Bankman-Fried's legal team files for an appeal against his conviction and sentence as former FTX CEO.

• Worldcoin's World App hits 10 million total users, with 2 million daily and 5 million monthly sign-ups.

Most Shorted Stocks

Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd (MAXN) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 39.87% short interest. The days to cover ratio, a measure of how long it would take for all the short positions to be covered based on average trading volume, is 5.6. This represents a change of 1390000 shares, which corresponds to a +12.59% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $27.72 million. The average daily volume stands at 2.25M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $117.66M.

The Kaival Brands Innovations Group Inc with the symbol KAVL currently has a short interest of 39.99%. The short interest has changed by 302600 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 0.2. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $0.96 million. On an average day, 1.70M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $8.27M.

For the stock Phathom Pharmaceuticals Inc (PHAT), the current short interest is at 39.95%. This represents a significant short interest change of 210000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +2.01%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 12.0. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $117.9 million.

With the symbol BYND, the stock currently has a short interest of 35.83%. The short interest change is -50000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -0.23%. It would take approximately 6.2 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $70.82 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 3.56M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $430.12M.

The stock MPW has a current short interest of 35.20%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +5.01% while there was a change of 9850000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 8.8. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $87.14 million. Trading activity averages at 20.18M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $2.40B.

Energy Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Dorian LPG Ltd (LPG) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Energy industry, attaining an impressive score of 70.0. The stock's valuation, profitability, growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of performance, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies DHT Holdings Inc (DHT) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 57.0. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of growth, and financial strength. The value, profitability, performance, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Frontline Plc (FRO) has the ST Score of 56.0, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, financial strength, and stock sentiment. Value, performance, growth, piotroski score, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Scorpio Tankers Inc (STNG) stock has the ST Score of 57.0 which implies that the Energy company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its valuation, profitability, and financial strength. However, it shows neutral outlook in performance, growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Navigator Holdings Ltd (NVGS) currently has the ST Score of 58.0, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its profitability. The stock's value, performance, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

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