It’s busy season for immigration lawyers. On April 3, people can start submitting H-1B visa petitions for the new fiscal year.
The popular visa, beloved by the tech industry, is a pathway for skilled foreigners to work in the U.S.
It’s in high demand: Last year, the cap of 85,000 H-1B visas was reached less than a week after the application period opened up. During that time, 236,000 petitions were submitted.
When demand exceeds supply, the visas are awarded through a lottery system.
And this year, there are additional stress factors: The political environment is decidedly less welcoming to foreigners and one of the favored processing options has been put on hold.
For an additional $1,225 fee, premium processing guarantees that an H-1B petition is reviewed within 15 days (if it’s selected in the lottery). According to USCIS, premium processing filings accounted for 59% of the total H-1B filings in 2016. But in March, USCIS announced it was temporarily freezing that option on April 3.
stock market today chart: Francesca's Holdings Corporation(FRAN)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Lisa Levin]
In trading on Friday, cyclical consumer goods & services shares fell 0.03 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Francesca's Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: FRAN), down 5 percent, and Hibbett Sports, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIBB) down 5 percent.
- [By Lisa Levin] Related LOV Match Group And Spark Networks: A Valentine's Day Case Study 20 Biggest Mid-Day Losers For Thursday
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Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $690.27 million.
General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.71 per share on revenue of $3.84 billion.
Coca-Cola European Partners Plc (NYSE: CCE) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $2.72 billion.
Lands' End, Inc. (NASDAQ: LE) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.35 per share on revenue of $459.43 million.
Francesca's Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: FRAN) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $145.91 million.
Cheetah Mobile Inc (ADR) (NYSE: CMCM) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $178.04 million.
Neogen Corporation (NASDAQ: NEOG) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.27 per share on revenue of $90.05 million.
Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is projected to post earnings for its first quarter.
Fifth Street Asset Management Inc (NASDAQ: FSAM) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.14 per share on revenue of $25.12 million.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Francesca’s Holdings (FRAN) has jumped 5.4% to $11.00 after beating earnings forecasts.
Restoration Hardware (RH) has tumbled 20% to $28.92 after slashing its full-year guidance. Restoration Hardware was also cut to Market Perform from Outperform at Telsey Advisory Group.
stock market today chart: Lexaria Bioscience (LXRP)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Bryan Murphy]
In the grand scheme of things it shouldn’t be surprising, though odds are good at least a few people are surprised at how quickly it happened. That is, health supplement and healthy-foods brand name NeutriSci International Inc (CVE:NU) and the developer of a cannabis-infusion technology — a means of packing more CBD into hemp oil — called Lexaria Bioscience Corp (OTCMKTS:LXRP) have finalized new supplement that is done testing and will soon be available for consumers. The tablet (a ‘melt’, technically) is a combination of pterostilbene and cannabidiol, offering a double-barreled benefit to the health-conscious.
The benefits of cannabidiol, found in hemp and marijuana, are relatively well understood by the market at this point. Cannabidiol can do a human body a lot of good, like the reduction of nausea, control of seizures, anti-cancer activity, anti-inflammation effects, and more. Pterostilbene is the lesser-known of the two components of the new tablet, but no less impressive and no less beneficial. Pterostilbene is known to combat high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and oxidative stress. Combining the two is a real one-two punch for the health-conscious.
That’s what made November’s news so exciting… NeutriSci International has an established name and marketing channel, while Lexaria Bioscience has the science that makes hemp oil far more functional. Indeed, to fully appreciate the upside for LXRP, one has to embrace Lexaria’s science and why it matters.
The bulk of the vitamins, anti-oxidants, minerals, amino acids and all the other desirable components of the pills you take and foods you eat don’t actually get absorbed into your body. Sometimes as much as 96% of the ingredient in question isn’t extracted, and instead passes right through. Not only is it a waste of time and money, it’s a bit of a hassle to swallow a big capsule — or several capsules — for little to no benefit.
Lexaria Bioscience changes this. In short,
- [By Matthew Briar]
Earlier this month, some light was shed on the so-called marijuana ‘zombie’ outbreak in Brooklyn (and a handful of other places) earlier this year. As it turns out, it wasn’t a zombie outbreak at all… not that anyone really suspected the undead were lurking about. The culprit was drugs, or more specifically, chemicals and compounds that serve as drugs that weren’t meant to be utilized in that manner. In the search for a stronger, more intense high, marijuana fans got far more than they bargained for, and not in good way.
The matter inadvertently puts an up-and-coming company called Lexaria Bioscience Corp (OTCMKTS:LXRP) in the spotlight. See, Lexaria Bioscience could have sidestepped the zombie-like response of what’s now clearly been deemed a chemical-laced plant nobody would ever actually choose to smoke if they knew better. How so? Because LXRP could have provided the more intense ‘high’ being sought using its infusion science and real marijuana… not the synthetic marijuana that’s been causing unexpected results like hallucinations, extreme agitation, a rapid heartbeat and extremely high blood pressure. paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks and psychotic episodes. Those aren’t the usual responses to weed. They’re common responses to other, harsher narcotics, and are often wished avoided by recreational marijuana users.
Say what you want about the moral hazards or dangers of legalized marijuana, but nobody can deny that it’s happening… in the United States, and abroad. In November, marijuana was on the ballot for one reason or another in nine states, and the pro-marijuana movement got the green light in eight of them. Weed is now legal, either for medicinal or recreational use, in more than half the states that make up the U.S.A.
