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Top Stocks to Watch Today: Thursday, March 4

SPACs, biotechs, and tech stocks are the top stocks to watch today…  There’s also another Reddit short squeeze to watch. The overall markets are choppy. But there are plenty of stocks bucking the trend on news, rumors, and hot sector momentum. So,…

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SPACs, biotechs, and tech stocks are the top stocks to watch today… 

There’s also another Reddit short squeeze to watch.

The overall markets are choppy. But there are plenty of stocks bucking the trend on news, rumors, and hot sector momentum.

So, if you’re getting frustrated because there aren’t 1,000% gainers every day … time for a reality check. Stocks don’t just go up.

There are still opportunities. It’s your job as a trader to learn how to find them in any kind of market. Can’t find plays that fit your strategy? Work on building your knowledge account. Study all my educational resources.

Stop blindly following hot stock picks and learn how to trade the right way.

Use my watchlist as a guide. Find out what’s on today’s watchlist and why — then study up!

Here’s my list of the top 10 stocks to watch today…

10 Stocks to Watch for Thursday, March 4, 2021

Remember, this is a watchlist, not a ‘must trade’ list. I’m not always right, and I don’t trade everything I watch. That’s why you should never blindly follow or buy anyone’s stock picks — even mine.

But there’s always something you can learn.

Watch out for patterns that fit your strategy. Always have a trading plan for every trade. Here are some resources to help you get started:

If you’ve been following my blog and lessons, you know I love to trade low-priced stocks. (To learn more about trading penny stocks, get my FREE guide here.) 

The stocks on this list aren’t penny stocks. Even if I rarely trade higher-priced stocks, their movements can still affect stocks within my price range. So to me, they’re worth watching.

If you want to know which penny stocks I’m watching…

Get the Stocks I’m Watching Delivered to Your Inbox

Need more stocks to watch? Subscribe to my weekly watchlist and I’ll deliver the stocks I’m watching every week right to your inbox.

???????? SUBSCRIBE to my no-cost weekly stock watchlist here.

For even more stocks to watch, check out these blog posts that I update weekly:

Now, here are 10 top stocks to watch today…

Stocks to Watch Today #1: Horizon Acquisition Corporation II (NYSE: HZON)

HZON is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). It had a huge gap up yesterday on rumors it will take Sportrader public. Sportrader is a Swiss gambling data company with ties to the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #2: Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: LUMN)

LUMN is a former runner that’s uptrending toward its recent highs.

The company president is scheduled to present at the Morgan Stanley 2021 Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference today at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

The presentation could bring interest and volume into the stock. Traders can watch for continued upside momentum.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #3: MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: MX)

MX is a tech company that manufactures and sells touchscreen displays and sensors. Its tech is used in the auto industry, phones, tablets, and TVs.

On February 17, the company released fourth-quarter earnings. The stock had a huge gap up before fading. On February 18, the company released positive news. It’s beginning mass production of its OLED display driver for smartphones.

Yesterday, the stock broke out to new 52-week highs of $21.61. Traders can watch for continued upside momentum.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #4: Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT)

SKT is a real estate investment trust that owns or has an interest in 38 open-air retail shopping centers.

The company reported fourth-quarter earnings on February 17. The report included positive statements from the company’s CEO.

The stock could have more upside as more states re-open. Traders can watch for a retest of the recent high of $20.96.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #5: Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN)

Canaan Inc. develops and sells integrated circuit systems for bitcoin mining. Cryptocurrency, bitcoin, and blockchain stocks were all up yesterday, moving in sympathy to sector leader bitcoin.

Traders can watch for a breakout to new all-time highs over $25.78. But these stocks closely follow bitcoin, so watch that sector leader.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #6: Bayport International Holdings, Inc. (OTCPK: BAYP)

BAYP is a higher-priced OTC. But six trading days ago, the stock was below $1.

There’s no recent news on the company. But the company filed its annual report on OTCMarkets.com on February 24.

