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Today is Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
The Early Bird Index today is 73.40.
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PRESENTED BY BLUE CO
Blue Coβs Crowdfunding Campaign Is Approaching Its Close Date
Blue Co Warehousingβs Regulation Crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder is scheduled to close soon.
Individuals interested in learning more about the company, its business model, and the associated risks can review the full offering materials and disclosures on the Wefunder platform.
Any investment decision should be made only after reviewing the official information provided there.
See more: wefunder.com/blueco
Why Health Stocks Are Surging π
Humana $HUM ( β² 2.71% ) surged 11.14% in after-hours trading on Monday after a better-than-expected Medicare Advantage payment rate was released.
Details: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Monday that there will be a net average increase of 2.48%, or over $13 billion, in additional Medicare Advantage payments to plans in 2027.
Bigger Picture: And it wasnβt just Humana that benefited from the announcement in after-hours trading. UnitedHealth Group $UNH ( β² 1.48% ) and CVS Health $CVS ( βΌ 0.29% ) jumped 7.74% and 6.77%, respectively.
Background: The announcement comes after a previous report suggested a lower-than-expected Medicare Advantage payment increase.
Early Birdβs Nest Egg Gains: Better-than-expected Medicare Advantage payments matter more to Humana because Medicare Advantage is the core of its business, and Humana has one of the largest Medicare Advantage enrollee bases in the country. Small changes in payments can flow through to margins.
Final Thoughts: Humanaβs stock was down 30.94% this year.
Notables
Notable Earnings Today: Levi Strauss (NYSE: LEVI), Greenbrier (NYSE: GBX), Phoenix Education (NYSE: PXED), Aehr Test Systems (Nasdaq: AEHR), Kura Sushi USA (Nasdaq: KRUS), Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL), Xcel Brands (Nasdaq: XELB).
Notable IPOs Today: Apogee Acquisition Corp Units (Nasdaq: AACPU), ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. Units (Nasdaq: ACGCU).
Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: HITMKR (Wefunder), Pump for Joy (Wefunder).
Notable Economic Events Today: ADP Employment Change Weekly (8:15 a.m. ET), Durable Goods Orders (8:30 a.m. ET), NY Fed 1-Year Consumer Inflation Expectations (11:00 a.m. ET), Consumer Credit (3:00 a.m. ET), API Weekly Crude Oil Stock (4:30 p.m. ET).
Amazon's New USPS Deal
It turns out that Amazonβs $AMZN ( β² 1.44% ) original plan to reduce the number of packages it ships to the U.S. Postal Service by two-thirds this fall might have changed.
Details: The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Amazon reached a tentative deal with the USPS that will instead result in a 20% reduction. Neither side has commented on the report.
Powering the Story: This means Amazon and USPS still preserve most of their relationship instead of a near-breakup that would have forced a major re-routing of packages and revenue. With the deal, Amazon preserves flexibility and avoids needing to shift the whole workload elsewhere immediately.
Final Thoughts: Amazon is off to one of its worst starts in recent years, with a 6.05% stock price decline in 2026.
Phillips 66 Anticipates Certain Losses
The energy company Phillips 66 $PSX ( β² 0.64% ) ticked down 0.75% in after-hours trading on Monday after disclosing that a sharp increase in commodity prices has caused $900 million in pre-tax mark-to-market losses for its upcoming results.
Final Thoughts: This is tough for Phillips 66. The stock had been up over 35% this year.
Trends to Watch
Potential Problem: Bitcoin options market is quietly pricing a major downside move (CoinDesk)
Spraying Concerns: Jamie Dimon warns that the Iran war could bring an economic βskunkβ to the party (CNN)
Coming Soon: SpaceXβs IPO Pitch Centers on Elon Muskβs Ability to βSell the Dreamβ (Bloomberg)
AIβs Future: OpenAIβs vision for the AI economy: public wealth funds, robot taxes, and a four-day workweek (TechCrunch)
Offsetting the Downside: Bitcoin may hit $110K as Strategy absorbs nearly 3x new BTC supply (Cointelegraph)
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The contents of Early Bird are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute trade or investment recommendations, and they are not financial or legal advice. Readers are encouraged to consult licensed professionals for personalized guidance regarding their financial or legal situations.


