The market notched modest gains on Tuesday after a flat performance to start the week. The Nasdaq and Russ2K led the day’s gainers.

Dow [<0.1%]
S&P 500 [+0.1%]
Nasdaq [+0.3%]
Russell 2K [+0.3%]

Futures are up ahead of today’s CPI report. S&P 500 contracts are showing a 0.1% gain.

Consumer Price Index data for March will be out by the time you read this. Economists' expect year-over-year CPI inflation to increase to 3.4% after coming in at 3.2% a month earlier. A higher reading could sour sentiment in today’s session and create a major conundrum for central bank policymakers.

Titanium Shortage Threatens Industry Titan 

A titan of the aerospace industry announced it would no longer purchase titanium from Russia, a key supplier.

With a global shortage of the lightweight "wonder metal" already in play, aerospace-grade titanium has become particularly scarce.

Will investors find new opportunity amid this titanium crisis?

Get the ticker & a full briefing HERE »

🎢 March CPI Report: Pivotal for Fed's Rate Strategy
The upcoming consumer price index (CPI) report for March is drawing heightened attention, with Federal Reserve officials previously downplaying stronger-than-expected inflation in the early months of 2024. This cautious stance by the Fed, particularly under Chair Jerome Powell's leadership, highlights the delicate path the central bank is navigating in its inflation and interest rate policies.

Critical Data ⏳
The March CPI data is being touted as a crucial economic indicator, potentially one of the most significant in recent times. Analysts and strategists are closely watching, given the implications for the Federal Reserve's rate decisions. A "hot" inflation number could trigger a reassessment of the Fed's current approach, especially after a period of relative optimism about inflation's trajectory.
 

Powell's Perspective🧐
Powell has openly discussed the unexpected firmness in early 2024's inflation figures, breaking from a trend of improvement noted since mid-2023. Despite these increases, Powell has advocated for a measured response, wary of overreacting to short-term fluctuations that could be influenced by seasonal patterns.
 

Rate Cut Considerations 🔍
The anticipation surrounding the March CPI report is partly due to its implications for potential rate cuts. The Fed's decision-making, described by Powell as "highly consequential," hinges on the continuation of inflation's downward trend from the latter half of 2023. The resilience of economic activity this year further complicates the decision, underscoring the significance of the forthcoming inflation data.
 

Bumpy Ride Ahead? 🎢
Powell's acknowledgment of a "bumpy ride" in managing inflation reflects the Fed's challenge in interpreting economic signals. The March CPI figures could indeed reveal whether recent upticks in inflation are mere anomalies or signs of a more persistent issue, testing the Fed's threshold for maintaining or adjusting its current policy stance.

Adial Pharma [ADIL] - Last Close: $1.13
 

New peer-reviewed research shows Adial Pharma’s AD04 drug produced favorable clinical results, a strong safety profile, and high patient compliance.
 

AD04 is the company’s lead drug product being developed for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder, or AUD.
 

The drug produced encouraging results, and no adverse events were reported among the patient population.
 

ADIL is up 77.8% on over 5 million shares traded.
 

My Take: ADIL could be on to something with AD04. If the drug is approved, the stock could see a big boost down the road.
 

IN8bio [INAB] - Last Close: $1.09
 

IN8Bio presented updated clinical data on its INB-300 T-cell therapy at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting on April 9th.
 

The drug showed great promise against certain types of tumors and cancer cells, and IN8bio says the drug has demonstrated “Improved selectivity to target leukemia cells while preserving healthy ones.”
 

INAB is up 16.5% on over 3 million shares traded.
 

My Take: This data seems pretty promising, but INAB is only having a tepid reaction to the news. This could be worth keeping an eye on this week.
 

Marin Software [MRIN] - Last Close: $0.2871
 

Micro-cao software firm Marin Software is surging after announcing enhancements to its with Microsoft advertising.
 

Benefits of the new integration include spending optimization, budget pacing, enhanced conversion metrics, and more.
 

MRIN is up 105.5% on over 13 million shares traded this morning.
 

My Take: MRIN has a float of just $5 million, and shares have been very volatile since the start of the month.
 

Jaguar Health [JAGX] - Last Close: $0.09
 

Jaguar Health said shareholders vote to approve all proposals at its special meeting of shareholders.
 

The company said it will not implement a reverse stock split at this time because Nasdaq has given it until August 13th to regain compliance with its $1 minimum bid price requirement.
 

JAGX is up 35.7% on over 25 million shares traded.
 

My Take: JAGX seems to have a lot of challenges ahead of it, so I’m not sure why it’s getting such a big boost from this rather pedestrian announcement.

Gainers
Meiwu Tech [WNW] >> +102.9%
Nano Labs ADR [NA] >> +39.8%
iCoreConnect [ICCT] >> +20.5%
    
Decliners
Ascent Solar [ASTI] >> (49.1%)
Via Optronics [VIAO] >> (34.7%)
FutureFuel [FF] >> (30.2%)

Delta Air Lines [DAL] ... AM
Applied Digital [APLD] ... AM
Altamira Therapeutics [CYTO] ... AM
Pure Cycle [PCYO] ... PM
Lakeland Industries [LAKE] ... PM
Richardson Electronics [RELL] ... PM
Rent The Runway [RENT] ... PM

Consumer price index [Mar] ... 8:30a
Wholesale inventories [Mar] ... 10:00a
Minutes of Fed's March FOMC meeting ... 2:00p
Monthly U.S. federal budget [Mar] ... 2:00p