Momentum Watch: AI High-Flyers & Sub-$10 Gainers

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed Wednesday as investors digested a fresh round of better-than-expected bank earnings and a key inflation report that offered a potential reprieve from recent price pressures.

As of 11:22 AM ET, the Dow was down -170.61 points, or -0.3875%, at $43852.69. The Nasdaq Composite lost -144.62 points, or -0.63%, at $22739.97. The S&P 500 declined -25.73 points, or -0.41%, at $6218.03. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 10 showed negative movement, with Utilities leading the way with a -1.93% decrease.

On the economic front, June’s Producer Price Index (PPI) was flat month-over-month, defying expectations for a 0.2% increase and suggesting wholesale price pressures may be easing. This comes after Tuesday’s data showed a noticeable jump in consumer prices, raising alarms about the ongoing impact of President Trump’s proposed 30% tariffs on imports from Mexico and the European Union.

While inflation concerns linger, investors remain cautiously optimistic that the Federal Reserve could still pivot to rate cuts later this year if price growth moderates and trade tensions persist.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Aptorum Group Ltd (APM) is up 241.82%today to trade at the current level of $3.32. This comes after the company announced a definitive merger agreement with DiamiR Biosciences.

Graphjet Technology (GTI) zoomed 47.40% in today’s trade to $0.11 after providing an update on current events.

In current trading, Data Storage Corp (DTST) stock is at $4.78 after announcing that on July 11, 2025 it entered into a definitive agreement to sell the assets of the business of its wholly owned subsidiary, CloudFirst Technologies Corporation.

SRM Entertainment Inc (SRM) rose 29.46% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $8.7 after announcing that it has changed its corporate name to Tron Inc., to align with its major transformation into a TRON (“TRX”) treasury strategy company.

In the current trading session, BTCS Inc (BTCS) jumped 25.47% to $5.96 over a previous close of $4.75. The company announced inclusion in the Russell Microcap Index.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc (CBRL) is about to trade ex-dividend Friday, meaning that investors who buy the stock after Friday will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.25 per share. It has fixed July 18 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on August 13. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.00 to its shareholders. Based on last year's payments, CBRL has a trailing yield of 1.54%, and the current stock price is $65.01.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends Friday is First United Corp (FUNC), having a market capitalization of $218.65M. It will pay a dividend of $0.22 per share, the payment date of which is August 01. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 2.55%.

Shares of Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc (PBHC) 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 $0.1 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.40 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that PBHC has a trailing yield of 2.57% on the current share price of $15.56.

WD-40 Co (WDFC) is also set to go ex-dividend Friday. The next dividend payment from WDFC will amount to $0.94 per share. July 18 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for July 31. In the previous year, WDFC distributed a total of $3.64 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for WDFC stands at 1.61% based on the current stock price of $225.77.

First Busey Corp (BUSE) will be paying out a dividend of $0.25 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of July 18. Over the past 12 months, BUSE has paid out a total of $0.98 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, BUSE boasts an impressive trailing yield of 4.13% on the current share price of $23.74.

Crypto Market Highlights

• EU sanctions individuals linked to the use of digital assets for evading sanctions and funding pro-Russian disinformation campaigns.

• Bitlayer, backed by Franklin Templeton, launches smart contract bridge on mainnet to enhance Bitcoin’s interoperability across blockchains.

• A new Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) proposes replacing legacy signature schemes with quantum-resistant alternatives to protect against quantum computing threats.

• BNB Chain plans a major infrastructure upgrade in H2 2025 to support up to 5,000 DEX swaps per second and expand on-chain capacity.

• Crypto exchange BigONE suffers a $27 million loss due to a third-party attack on its hot wallet infrastructure.

Most Shorted Stocks

Bakkt Holdings Inc (BKKT) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 29.93% 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 4.0. This represents a change of 370000 shares, which corresponds to a +26.06% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $36.16 million. The average daily volume stands at 478.60K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $285.86M.

The Vuzix Corporation with the symbol VUZI currently has a short interest of 0.03%. The short interest has changed by -16891800 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 1.3. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $42770.0. On an average day, 1.82M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $179.10M.

For the stock Capricor Therapeutics Inc (CAPR), the current short interest is at 27.32%. This represents a significant short interest change of 960000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +9.40%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 4.4. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $80.54 million.

With the symbol SLS, the stock currently has a short interest of 24.76%. The short interest change is 5460000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +28.89%. It would take approximately 8.8 days to cover all the short positions. The shares' short value is estimated to be around $21.22 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 3.03M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $189.59M.

The stock NVTS has a current short interest of 32.18%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +26.48% while there was a change of 9750000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 1.3. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $148.84 million. Trading activity averages at 39.82M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $1.17B.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, RELX Plc ADR (RELX) emerges as a high-quality stock in the AI industry, attaining an impressive score of 55. The stock's profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its financial strength is weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Medtronic Plc (MDT) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 54. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score. However, it has weak growth, and financial strength. The stock sentiment and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Upstart Holdings Inc (UPST) has the ST Score of 53, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in performance, growth, and financial strength but weak in profitability. Stock sentiment, Piotroski score, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

NVIDIA Corp (NVDA) stock has the ST Score of 57 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score. However, it shows neutral outlook in growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) currently has the ST Score of 54, which signifies a huge upward potential. The AI stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its financial strength. The stock's growth, stock sentiment, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

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

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team

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