Dear Readers,

On Wednesday, stocks showed uncertainty, with investors eyeing the potential for the S&P 500 to achieve a new record closing high amid decreased trading activity. Tuesday saw the index close at 4,774.75, hitting a 52-week high and approaching its all-time closing peak of 4,796.56 on January 3, 2022.

Meanwhile, in bond markets, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note stood at 3.871%, slightly decreasing from the approximately 3.90% recorded on Tuesday.

As of 11:44 AM ET, the Dow was up 75.2813 points, or 0.2005%, at $37620.61. The Nasdaq Composite added 15.9395 points, or 0.0944%, at $16894.4. The S&P 500 rose 2.8901 points, or 0.0605%, at $4777.64. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 9 showed positive movement, with Health Care leading the way with a 0.46% increase. 

Top Movers: Under $10

RiskOn International Inc (ROI) is up 212.22% today to trade at the current level of $0.44. The company is expected to announce its New Generative AI Platform and Technology Partner on January 3, 2024.

First Wave BioPharma Inc (FWBI) zoomed 151.79% in today’s trade to $9.29 after announcing that it has entered a non-binding term sheet to sell its Niclosamide program for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and related conditions to an undisclosed biopharmaceutical company.

In current trading, Matinas Biopharma Holdings Inc (MTNB) stock is at $0.25 following the release of results from a series of in vivo studies demonstrating successful oral delivery of two LNC-formulated small single-strand oligonucleotides.

Ault Alliance Inc (AULT) rose 12.22% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.11. The company’s Subsidiary filed lawsuit against Singing Machine CEO Gary Atkinson and Other Directors who approved highly dilutive related party stock sale.

In the current trading session, Hoth Therapeutics Inc (HOTH) jumped 17.78% to $1.59 over a previous close of $1.35 after announcing that it has received approval from the University of Miami to enroll patients for its first in human clinical trial of HT-001.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

AGNC Investment Corp (AGNC) 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 $0.12 per share. The company has fixed December 29 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on January 10. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.44 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, AGNC has a trailing yield of 14.23% on the current stock price of $10.12.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is DigitalBridge Group Inc (DBRG), having a market capitalization of $2.83B. It will pay a dividend of $0.01 per share, the payment date of which is January 16. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 0.27%.

Shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) will be the talk of stock market on Thursday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.35 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of $1.36 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that FITB has a trailing yield of 3.89% on the current share price of $34.97.

Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from MDLZ will amount to $0.42 per share. December 29 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for January 12. In the previous year, MDLZ distributed a total of $1.60 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for MDLZ stands at 2.22% based on the current stock price of $72.04.

MFA Financial Inc (MFA) will be paying out a dividend of $0.35 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of December 29. Over the past 12 months, MFA has paid out a total of $1.40 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, MFA boasts an impressive trailing yield of 11.87% on the current share price of $11.79.

Crypto Market Highlights

Most Shorted Stocks

Medical Properties Trust Inc (MPW) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 22.60% 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 9.7. This represents a change of -5680000 shares, which corresponds to a -4.03% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $664.81 million. The average daily volume stands at 14.61M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $2.94B.

The Marathon Digital Holdings Inc with the symbol MARA currently has a short interest of 22.47%. The short interest has changed by -3950000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 1.3. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $1.51 billion. On an average day, 47.13M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $6.72B.

With the symbol ARQT, the stock currently has a short interest of 22.14%. The short interest change is 3390000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +19.36%. It would take approximately 8.2 days to cover all the short positions. The company boasts an average daily volume of 4.08M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $283.89M.

The stock EVGO has a current short interest of 22.2%. There was a change of -892,217 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 8.53. Trading activity averages at 3.04M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $379.00M.

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 61.0. The stock's profitability, performance, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its value, and growth are weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of financial strength, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Okta Inc (OKTA) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 60.0. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of performance, growth, financial strength, and stock sentiment. However, it has weak profitability. The value, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd ADR (BABA) has the ST Score of 60.0, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, financial strength, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score but weak in growth. Value, performance, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Meta Platforms Inc (META) stock has the ST Score of 58.0 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, growth, and stock sentiment, but its weaknesses are in its value, and financial strength. However, it shows neutral outlook in Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Salesforce Inc (CRM) currently has the ST Score of 57.0, which signifies a huge upward potential. The AI stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, stock sentiment, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its value, growth, and financial strength. The stock's forecast indicate a neutral outlook.