PQC's Q4 2023 earnings surprise had a positive impact on short-term traders, as evidenced by the overall positive sentiment in the market. The earnings beat expectations led to a maximum return of 2.95% within the backtested period, which occurred on the maximum return day of January 26, 2024. This suggests that short-term traders who reacted to the earnings news were able to capture some of the positive momentum in the stock price.