Dear Readers,

Wednesday saw minimal movement in the S&P 500 as investors held their breath for the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy decision. 

As of 12:01 PM ET, the Dow was up 16.457 points, or 0.0421%, at $39127.22. The Nasdaq Composite lost -0.1152 points, or -0.0006%, at $18032.09. The S&P 500 rose 0.45 points, or 0.0087%, at $5178.97. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 7 showed positive movement, with Industrials leading the way with a 0.43% increase.

Wall Street is on edge awaiting the Fed's verdict on interest rates, widely expected to remain steady after its two-day policy meeting. Eyes are on the dot plot for clues about future rate adjustments, with many predicting cuts starting in June. However, concerns loom over inflation reports potentially influencing the extent of rate cuts.

Tech stock declines prompt speculation about the AI rally's momentum, while other market sectors show signs of strength.

Top Movers: Under $10

X.T.L. Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. ADR (XTLB) is up 115.38% today to trade at the current level of $2.24. This comes after the company announced that it has entered into a binding term sheet with THE SOCIAL PROXY Ltd.

Etao International Co Ltd. (ETAO) zoomed 93.54% in today’s trade to $0.27 after the company revealed plans for a reverse stock split.

In current trading, TruGolf Holdings Inc (TRUG) stock is at $1.84 following the declarations from the company that it has entered into a definitive agreement with mlSpatial, to license the AI engine they co-developed to increase 9-axis spin accuracy for TruGolf’s acclaimed new APOGEE launch monitor.

Oblong Inc (OBLG) rose 17.85% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.16 after releasing its fourth quarter 2023 earnings report.

In the current trading session, NLS Pharmaceutics Ltd (NLSP) jumped 12.73% to $0.30 over a previous close of $0.27. The company announced a groundbreaking exclusive worldwide license agreement with Aexon Labs, Inc., a U.S.-based biotech firm.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Medtronic Plc (MDT) 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 $0.69 per share. It has fixed March 22 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on April 12. Last year, the company distributed a total of $2.75 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, MDT has a trailing yield of 3.29% on the current stock price of $83.69.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Cohen & Company Inc (COHN), having a market capitalization of $13.80M. It will pay a dividend of $0.25 per share, the payment date of which is April 05. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 13.99%.

Shares of Dynex Capital, Inc. (DX) will be the talk of stock market on Thursday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.13 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.93 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that DX has a trailing yield of 7.50% on the current share price of $12.44.

Global Medical REIT Inc (GMRE) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from GMRE will amount to $0.21 per share. March 22 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for April 09. In the previous year, GMRE distributed a total of $0.84 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for GMRE stands at 9.64% based on the current stock price of $8.72.

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) will be paying out a dividend of $0.4 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of March 22. Over the past 12 months, IFF has paid out a total of $3.24 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, IFF boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.87% on the current share price of $83.67.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Uzbekistan's NAPP raises monthly fees for crypto market participants in a new directive issued on March 19, 2024.

• Starknet plans to boost throughput and lower fees with parallel transaction functionality on its layer-2 rollup network in 2024.

• Alipay teams up with Avalanche blockchain for a Web3-powered voucher program.

• Approval of spot Ether ETFs may be delayed past the May deadline due to a lack of internal strategy among major financial institutions, says Umoja CEO.

• Steve Wozniak triumphs in a court battle against YouTube over doctored Bitcoin scam videos featuring his likeness, latest appeals court verdict overturns the previous ruling.

Most Shorted Stocks

MicroCloud Hologram Inc (HOLO) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 63.74% 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 0.1. This represents a change of 7900 shares, which corresponds to a +1.13% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $4.1 million. The average daily volume stands at 7.70M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $34.45M.

The Maison Solutions Inc. with the symbol MSS currently has a short interest of 37.72%. The short interest has changed by -94900 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 0.4. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $0.31 million. On an average day, 300.81K shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $17.34M.

For the stock Beyond Meat Inc (BYND), the current short interest is at 37.36%. This represents a significant short interest change of -540000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -2.33%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 5.6. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $182.53 million.

With the symbol OCEA, the stock currently has a short interest of 34.54%. The short interest change is 2050200 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +225.35%. It would take approximately 0.5 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $96.01 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 6.99M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $144.80M.

The stock DM has a current short interest of 34.20%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +1.55% while there was a change of 1070000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 17.4. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $2.13 million. Trading activity averages at 3.82M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $232.55M.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Ansys Inc. (ANSS) emerges as a high-quality stock in the AI industry, attaining an impressive score of 56.0. The stock's profitability, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its value, and growth are weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of performance, financial strength, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Accenture plc (ACN) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 57.0. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, financial strength, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score. However, it has weak value, and growth. The performance, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Crowdstrike Holdings Inc (CRWD) has the ST Score of 59.0, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, growth, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score but weak in value. Performance, financial strength, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Salesforce Inc (CRM) stock has the ST Score of 56.0 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score, but its weaknesses are in its value, and financial strength. However, it shows neutral outlook in performance, growth, and forecast.

Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM) currently has the ST Score of 64.0, which signifies a huge upward potential. The AI stock's strong points are its profitability, financial strength, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its growth. The stock's value, performance, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

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