U.S. stocks climbed after September payroll data showed the economy added just 29,000 jobs, far below economists’ 90,000 forecast, while unemployment rose to 4.2% from 4.1%.

As of 11:30 a.m. ET, the Dow gained 0.15%, the S&P 500 advanced 0.56%, and the Nasdaq jumped 1.06%.

Treasury yields also fell, with the 10-year at 5.21% and 30-year at 5.57%, as traders reduced October Fed rate-hike bets to 16% from 64% a week earlier.

Brent crude dropped to $99 a barrel. Meanwhile, ongoing Middle East tensions continued to influence inflation expectations and global market sentiment.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Cycurion Inc (CYCU) is up 53.16% today to trade at the current level of $4.12. This comes after the company regained compliance with the Nasdaq Bid Price Requirement.

QTREX Quantum Ltd (QTEX) zoomed 40.84% in today’s trade to $1.11 after announcing the results of independent testing of its AME cryogenic interconnect by one of the quantum computing industry's leading companies.

In current trading, Flux Power Holdings inc (FLUX) stock is at $0.5 after announcing that its Board of Directors has unanimously rejected the unsolicited, non-binding acquisition proposal announced by Solidion Technology, Inc. (STI) on September 30, 2026.

NN Inc (NNBR) rose 12.40% in the early hours of today's trading to move to $4.08 after announcing a $50 million net private placement of common stock and pre-funded warrants.

In the current trading session, Silvia Inc (SVIA) jumped 11.48% to $4.32 over a previous close of $3.88 as Bitcoin rallied past $86,000, boosting crypto-linked equities.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Erie Indemnity Co (ERIE) is about to trade ex-dividend on Monday, meaning that investors who buy the stock after Monday will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $1.46 per share. It has set October 05 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on October 20. Last year, the company distributed a total of $5.75 to its shareholders. Based on last year's worth of payments, ERIE has a trailing yield of 2.59% on the current stock price of $222.11.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends on Monday is Match Group Inc (MTCH), having a market capitalization of $9.18B. It will pay a dividend of $0.2 per share, with a payment date of which is October 20. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.95%.

Shares of Preferred Bank (Los Angeles, CA) (PFBC) will be the talk of the stock market on Monday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.8 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $3.15 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that PFBC has a trailing yield of 2.97% on the current share price of $105.99.

Werner Enterprises Inc (WERN) is also set to go ex-dividend on Monday. The next dividend payment from WERN will amount to $0.14 per share. October 05 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for October 21. In the previous year, WERN distributed a total of $0.56 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for WERN stands at 1.62% based on the current stock price of $34.6.

Escalade Inc (ESCA) will be paying out a dividend of $0.15 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of October 06. Over the past 12 months, ESCA has paid out a total of $0.60 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, ESCA boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.16% on the current share price of $19.14.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Zano revealed that the attacker behind its Gateway Address vulnerability created 36.9 million ZANO and 1.8 quadrillion fUSD tokens before the blockchain was rolled back by a month.

• The Ethereum Foundation launched zkAPI on mainnet, allowing users to pay for AI and other API services without revealing their billing identities.

• The US securities regulator proposed easing rules for investment advisers and funds holding crypto, potentially reducing regulatory barriers to offering digital asset investments.

• Evernorth is set to become a publicly traded XRP treasury company after shareholders of Armada Acquisition Corp. II approved the proposed business combination.

• Illinois officials agreed to delay the state’s Digital Asset Tax by six months, according to crypto advocacy groups involved in a lawsuit challenging the tax.

Most Shorted Stocks

LENZ Therapeutics Inc (LENZ) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 36.89% 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 14.6. This represents a change of -244677 shares, which corresponds to a -2.25% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $40.39 million. The average daily volume stands at 855.20K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $119.37M.

The Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc with the symbol RXRX currently has a short interest of 35.76%. The short interest has changed by -421363 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 12.6. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $732.77 million. On an average day, 19.37M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $2.20B.

For the stock Intellia Therapeutics Inc (NTLA), the current short interest is at 34.52%. This represents a significant short interest change of 2753595 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 6.27%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 14.1. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $576.52 million.

With the symbol EOSE, the stock currently has a short interest of 33.54%. The short interest change is 8691948 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of 7.81%. It would take approximately 4.1 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $145.65 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 27.24M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $1.14B.

The stock CCCC has a current short interest of 34.61%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of 7.42% while there was a change of 2776028 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 22.7. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $376.85 million. Trading activity averages at 2.48M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $386.89M.

Energy Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, PrimeEnergy Resources Corp (PNRG) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Energy industry, attaining an impressive score of 61. The stock's profitability, financial strength, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of performance, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Imperial Petroleum Inc (IMPP) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 66. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The performance, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Sasol Ltd ADR (SSL) has the ST Score of 59, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, growth, and Piotroski Score. Performance, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Phillips 66 (PSX) stock has the ST Score of 59, which implies that the Energy company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, growth, and Piotroski Score. However, it shows a neutral outlook in financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast.

PBF Energy Inc (PBF) currently has the ST Score of 55, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its performance and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its growth, stock sentiment, and forecast. The stock's profitability and financial strength indicate a neutral outlook.

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

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team