More relevant to the matter at hand, in step with the ongoing legalization of marijuana, users and sellers have — as they always do– pushed the limits of legality and science to come up with a better expe
- [By Jim Robertson]
Last week, small cap food sciences stockLexaria Bioscience Corp (OTCQB: LXRP)announced a deal with Hempco Food and Fiber (OTCMKTS: HMPPF; TSXV: HEMP) that will take hemp foods to the next level. First of all, hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown for the industrial uses of its derived products as the plant material can be refined into justabout anything,including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food and animal feed:
- [By Matthew Briar]
Last week — to the day, in fact — Lexaria Bioscience Corp (OTCMKTS:LXRP) announced it was teaming up with neutraceutical company NeutriSci International Inc (CVE:NU) to create a new kind of health supplement that gave consumers the ability to tap into the benefits of hemp. We hailed it as the shape of things to come. What we didn’t know, however, was how quickly those things would take shape. Just this morning the company told LXRP shareholders it was already forging another such symbiotic relationship…. this one with Hempco Food and Fiber Inc (CVE:HEMP).
Simply put, Lexaria Bioscience is focused on improving the bioavailability of the healthy stuff found in food, supplements, vitamins, and yes, even in cannabis and hemp.
It’s not widely recognized, but the bulk of the vitamins, anti-oxidants, minerals, amino acids and all the other desirable components of the pills you take and foods you eat don’t actually get absorbed into your body. Sometimes as much as 96% of the ingredient in question isn’t extracted, and instead passes right through. Not only is it a waste of time and money, it’s a bit of a hassle to swallow a big capsule — or several capsules — for little to no benefit.
Lexaria Bioscience changes this. In short, Lexaria has developed and patented a proprietary technology that makes valuable molecules taste better and absorb better in the digestive tract. This platform could be applied to a variety of nutritional and health-oriented favorites, but Lexaria is starting with hemp as it’s the most underserved market and arguably the biggest growth opportunity. Hemp, and hemp oil to be exact, can provide a lot of various medical benefits like the reduction of nausea, control of seizures, anti-cancer activity, anti-inflammation effects, and more.
The future for Lexaria Bioscience is partnerships… licensing its science and know-how to companies with existing product lines and distribution networks that can easily inject hemp
- [By Bryan Murphy]
At first glance, it looks like it could be trouble for Lexaria Bioscience Corp (OTCMKTS:LXRP). That is, on Wednesday, the nation’s Drug Enforcement Agency brought clarity to a rule that had been up in the air since 2011. That is, in short, the DEA’s position on all cannabis extracts, including CBD oil, is that they are all federally illegal Schedule I substances.
From a legal and logical standpoint based just on the DEA’s language published in the Federal Register yesterday, that puts Lexaria Bioscience in jeopardy. Lexaria has developed a way to improve the body’s absorption of hemp oil — which is deliberately high in cannabidiol/CBD — which was perfectly legal and legitimate since THC percentage in hemp (0.3%or less) are technically legal. Now the federal government’s drug-enforcement arm says that’s not the case. The newly-clarified law defines the illegal substance as “extracts that have been derived from any plant of the genus Cannabis and which contain cannabinols and cannabidiols.” Hemp, even though it’s not marijuana, is of the Cannabis genus.
Bad news for LXRP owners? Not quite, for a handful of reasons.
The decision (which bypassed legislature and overstepped the DEA’s authority, by the way – more on that in a second) is evidence of a long-standing problem the government agency has had in dealing with hemp and cannabis. In simplest terms, the DEA has operated and acted as if it has no real understanding of the difference between hemp and marijuana. They are of the same genus, but not of the same species. Moreover, while the former predominantly contains cannabidiol, the latter is sought out for its high tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) for the purpose of creating a “high.”
Problem (for the DEA): The U.S. judicial system has already ruled that the DEA doesn’t have the authority to make such rules.
Attorney Robert Hoban explained yesterday evening at industry website newcannabisventures.com:
stock market today chart: Oaktree Capital Group, LLC(OAK)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By WWW.MONEYSHOW.COM]
Oaktree Capital Group (OAK) is known for its contrarian approach with many of its products concentrating on distressed assets and turnaround situations.
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
Position: Long GLD small, bonds, SDS; short TLT small, SPY small .
stock market today chart: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Lisa Levin]
Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ: RCII) was down, falling around 26 percent to $9.88. Rent-A-Center reported upbeat quarterly earnings, but the company’s sales missed analysts’ estimates.
- [By Peter Graham]
A long term performance chart shows shares of Aaron’s, Inc basically breaking even with Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE: BBY) all over the place (albeit it took off again last year) while small capshhgregg, Inc (NYSE: HGG) and Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ: RCII)have both underperformed for over three years now:
- [By Peter Graham]
A long term performance chart shows shares of Aaron’s, Inc performing better with Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE: BBY) being the big winner whilesmall caps hhgregg, Inc (NYSE: HGG) and Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ: RCII) haveunderperformed, butare showing signs of improvement:
- [By Peter Graham]
A long term performance chart shows shares of Aaron’s, Inc basicallyabove break even with Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE: BBY)taking off againwhile small capshhgregg, Inc (NYSE: HGG) and Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ: RCII)have both been sliding in recent years:
stock market today chart: National Beverage Corp.(FIZZ)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Tailored Brands (NYSE:TLRD) and National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) were two of the biggest individual stock movers on Thursday.
Winners and losers
Shares of formal clothing specialist Tailored Brands dove 32% after the companyposted surprisingly weak fiscal fourth-quarter earnings results. Sales fell 3.9% to $793 million, while consensus estimates were targeting a more modest decline to $805 million.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Yet some solid individual stock gains also helped lift investors’ moods, and Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD), National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ), and JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we’ll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.