Volume’s fading so it could be worth watching for a morning panic dip buy opportunity.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #7: Ocugen, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCGN)

OCGN is in the hot biotech sector. Yesterday the company’s co-development partner released positive interim data. Its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial shows its vaccine candidate has 81% efficacy.

The stock traded high volume and has the potential for a short squeeze.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #8: Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE: RKT)

RKT was gaining momentum last week. It reported fourth-quarter earnings after hours on February 25. The stock gapped the next day from $19.90 to $23.33 before fading. It gapped up again on Monday.

On Tuesday, RKT soared after Reddit traders targeted it as a short squeeze candidate.

Yesterday the stock retraced some of its gains. Traders can watch for a quick short squeeze if the stock finds support and dip buyers come in.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #9: KemPharm, Inc. (NASDAQ: KMPH)

KMPH is another biotech company. After hours on Tuesday, it announced the FDA approved its new drug application for its treatment of ADHD in patients over six years old. The company held a conference call to discuss the news yesterday in premarket.

In premarket, the stock was a huge percent gainer and traded as high as $21 before fading at the open. But it traded high volume and has a relatively low float. Traders can watch for a bounce and potential short squeeze.

 

Stocks to Watch Today #10: Heat Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTBX)

HTBX gapped up yesterday after an analyst initiated coverage on the stock and gave it a $22 price target. It’s another stock in the hot biotech sector.

Traders can watch for the stock to bounce to the upside. But if it continues to fade, it could offer a panic dip buy opportunity.

 

How I Find Stocks to Trade

There’s no big secret behind how I find stocks to trade. I always tell students to look at the biggest percent gainers on StocksToTrade.

Full disclosure: I helped develop StocksToTrade. I also invested in it. I wanted a tool to help me search specifically for the low-priced stocks I love to trade. I’m proud of it, and I truly believe this platform offers the top tools for traders to find and research stocks of any price.

STT has built-in watchlists, scans, beautiful charts, and all the indicators active traders need. It also has a social media feed and a news feed. And it includes broker integration so you can trade right from the platform.

I use it every day to find the stocks that fit my strategy — like volatile penny stocks with a catalyst and high volume.

And I credit the StocksToTrade Breaking News Chat feature for a huge portion of my over $1.1 million in profits in 2020.* The guys who run this service crank out breaking news FAST.

Try a 14-day trial of StocksToTrade with Breaking News Chat for only $17! 

(*Please note: My results are far from typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. I have the benefit of years of hard work, dedication, and experience. Trading is inherently risky. Do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.)

Frequently Asked Questions About Stocks to Watch Today

What Are the Best Stocks to Trade as a Beginner?

My favorite stocks to trade are penny stocks. I think they’re a great way for beginners to learn the trading process with a small account.

Can You Get Rich Trading Stocks?

Don’t come into trading with a get-rich-quick mindset. Trading is a marathon, not a sprint. It can be a lucrative career but it takes years of hard work and dedication to learn the nuances of the market — which is what I teach.

How Much Money Do You Need To Start Trading Stocks?

Only start trading with money you can afford to lose. You can start small. In fact, I teach traders to focus on education first to learn the process, then slowly scale up over time.

Is Trading Stocks Risky?

All trading is risky. No trader is right 100% of the time. That’s why I keep my losses small by cutting losses quickly.

Conclusion About Top Stocks to Watch Today

Remember to only use this list of stocks to watch as a guide. Dig deeper into why these stocks are on my watchlist. Use all my trading resources to build your trading education.

I want you to become self-sufficient.

I’m just training wheels. And I’ve had the privilege of working with many top traders in my Trading Challenge. It’s a proud moment for me when they prove they don’t need me anymore. They take my lessons and strategies and make them their own.

If you want to get the same education as those top traders, apply for my Trading Challenge. I don’t accept everyone. Honestly, I don’t have time for anyone who only wants to be spoon-fed ‘hot’ stock picks.

