U.S. stocks opened mixed on Thursday as investors assessed rising inflation and mounting concerns over AI-related debt and a semiconductor sell-off. 

As of 11:00 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.85%, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.02% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.40%, extending Wednesday’s losses. 

The tech sell-off triggered a flight to Treasuries, pushing the 10-year bond yield down 14 basis points to 5.05%. 

Meanwhile, September’s wholesale inflation index rose at its fastest pace since 2022, fueling concerns about higher borrowing costs and the Federal Reserve’s next policy move.

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Top Movers: Under $10 

Dermata Therapeutics Inc (DRMA) is up 54.53% today to trade at the current level of $1.02. This comes after the company announced positive topline results from a cosmetic study evaluating its Tome Foundational Treatment.

Wetour Robotics Ltd (WETO) zoomed 33.04% in today’s trade to $1.11 after announcing that it has voluntarily paused further sales of its ordinary shares under its existing at-the-market (“ATM”) equity offering program.

In current trading, Opko Health Inc (OPK) stock is at $1.63 following the announcement of Labcorp’s (NYSE: LH) agreement to acquire select assets of BioReference Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of OPKO Health.

SciSparc Ltd (SPRC) rose 14.33% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $4.15 after announcing that it will shift its strategic focus toward Agentic AI-powered technologies, including cybersecurity and finance technologies.

In the current trading session, SenesTech Inc (SNES) jumped 13.36% to $0.72 over a previous close of $0.64 after reporting record preliminary third-quarter revenue exceeding $1 million, the highest in company history, with 40% sequential growth.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc (CBRL) 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 $0.25 per share. It has fixed October 16 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on November 12. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.00 to its shareholders. Based on last year's worth of payments, CBRL has a trailing yield of 1.59% on the current stock price of $62.72.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Global Water Resources Inc (GWRS), having a market capitalization of $228.64M. It will pay a dividend of $0.03 per share, the payment date of which is October 30. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 3.78%.

Shares of Horizon Technology Finance Corp (HRZN) will be the talk of the stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.09 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.95 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that HRZN has a trailing yield of 21.00% on the current share price of $4.51.

Immersion Corp (IMMR) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from IMMR will amount to $0.07 per share. October 16 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for October 30. In the previous year, IMMR distributed a total of $0.27 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for IMMR stands at 3.81% based on the current stock price of $7.09.

Medalist Diversified Inc (MDRR) will be paying out a dividend of $0.07 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of October 16. Over the past 12 months, MDRR has paid out a total of $0.27 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, MDRR boasts an impressive trailing yield of 2.60% on the current share price of $10.46.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Australia’s securities regulator is consulting on stricter capital, custody, and trading rules for crypto platforms.

• VanEck has shelved its proposed Lido staked Ether ETF.

• Polygon Labs has acquired Coinme, expanding regulated digital-asset conversion services across 48 US states.

• Crypto industry groups are challenging Illinois’s digital-asset tax, set to take effect in 2027.

• Standard Chartered reports rising stablecoin transaction activity despite stagnant overall market value.

Most Shorted Stocks

Transmedics Group Inc (TMDX) 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 13.1. This represents a change of 574744 shares, which corresponds to a 7.20% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $645.84 million. The average daily volume stands at 814.60K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $2.62B.

The Replimune Group Inc with the symbol REPL currently has a short interest of 26.06%. The short interest has changed by 373428 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 10.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $263.43 million. On an average day, 4.15M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $1.07B.

For the stock Medical Properties Trust Inc (MPT), the current short interest is at 24.94%. This represents a significant short interest change of 890782 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 0.61%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 11.8. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $447.33 million.

With the symbol ACHC, the stock currently has a short interest of 24.76%. The short interest change is 1260876 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of 5.86%. It would take approximately 13.9 days to cover all the short positions. The short value is estimated to be around $4.63 billion. The company boasts an average daily volume of 1.96M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $2.95B.

The stock SPCE has a current short interest of 24.52%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of 8.81% while there was a change of 2982220 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 5.6. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $58.07 million. Trading activity averages at 7.17M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $386.57M.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

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

Our ST Score also classifies Inhibikase Therapeutics Inc (IKT) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 53. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of growth and financial strength. However, it has weak performance and a low Piotroski Score. The profitability, stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Coya Therapeutics Inc (COYA) has the ST Score of 46, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast but weak in profitability and performance. Piotroski score suggests a neutral outlook.

Enlivex Ltd (ENLV) stock has the ST Score of 46, which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability and financial strength, but its weaknesses are in its growth, stock sentiment, and forecast. However, it shows a neutral outlook in performance and Piotroski Score.

Krystal Biotech Inc (KRYS) currently has the ST Score of 66, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, growth, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The stock's sentiment and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

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

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team