Dear Readers,

Thursday saw stocks mostly on the rise following the release of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, which provided an optimistic view of economic conditions across various U.S. regions.

As of 12:13 PM ET, the Dow was up 180.42 points, or 0.4779%, at $37933.74. The Nasdaq Composite added 50.18 points, or 0.2868%, at $17543.8043. The S&P 500 rose 17 points, or 0.3385%, at $5039.22. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 6 showed negative movement, with Materials leading the way with a 0.48% decrease.

Investor concerns linger about persistent inflation potentially limiting the extent of interest rate cuts by the Fed. However, the Beige Book indicated continued strength in employment alongside a cooling in wage growth, with businesses anticipating a stabilization in inflation.

Top Movers: Under $10

AGBA Group Holding Limited (AGBA) is up 120.42% today to trade at the current level of $0.88. This comes after the company announced a definitive merger agreement with Triller Corp.

Tian Ruixiang Holdings Ltd (TIRX) zoomed 62.97% in today’s trade to $0.79 following the filing of the 6-K form with the SEC.

In current trading, Bio-Path Holdings Inc (BPTH) stock is at $5.58 following the successful completion of higher dose second Cohort in phase 1/1b clinical trial of BP1002 in Refractory/Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients.

23andMe Holding Co (ME) rose 49.64% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.53 after announcing CEO’s intention to pursue a potential take-private.

In the current trading session, Vertex Energy Inc (VTNR) jumped 34.80% to $1.32 over a previous close of $0.98. The company provided an update to its financial and operational outlook for the first quarter of 2024.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) is about to trade ex-dividend tomorrow, 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 $0.5 per share. It has fixed April 22 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on May 15. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.92 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, CL has a trailing yield of 2.22% on the current stock price of $86.58.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Argan, Inc. (AGX), having a market capitalization of $805.85M. It will pay a dividend of $0.3 per share, the payment date of which is April 30. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.81%.

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) will be the talk of the stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $1.3 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $5.10 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that CAT has a trailing yield of 1.41% on the current share price of $362.11.

APA Corporation (APA) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from APA will amount to $0.25 per share. April 22 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for May 22. In the previous year, APA distributed a total of $1.00 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for APA stands at 3.07% based on the current stock price of $32.56.

CVS Health Corp (CVS) will be paying out a dividend of $0.67 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of April 22. Over the past 12 months, CVS has paid out a total of $2.48 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, CVS boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.58% on the current share price of $69.20.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Nigeria faces potential cryptocurrency reputation damage amid government crackdowns on local exchanges, but Flincap's CMO remains optimistic.

• Binance secures regulatory license in Dubai, marking a significant milestone for the world's largest crypto exchange.

• Tether undergoes restructuring to expand beyond stablecoin development, signaling a strategic shift.

• Binance to resume operations in India after a four-month ban, paying a $2-million fine for non-compliance.

• Arkansas State House passes bills targeting cryptocurrency mining, signaling potential future legislation.

• Swedish crypto miners face a $90 million tax bill following government investigations into misappropriation.

• Kraken launches self-custody wallet for digital assets, joining other major exchanges in offering this feature.

Most Shorted Stocks

Maison Solutions Inc. (MSS) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 30.01% 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 0.9. This represents a change of -39300 shares, which corresponds to a -16.76% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $0.23 million. The average daily volume stands at 210.14K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $16.51M.

The Upstart Holdings Inc with the symbol UPST currently has a short interest of 36.93%. The short interest has changed by 210000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 3.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $613.51 million. On an average day, 6.69M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $1.94B.

For the stock Luminar Technologies Inc (LAZR), the current short interest is at 19.46%. This represents a significant short interest change of -1690000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -2.02%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 10.6. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $102.62 million.

With the symbol PLUG, the stock currently has a short interest of 26.86%. The short interest change is 11580000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +6.73%. It would take approximately 4.2 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $224.13 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 42.21M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $1.87B.

The stock SAVA has a current short interest of 27.26%. The short interest percentage has experienced a decrease of -1.42% while there was a change of -170000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 17.0. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $3.91 billion. Trading activity averages at 719.74K shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $919.50M.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Acrivon Therapeutics Inc (ACRV) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 47.0. The stock's financial strength is strong. However, its growth and Piotroski Score are weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of value, profitability, performance, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Protara Therapeutics Inc (TARA) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 48.0. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of valuation, financial strength, and stock sentiment. However, it has weak growth, and Piotroski Score. The profitability, performance, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Ocuphire Pharma Inc (OCUP) has the ST Score of 51.0, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in valuation, profitability, growth, and financial strength but weak in Piotroski Score, and forecast. Performance, and stock sentiment suggest a neutral outlook.

Structure Therapeutics Inc ADR (GPCR) stock has the ST Score of 42.0 which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its financial strength, but its weaknesses are in its value and growth. However, it shows a neutral outlook in profitability, performance, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Astria Therapeutics Inc (ATXS) currently has the ST Score of 46.0, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its financial strength, while its weak points are its Piotroski Score, and forecast. The stock's value, profitability, performance, growth, and stock sentiment indicate a neutral outlook.

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