Stockwinners Market Radar for October 19, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:34 EDT Merck issues voluntary recall of Cubicin 500 mg due to glass particles - Merck is voluntarily recalling one lot of CUBICIN, or daptomycin for injection, 500 mg, for intravenous use, Lot 934778, Exp June 2022. Because treatment with CUBICIN is likely to be initiated at a hospital or other monitored healthcare setting, the recall is being conducted to the user level, including hospital and administering institutions. Approximately 22,000 vials are affected by this recall. The recall has been initiated following receipt of a customer complaint reporting that a piece of glass was found in a vial of CUBICIN after reconstitution.

18:47 EDT Splunk CEO: Our business is firing on all cylinders - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Doug Merritt said the U.S. government has been a great customer of Splunk for over a decade. He's "excited" about increasing penetration in the government going forward. Cyber business has accounted for at least 50% of the company's revenue for at least the last four to five years, he noted.

18:25 EDT Netflix says 'Squid Game' popular in every region - Says still wrestling with post-COVID strategy. Says "Squid Game" popular in every region. Says company still "very early" in the video game business. Says "Chestnut Man" in Denmark a big success. Says non-English content growing has growth three times since they started adding such programs. Says still "a few years behind" in the film business.

18:14 EDT Sun Country Airlines CEO sells over 1M common shares - In a regulatory filing, Sun Country Airlines CEO Jude Bricker disclosed the sale of 1,050,000 common shares of the company at a price of $31.2813 per share.

17:31 EDT Granite awarded $19M runway repair contract in New Mexico - Granite "announced the award of a runway repair project at Cannon Air Force Base by the Albuquerque District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Located in Curry County, on New Mexico's high eastern plains, Cannon AFB is home to units of the Air Force Special Operations Command. The $19M contract is anticipated to be included in Granite's fourth quarter committed and awarded projects. The project is expected to begin in November of 2021 and be complete in July of 2022."

17:28 EDT Core & Main to acquire Catalone Pipe & Supply Co. - Core & Main announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Catalone Pipe & Supply Co., a full service provider of waterworks products and services, and custom concrete catch basins, based in Penfield, Pennsylvania.

17:12 EDT SailPoint CEO McClain sells apprximately $1.9M in company shares - SailPoint CEO Mark McClain disclosesd in a filing that he had sold 40,000 shares of company stock at $46.75 per share on October 15, for a total transaction value of $1,870,000.

17:06 EDT Intuitive Surgical narrows FY21 procedure growth view to 27%-29% from 27%-30% - Sees FY21 gross profit margin 71%-71.5% of revenue. Sees FY21 operating expenses up 17%-19%. Sees Q4 effective tax rate 21.5%. Says COVID-19 will continue to impact procedures. Says experienced more challenging supply chain environment in Q3. Says supply chain costs increased in Q3. Says macroeconomic impacts from Covid could impact hospital spending. Says Q3 average selling price increased to $1.75M from $1.55M. Says Q3 procedures were particularly impacted in states with low vaccination rates. Says China procedure growth remained strong. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

16:59 EDT Palomar sees Q3 catastrophe losses of $14.5M-$15.5M - Palomar Holdings "announced an estimated range of pretax catastrophe losses of $14.5 million to $15.5 million, net of reinsurance, for the third quarter of 2021. These estimates represent anticipated losses from Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas. Palomar estimates that 70-75% of its gross losses from these events are from its discontinued Admitted All Risk and Louisiana Specialty Homeowners products, lines of business that the Company exited in the fourth quarter of 2020."

16:54 EDT Correction: Ares Acquisition did not report Q3 AUM $1.68B - 16:49 story was for Associated Capital (AC).

16:50 EDT Correction: Associated cap reports Q3 AUM $1.680B compared to $1.251B last year - Associated Capital Group announced a range of its Q3 preliminary book value of $42.15-$42.35 per share, compared to $42.21 per share at June 30. This compares to $40.36 at December 31, 2020, and $38.25 at September 30, 2020. Assets under management, or AUM were $1.680B at September 30 as compared to $1.251B at September 30, 2020.

16:45 EDT Stride jumps 6% to $36.25 after Q1 results, above-consensus guidance

16:40 EDT FDA grants Sesen Bio a Type A meeting on issues from Vicineum CRL - The U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted Sesen Bio's request for a Type A meeting to discuss the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls, CMC, issues raised in the FDA's Complete Response Letter, CRL, regarding the Company's Biologics License Application, BLA, for Vicineum for the treatment of BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The CMC Type A Meeting has been scheduled for October 29. During the CMC Type A Meeting, the Company intends to align on a path forward with the FDA related to the CMC issues raised in the CRL. The Company is also preparing for a separate Type A meeting to discuss the recommendations specific to additional clinical/statistical data and analyses that the FDA raised in the CRL . The Company expects the Clinical Type A Meeting to occur later in the fourth quarter of 2021. As previously disclosed, the Company intends to use the information from the CMC Type A Meeting and the Clinical Type A Meeting to synchronize the regulatory reviews of Vicineum for the treatment of BCG-unresponsive NMIBC in the US and the European Union. The Company looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with regulators to determine the appropriate path forward.

16:36 EDT Cellectis to present two presentations at the ESGCT - Cellectis in collaboration with Professor Toni Cathomen, scientific director at the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency Medical Center at the University of Freiburg, Germany, will present two oral presentations at the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, or ESGCT, Congress to be held virtually from October 19-22, 2021. Professor Cathomen's team at University of Freiburg will be presenting pre-clinical data that supports further evaluation of Cellectis' .HEAL platform, an innovative gene therapy platform that uses a genome editing approach based on TALEN, for two product candidates targeting primary immunodeficiencies: RAG1 for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency and STAT3 for Hyper IgE syndrome. Presentations details. Data presentation on preclinical development of a TALEN based genome editing therapy for RAG1 deficiency. Newborns with RAG1 SCID have extremely low levels of B and T cells and a severe risk of recurrent, life-threatening infections. Previous attempts to treat the RAG1 deficiency via conventional gene therapy have produced unsatisfactory results. Using Cellectis' TALEN technology and .HEAL, Professor Cathomen engineered HSCs with a corrected copy of RAG1 that replaced the existing, mutated copy of RAG1. The precise replacement of the mutated gene enabled the corrected RAG1 gene to be expressed at its natural timing and stage of cell development. 30% of gene correction was achieved within the long-term HSC population. The presentation titled 'Preclinical development of a TALEN based genome editing therapy for RAG1 deficiency' will be made on October 21. Presentation Details: Data presentation on a preclinical development of a TALEN based genome editing in T-cells for the treatment of Hyper-IgE- Syndrome. Hyper IgE syndrome is a rare primary immunodeficiency disease that clinically manifests as skin inflammation and recurrent skin and lung infections. Cellectis has developed a strategy applicable in HSCs and T-cells to insert a corrected version of the STAT3 gene into the patient's genome to restore its functionality. In T-cells isolated from patients, 60% integration was achieved. More importantly, the alpha/beta isoforms ratio was restored. The presentation titled 'Preclinical development of a TALEN based genome editing in T cells for the treatment of Hyper-IgE-Syndrome' will be made on October 20.

16:35 EDT United Airlines sees FY21 adjusted CapEx around $3B - Sees FY22 CASM-ex lower than 2019.

16:33 EDT Express announces departure of CFO Perry Pericleous and transition plan - Fashion apparel retailer Express announced the departure of the Company's Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, Perry Pericleous, effective November 12. Pericleous is leaving the Company to pursue another opportunity. The Company has begun a search for a new CFO, and President & COO Matthew Moellering will serve as Acting CFO in the interim, along with his existing responsibilities. Moellering has served as the Company's President and COO since September 2019. He also served as Interim President and Interim CEO from January 2019 to June 2019, and was the Company's CFO and Treasurer from 2007 to 2011. Pericleous, who reports directly to Moellering, will continue to work closely with Matt over the next month to ensure a smooth transition.

16:32 EDT Lincoln Electric increases quarterly dividend 9.8% to 56c per share - Lincoln Electric announced that its board of directors has approved a 9.8% increase in the quarterly cash dividend, from 51c per share to 56c per share, or to $2.24 per share on an annualized basis. This marks the 26th consecutive annual increase of the dividend. The dividend is payable January 14, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 31.

16:30 EDT Pzena Investment reports Q3 EPS 27c vs. 16c last year - Reports Q3 revenue $51.6M vs. $33.9M last year. Reports Q3 AUM $52.4B, up 58% from last year.

