📈 Markets Near All-Time Highs as Fed Odds Hit 89% — Buckle Up for Friday!

Stocks were little changed Thursday as softening labor-market data boosted confidence in a December Fed rate cut, with markets pricing in an 89% chance of a quarter-point move.

Investors digested reports showing rising corporate job cuts and a surprise slowdown in private payrolls, while weekly jobless claims hit their lowest level since 2022.

Salesforce shares rose on a strong revenue outlook, though broader tech lagged amid declines in Microsoft, Nvidia, and Broadcom.

As major indexes hover near record highs, attention now turns to Friday’s key inflation and consumer-spending data, along with ongoing uncertainty around the administration’s tariff policy.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Synchronoss Technologies Inc (SNCR) is up 64.34% today to trade at the current level of $8.71. This comes after the company announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Lumine Group Inc.

Q/C Technologies Inc (QCLS) zoomed 53.04% in today’s trade to $7.15 after securing approval for a pivotal patent in quantum computing technology, highlighting advancements in quantum-class photonic processing.

In current trading, Kala Bio Inc (KALA) stock is at $1.39 after announcing $10 million registered direct offering of common stock priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules.

Safe & Green Holdings Corp (SGBX) rose 23.14% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $4.0 after announcing entry into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire key assets and operations of County Line Industrial, LLC, an Oklahoma-based firm specializing in industrial fabrication and modular manufacturing.

In the current trading session, ScanTech AI Systems Inc (STAI) jumped 5.15% to $0.24 over a previous close of $0.23 after reporting that it has a Nasdaq Hearings Panel meeting set for January 22, 2026, to appeal the Staff’s earlier decision to delist its stock.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc (CHRW) 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 $0.63 per share. It has fixed December 05 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on January 05. Last year, the company distributed a total of $2.48 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, CHRW has a trailing yield of 1.57% on the current stock price of $158.2.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB), having a market capitalization of $35.36B. It will pay a dividend of $1.26 per share, the payment date of which is January 05. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 5.87%.

Shares of Navient Corp (NAVI) 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 $0.16 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.64 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that NAVI has a trailing yield of 5.10% on the current share price of $12.54.

Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from NDAQ will amount to $0.27 per share. December 05 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for December 19. In the previous year, NDAQ distributed a total of $1.02 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for NDAQ stands at 1.15% based on the current stock price of $88.9.

PepsiCo Inc (PEP) will be paying out a dividend of $1.42 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of December 05. Over the past 12 months, PEP has paid out a total of $5.55 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, PEP boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.77% on the current share price of $147.4.

Crypto Market Highlights

• EU plans broader ESMA oversight under MiCA to streamline crypto markets across member states and reduce the regulatory gap with the U.S.

• Argentina’s YPF explores crypto payments at fuel stations as digital asset adoption grows and follows recent support for U.S. dollar transactions.

• Portal to Bitcoin raises $25M and launches an HTLC-based atomic OTC desk to enable trustless, cross-chain settlement of large trades.

• US GENIUS Act stablecoin rules are splitting global liquidity, creating regionalized markets between the U.S. and Europe and raising the risk of cross-border friction, according to a report.

• Digital Asset secures ~$50M from major institutions including BNY, iCapital, Nasdaq, and S&P Global to scale the Canton Network as on-chain tokenization accelerates.

Most Shorted Stocks

3D Systems Corp (DDD) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 31.08% 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 12.1. This represents a change of 827,811 shares, which corresponds to a 2.23% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around 3.68M. The average daily volume stands at 280.06M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $280.06M.

The C3.ai Inc with the symbol AI currently has a short interest of 40.01%. The short interest has changed by 1,107,362 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 5.5. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $569.49M. On an average day, 7.74M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $2.07B.

For the stock Iovance Biotherapeutics Inc (IOVA), the current short interest is at 32.50%. This represents a significant short interest change of 20,317,186 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 21.29%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 4.0. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $285.86 million.

With the symbol CLSK, the stock currently has a short interest of 26.86%. The short interest change is 20,192,189 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of 34.99%. It would take approximately 2.3 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $853.71 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 35.12M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $3.80B.

The stock VSTM has a current short interest of 29.28%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of 8.55% while there was a change of 1,508,337 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 7.2. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $144.52 million. Trading activity averages at 2.36M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $792.37M.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Immucell Corp (ICCC) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 60. The stock's profitability and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its financial strength is weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of performance, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Galapagos NV ADR (GLPG) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 59. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, and financial strength. However, it has weak growth. The stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, AN2 Therapeutics Inc (ANTX) has the ST Score of 56, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in financial strength but weak in performance, growth, and Piotroski Score. Profitability, stock sentiment, and forecasts suggest a neutral outlook.

Molecular Partners AG ADR (MOLN) stock has the ST Score of 56, which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its performance and financial strength, but its weaknesses are in its growth and Piotroski Score. However, it shows neutral outlook in profitability, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Minerva Neurosciences Inc (NERV) currently has the ST Score of 56, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its stock sentiment and forecast. The stock's growth indicates a neutral outlook.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading. Good luck out there!

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team

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