The stock market ended the first trading day of the week in the negative territory, with all major indices recording hefty losses, as investors continued to digest the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and his criticism of the Federal Reserve.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell the hardest among the major indices, down 2.55 percent, followed by the Dow Jones at 2.48 percent, and the S&P 500 at 2.36 percent.
Meanwhile, 10 companies bucked a broader market bloodbath, recording strong gains during the day. In this article, we have listed the 10 top-performing companies, dominated by micro- to small-cap stocks, and detailed the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we considered only the stocks with less than $1 billion in market capitalization.
A trader cheers his market gains. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
10. Exicure Inc. (NASDAQ:XCUR)
Exicure Inc. snapped a three-day losing streak on Monday, surging 27.68 percent to close at $11.30 apiece as investors resorted to bargain-hunting to take advantage of its cheap valuations.
Additionally, investors digested news that XCUR, through its subsidiary, GPCR Therapeutics USA, was nearing completion of the phase 2 study of GPC-100 in Multiple Myeloma. This followed the successful dosing of the 19th patient to evaluate the efficacy of GPC-100 (burixafor) in mobilizing stem cells in multiple myeloma (MM) patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant.
“Preliminary results are encouraging, with 100 percent of patients achieving the primary endpoint of successful CD34+ stem cell mobilization, including patients previously treated with daratumumab,” XCUR said.
The trial is expected to finish patient recruitment by the end of the month.
XCUR has historically been an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. Following its restructuring and suspension of clinical and development activities, the company said it is now exploring strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value.
9. Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ:EVGN)
Evogene Ltd. crawled back to the $1 territory on Monday, jumping 30.93 percent to close at $1.27 apiece following news that it agreed to sell a controlling stake in Lavie Bio Ltd. to ICL, a global specialty minerals and chemicals company.
According to EVGN, the acquisition includes its MicroBoost AI for AG platform and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of the year.
Additionally, ICL will gain access to Lavie Bio’s assets, including its core team, BDD technology platform, microbial bank, data assets, the majority of its development programs, and its commercial products.
Upon completion, ICL expects to strengthen its position in the ag-biologicals sector.
Lavie Bio is known for its work in the ag-biologicals sector. It develops microbiome-based products aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability.
8. Inno Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:INHD)
Inno Holdings extended its winning streak for a sixth straight day on Monday, adding 41.25 percent to finish at $8.56 apiece as investors continued to snap up shares in the company ahead of its earnings results for the first quarter of the year.
INHD is scheduled to release its earnings results in the second week of May 2025, based on its historical earnings reporting dates. Investors will closely watch out for whether it will beat or miss earnings estimates, as well as its near-term business outlook.
INHD manufactures cold-formed steel-framing technology and prefabricated homes in the US. It serves the residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure industries.
In recent news, INHD replaced its independent registered public accounting firm, Simon & Edward LLP, with JWF Assurance PAC to take over the auditing responsibilities for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025.
The change followed the identification of a material weakness in the company’s internal control over financial reporting.
7. Forge Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:FRGE)
Forge Global Holdings grew its share prices by 41.54 percent on Monday, a second day, to close at $12.30 apiece as investors snapped up shares in the company following news that it would merge with Accuidity Capital Management.
In a statement last week, FRGE said it entered into a non-binding term sheet with Accuidity and its controlling stockholders to acquire 100 percent of the latter’s interests for an initial cash purchase of $10 million and 1.15 million shares of Forge common stock issued at closing in a private placement transaction. Of the 1.15 million shares, more than 483,000 will be issued at closing of the agreement.
“Through the potential combination, Forge and Accuidity will seek to expand Forge’s asset management capabilities, with the aim to deliver a comprehensive set of investment products and private wealth solutions to Forge’s growing global client base and beyond,” FRGE said.
“If completed, Forge believes the acquisition will be accretive to EPS and transformational to Forge’s revenue streams, add new recurring revenue, and increase Forge’s confidence in achieving Adjusted EBITDA breakeven in 2026,” it added.
6. Xinyuan Real Estate Co. Ltd. (NYSE:XIN)
Xinyuan grew its share prices by 41.98 percent on Monday to close at $2.3 apiece following news that it reached a settlement agreement with creditors following an involuntary bankruptcy petition.
On April 14, XIN’s creditors filed an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition against the company with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
As of Monday, April 21, XIN said it had already reached a settlement agreement with the creditors, agreeing to request a suspension of proceedings for 14 days.
According to XIN, the settlement aims to dismiss the Chapter 11 case and elaborate on its efforts to stabilize its financial situation.