16:23 EDT Kite Realty Group, Retail Properties of America shareholders approve merger - Kite Realty Group (KRG) and Retail Properties of America (RPAI) announced that KRG shareholders and RPAI stockholders approved all of the proposals necessary for the closing of the previously announced merger of RPAI into a subsidiary of KRG, with KRG continuing as the surviving public company.

16:20 EDT Canadian National announces Jean-Jacques Ruest to retire from CEO position - CN announced that Jean-Jacques Ruest will retire as president and chief executive officer and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company, effective as of the end of January 2022, or such later time as a successor has been appointed to ensure a flawless transition. The Board has appointed a CEO Search Committee consisting of the following Board members to conduct the global search and make recommendations to the full Board

16:10 EDT Bank First National raises dividend 4.8% to 22c - Bank First's Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of 22c per common share, payable on January 5, 2022, to shareholders of record as of December 22.

16:07 EDT Lakeland Industries makes $2.7M strategic investment in Inova Design Solutions - Lakeland Industries announced that it has made a strategic investment of approximately $2.7M in Inova Design Solutions, doing business as Bodytrak "as a groundbreaking step toward entering the Connected Worker Market for "Smart PPE."Bodytrak's unique ear-based sensor platform uses precise physiological measurements and cloud-based analytics to automate health, safety and performance monitoring, making it an ideal complement to Lakeland's portfolio of industrial protective solutions.

16:06 EDT Qiagen launches QuantiFERON-TB tuberculosis test for high-burden regions - Qiagen announced the launch and CE marking of QIAreach QuantiFERON-TB test for tuberculosis infection, in order to help achieve global TB elimination targets by increasing access to easy and reliable TB testing, especially in high burden countries, low-resource regions. A milestone in the fight against a pathogen estimated to be carried by over two billion people worldwide, built on the proven QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus technology, QIAreach QuantiFERON-TB is a portable device that enables the ultrasensitive digital detection of TB infection with an end-to-end workflow that is simple and cost efficient, and increases access to reliable Interferon Gamma Release Assay testing. QIAGEN will focus on regions that face a high burden of the disease, and where getting access to lab infrastructure and resources for testing are limited. "With QIAreach QuantiFERON-TB we have taken a great step towards leaving no one behind when facing a deadly disease like tuberculosis that is preventable and curable. With this groundbreaking new way to detect TB infections we can aid to prevent patients, especially those in high burden countries, from developing the active form of TB," said Thierry Bernard, CEO of QIAGEN. "It combines QIAGEN's proven QuantiFERON-TB technology with a very portable and field-friendly digital device to deliver extremely reliable results without the need for complex laboratory infrastructure at effective cost."

16:05 EDT Netflix anticipates 'more normalized content slate' in 2022 - Netflix said: "We're eagerly anticipating the rest of our Q4 slate, which includes a great mix of popular returning English language series like The Witcher, You, Tiger King and Cobra Kai, big returning non-English series like Sintonia and the final chapter of La Casa de Papel (aka Money Heist), as well as exciting new movies... Assuming no new Covid waves or unforeseen events that result in large scale production shutdowns, we currently anticipate a more normalized content slate in 2022, with a greater number of originals in 2022 vs. 2021 and a release schedule that is more balanced over the course of the year, as compared to 2021."

16:03 EDT Interactive Brokers reports Q3 customers accounts up 57% y/y - In Q3: Customer accounts increased 57% from the year-ago quarter to 1.54M. Customer equity grew 52% from the year-ago quarter to $353.8B. Total DARTs increased 24% from the year-ago quarter to 2.26M. Cleared DARTs increased 24% from the year-ago quarter to 2.02M. Customer credits increased 22% from the year-ago quarter to $86.2B. Customer margin loans increased 67% from the year-ago quarter to $50.2B.

16:02 EDT Netflix reports Q3 global streaming paid net additions of 4.38M - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "We under-forecasted paid net adds for the quarter - 4.4m actual vs. our 3.5m projection - while ending paid memberships of 214m was within 0.4% of our forecast. For the second consecutive quarter, the APAC region was our largest contributor to membership growth with 2.2m paid net adds (half of total paid net adds) as we are continuing to improve our service in this region. In EMEA, paid net adds of 1.8m improved sequentially vs. the 188k in Q2 as several titles had a particularly strong impact. The UCAN and LATAM regions grew paid memberships more slowly. These regions have higher penetration of broadband homes although we believe we still have ample runway for growth as we continue to improve our service."

15:01 EDT BowX Acquisition stockholders approve combination with WeWork - BowX Acquisition Corp. (BOWX), a special purpose acquisition company, announced that in a special meeting held today, its stockholders voted to approve its business combination with WeWork. The business combination was supported by 97.9% of the votes cast at the meeting, representing approximately 77.6% of BowX's outstanding shares. "The business combination is expected to provide WeWork with the previously announced gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.3B, which includes the cash held in the trust account, a fully committed PIPE and an equity backstop facility provided by Cushman & Wakefield. In addition, as previously disclosed, upon the closing of the business combination, WeWork will have access to up to 550,000,000 of senior secured debt in the form of 7.5% senior secured notes pursuant to its amended and restated master senior secured notes note purchase agreement with StarBright WW LP, an affiliate of SoftBank Group Corp. BowX and WeWork will combine to create the leading publicly traded provider of flexible space and workplace management solutions, with a platform and global network that will ideally position the company to serve the multi-trillion office space market and enable the future of work," the companies stated. The business combination is expected to close on October 20, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all closing conditions. Following the close, WeWork and its common stock and warrants are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "WE", on October 21.

14:21 EDT Judge lets Nikola continue $2B patent lawsuit against Tesla - U.S. District Judge James Donato determined that Nikola (NKLA) will be allowed to continue its $2B patent lawsuit against Tesla (TSLA). "Nikola's ostensible reasons for not responding to the Court's orders are not particularly compelling," Donato said in the order. "The case will not be dismissed at this time for failure to prosecute, but that may change if Nikola does not move this case forward to resolution in an efficient and timely manner. A technology tutorial is set for January 13, 2022. The claim construction hearing is set for January 27, 2022. The case will remain administratively closed pending further order." Reference Link

13:52 EDT Apollo Global sees doubling AUM to $1T by 2026 - Apollo Global is looking to more than double its assets under management to $1T by 2026, the company said in an Investor Day presentation. The company sees fee-related revenue of $4.6B by 2026 and fee related earnings of $2.8B by 2026, it said.

13:51 EDT Apollo Global sees retirement services as $525B business in five years

13:37 EDT Snap partners with Google on new 'Pixel-first' 'Quick Tap to Snap' feature - Snap (SNAP) announced at the Pixel Fall Launch event a new feature on Google's (GOOGL) Pixel 6 called "Quick Tap to Snap," launching later this year. "This partnership with Google marks the first time Snap has created a camera-mode version of Snapchat accessible directly from a phone lockscreen, and will make the Pixel 6 the fastest phone to make a Snap," Snap stated in a press release timed with the product launch event.

13:15 EDT BAE Systems, Sierra Nevada team awarded U.S. Air Force contract - The U.S. Air Force has awarded the BAE Systems-Sierra Nevada Corporation team a contract to provide a prototype design for the next-generation open architecture signals intelligence technology under its Global High-altitude Open-system Sensor Technology program. The award continues BAE Systems, Inc.'s development efforts to provide full-spectrum awareness and actionable intelligence with a SIGINT sensor design, the company said in a statement. Under the contract, awarded earlier this year, the team will provide a sensor prototype that gives insight into adversaries' actions by collecting and analyzing electronic signals. It will exploit the radio frequency spectrum, critical to battlefield superiority, to detect, identify, locate, and track RF emissions.

