US markets witnessed sharp volatility with a clear risk-off tone, as heavy selling in large-cap tech coincided with extreme moves in small-cap stocks.
Among the biggest gainers, ARTL (Artelo Biosciences Inc.) surged an extraordinary 230.40%, leading the rally in speculative counters. SST (System1 Inc.) jumped 147.44%, while RMSGW (Real Messenger Corp.) climbed over 103%. Other notable advances included IZM (ICZOOM Group Inc.) and TBLAW (Taboola.com Ltd.), both posting strong double-digit gains, highlighting continued momentum in high-beta names.
On the downside, ITRM (Iterum Therapeutics plc) plunged 79.77%, marking one of the steepest declines in the session. BUI (BlackRock Utility, Infrastructure Trust) fell 56.33%, while INVZW (Innoviz Technologies Ltd.) and RDGT (Ridgetech Inc.) dropped nearly 48% each. BUR (Burford Capital Ltd.) also saw a sharp decline of over 47%, reflecting broad-based selling pressure in select counters.
Trading activity remained elevated. HKIT (Hitek Global Inc.) emerged as the most active stock by volume despite a price drop, followed by UCAR (U Power Ltd.) and LNKS (Linkers Industries Ltd.), indicating strong churn in declining stocks. Ridgetech Inc. also featured prominently in volume leaders amid its sharp fall.
In terms of dollar-volume activity, major ETFs and tech giants saw selling pressure. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) declined 1.69%, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) dropped 1.95%, signaling weakness in broader markets. NVIDIA Corporation fell over 2.17%, and Tesla, Inc. dropped 2.76%, reflecting continued pressure on tech and growth stocks.
However, Micron Technology bucked the trend, posting a modest gain of 0.49%, offering limited support to the semiconductor space.