Additionally, XIN is planning to restructure its debt obligations, and it is preparing to file its 2024 annual report this month.
XIN is a Chinese real estate developer with a significant market presence in urban areas across China.
5. Mingteng International Corporation Inc. (NASDAQ:MTEN)
Mingteng International Corp. extended its winning streak for a second straight day, adding 44.55 percent to close Monday’s trading at $6.10 apiece as investors appeared to have hunted for bargains from last week’s cheap valuations.
MTEN is an automotive mold developer and supplier in China, which was only listed publicly on the US stock exchange in April last year. It provides casting molds for turbocharger systems, braking systems, steering and differential systems, and other automotive system parts.
The company, headquartered in Wuxi, China, was founded on September 20, 2021, by Ying Kai Xu.
In its market debut last year, MTEN said that it was actively exploring business expansion overseas.
MTEN has yet to file its annual report for 2024.
In 2023, MTEN reported a net income of $1.51 million, lower by 29 percent than the $2.13 million registered in 2022.
Revenues, however, were higher by 2.5 percent at $8.23 million versus the $8.03 million in 2022.
4. MKDWELL Tech Inc. (NASDAQ:MKDW)
MKDWELL saw its share prices surge for a third straight day on Monday, adding 70.66 percent to close at $0.3891 apiece, as investors continued to hunt for bargains.
Based on its historical price data, MKDW has been trading below the minimum bid price requirement of the Nasdaq exchange since October 2024.
On February 10, 2025, the company received a notification letter from the Nasdaq informing the company of its failure to comply with the minimum bid price of $1 to continue being listed on the stock exchange.
“The company has been provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Notice, or until August 11, 2025, to regain compliance pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). If at any time before August 11, 2025, the closing bid price of the Ordinary Shares reaches or exceeds $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, the [Nasdaq] will provide written notification that the company has achieved compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, and the matter would be resolved,” MKDW said.
“If the company chooses to implement a reverse stock split, it must complete the split no later than ten business days prior to August 11, 2025, in order to regain compliance,” it added.
3. MicroAlgo Inc. (NASDAQ:MLGO)
MicroAlgo saw its share prices soar by 74.93 percent on Monday to end at $11.86 apiece, reflecting continued investor confidence.
At intra-day trading, MLGO traded as high as 143 percent at $16.50 each before selling persisted towards the end to pull the company’s share prices slightly lower.
The rally followed recent news that WiMi Hologram expanded its stake in the company to 67.65 percent.
Late last month, WiMi, a leading firm in the holographic augmented reality (AR) industry, said it raised its stake in MLGO to expand its influence and capabilities within the rapidly evolving AR market. WiMi also committed to retain its shares in MLGO in the next 10 years.
As of March 27, 2025, WiMi holds 40,000 Class A ordinary shares, more than 1.8 million Class A ordinary shares (restricted), and over 44.87 million Class B ordinary shares (restricted) of MLGO.
2. SHF Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:SHFS)
SHF Holdings Inc., which operates Safe Harbor Financial, grew its share prices by 95.79 percent on Monday, a second straight day, to end at $4.19 apiece as investors snapped up shares in the company following news that it partnered with FundCanna to support cannabis-related businesses across the US.
In a statement last week, SHFS said it entered into an agreement with FundCanna to bring accessible, transparent funding options and compliant banking services to cannabis-related businesses within the US.
The partnership will enable FundCanna to introduce clients to Safe Harbor, and at the same time, the latter to introduce qualified clients to FundCanna for working capital, equipment financing, and other credit-based solutions.
Under the agreement, all clients approved by FundCanna and referred by Safe Harbor will be onboarded to deposit loan proceeds directly into Safe Harbor-managed bank accounts.
1. Upexi Inc. (NASDAQ:UPXI)
Upexi Inc. skyrocketed by 335.68 percent on Monday to end at $9.89 apiece following news that it raised $100 million in fresh funds following a private placement that attracted buying interests of various crypto venture capital firms.
In a statement, UPXI said the transaction involves the sale of 43.86 million shares at a price of $2.28 apiece.
Of the total amount, UPXI plans to allocate as much as $94.7 million for the acquisition of Solana tokens and the establishment of its Solana treasury. Meanwhile, the remaining $5.3 million will be allocated for working capital and debt reduction. UPXI expects the offer to end by April 24, 2025.
UPXI is a brand owner specializing in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of consumer products. The company recently entered the cryptocurrency industry and cash management of assets through a cryptocurrency portfolio.
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