A big company called Applied Materials made more money than people thought they would in the last three months. This made other companies that work with chips do well too. Some smaller companies had their stock prices go up a lot because of good news. The overall value of US stocks went up a little bit, but not much. Read from source...

- The headline is misleading and does not reflect the actual performance of US stocks. It suggests a significant increase when in reality it was only a minor edge higher. A more accurate headline would be "US Stocks Edge Higher; Applied Materials Posts Upbeat Earnings - A Negligible Change".
- The article focuses too much on Applied Materials and its earnings report, while ignoring the broader market trends and other factors that may have influenced the stock performance. This creates a skewed perspective and does not provide a comprehensive overview of the situation.
- The use of percentage changes instead of absolute values can be misleading and confusing for readers who are not familiar with financial jargon. For example, a 3% increase to 5,298.61 is more meaningful than a 0.5% rise in materials shares. The article should provide both types of information for better clarity and understanding.
- The inclusion of unrelated news such as Walmart's potential rally and analyst forecasts does not contribute to the main topic of the article and may distract readers from the key points. These sections can be removed or placed in a separate section to improve the flow and relevance of the content.

1. Buy AMAT: Applied Materials reported better-than-expected financial results for the second quarter on Thursday. The company has a strong position in the chip equipment market and is expected to benefit from the growing demand for semiconductors. However, there are some risks involved, such as potential trade tensions between the US and China, which could affect the global supply chain and demand for chips. Additionally, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could also pose challenges for the company's operations and revenue growth.
2. Sell FNGD: Fangdd Network Group Ltd shares shot up 312% to $1.69 after filing its 2023 annual report on Form 20-F. This is a significant increase in value, which may indicate an overvaluation of the stock. The company operates in the real estate market, which is vulnerable to economic fluctuations and consumer sentiment. Moreover, the company has been facing financial difficulties and may struggle to sustain its growth trajectory.
3. Hold AKAN: Akanda Corp shares got a boost, surging 164% to $0.3495 after jumping around 27% on Thursday. The company operates in the renewable energy sector and has recently acquired a power generation facility in Africa. This could provide opportunities for growth and expansion, but also entails risks such as regulatory uncertainties, political instability, and infrastructure challenges in the target market.
4. Hold CKEEF: Crown ElectroKinetics Corp shares were also up, gaining 25%. The company is involved in the development of next-generation display technologies, which could have potential applications in various industries such as smartphones, TVs, and automobiles. However, the company faces intense competition from other players in the market and may struggle to secure sufficient funding and partnerships for its R&D projects.