Stocks End the Week Up ⬆️ But Tariffs and Rates Loom Large

U.S. stocks finished higher on Friday as investors digested a softer-than-expected December jobs report and awaited a potential Supreme Court ruling on President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. 

The S&P 500 rose about 0.4%, the Nasdaq gained 0.3%, and the Dow edged up 0.1%, keeping all three major indexes on track for a positive first full week of 2026. 

Payroll growth slowed to 50,000 jobs, below expectations, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, reinforcing views that the Federal Reserve will hold rates steady.

Markets are also closely watching developments around tariff legality, U.S.–Venezuela policy, and a new administration push to support mortgage markets through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Top Movers: Under $10 

GreenPower Motor Company Inc (GP) is up 61.45 today to trade at the current level of $1.33. This comes after the company announced a $5M LEDA award from New Mexico, along with $9.6M in jobs tax credits and incentive funding.

Offerpad Solutions Inc (OPAD) zoomed 42.76% in today’s trade to $2.16 following news of Trump’s proposed $200 billion mortgage bond purchase.

In current trading, La Rosa Holdings Corp (LRHC) stock is at $1.13 following the closing of initial funding under $250 million note facility as part of $1.25 billion AI infrastructure program.

RenX Enterprises Corp (RENX) rose 25.13% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.24 after announcing a transformational 2025 outlook, projecting $7 million in revenue alongside improved operating scale and debt reduction.

In the current trading session, Autonomix Medical Inc (AMIX) jumped 15.72% to $0.58 over a previous close of $0.5 after reporting a new subgroup data from its PoC study at the 2026 ASCO GI Cancers Symposium, showing fast and lasting pain relief for pancreatic cancer patients at all stages.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Interdigital Inc (IDCC) is about to trade ex-dividend on Wednesday, meaning that investors who buy the stock after Wednesday will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.7 per share. It has fixed January 14 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on January 28. Last year, the company distributed a total of $2.35 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, IDCC has a trailing yield of 0.76% on the current stock price of $308.56.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends on Wednesday is Science Applications International Corp (SAIC), having a market capitalization of $5.11B. It will pay a dividend of $0.37 per share, the payment date of which is January 28. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.31%.

Shares of Camden National Corp (CAC) will be the talk of the stock market on Thursday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.42 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $1.68 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that CAC has a trailing yield of 3.74% on the current share price of $44.92.

CF Bankshares Inc (CFBK) is also set to go ex-dividend on Thursday. The next dividend payment from CFBK will amount to $0.09 per share. January 15 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for January 26. In the previous year, CFBK distributed a total of $0.30 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for CFBK stands at 1.13% based on the current stock price of $26.63.

City Holding Co (CHCO) will be paying out a dividend of $0.87 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of business hours on the record date of January 15. Over the past 12 months, CHCO has paid out a total of $3.24 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, CHCO boasts an impressive trailing yield of 2.63% on the current share price of $123.04.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Ripple’s UK subsidiary received approval as an Electronic Money Institution to provide payment services, though it faces restrictions on certain crypto-related activities.

• Public companies and crypto treasury firms are increasingly using staking to generate passive income, with Sharplink Gaming earning 10,657 ETH (around $33 million) from staking over the past seven months.

• Stablecoin infrastructure provider Rain secured $250 million in Series C funding led by Iconiq to expand its global operations.

• Grayscale formed new Delaware statutory trusts as an early step toward launching potential crypto investment products linked to BNB and HYPE.

• Developer activity on the Zcash network has fallen to its lowest level in years due to governance disputes and prolonged price declines.

Most Shorted Stocks

Wolfspeed Inc (WOLF) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 25.64% 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 4.3. This represents a change of 723944 shares, which corresponds to a 12.24% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $123.7 million. The average daily volume stands at 1.93M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $482.38M.

The Eos Energy Enterprises Inc with the symbol EOSE currently has a short interest of 29.70%. The short interest has changed by -2742483 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 4.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $1.2 billion. On an average day, 21.56M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $4.70B.

For the stock Sleep Number Corp (SNBR), the current short interest is at 27.48%. This represents a significant short interest change of -636445 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -9.90%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 6.1. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $41.71 million.

With the symbol ARRY, the stock currently has a short interest of 25.37%. The short interest change is -1353454 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -3.39%. It would take approximately 6.7 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $52.08 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 6.43M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $1.37B.

The stock NNE has a current short interest of 37.00%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of 1.18% while there was a change of 146969 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 8.3. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $1.34 billion. Trading activity averages at 2.77M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $1.75B.

Energy Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, DT Midstream Inc (DTM) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Energy industry, attaining an impressive score of 57. The stock's profitability, growth, financial strength, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of performance, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies HF Sinclair Corp (DINO) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 61. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, growth, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, GE Vernova Inc (GEV) has the ST Score of 61, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, growth, and Piotroski Score. Financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecasts suggest a neutral outlook.

Mexco Energy Corp (MXC) stock has the ST Score of 62, which implies that the Energy company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. However, it shows neutral outlook in growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Nextpower Inc (NXT) currently has the ST Score of 63, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. 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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