U.S. Indexes closed lower for the second time this week following a choppy trading session.

Dow [+0.1%]
S&P 500 [-0.2%]
Nasdaq [-0.1%]
Russell 2K [-0.4%]

Futures are up in early trading. S&P 500 contracts are currently showing a 0.2% gain.

This week’s earnings schedule goes into full swing today, with reports from US Bancorp and Abbot Labs in the premarket. After the close, we’ll hear from CSX, Las Vegas Sands, Crown Castle, and others. These reports could impact today’s & tomorrow’s session, so keep an eye on the market’s reaction.

A.I. Pioneer Warns: “I thought we had more time…”
 

A radical new A.I. development is about to blindside millions of Americans.
 

This early A.I. pioneer just issued an urgent warning explaining everything.

Click here to see his new video for yourself.

📉 Powell Pivots on Rate Cuts in Tuesday Comments
Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve, hinted at another significant shift in the central bank's approach to interest rates on Tuesday.
 

After a third consecutive month of unexpectedly high inflation, Powell expressed renewed uncertainty about the possibility of rate cuts this year unless there are clear signs of economic slowing. This cautious stance marks a departure from earlier more optimistic projections about lowering rates.
 

Market Reactions 📉
Despite Powell's tempered remarks not surprising the markets extensively, they contributed to a modest decline in the S&P 500, following a sharper drop on Monday.

Additionally, Treasury yields rose, with the two-year note hitting a 5% yield for the first time since November, and the 10-year note yield climbing to its highest end-of-day level this year at 4.657%.
 

Global Tensions 🌍
Compounding the market's nervousness are escalating tensions in the Middle East following an Iranian attack, with Israel vowing retaliation. This situation heightens geopolitical risk, potentially leading to further market instability.
In response, investors have significantly increased activity in VIX options, seeking to hedge against anticipated market turbulence.
 

Navigating Uncertainty 🧭
As the Federal Reserve navigates these uncertain waters, Powell's latest pivot suggests that the central bank is prepared to adjust its path based on ongoing economic data.
 

Investors will likely continue to scrutinize Fed communications closely, with any indications of rate adjustments or economic outlook revisions poised to drive significant market reactions.

Edible Garden [EDBL] - Last Close: $4.55

Agricultural company Edible Garden just reported preliminary Q1 results that the market is cheering on in early trading.

Edible Garden said produce revenues increased by 40% YoY, and cut herb revenues increased 200% over the same period.

EDBL is up 40.8% on over 500K shares traded.

My Take: EDBL just underwent a steep sell-off, so this rally could be a little exaggerated. However, there’s substantial upside between its current price point and its 2024 highs.

Children’s Place [PLCE] - Last Close: $7.11

Specialty retailer Children’s Place just announced that it just received $90 million in new unsecured financing from its majority shareholder.

The company entered into a new financing agreement with Mithaq Capital to obtain the financing, and it expects to receive the funds within days.

Children’s Place said it will use the funds to pay down an existing $50 million term loan and reduce its accounts payable with vendors.

PLCE is up 30.2% on just shy of a half-million shares traded.

My Take: PLCE had a 22.19% short percentage as of March 29th, so this rally could easily be the result of a targeted short squeeze.

INVO Bioscience [INVO] - Last Close: $0.76

INVO Bio is getting a boost after publishing its Q4 and full-year 2023 financial results.

The company says its Q4 sales came in at $1.38 million, marking a 396% increase from the year-ago quarter’s top-line figure of $278K.

The company’s net loss also narrowed to $2 million in Q4, down from $2.8 million a year earlier.

INVO is up 82.0% on over 10 million shares traded.

My Take: INVO appears to be gaining traction with its revenues, but, still, this move seems to be overdone. Watch for a pullback.

Agrify [AGFY] - Last Close: $0.2979

Agrify has agreed to be acquired by Nature’s Miracle Holdings [NMHI] in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $6.3 million.

Under the terms of the deal, Agrify shareholders will receive 0.45 shares of NMHI for each share of NMHI common stock they own.

The transaction is expected to close within six months of the announcement.
AGFY is up 64.5% on nearly 10 million shares traded.

My Take: This is another all-stock merger deal between two PubCos, so I don’t really see any reason to get in AGFY at this point.

Gainers
Via Optronices [VIAO] >> +95.9%
Vanda [VNDA] >> +34.5%
XBP Europe [XBP] >> +21.1%
    
Decliners
SAGE Therapeutics [SAGE] >> (17.1%)
Trilogy Metals [TMQ] >> (27.2%)
Longeveron [LGVN] >> (23.5%)

Abbott Laboratories [ABT] ... AM
Prologis [PLD] ... AM
U.S. Bancorp [USB] ... AM
The Travelers Companies [TRV] ... AM
CSX [CSX] ... PM
Crown Castle [CCI] ... PM
Kinder Morgan [KMI] ... PM
Las Vegas Sands [LVS] ... PM
Discover Financial Services [DFS] ... PM
Equifax [EFX] ... PM

Fed Beige Book ... 2:00p