13:12 EDT Google introduces Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro - Brian Rakowski, VP, Product Management at Google, announced in a blog post: "The wait is over: Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the completely redesigned Google phones, are here. Powered by Google Tensor, Google's first-ever processor, and shipping with Android 12, both phones are fast, smart, secure and designed to adapt to you. Pixel 6 is an outstanding all-around phone and it starts at only $599. If you want all the advanced capabilities and upgraded finishes, Pixel 6 Pro is the right phone for you, starting at $899... The phones will be available on store shelves with all major U.S. carriers starting on October 28. We're also launching a new collection of specially designed cases for Pixel 6, so you can protect your phone in style. We're also introducing Pixel Pass, an easy subscription that delivers the best of Google. Starting at $45 per month for U.S. customers, Pixel Pass gives you a brand new Pixel 6 along with Google One, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium, Google Play Pass and Preferred Care. Pixel Pass with Pixel 6 Pro starts at only $55 per month. After two years, you'll have the option to upgrade to a new Pixel." Reference Link

12:56 EDT FDA authorizes marketing of four chew tobacco products from Altria - The Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized the marketing of four new oral tobacco products manufactured by Altria Group's U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company under the brand name of Verve. Based on the FDA's review of available scientific evidence in the company's premarket tobacco product applications, the agency determined the marketing of these products would be consistent with the statutory standard, "appropriate for the protection of the public health." The four products are: Verve Discs Blue Mint, Verve Discs Green Mint, Verve Chews Blue Mint, and Verve Chews Green Mint. The Verve products are oral tobacco products that contain nicotine derived from tobacco, but they do not contain cut, ground, powdered or leaf tobacco, the FDA notes. The marketing authorizations allow the four tobacco products to be legally sold or distributed in the United States, but it does not mean the products are safe or "FDA approved," as there are no safe tobacco products, the agency added. Reference Link

12:50 EDT Hoth Therapeutics extends partnership agreement with Reprocell - Hoth Therapeutics has extended its partnership agreement with REPROCELL to assess the effect of the HT-003 therapeutic platform in inflammatory bowel disease. Fresh explants of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease tissues will be used to investigate the therapeutic potential of Hoth's HT-003 drugs. All testing will be performed at REPROCELL's Centre for Predictive Drug Discovery in Glasgow. "We are delighted to extend this human tissue testing project with Hoth," said Dr David Bunton, CEO of REPROCELL's Center for Predictive Drug Discovery. "They have been a fantastic team to work with, and we have obtained promising data for the HT-003 therapeutic platform so far," he continued. "Our team love to know we are contributing to the development of potential new medicines," stated Cristina Linde, Reprocell's Study Director for the project.

12:46 EDT DOJ, Department of Labor settle with Facebook over labor certification program

12:16 EDT Delta Air Lines to add 100 daily departures from JFK, LGA by November - By November, Delta will add more than 100 total daily departures from John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia Airport compared to the airline's summer 2021 schedule - translating to approximately 8,000 additional seats each day. With domestic consumer travel back to 2019 levels, Delta is focused on restoring capacity safely and reliably as business travel picks up with volumes not seen since the pandemic began. Not only will Delta restore nonstop service to all of New York's 40 most popular domestic markets by next month, but multiple key business markets will also see meaningful boosts in flight options, including Boston, Washington, D.C., Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte. This follows Delta's already expanded service to NYC's biggest corporate markets earlier this fall, like Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston - part of Delta's thoughtful approach to adding capacity in line with the return of demand. Delta also recently launched new LGA service to Toronto and will launch a new flight to Worcester, Massachusetts starting Nov. 1. Reference Link

12:02 EDT GS Acquisition Holdings Corp II stockholders approve Mirion combination - GS Acquisition Holdings Corp II announced that its stockholders approved the proposals that were conditions to closing of the previously announced business combination with Mirion Technologies at a special meeting of stockholders. A Form 8-K disclosing the full voting results is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The closing of the Business Combination is expected to occur on or about October 20, 2021, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all closing conditions. Following closing, the combined company will be known as Mirion Technologies, Inc. and its Class A common stock and warrants are expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbols "MIR" and "MIRW", respectively.

12:00 EDT Consol Energy falls -11.6% - Consol Energy is down -11.6%, or -$4.14 to $31.56.

12:00 EDT Yirendai rises 10.8% - Yirendai is up 10.8%, or 35c to $3.60.

12:00 EDT Ginkgo Bioworks rises 18.2% - Ginkgo Bioworks is up 18.2%, or $2.24 to $14.56.

11:28 EDT Penn National completes acquisition of Score Media - Penn National Gaming (PENN) announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Score Media and Gaming (SCR) for total consideration of approximately $2.0B in cash and stock. The Class A shares of theScore will be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange and theScore intends to apply to cease to be a reporting issuer in Canada. The Class A shares of theScore have been suspended from trading and will be delisted from NASDAQ and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in accordance with applicable law. "We're excited to be creating this powerful new entertainment flywheel that will provide us with multiple growth channels that transcend our current business verticals. We look forward to entering the Canadian gaming market, which represents a compelling new opportunity, and are proud to have John Levy and his family and their entire team bring their best-in-class technology, unique perspective and skill sets to our Penn National family," said Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming.

11:02 EDT IBM to acquire Adobe Workfront consulting unit and assets from Rego Consulting - IBM (IBM) announced plans to acquire the Adobe Workfront consulting unit and assets from Rego Consulting Corporation. "Building on IBM's strategic partnership with Adobe, the consultancy specializes in work management software consulting for enterprise clients. IBM has been investing aggressively to bolster its hybrid cloud and AI strategy and capabilities, including a heavy focus on acquiring high-value consultative services like the Adobe Workfront business of Rego. The acquisition of Rego's Adobe Workfront business represents the 17th overall acquisition for IBM - and the ninth acquisition in cloud and AI services - since Arvind Krishna took over as IBM CEO in April 2020," IBM stated. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

10:40 EDT Meggitt continues to expect Parker-Hannifin acquisition being completed in Q3 - In a notice issued to the London Stock Exchange, Meggitt (MEGGF) stated: "Meggitt PLC notes yesterday's announcement by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that the Secretary of State has referred the recommended acquisition of Meggitt by Parker-Hannifin Corporation to the Competition and Markets Authority on the grounds of a national security public interest consideration. The company also notes that the CMA is required to report to the Secretary of State by midnight at the end of 18 March 2022 and looks forward to engaging constructively with the CMA on its review. Meggitt continues to expect that the acquisition will complete in the third quarter of 2022."

10:18 EDT Entain extends 'put up or shut up' deadline related to offer from DraftKings - Following the announcement made by Entain plc (GMVHF) on September 21, the board of Entain has "carefully considered" the proposal received from DraftKings (DKNG) on September 19, along with feedback from Entain shareholders, the company announced. Under the terms of the proposal, DraftKings would offer 2,800 pence per Entain share consisting of 630 pence in cash and the balance payable in new DraftKings Class A common shares. DraftKings proposed that the exchange ratio which would deliver the share element of the 2,800 pence per Entain share would be fixed immediately prior to the first agreed public announcement. "The board has been in discussions with DraftKings in order to explore the merits and feasibility of a potential transaction reserving its position on the appropriateness of the value of the proposal. As part of this, the board will require a number of matters to be satisfactorily resolved that are fundamental to the structure and value of the proposal... In accordance with Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, DraftKings was required, by no later than 5.00 pm on October 19, 2021, to either announce a firm intention to make an offer for Entain in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code or announce that it does not intend to make an offer for Entain, in which case the announcement would be treated as a statement to which Rule 2.8 of the Code applied. Discussions between the parties remain ongoing and in accordance with Rule 2.6(c) of the Code, Entain has requested, and the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers has consented to, an extension to the deadline by which DraftKings is required either to announce a firm intention to make an offer for DraftKings in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code or to announce that it does not intend to make an offer, in which case the announcement will be treated as a statement to which Rule 2.8 of the Code applies. Such announcement must now be made by not later than 5.00 pm on November 16, 2021. This deadline can be further extended by the Board of Entain, with the consent of the Takeover Panel. The Board strongly believes in the future prospects of Entain, underpinned by its leading market positions, world class management team and industry-leading proprietary technology. Entain has an outstanding track record of growth having delivered 23 consecutive quarters of double digit online NGR growth, and a 3 year CAGR of 19% across 2021," Entain announced.

10:01 EDT GE Digital, FLAPZ sign MOU to collaborate on safety solutions for business jets - GE Digital announced that it had signed a Memo of Understanding with FLAPZ to work toward a mutual goal: increase safety in Business & General Aviation in Colombia and other parts of Latin America. The companies plan to work together to provide GE Digital's Safety Insight for Business Jets, a C-FOQA software and services solution, to FLAPZ's consortium that will make it easy for business jet operators to improve safety by implementing safety procedures at the highest level of international standards.

10:00 EDT ManpowerGroup falls -6.4% - ManpowerGroup is down -6.4%, or -$7.20 to $105.93.

10:00 EDT Silvergate Capital falls -11.5% - Silvergate Capital is down -11.5%, or -$18.12 to $140.06.