I teach the trading process, mindset, strategies, and patterns to help my students find their own way in the markets. If that’s your goal as a trader, apply today.

What do you think about these top stocks to watch today? Do you see potential trades? Let me know in the comments … I’d love to hear from you! 

The post Top Stocks to Watch Today: Thursday, March 4 appeared first on Timothy Sykes.

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International

Beloved mall retailer files Chapter 7 bankruptcy, will liquidate

The struggling chain has given up the fight and will close hundreds of stores around the world.

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It has been a brutal period for several popular retailers. The fallout from the covid pandemic and a challenging economic environment have pushed numerous chains into bankruptcy with Tuesday Morning, Christmas Tree Shops, and Bed Bath & Beyond all moving from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.

In all three of those cases, the companies faced clear financial pressures that led to inventory problems and vendors demanding faster, or even upfront payment. That creates a sort of inevitability.

Related: Beloved retailer finds life after bankruptcy, new famous owner

When a retailer faces financial pressure it sets off a cycle where vendors become wary of selling them items. That leads to barren shelves and no ability for the chain to sell its way out of its financial problems. 

Once that happens bankruptcy generally becomes the only option. Sometimes that means a Chapter 11 filing which gives the company a chance to negotiate with its creditors. In some cases, deals can be worked out where vendors extend longer terms or even forgive some debts, and banks offer an extension of loan terms.

In other cases, new funding can be secured which assuages vendor concerns or the company might be taken over by its vendors. Sometimes, as was the case with David's Bridal, a new owner steps in, adds new money, and makes deals with creditors in order to give the company a new lease on life.

It's rare that a retailer moves directly into Chapter 7 bankruptcy and decides to liquidate without trying to find a new source of funding.

Mall traffic has varied depending upon the type of mall.

Image source: Getty Images

The Body Shop has bad news for customers  

The Body Shop has been in a very public fight for survival. Fears began when the company closed half of its locations in the United Kingdom. That was followed by a bankruptcy-style filing in Canada and an abrupt closure of its U.S. stores on March 4.

"The Canadian subsidiary of the global beauty and cosmetics brand announced it has started restructuring proceedings by filing a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Make a Proposal pursuant to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada). In the same release, the company said that, as of March 1, 2024, The Body Shop US Limited has ceased operations," Chain Store Age reported.

A message on the company's U.S. website shared a simple message that does not appear to be the entire story.

"We're currently undergoing planned maintenance, but don't worry we're due to be back online soon."

That same message is still on the company's website, but a new filing makes it clear that the site is not down for maintenance, it's down for good.

The Body Shop files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy

While the future appeared bleak for The Body Shop, fans of the brand held out hope that a savior would step in. That's not going to be the case. 

The Body Shop filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States.

"The US arm of the ethical cosmetics group has ceased trading at its 50 outlets. On Saturday (March 9), it filed for Chapter 7 insolvency, under which assets are sold off to clear debts, putting about 400 jobs at risk including those in a distribution center that still holds millions of dollars worth of stock," The Guardian reported.

After its closure in the United States, the survival of the brand remains very much in doubt. About half of the chain's stores in the United Kingdom remain open along with its Australian stores. 

The future of those stores remains very much in doubt and the chain has shared that it needs new funding in order for them to continue operating.

The Body Shop did not respond to a request for comment from TheStreet.   

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Government

Are Voters Recoiling Against Disorder?

Are Voters Recoiling Against Disorder?

Authored by Michael Barone via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The headlines coming out of the Super…

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Are Voters Recoiling Against Disorder?

Authored by Michael Barone via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The headlines coming out of the Super Tuesday primaries have got it right. Barring cataclysmic changes, Donald Trump and Joe Biden will be the Republican and Democratic nominees for president in 2024.

