Stocks are a mixed bag midday, despite this morning's encouraging consumer price index (CPI). Even amid the signs that inflation may be cooling, the Nasdaq Composite's (IXIC) four-day winning streak is in jeopardy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), meanwhile, is up triple digits, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) is marginally higher, with both indexes climbing out of the red this morning.

Investors are hoping that optimistic inflation readings will compel the Federal Reserve to ease off the scale of interest rate hikes. Against this backdrop, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) has slipped below 20 for the first time in over three weeks.

U.S.-listed shares of telecom giant Vodafone Group Plc (Nasdaq: VOD) are up 5.1% to trade at $11.22 this afternoon, following an upgrade to "buy" at BofA Global Research. The stock's options pits are exploding with bullish activity, too, with 15,000 calls across the tape so far -- 15 times the amount typically seen at this point. The most activity is taking place at the April 12 call contract. The bull note comes after a new Group Chief Commercial Officer was announced, and the news also helped VOD cut into its more than 20% year-over-year deficit.

After securing a 10-year, multiple-award contract worth $900 million with the U.S. Air Force, BigBear.ai Holdings Inc (NYSE: BBAI) has skyrocketed to the top of New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The analytics and cyber-engineering company now has the ability to bid and compete as a prime contractor for research and development of new technologies, amongst other deliverables, to the U.S. Air Force. Last seen up 248.7% at $2.95, BBAI is still sports a 38% year-over-year deficit.

Shares of Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORMP) are trading at the very bottom of the Nasdaq, after the biotech company's oral insulin medication failed to meet the primary or secondary endpoints in a Phase 3 clinical trial. ORMP was last seen in penny stock territory, down 75.9% at $2.60. The pullback also pushed Oramed Pharmaceuticals stock below its year-over-year breakeven mark, now down 78.5% in the last 12 months.

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