10:00 EDT E2open rises 7.1% - E2open is up 7.1%, or 78c to $11.73.

09:49 EDT Johnson & Johnson says planning to file for full approval of Covid-19 vaccine - Expects to transition to commercial model from non-profit model for the vaccine, possibly in 2023.

09:47 EDT ManpowerGroup falls -7.1% - ManpowerGroup is down -7.1%, or -$8.08 to $105.05.

09:47 EDT RLI Corp. rises 6.9% - RLI Corp. is up 6.9%, or $7.06 to $109.31.

09:47 EDT RLX Technology rises 8.5% - RLX Technology is up 8.5%, or 51c to $6.42.

09:34 EDT Remitly Global partners with Novi for pilot of digital wallet - Remitly Global (RELY) announced a partnership with Novi (FB), a next generation digital wallet. To support its pilot launch, Novi is leveraging Remitly's custom-built global network to enable cash pickup in Guatemala. Remitly's global payments network spans over 1,700 corridors, serving customers in 17 countries, sending to over 115 receive countries. With the launch of the pilot program, Novi is enabling customers to send and receive money using the Pax Dollar stablecoin, securely and without fees. In alignment with its mission, Remitly is pleased to support Novi's initiative to open new channels of financial access and inclusion. Novi is now available to a limited number of customers in the US and Guatemala.

09:32 EDT OLB Group launches bitcoin mining operation with 100 Antminer S19j miners - The OLB Group announced that DMint, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of OLB, has initiated Bitcoin mining with its first one hundred Antminer S19j Pro cryptocurrency mining computers. DMint anticipates having a total of 1000 computers in operation at its newly installed Bradford, PA data center by the end of 2021 and projects to reach 24,000 Bitcoin mining computers in the next 24 months.

09:31 EDT PlayAGS enters game publication agreement with Game Play Network - Game Play Network announced a game publication agreement with AGS to integrate AGS' remote game server and online and mobile games into GPN's B2C website & mobile app. GPN is a licensed gaming company with a patented platform that facilitates the reveal of real money wagers on live horse races to customers via casino-style games. The platform enables its strategic partners to offer their players the immediate, unrivaled ability to offer iGaming for real money in the vast majority of the U.S., reaching 40% more of the population than other iGaming companies, and thus dramatically increasing their total addressable market.

09:29 EDT Tiziana Life Sciences says court sanctions scheme of arrangement - Tiziana Life Sciences announced on 20 August 2021 that it had formally commenced its strategic plan to change its corporate structure by establishing Tiziana Life Sciences, a Bermuda-incorporated company, as the ultimate parent company of the Tiziana Group. The reorganisation will be achieved by a scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006. A Scheme Document setting out full details of the Scheme was posted to the shareholders of Old Tiziana on 3 September 2021. Capitalised terms defined in the Scheme Document shall, unless the context provides otherwise, have the same meanings in this announcement. Old Tiziana announces that earlier today the Court sanctioned the Scheme and confirmed the reduction of capital as part of the Scheme. In order for the Scheme to become effective the Court Order must be delivered to the Registrar of Companies. This is expected to occur, and the Scheme is expected to become effective, on 20 October 2021. As part of the proposals, New Tiziana intends to implement a share consolidation in respect of New Tiziana Shares issued under the Scheme to ensure that the New Tiziana Shares trade initially on NASDAQ at a price more readily comparable to its peers. The ratio of the Share Capital Consolidation will be two-for-one. It is intended that the Share Capital Consolidation will be implemented immediately after the Scheme becomes effective.

09:24 EDT Progenity up 10% in pre-market trading at $3.29 per share - Shares of Progenity are up about 10% at $3.29 in pre-market trading following Monday's 39.7% advance. The stock is in the top-5 trending names on StockTwits in terms of message volume over the past 24 hours.

09:18 EDT Liquid Media enters strategic partnership with Slated - Liquid Media Group announced a strategic partnership with Slated, further enhancing the Company's analytic and optimization capabilities and Liquid's four-phase solution engine, which is designed to drive sustainable growth for independent intellectual property owners and producers. Further strengthening the critical first phase of the Liquid solution engine, Liquid and Slated are partnering to bring objective analysis to producers and other creative professionals using data analytics to measure the strength of a production's talent and producing team, the quality of the script or screener and to optimize the potential for financial returns. Additionally, Slated will be offering its newly launched Screening Analysis virtual test screening service, which helps filmmakers optimize their films in post production and match completed films to the right distributors. Liquid is adopting the Slated scoring system under the non-exclusive partnership agreement, as well as other services and tools from Slated to independently and objectively evaluate the development-readiness of select film, TV and other professional video content submitted to Liquid by third parties.

09:17 EDT GenTech to change name to Supplement Group - GenTech Holdings announced that it has recently applied to FINRA to change the Company's name to Supplement Group whilst leaving the symbol as "GTEH". The Company recently announced not only a major retailer as a new Fizzique partner, but also that it had achieved record September topline revenue figures. Provisional numbers for September 2021 show Gross Consolidated Revenues currently at $217k from September's operations, which represents an annual revenue run rate on pace to produce $2.6m. GenTech management believes both of its operating subsidiary's performance is poised for continued growth as tailwinds from increased marketing spend and improved operating conditions become active factors in defining the Company's operational landscape. This includes the impact of wide Covid-19 vaccinations and reduced pandemic impact in the operation of fitness and 'brick and mortar' facilities, which is believed to indirectly impact demand for the Company's products. As world trade begins to operate with a new normal, key inventory items such as bottles, bottle lids and protein will begin to become more easily available, leading to increased revenues as inventory becomes more available through 2022.

09:13 EDT Avid Technology expand IP content sources for live TV content workflows - Avid announced the interoperability of Sony and TVU Networks IP-connected devices with MediaCentral Stream to dramatically expand the pool of journalists, producers and other production resources who can contribute live streams from anywhere for news and remote live production workflows. MediaCentral Stream is a rapidly deployed, software-only solution that immediately opens the MediaCentral platform to contributions over IP from sources anywhere using any device.

09:12 EDT Charter announces a series of executive promotions and appointments - Charter Communications announced a series of executive promotions and appointments to its leadership team with the news that veteran cable executive John Bickham was named Vice Chairman ahead of his previously announced retirement at the end of 2022. Charter's CFO, Chris Winfrey, was elevated to COO, while Jessica Fischer, EVP, Finance will succeed Winfrey as CFO. Additionally, Chief Product & Technology Officer Rich DiGeronimo will add oversight for Charter's Network Operations to his existing responsibilities. The appointments are effective immediately with Bickham, Winfrey, Fischer and DiGeronimo all reporting to Charter Chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge. Bickham joined Charter as COO in 2012 and his operational expertise helped Charter grow into the second largest cable company in the country. He was named President & COO in July 2016 when the transactions with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks closed.

09:11 EDT Teck Resources announces $4B sustainable financing facility - Teck Resources announced that it has executed a $4.0 billion sustainability-linked revolving credit facility. Under the SL RCF the price paid by Teck will increase or decrease based on the company's performance in reducing carbon emissions, improving health and safety, and strengthening gender diversity in its workforce. The new credit facility matures in October 2026, extending the previous facility by two years. The principal amount outstanding as of October 18 was $198 million as compared to $502 million as of June 30, 2021, and it is expected to be at zero by end of October 2021. The SL RCF is aligned with Teck's long-term sustainability strategy, which sets out goals including reducing carbon intensity by 33% by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral across operations by 2050. Learn more about Teck's sustainability strategy here. In addition to converting and extending its $4 billion revolving credit facility, Teck has also cancelled its $1 billion side car that was scheduled to mature in June 2022. This side car facility was established during the initial months of COVID 19, and market conditions and commodity prices have improved significantly since that time.

09:08 EDT Seanergy Marine announces acquisition of 17th Capesize vessel - Seanergy Maritime announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with an unaffiliated third party to purchase a Capesize vessel. In addition, the Company has recently completed the sale and delivery of its oldest Capesize vessel, the M/V Leadership, 2001-built, to its new owners. The Vessel was built in 2010 at a reputable shipyard in Japan, has a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 181,500 deadweight tons and will be renamed M/V Dukeship. The M/V Dukeship is expected to be delivered within November 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions. Following its delivery, Seanergy's fleet will increase to 17 Capesize vessels with an aggregate cargo capacity exceeding 3M dwt. The Vessel is fitted with a ballast water treatment system, while the special survey was recently completed by the current owner and, therefore, the Company does not anticipate incurring any significant off-hire or capital expenditures for this Vessel for the next two years. The purchase price of $34.3M is expected to be funded with cash on hand. Stamatis Tsantanis, the Company's Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, stated: "I am very pleased to announce our 7th Japanese capesize acquisition within 2021. Our total investment since the beginning of our fleet expansion program in 2020 has reached $205M. The addition of the M/V Dukeship will further enhance our operating leverage as a leading pure-play Capesize company and, given the Vessel's prompt delivery in a strong Capesize market, the acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive for our shareholders. The spot Capesize market currently exceeds $60,000 per day, rendering the latest addition a high revenue-generating investment, while the forward curve indicates that the positive market trend will be sustained for the next years."