(Left) President Joe Biden delivers remarks on canceling student debt at Culver City Julian Dixon Library in Culver City, Calif., on Feb. 21, 2024. (Right) Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump stands on stage during a campaign event at Big League Dreams Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 27, 2024. (Mario Tama/Getty Images; David Becker/Getty Images)

With Nikki Haley’s withdrawal, there will be no more significantly contested primaries or caucuses—the earliest both parties’ races have been over since something like the current primary-dominated system was put in place in 1972.

The primary results have spotlighted some of both nominees’ weaknesses.

Donald Trump lost high-income, high-educated constituencies, including the entire metro area—aka the Swamp. Many but by no means all Haley votes there were cast by Biden Democrats. Mr. Trump can’t afford to lose too many of the others in target states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Majorities and large minorities of voters in overwhelmingly Latino counties in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley and some in Houston voted against Joe Biden, and even more against Senate nominee Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas).

Returns from Hispanic precincts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts show the same thing. Mr. Biden can’t afford to lose too many Latino votes in target states like Arizona and Georgia.

When Mr. Trump rode down that escalator in 2015, commentators assumed he’d repel Latinos. Instead, Latino voters nationally, and especially the closest eyewitnesses of Biden’s open-border policy, have been trending heavily Republican.

High-income liberal Democrats may sport lawn signs proclaiming, “In this house, we believe ... no human is illegal.” The logical consequence of that belief is an open border. But modest-income folks in border counties know that flows of illegal immigrants result in disorder, disease, and crime.

There is plenty of impatience with increased disorder in election returns below the presidential level. Consider Los Angeles County, America’s largest county, with nearly 10 million people, more people than 40 of the 50 states. It voted 71 percent for Mr. Biden in 2020.

Current returns show county District Attorney George Gascon winning only 21 percent of the vote in the nonpartisan primary. He’ll apparently face Republican Nathan Hochman, a critic of his liberal policies, in November.

Gascon, elected after the May 2020 death of counterfeit-passing suspect George Floyd in Minneapolis, is one of many county prosecutors supported by billionaire George Soros. His policies include not charging juveniles as adults, not seeking higher penalties for gang membership or use of firearms, and bringing fewer misdemeanor cases.

The predictable result has been increased car thefts, burglaries, and personal robberies. Some 120 assistant district attorneys have left the office, and there’s a backlog of 10,000 unprosecuted cases.

More than a dozen other Soros-backed and similarly liberal prosecutors have faced strong opposition or have left office.

St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner resigned last May amid lawsuits seeking her removal, Milwaukee’s John Chisholm retired in January, and Baltimore’s Marilyn Mosby was defeated in July 2022 and convicted of perjury in September 2023. Last November, Loudoun County, Virginia, voters (62 percent Biden) ousted liberal Buta Biberaj, who declined to prosecute a transgender student for assault, and in June 2022 voters in San Francisco (85 percent Biden) recalled famed radical Chesa Boudin.

Similarly, this Tuesday, voters in San Francisco passed ballot measures strengthening police powers and requiring treatment of drug-addicted welfare recipients.

In retrospect, it appears the Floyd video, appearing after three months of COVID-19 confinement, sparked a frenzied, even crazed reaction, especially among the highly educated and articulate. One fatal incident was seen as proof that America’s “systemic racism” was worse than ever and that police forces should be defunded and perhaps abolished.

2020 was “the year America went crazy,” I wrote in January 2021, a year in which police funding was actually cut by Democrats in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver. A year in which young New York Times (NYT) staffers claimed they were endangered by the publication of Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) opinion article advocating calling in military forces if necessary to stop rioting, as had been done in Detroit in 1967 and Los Angeles in 1992. A craven NYT publisher even fired the editorial page editor for running the article.

Evidence of visible and tangible discontent with increasing violence and its consequences—barren and locked shelves in Manhattan chain drugstores, skyrocketing carjackings in Washington, D.C.—is as unmistakable in polls and election results as it is in daily life in large metropolitan areas. Maybe 2024 will turn out to be the year even liberal America stopped acting crazy.

