Buzz Stocks: Big Lots, Inc., JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., and LendingClub Corp

U.S. stocks are holding on to tenuous gains ahead of Fed Chair Janet Yellen's speech. Among equities in focus are discount retailer Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG), solar energy stock JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE:JKS), and online lender LendingClub Corp (NYSE:LC).

• BIG is up 11.5% at $49.80 -- and just off a fresh annual high of $50.50 -- after reporting a 20% rise in quarterly profit and issuing an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year. Despite the slump some higher-priced retailers are dealing with, several discount retailers have reported favorable results recently. Big Lots, Inc. shares have risen considerably since hitting an annual low in January, and today's surge likely has short sellers feeling the heat, with 21.3% of the stock's shares sold short -- an amount that would take over 13 days of trading to cover, at BIG's average daily volume. 

• JKS is down 4% at $22.45 after earnings, despite the company waxing optimistic on the industry. "Global solar demand continues to grow as costs go down," said JKS CEO Kangping Chen, adding that a "number of big orders" continue to roll in from China -- "a trend we believe will continue into the second quarter." JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., is down more than 18% in 2016, and has struggled to overcome resistance from its 320-day moving average. Options traders have been especially bullish on the stock, though, with JKS' 50-day call/put volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) sitting in the 99th percentile of its annual range, at 3.2.

• LC shares are up 14.2% to $4.99, after The Wall Street Journal said the company is in talks with Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) to finance future loans and debts issued by LendingClub Corp. LC shares have lost over 60% of their value year-to-date, plunging after CEO Renauld Laplanche resigned under a cloud of scandal. The stock ultimately hit a record low on May 17, but has been battling back since Shanda Group unveiled a stake, and are on pace to notch a weekly gain of more than 20%.