09:08 EDT DigitalOcean appoints Gabe Monroy as Chief Product Officer - DigitalOcean Holdings announced the appointment of Gabe Monroy as chief product officer. Monroy will oversee DigitalOcean's product management organization and own the company's product vision that will drive growth and innovation and enhance the customer experience. Prior to DigitalOcean, Monroy was vice president of the Azure Developer Experience group in Microsoft's Developer Division. In this role, he was responsible for the application-centric services and tools on Azure, including compute services, platform services and developer tools. Previously, Monroy was the founder and chief technology officer of Deis, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2017. After joining Microsoft, Monroy started Azure Kubernetes Service, the fastest-growing compute service in Azure's history. As an early contributor to Docker and Kubernetes, and a founding member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation , Monroy has deep experience in open source software and cloud-native technology.

09:06 EDT Qualigen Therapeutics announces publication of study on FastPack - Qualigen Therapeutics announces the publication of a study in the peer-reviewed, open-source journal, Diagnostics, validating the Company's point of care FastPack IP diagnostic test as comparable to an industry-leading laboratory method in determining thyroid stimulating hormone levels in blood. "The FastPack technology has successfully been utilized for over two decades, and up-to-date real-world clinical evidence is an important pillar in our understanding of its accuracy and utility in the market. This study, which was conducted in a cohort of 100 subjects in Foggia, Italy, corroborates what endocrinologists, diabetologists, and general and internal medicine clinicians have experienced for many years - that FastPack IP provides an easy-to-use, rapid, reproducible - and highly accurate - test for TSH levels, which is essential for prescribing and assessing treatments," commented Michael Poirier, Qualigen's Chief Executive Officer. The Diagnostics study, titled "Comparison between an Emerging Point-of-Care Tool for TSH Evaluation and a Centralized Laboratory-Based Method in a Cohort of Patients from Southern Italy" demonstrated a strong correlation between the FastPack TSH results and those taken from laboratory analysis. Further, the subjects who participated in the study were accustomed to undergoing TSH testing 3-5 times per year and expressed complaints about the time required to receive laboratory results. All patients who participated in the study noted the advantage of the shorter time-to-result that FastPack provides.

09:06 EDT ImmunityBio reports QUILT 3.032 study met primary endpoint in second indication - ImmunityBio announced that Papillary disease, the second indication of its QUILT 3.032 Phase 2/3 study of intravesical BCG plus Anktiva in patients with BCG-unresponsive high-grade NMIBC, also met its primary endpoints with disease-free survival of 57% of patients at 12 months. The company has previously reported that the primary endpoint of Cohort A, patients with CIS disease, has been met with a complete response of 72%. Current standard of care for high-grade papillary disease is intravesical BCG, with a 40% non-response rate. To date, 73 patients have enrolled in Cohort B with a median follow-up of 17.3 months. The primary endpoint was met with a disease-free rate at 12-months of 57% and at 18-months, 53% by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Durable responses were noted in both cohorts and the therapy resulted in significant avoidance of cystectomy. The safety profile of Anktiva in Cohort B was consistent with that seen in Cohort A, which was recently presented at the American Urological Association's 2021 Annual meeting, in which 0% SAEs, including 0% immune-related SAEs, were detected. In addition, 85% of the patients were able to avoid a cystectomy. A full analysis of efficacy and safety data for both Cohorts A and B has been submitted to the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancer Symposium in February 2022.

09:05 EDT NYSE Arca files form 19b-4 to convert Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into ETF - Grayscale Investments announced that NYSE Arca has filed Form 19b-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to convert Grayscale's flagship product, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, into a Bitcoin Spot ETF. The move comes on the heels of the SEC's clearance of a Bitcoin Futures ETF. Grayscale has publicly committed the firm's intent to convert GBTC as well as its other 14 investment products into ETFs. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust launched in 2013, received a public quotation in May 2015, and became an SEC reporting company in January 2020. Today, the Trust is the largest Bitcoin investment vehicle in the world, holding approximately 3.44% of all Bitcoin in circulation.

09:04 EDT Zai Lab, Entasis Therapeutics announce results for SUL-DUR - Zai Lab (ZLAB) and its partner Entasis Therapeutics (ETTX) announced topline results from the ATTACK triala global Phase 3 registrational trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of SUL-DUR versus colistin in patients with infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii. SUL-DUR met the primary endpoint of 28-day all-cause mortality in patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter infections, demonstrating statistical non-inferiority versus colistin. Mortality analyses favored SUL-DUR versus colistin in CRABC m-MITT and all study populations included in the topline results. At Test of Cure, there was a statistically significant difference in clinical response favoring SUL-DUR over colistin. SUL-DUR met the primary safety objective of the study achieving statistically significant reduction in nephrotoxicity. ATTACK enrolled 207 patients at 95 clinical sites in 17 countries. This was a two-part trial with Part A being the randomized, comparative portion in patients with documented Acinetobacter baumannii hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia, ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, ventilated pneumonia, or bacteremia and Part B being an open-labeled portion including ABC infections resistant to or failed colistin or polymyxin B treatment. All patients received imipenem/cilastatin as background therapy. Approximately 95% of baseline Acinetobacter isolates tested were carbapenem resistant. SUL-DUR met the primary efficacy endpoint of 28-day all-cause mortality compared to colistin in the CRABC m-MITT population of Part A. SUL-DUR mortality was 19.0% compared to 32.3% in the colistin arm. Similar trends were observed in 28-day and 14-day all-cause mortality favoring SUL-DUR across all study populations evaluated to date. A statistically significant difference in clinical cure at Test of Cure was observed with 61.9% in SUL-DUR arm compared to 40.3% in the colistin arm. In Part B, the 28-day all-cause mortality was 17.9% and consistent with that observed in Part A. Safety analyses were conducted in a total of 205 patients with at least one dose in Part A and Part B. SUL-DUR met the primary safety objective with a statistically significant reduction in nephrotoxicity as measured by the RIFLE classification. SUL-DUR nephrotoxicity was 13.2% versus 37.6% in the colistin arm. Overall adverse events in the safety population were comparable between treatment groups with 87.9% in the SUL-DUR arm versus 94.2% in the colistin arm in Part A, 89.3% in Part B. Drug related AEs were 12.1% with SUL-DUR compared to 30.2% with colistin in Part A, 10.7% in Part B

09:02 EDT SPS Commerce, C.H. Robinson collaborate on streamlined carrier service - SPS Commerce (SPSC) and C.H. Robinson (CHRW) announced a collaboration just in time to help omnichannel retail businesses navigate a busy holiday season and challenging supply chain conditions. The collaboration will make their shipping process easier, more cost-effective and faster by connecting SPS Commerce Fulfillment's Carrier Service LTL directly into C.H. Robinson's Navisphere(R) platform, which unlocks access to the largest less-than-truckload network in North America and competitive rates for more than 95,000 retail suppliers. The new Carrier Service LTL solution from SPS Commerce allows suppliers to instantly view rates across multiple carriers, schedule pickups and book shipments, with automatic access to C.H. Robinson's unmatched LTL carrier network to ensure they get the best pricing available. Additionally, as suppliers book a shipment, it automatically triggers the creation of the bill of lading documents and shipping labels and populates tracking details into the shipping notice to inform the retailer of the pending delivery.

08:52 EDT Ocugen to present preclinical data for OCU410 - Ocugen announced that its head of Research and Development, Arun Upadhyay, PhD, will present pre-clinical data demonstrating how the company's second modifier gene therapy candidate, OCU410, could potentially be an effective therapeutic for Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration, dry AMD. The presentation will showcase how the use of a specific nuclear hormone receptor called RORA presents a unique opportunity to treat people with Dry AMD. RORA plays a central role in many physiological activities, including lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, regulation of Th17 cells, the reduction of inflammation, and obesity. In his presentation, "OCU410: A Novel Modifier Gene Therapy Product using a Multi-Factor Approach for Dry AMD," Dr. Upadhyay will show evidence highlighting how influencing the RORA receptor can attack several underlying factors of this serious blindness disease. OCU410 is the second drug candidate from Ocugen's Modifier Gene Therapy Platform, which is expected to enter clinical trials in 2022.

