Dear Readers,

Optimism crept into Wall Street on Wednesday as investors awaited inflation data and a flood of bank earnings reports later in the week.

As of 11:48 AM ET, the Dow was up 49.0898 points, or 0.1308%, at $37574.25. The Nasdaq Composite added 46.8906 points, or 0.2811%, at $16725.596. The S&P 500 rose 9.6499 points, or 0.2029%, at $4766.15. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 6 showed positive movement, with Communication Services leading the way with a 0.56% increase. 

After Monday's surge, stocks stumbled back on Tuesday, leaving the market feeling uneven. Analysts see this volatility as a sign of the market searching for a clear direction after a stellar year-end performance.

New York Fed President John Williams, a neutral voice on policy, will speak later today, drawing close attention from investors in this volatile market.

Thursday's Consumer Price Index report will heavily influence market expectations for future monetary policy, while Friday's wave of bank earnings promises a glimpse into the financial well-being of both consumers and businesses.

Top Movers: Under $10

Nauticus Robotics Inc (KITT) is up 93.14% today to trade at the current level of $0.57. This comes after the company announced that it secured an investment before the close of 2023 and eliminated many of the dilutive warrants and ratchet provisions of the original de-SPAC financing in the process.

Clearmind Medicine Inc (CMND) zoomed 39.13% in today’s trade to $2.88. The company completed Type A meeting with the FDA.

In current trading, SEALSQ Corp (LAES) stock is at $2.21 after announcing the achievement of a significant milestone with a revenue of $30 million, marking a 29% increase from FY 2022 and surpassing Q3 outlook of growth in excess of 20%.

E-Home Household Service Holdings Ltd (EJH) rose 23.13% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.51 after declaring that it has signed property cleaning contracts with Shibang Taihe and Jinhui Property for a total amount of Over RMB 40 million.

In the current trading session, Amarin Corp ADR (AMRN) jumped 21.54% to $1.18 over a previous close of $0.97. The company provided preliminary fourth quarter 2023 selected financials and outlined key priorities for 2024.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) 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 $0.37 per share. It has fixed January 12 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on January 26. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.48 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, SAIC has a trailing yield of 1.16% on the current stock price of $127.73.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX), having a market capitalization of $59.11B. It will pay a dividend of $0.15 per share, the payment date of which is February 01. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.47%.

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (ABT) will be the talk of stock market on Thursday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.55 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $2.01 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that ABT has a trailing yield of 1.77% on the current share price of $113.60.

Two Harbors Investment Corp (TWO) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from TWO will amount to $0.45 per share. January 12 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for January 29. In the previous year, TWO distributed a total of $1.97 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for TWO stands at 14.00% based on the current stock price of $14.08.

Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL) will be paying out a dividend of $0.21 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of January 12. Over the past 12 months, TOL has paid out a total of $0.85 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, TOL boasts an impressive trailing yield of 0.83% on the current share price of $102.87.

Crypto Market Highlights

Most Shorted Stocks

TG Therapeutics Inc (TGTX) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 26.58% 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 6.3. This represents a change of 600000 shares, which corresponds to a +1.67% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $648.96 million. The average daily volume stands at 6.19M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $2.69B.

The Callon Petroleum Co. with the symbol CPE currently has a short interest of 26.18%. The short interest has changed by 1080000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 7.5. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $453.18 million. On an average day, 2.03M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $2.21B.

For the stock Comstock Resources, Inc. (CRK), the current short interest is at 26.67%. This represents a significant short interest change of 2520000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +11.59%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 6.3. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $215.43 million.

The stock BDRX has a current short interest of 13.71%. The short interest percentage has experienced decrease of -43.30% while there was a change of -134800 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 0.3. Trading activity averages at 649.65K shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $0.51M.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, NICE Ltd ADR (NICE) emerges as a high-quality stock in the AI industry, attaining an impressive score of 65.0. The stock's profitability, performance, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its growth are weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of value, financial strength, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies AdTheorent Holding Company Inc (ADTH) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 65.0. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, financial strength, and stock sentiment. However, it has weak growth. The value, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Sprinklr Inc (CXM) has the ST Score of 63.0, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, financial strength, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score but weak in value. Growth, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Adobe Inc (ADBE) stock has the ST Score of 59.0 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score, but its weaknesses are in its value. However, it shows neutral outlook in growth, financial strength, and forecast.

Crowdstrike Holdings Inc (CRWD) currently has the ST Score of 59.0, which signifies a huge upward potential. The AI stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, growth, and stock sentiment, while its weak points are its value. The stock's financial strength, Piotroski Score, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.