Chaos and disorder work against incumbents, as they did in 1968 when Democrats saw their party’s popular vote fall from 61 percent to 43 percent.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/09/2024 - 23:20

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Government

Veterans Affairs Kept COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate In Place Without Evidence

Veterans Affairs Kept COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate In Place Without Evidence

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The…

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Veterans Affairs Kept COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate In Place Without Evidence

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reviewed no data when deciding in 2023 to keep its COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place.

Doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in Washington in a file image. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said on May 1, 2023, that the end of many other federal mandates “will not impact current policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

He said the mandate was remaining for VA health care personnel “to ensure the safety of veterans and our colleagues.”

Mr. McDonough did not cite any studies or other data. A VA spokesperson declined to provide any data that was reviewed when deciding not to rescind the mandate. The Epoch Times submitted a Freedom of Information Act for “all documents outlining which data was relied upon when establishing the mandate when deciding to keep the mandate in place.”

The agency searched for such data and did not find any.

The VA does not even attempt to justify its policies with science, because it can’t,” Leslie Manookian, president and founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund, told The Epoch Times.

“The VA just trusts that the process and cost of challenging its unfounded policies is so onerous, most people are dissuaded from even trying,” she added.

The VA’s mandate remains in place to this day.

The VA’s website claims that vaccines “help protect you from getting severe illness” and “offer good protection against most COVID-19 variants,” pointing in part to observational data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that estimate the vaccines provide poor protection against symptomatic infection and transient shielding against hospitalization.

There have also been increasing concerns among outside scientists about confirmed side effects like heart inflammation—the VA hid a safety signal it detected for the inflammation—and possible side effects such as tinnitus, which shift the benefit-risk calculus.

President Joe Biden imposed a slate of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in 2021. The VA was the first federal agency to implement a mandate.

President Biden rescinded the mandates in May 2023, citing a drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. His administration maintains the choice to require vaccines was the right one and saved lives.

“Our administration’s vaccination requirements helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces including those in the healthcare and education sectors, protecting themselves and the populations they serve, and strengthening their ability to provide services without disruptions to operations,” the White House said.

Some experts said requiring vaccination meant many younger people were forced to get a vaccine despite the risks potentially outweighing the benefits, leaving fewer doses for older adults.

By mandating the vaccines to younger people and those with natural immunity from having had COVID, older people in the U.S. and other countries did not have access to them, and many people might have died because of that,” Martin Kulldorff, a professor of medicine on leave from Harvard Medical School, told The Epoch Times previously.

The VA was one of just a handful of agencies to keep its mandate in place following the removal of many federal mandates.

“At this time, the vaccine requirement will remain in effect for VA health care personnel, including VA psychologists, pharmacists, social workers, nursing assistants, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, peer specialists, medical support assistants, engineers, housekeepers, and other clinical, administrative, and infrastructure support employees,” Mr. McDonough wrote to VA employees at the time.

This also includes VA volunteers and contractors. Effectively, this means that any Veterans Health Administration (VHA) employee, volunteer, or contractor who works in VHA facilities, visits VHA facilities, or provides direct care to those we serve will still be subject to the vaccine requirement at this time,” he said. “We continue to monitor and discuss this requirement, and we will provide more information about the vaccination requirements for VA health care employees soon. As always, we will process requests for vaccination exceptions in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies.”

The version of the shots cleared in the fall of 2022, and available through the fall of 2023, did not have any clinical trial data supporting them.

A new version was approved in the fall of 2023 because there were indications that the shots not only offered temporary protection but also that the level of protection was lower than what was observed during earlier stages of the pandemic.

Ms. Manookian, whose group has challenged several of the federal mandates, said that the mandate “illustrates the dangers of the administrative state and how these federal agencies have become a law unto themselves.”

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/09/2024 - 22:10

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