08:50 EDT Exela Technologies reports SMB user growth for DMR, DrySign - Exela Technologies announced that its Digital Mailroom and DrySign offerings delivered another strong quarter of new customers and users respectively in the third quarter of 2021. DMR expanded its SMB customer base by 71% and DrySign expanded its user base by 47%, as compared to the prior period. "We are pleased to see the overall increase in new customers and users and are excited to see an acceleration in signups as the back to school season began. In lockstep with user growth, we are on track to enhance our digital offering with a proprietary remote notarization module which will not only help onboard DMR customers faster, but be offered as a standalone solution to anyone wishing to notarize online," said Exela's president, Suresh Yannamani.

08:48 EDT Helios Technologies to transfer listing to NYSE from Nasdaq - Helios Technologies announced that it is transferring the listing of its common stock to the New York Stock Exchange from Nasdaq. Helios expects to commence trading on the NYSE at market open on November 1, under the same ticker symbol (HLIO). The company will continue to trade on the Nasdaq until the transfer is completed.

08:46 EDT SharpLink Gaming integrates SharpLink's C4 sports betting conversion - SharpLink Gaming announced that SportsHub Games Network has integrated SharpLink's pioneering C4 Sports Betting Conversion technology with its NFC High Stakes and Fanball Daily Fantasy Sports gaming websites to proactively engage and convert its fantasy game players into sports bettors in states where online betting has been legalized. SportsHub is a trusted industry leading game content provider that distributes real money fantasy sports games and contests through its popular SportsHub Games Network. The integration of the C4 platform with Fanball and NFC High Stakes provides for the linking of the sites' fantasy gamers, located only in legal sports gaming states, with real-time bet offers from sportsbook partners. SportsHub and SharpLink have signed a revenue-share agreement providing for division of affiliate marketing services fees generated by conversion of Fanball and NFC High Stakes players to bettors on the sportsbook partners platform. SharpLink CEO Rob Phythian noted, "Given our close working ties to SportsHub, a major shareholder in SharpLink, it provides SharpLink with an ideal proving ground from which to gain real-time, actionable insight on the operation and performance of our C4 Betting Conversion platform. Moreover, SportsHub's fantasy gaming web properties provides us direct access to a large and growing audience of fantasy game players from which to glean deep behavioral data and user intelligence that we can then leverage and apply in our marketing strategies to educate sportsbooks and sports media operators on the underpinning value proposition inherent in our game-changing C4 technology."

08:44 EDT Procter & Gamble sees 'rough patch' from bottom line standpoint

08:44 EDT KKR purchases KMR Music Royalties II portfolio for $1.1B - KKR and Kobalt Capital announced that KKR, together with its co-invest partner, Dundee Partners, the investment office of the Hendel family, have purchased the KMR Music Royalties II portfolio from KCL for approximately $1.1B. The portfolio is comprised primarily of music publishing copyrights for established works and includes a diverse collection of over 62,000 copyrights by artists and songwriters across genres. Kobalt Music Publishing will continue to administer and service the works in Fund II under a multi-year agreement. The transaction has been completed by Chord Music Partners, a platform established by KKR with Dundee Partners. KKR will also contribute other music assets purchased over the past year to Chord, positioning the platform as owner of a portfolio of music rights.

08:43 EDT Big Lots parnets with DailyPay - Big Lots partnered with DailyPay to offer Big Lots' 35,000 store and distribution center associates instant access to earned income. This new program comes for the holiday season when Big Lots expects to onboard 15,000 employees to accommodate its "BIGionaire" shoppers during retail's biggest season. DailyPay is a platform that enables employees to access or save their pay as they earn it, without having to wait for a traditional payday.

08:41 EDT Procter & Gamble: Cost, operational challenges 'not unique to P&G'

08:41 EDT TransUnion announces $400,000 commitment to advance financial inclusion - More than one billion people around the world today are considered "credit invisible" or "credit disadvantaged," unable to access financial products and services because they have little or no credit. As a global information and insights company committed to financial inclusion, TransUnion is announcing a $400,000 donation to Credit Builders Alliance to help underrepresented consumers in the United States build credit - a prerequisite to participating in the mainstream financial system.

08:38 EDT Wheels Up appoints Srikanth Satya as Chief Technology and Development Officer - Wheels Up (UP) announced that Srikanth Satya has joined the Company as Chief Technology and Development Officer. This latest announcement is the third noteworthy technology appointment in the past month for the Company. Satya joins Wheels Up at a pivotal time, with its ongoing digital and marketplace transformation strategy accelerating the overall growth strategy for the organization. Satya comes to Wheels Up after two decades of experience leading technology innovation at Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Dell EMC. He brings over 20 years of technology leadership experience, including co-formulating strategies and launching company- and industry-first products in big data analytics, object storage, real-time streaming, messaging systems and container platforms. He is recognized for building large scale distributed cloud services and products for Global Fortune 100 companies. In addition, Satya's vision to set new business directions resulted in the release of foundational products for Amazon Web Services and Dell EMC moving from a storage provider to a modern data platform supplier.

08:36 EDT mdf Commerce implements k-ecommerce solution for UAP Heavy Vehicle - mdf commerce announced the implementation of its k-ecommerce ERP-integrated ecommerce solution for UAP Heavy Vehicle, a division of UAP Inc. This implementation highlights that mdf commerce solutions can meet the ecommerce needs of businesses of all sizes in a wide variety of sectors, helping increase overall efficiency, improve user experience and ultimately aiming at increasing sales and generating operational savings. The k-ecommerce ERP-integrated ecommerce solution that was implemented for UAP Heavy Vehicle provides its customers with a high-performing webstore designed both for B2B and D2C users. While this helped build UAP Heavy Vehicle customers' confidence, thanks to an improved user experience and the ability to order 24/7, it also alleviated pressure on the division's call centre. The k-ecommerce solution is purpose-built to easily integrate with a wide variety of ERPs, thereby allowing clients to leverage existing technology ecosystems and ensure a fully integrated digital environment.

08:35 EDT CACI gets $4.9M program deal from USAF lab for multi-spectral laser technology - CACI International announced that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio AFRL awarded CACI a 15-month, $4.9M program to advance high-power multi-spectral laser technology in support of improved electro-optical sensors for a variety of military missions. Under the contract, CACI scientists and engineers will develop a high-power laser prototype that emits light over a very broad range of wavelengths in the optical spectrum, spanning a range that goes from the UV spectrum, through the visible spectrum, and into the Short-Wavelength Infrared SWIR. John Mengucci, CACI President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are seeing a strong demand for high-performance lasers that support enhanced functionality for remote sensing systems. Our technology will continue to advance the state of the art with programs like this and bring best-in-class solutions for the Air Force's current and future needs."

08:33 EDT Predictive Oncology launches website on AI-powered cancer research advancements - Predictive Oncology launched a website that emphasizes its role in advancing its mission. The website features information about Predictive Oncology and its subsidiaries, Helomics, Soluble Biotech and TumorGenesis which are all integral to the overarching goal of eliminating cancer by predicting treatment outcomes and aiding in the development and optimization of cancer drugs.

08:33 EDT Encompass Health and Baptist Health to build inpatient rehabilitation hospital - Encompass Health and Baptist Health announced they have received a certificate of need to build and operate a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Louisville, KY. The hospital is expected to operate as a joint venture between Encompass Health and Baptist Health. The parties anticipate the future hospital will be located near the intersection of Blankenbaker Parkway and Bluegrass Parkway in Jeffersontown and will replace Baptist Health's 29-bed unit currently located on the Baptist Health Louisville campus. The new hospital is expected to begin providing inpatient rehabilitation services in the Q4 of 2023.

08:33 EDT Jupiter Wellness doses first patient in first degree burns study - Jupiter Wellness announced the enrollment and dosing of the first patient in the study. The double-blinded placebo-controlled study will enroll 50 patients with newly diagnosed first degree burns of superficial partial thickness on 10% or less of the patient's total body surface area. The primary endpoint is time to full re-epithelialization of the wound. This is an investigational international study with a protocol similar to a FDA Phase I study.

