Wobbly Wednesday sends stocks lower

Good Afternoon! 

Hey, everyone. It's Adam from Elite Trade Club. 

Here’s what moved the market today.

Markets 📈

Stocks turned south on Wednesday as the market continued to break through a stiff resistance level. The Nasdaq and Russ2K underperformed.

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Market-Moving News 🔎 

🍔 Wendy's Dabbles in Dinner Date Dynamics

Wendy's [WEN +1.8%], the iconic home of the square patty, recently shared its full-year earnings, and while investors gave a collective shrug with a slight 1.5% stock dip, it was something CEO Kirk Tanner mentioned that's now cooking up a storm.

Surge Pricing for Burgers 📈
Dynamic pricing, or "surge pricing" for the uninitiated, isn't just for your late-night Uber escapades anymore. Airlines have been playing this game since the '80s, adjusting prices based on demand to maximize profits and, theoretically, distribute services more efficiently.

But while snagging a seat on a plane using this model is one thing, seeing it applied to your burger and fries is quite another. The fast-food faithful aren't exactly thrilled at the prospect of their drive-thru orders fluctuating with the weather, time of day, or how desperately they need a Frosty fix.

Damage Control 🚨
In response to the uproar, Wendy's was quick to throw water on the grease fire, clarifying that their exploration into dynamic pricing wasn't about jacking up prices during lunch rush hour but about innovation and meeting consumer demand.

They're sticking to their story that price hikes when everyone wants a burger is not on the menu. But let's face it, the damage might already be done.

A Super-Sized Problem 🍟
This whole debacle couldn't come at a worse time for Wendy's. With a measly 0.9% growth in comparable sales and a 4.5% dip in earnings per share, they're already the underdog compared to the fast-food royalty of McDonald's and the resurgent Burger King. 

Add to that the pressure from Trian Fund Management and Nelson Peltz to clean up their act, and Wendy's is in a pickle—and not just the kind you find on a burger.

Only time will tell if Wendy's can turn this PR blip into a boon or if it'll be remembered as the time fast food got too smart for its own good.

Market-Moving News 🔎 

🍔 Wendy's Dabbles in Dinner Date Dynamics

Wendy's [WEN +1.8%], the iconic home of the square patty, recently shared its full-year earnings, and while investors gave a collective shrug with a slight 1.5% stock dip, it was something CEO Kirk Tanner mentioned that's now cooking up a storm.

Surge Pricing for Burgers 📈
Dynamic pricing, or "surge pricing" for the uninitiated, isn't just for your late-night Uber escapades anymore. Airlines have been playing this game since the '80s, adjusting prices based on demand to maximize profits and, theoretically, distribute services more efficiently.

But while snagging a seat on a plane using this model is one thing, seeing it applied to your burger and fries is quite another. The fast-food faithful aren't exactly thrilled at the prospect of their drive-thru orders fluctuating with the weather, time of day, or how desperately they need a Frosty fix.

Cue a media frenzy and a less-than-flattering portrayal by The New York Post, accusing Wendy's of trying to milk inflation-stricken Americans for all they're worth.Damage Control 🚨
In response to the uproar, Wendy's was quick to throw water on the grease fire, clarifying that their exploration into dynamic pricing wasn't about jacking up prices during lunch rush hour but about innovation and meeting consumer demand.

They're sticking to their story that price hikes when everyone wants a burger is not on the menu. But let's face it, the damage might already be done.

A Super-Sized Problem 🍟
This whole debacle couldn't come at a worse time for Wendy's. With a measly 0.9% growth in comparable sales and a 4.5% dip in earnings per share, they're already the underdog compared to the fast-food royalty of McDonald's and the resurgent Burger King. 

Add to that the pressure from Trian Fund Management and Nelson Peltz to clean up their act, and Wendy's is in a pickle—and not just the kind you find on a burger.

So as Wendy's flirts with the idea of "Happy Hour" pricing, the rest of us are left wondering if our next fast-food run will require budgeting skills worthy of a Wall Street trader. Only time will tell if Wendy's can turn this PR blip into a boon or if it'll be remembered as the time fast food got too smart for its own good.

Vivani Medical [VANI] $3.74 (270.3%)
said a preclinical trial showed its under-the-skin drug implant helped reduce weight in obese mice.

vTv Therapeutic [VTVT] $16.65 (+95.8%)
closed a $51 million private placement offering of its shares to a group of healthcare-focused institutional investors.

Adial Pharma [ADIL] $1.62 (+85.5%)
was granted a U.S. patent covering its lead investigational drug AD04 and its ability to target the serotonin transporter gene for the potential treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD).

Oragenics [NERV] $1.42 (42.0%)
registered for a $2.1 million offering of roughly 1.4 million shares of its common stock.

Integral Ad Sci. [IAS] $10.01 (41.4%)
saw several analysts cut their price targets on the stock after its Q4 results were published late Tuesday, despite surpassing consensus estimates for both earnings & revenues.

Palatin [PTN] $2.45 (38.2%)
said its PL9643 dry eye drug candidate didn’t achieve statistical significance in a MELODY-1 pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial.

That's it for today! Please, write us back, and let us know what you think of the Closing Bell Roundup. We're always eager to hear feedback from our members!

Thanks for reading. I'll see you at the next open! 

Best Regards,
— Adam G.
Elite Trade Club

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