08:32 EDT Clever Leaves partners with PharmaLab PHL Laboratories - Clever Leaves Holdings announced the commercial commencement of a partnership with Pharmalab PHL Laboratories in Colombia. Pharmalab is a Colombian healthcare group specializing in the commercialization and distribution of medicines, dietary supplements and cosmetics. Pursuant to the partnership, Clever Leaves will supply pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoid formulations to Pharmalab for the distribution of magistral medications in Colombia, which are used to treat painful and inflammatory pathologies. The partnership was made possible by President Ivan Duque Marquez's recent signing of a new Decree allowing drugstores to distribute and sell magistral medicinal cannabinoids in Colombia, marking a major step towards fulfilling the unmet needs of Colombian patients.

08:31 EDT NextCure announces three new members of its SAB - NextCure announced the appointments of Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., Ursula Matulonis, M.D., and Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board, or SAB. Ethan Shevach, M.D., will retire from the SAB. Drs. Lieping Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Mario Sznol, M.D., and Stephen Miller, Ph.D., will continue to serve on the SAB. Elizabeth Jaffee is Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Dana and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University and an international leader in immune based therapies. Ursula Matulonis is Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Weiping Zou is the Charles B. de Nancrede Professor; Professor of Pathology, Immunology, Biology and Surgery; Director of the Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy; and Co-Director of the Cancer Hematopoiesis and Immunology Program at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and Rogel Cancer Center.

08:28 EDT BTCS adds Cosmos to blockchain infrastructure operations - BTCS announced the ongoing expansion its blockchain infrastructure segment with the addition of Cosmos, a $7 billion interoperable blockchain platform that connects large numbers of independent blockchains within the Cosmos network. BTCS has deployed its own node which is generating revenue by validating transactions on the Cosmos blockchain.

08:27 EDT DavidsTea extends product offering in select Loblaw locations - DAVIDsTEA (DTEA) announces that it is expanding its agreement with Loblaw Companies (LBLCF), enhancing its offering in communities across the Atlantic provinces, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, with new products now available in Real Canadian Superstore and Atlantic Superstore locations. Select DAVIDsTEA products are available in over 1,250 Loblaw grocery and pharmacy storefronts across Canada. "DAVIDsTEA is excited to further strengthen its relationship with Canada's food and pharmacy leader, allowing us to offer our customers access to an even broader selection of our high-quality teas," said Sarah Segal, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Brand Officer, DAVIDsTEA. "We want Canadians to know how easy it is to enjoy loose leaf tea, and we aim to do this by increasing DAVIDsTEA's presence on retail shelves nationwide with standout flavours in loose leaf tea, and unique matcha options," she added. DAVIDsTEA has added an assortment of flavours in loose-leaf tins and fruity matcha single-serves to Loblaw's existing assortment of DAVIDsTEA sachet product selection. The new loose-leaf offer features five of DAVIDsTEA's most popular flavours, including Blood Orange Boost, Headache Halo, Valerian Nights, Vanilla Cappuccino, and the iceable favourite Frozen Raspberry.

08:25 EDT Ayr Wellness receives noteholder consent for amendment to trust indenture - Ayr Wellness announced that it has received the requisite consent of holders of its 12.5% senior secured notes due 2024 for the proposed amendment to the trust indenture governing the Notes. As announced on October 1, 2021, a meeting of Noteholders was scheduled for October 26, 2021. However, as Noteholders representing a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Notes delivered valid consents in favor of the proposed amendment by 4:00 p.m. on October 18, 2021, the resolution approving the proposed amendments has been passed and the meeting has been cancelled. The amendment is described in the joint notice of meeting and consent solicitation statement and accompanying management information circular which was filed on SEDAR on October 1, 2021. As described in the Circular, Noteholders who responded to the Consent Solicitation and provided consent will receive a consent fee of US$0.25 for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes. The amendment to the trust indenture will be filed on SEDAR following its execution.

08:22 EDT Avadel Pharmaceuticals presents new data from Phase 3 REST-ON trial of FT218 - Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced new data from the completed pivotal Phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial of FT218, also known as ON-SXB. The post-hoc data are being presented in as two separate posters at the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting, taking place virtually October 17 - 20, 2021, along with the results of a discrete choice experiment to understand patient preference. FT218 is the Company's lead drug candidate, an investigational formulation of sodium oxybate designed to be taken once at bedtime for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy in adults with narcolepsy. FT218 is currently under review at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sleep Latency Response with FT218, a Once-Nightly Sodium Oxybate: Post-Hoc Responder Analyses from the Phase 3 REST-ON Clinical Trial. ON-SXB treatment was associated with statistically significant improvements compared to placebo on mean sleep latency in the Phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial: a significantly greater proportion of participants who received ON-SXB compared to placebo experienced increased mean sleep latency change from baseline. Improvement was evident as early as week 3 at the 6-g dose and increased with the 7.5-g dose at week 8 and the 9-g dose at week 13. The most common adverse drug reactions with ON-SXB 9 g were enuresis, dizziness, and vomiting. Cataplexy Response with FT218, a Once-Nightly Sodium Oxybate: Post-Hoc Responder Analyses from the Phase 3 REST-ON Clinical Trial. ON-SXB treatment was associated with statistically significant improvements compared to placebo on the number of weekly cataplexy episodes, as shown by the results of the pivotal Phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial: A significantly greater proportion of participants treated with ON-SXB compared to placebo experienced 25%, 50% and 75% reductions in the number of weekly cataplexy episodes with once-at-bedtime doses of 6, 7.5, and 9 g. Of participants taking the two highest doses of ON-SXB, approximately 10% had complete elimination of their cataplexy, while approximately half had a 50% reduction and one-third had a 75% reduction in their weekly cataplexy episodes. The most common adverse drug reactions with ON-SXB 9 g were enuresis, dizziness, and vomiting. The Utility of Discrete Choice Experiment in Evaluating Treatment Preferences Among Patients with Narcolepsy. A discrete choice experiment evaluated drivers of patient preference for sodium oxybate and demonstrated that dosing frequency was the single most important attribute of a narcolepsy treatment, with once-nightly dosing significantly more preferred than twice-nightly dosing. The number of nightly doses was also the most important driver observed of "taking the medication exactly as directed" and "reduced anxiety/stress", with once-nightly dosing preferred over twice-nightly dosing.

08:20 EDT Edesa says EB05 demonstrated mortality reductions in multiple patient groups - Edesa Biotech announced additional results from the Phase 2 part of an ongoing Phase 2/3 clinical study evaluating the company's monoclonal antibody candidate, designated EB05, as a single-dose treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The Phase 2 data were preemptively unblinded last month by the study's Data and Safety Monitoring Board DSMB due to a clinically important efficacy signal detected among the most critically ill patients. Since then, the analysis of the results has continued in other patient groups. Edesa believes EB05 regulates the overactive and dysfunctional immune response associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ARDS - the leading cause of death in COVID-19 patients. Edesa reported that EB05 demonstrated mortality reductions in multiple patient groups beyond the initial findings, which showed that critically ill hospitalized patients treated with EB05 + Standard of Care treatment SOC had a 68.5% reduction in the risk of dying when compared to placebo + SOC at 28 days. Additional efficacy signals have also been identified. Due to the lack of treatments available to critically ill patients and the clinically meaningful impact observed with respect to 28-day mortality, the company has decided to focus on this patient segment for the Phase 3 portion of the study. Edesa may also advance other subgroups of patients into Phase 3 at a later time. Michael Brooks, PhD, President of Edesa, said that this approach could substantially reduce the number of additional patients needed for the Phase 3 study and put the company in the position to potentially file for its first marketing authorization application sooner than anticipated. "The Phase 2 part of the study met its primary objective of identifying efficacy signals among the various patient stratifications. We are excited to see supportive efficacy signals across multiple patient segments. We plan to continue forward into the Phase 3 study prioritizing critically ill patients and are evaluating the most efficient way to utilize the existing dataset to support future regulatory filings, trials and applications," said Dr. Brooks.

08:17 EDT Healthcare Triangle announces advancement to Google Cloud Premier Partner status - Healthcare Triangle (HCTI) announces that it has advanced to Google (GOOG;GOOGL) Cloud Premier Partner status. This advancement to 'Premier' status is based on its building, deploying, and managing Google Cloud solutions for regulated healthcare and life sciences organizations and building data analytics platforms on Google Cloud's infrastructure. Through the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program, Healthcare Triangle solves healthcare and life sciences organizations' complex challenges with solutions in areas such as data analytics, AI, security, compliance, blockchain capabilities, cloud DevOps and other key cloud products. With the Premier Partner status, Healthcare Triangle continues to deploy the scalable and secure infrastructure on Google Cloud to maximize customers' operational efficiencies. "Being named a Google Cloud Premier Partner highlights Healthcare Triangle's commitment to innovative, strategic relationships that allow us to deliver cloud insights and solutions that drive meaningful outcomes for our clients," says Suresh Venkatachari, CEO of Healthcare Triangle. "As a Premier Partner, we are committed to helping our customers realize the benefits of Google Cloud and providing a solid foundation including hybrid, multi-cloud, and cloud-native environments, as well as DevOps automation, smart analytics and AI, healthcare industry solutions, infrastructure and application modernization."

08:15 EDT XP Inc. acquires minority stake in AZ Quest - XP announced the acquisition of a minority stake in AZ Quest, one of the largest and traditional independent asset management companies in Brazil, and part of Italian Azimut Group since 2015. AZ Quest has a platform of products that include Equities, Macro, Private Credit and Arbitrage strategies. The acquisition is part of XP's strategy to develop the most complete ecosystem of managers and distributors in Brazil. The transaction is a co-investment with XP Private Equity fund. XP and XP PE will have the option to increase their stake within the next 2 years. With this transaction, XP expects to increase synergies in its distribution platform, increasing penetration for AZ Quest funds across the largest funds open platform in Brazil. Azimut and XP will seek to expand cooperation across other areas, including the wider range of Azimut's global products.

08:15 EDT BlueLinx appoints Ryan Taylor as VP, investor relations, treasury - BlueLinx Holdings announced the appointment of Ryan Taylor as Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasury, effective October 11, 2021 and reporting to Kelly Janzen, Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer. In this newly created role, Taylor will lead the investor relations and treasury functions, with an emphasis on enhancing engagement with the investor community and maintaining a prudent capital structure to support the Company's growth strategy.. Most recently, Taylor served as Chief Strategy Officer at SPX FLOW where he played a leading role in the development, execution and communication of a transformational strategy which delivered significant value for SPX FLOW shareholders.

08:11 EDT Beam Global announces California state DMV purchases 15 EV ARC charging systems - Beam Global announced the California State Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV, has purchased fifteen EV ARC solar-powered EV charging systems for public use. The systems were purchased through the California Department of General Services Contract #1-18-61-16. "Contracts like the California DGS contract and the federal GSA contract make EV ARC systems as easy to procure as they are to deploy for government entities across the nation," said Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley. "Because of California Governor Gavin Newsom's desire to deploy 1.2M EV chargers by 2030, we're seeing more multi-unit orders from government entities, which is promising for the future." The California DMV's fifteen units will offer free public charging at locations across the state for DMV visitors to charge their EVs while they conduct business at the DMV. Each solar-powered EV ARC system generates and stores its own clean electricity and delivers that electricity to power two Enel X JuiceBox Pro EV charging stations. The transportable but permanent systems include the Emergency Power Panel option for first responder use during blackouts and emergencies.

08:10 EDT Inhibikase doses first Parkinson's patient in clinical trial of IkT-148009 - Inhibikase Therapeutics announced dosing of the first Parkinson's patient in its Phase 1b clinical trial of IkT-148009, an Abelson Tyrosine Kinase, or c-Abl, inhibitor for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The Phase 1b extension study is a 3:1 randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of IkT-148009. The trial will enroll a total of 24 patients with Parkinson's disease across 3 escalating doses (8 patients per cohort). The study will also assess cognitive, motor function, gut motility and measures of alpha-synuclein aggregate clearance in multiple compartments, as exploratory endpoints. The Company previously reported results from its Phase 1 study of IkT-148009 in older and elderly healthy volunteers, which achieved high drug exposure between 12.5 and 100 mg with no clinically significant adverse events across 56 patients. These results were consistent with exposures observed in animal efficacy studies of inherited and sporadic progressive Parkinson's disease.

08:08 EDT InterDigital appoints Joshua Schmidt as Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary - InterDigital announced that Joshua Schmidt has been appointed as the company's new Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, reporting to Liren Chen, President and Chief Executive Officer of InterDigital. Richard Gulino, who has served as InterDigital's Chief Legal Officer since January 2020 will remain as a Strategic Advisor to the company and will be retiring on December 3rd of this year. Schmidt joined InterDigital in March 2015 and has since served in a series of roles within the legal department, most recently as Deputy General Counsel.

08:07 EDT Pingtan Marine Enterprise receives determination notice letter from Nasdaq - Pingtan Marine Enterprise announced that it received a determination notice letter dated October 13 from the Listing Qualification Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market notifying that the Company did not meet the terms of exception granted by Staff. As previously disclosed, the Company received notices on April 15, May 25, and August 23, from the Staff notifying that the Company did not comply with listing requirements set forth in Listing Rule 5250 because it had not filed its Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2020, and its Forms 10-Q for the periods ended March 31 and June 30 with the SEC. As required by these notices, Pingtan submitted a plan and supporting materials to Nasdaq outlining its plan to regain compliance with respect to these delinquent reports and the Staff granted the Company an exception until October 12, 2021 to regain compliance with the Rule. The Company intends to submit a request for a hearing to appeal the determination and a request for a stay of the suspension of the Company's securities for up to 15 days from the date of request, pending the hearing. Before the Hearings Panel notifies the Company of its conclusion, the Determination Notice does not have an immediate effect on the trading of the Company's securities. The Company is currently working diligently to finalize and file the Forms 10-Q.

08:06 EDT Gain Therapeutics appoints Matthias Alder as COO - Gain Therapeutics (GANX) announced the appointment of Matthias Alder as COO to advance the Company's strategic and operational objectives, including the establishment of additional industry partnerships and the transition of the Company's lead program in Gaucher and Parkinson's Disease into clinical trials, which is expected to occur in 2022. Most recently, Mr. Alder was Chief Business Officer at Autolus Therapeutics (AUTL), a biotechnology company focused on developing CAR T-cell therapies for hematological and solid tumors, where he led the corporate development, legal, IP and HR functions.

08:05 EDT Quantum announces partnership with IBM for next generation of LTO technology - Quantum (QMCO) announced a partnership with IBM (IBM) on the next generation of LTO technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Quantum will collaborate with IBM in its development of LTO-10 tape drives and media in order to accelerate time-to-market, capacity, and performance. The specific terms of the agreement are confidential and will not be disclosed. Linear Tape Open, also known as the LTO Ultrium format, is an open tape format designed for high-capacity long term storage and is used by many of the world's largest hyperscalers and enterprises for archiving data and protecting data against ransomware.

08:04 EDT Clovis Oncology and ITM announce Lutetium-177 clinical supply agreement - Clovis Oncology and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich announced the signing of a clinical supply agreement that provides Clovis Oncology with ITM's therapeutic radioisotope no-carrier-added Lutetium-177 or n.c.a. 177Lu, EndolucinBeta for use in the clinical development of FAP-2286, Clovis' fibroblast activation protein, FAP-targeting therapeutic candidate. FAP-2286 is the first peptide-targeted radionuclide therapeutic PTRT candidate directed against fibroblast activation protein undergoing clinical testing and is currently being investigated in the Phase 1/2 LuMIERE study for patients with advanced solid tumors. The agreement covers an initial period of five years. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed. "Clovis Oncology is committed to advancing FAP-2286's clinical development program and emerging as a leader in targeted radionuclide therapy. A critical element to advance this program is ensuring long-term supply of radioisotopes, and this agreement allows us to achieve that goal," said Patrick Mahaffy, President and CEO of Clovis Oncology. "In particular, we value ITM's radiopharmaceutical expertise and global reach as we advance our targeted radionuclide therapy program into the clinic."

07:57 EDT Field Trip Health continues expansion of psychedelic-assisted therapy centers - Field Trip Health announced the opening of their Seattle clinic, their sixth in the United States, along with the recent opening of a location in Fredericton, NB, and the imminent opening of a location in Vancouver, BC.

07:54 EDT S&P Global and IHS Markit provide update on competition concerns in UK - S&P Global (SPGI) and IHS Markit (INFO) provided the following update regarding the decision by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, that the merger of S&P Global and IHS Markit does not raise potential competition concerns, except in relation to certain commodity and petrochemical price assessments in the UK. To address the CMA's potential concerns, S&P Global and IHS Markit have previously discussed the divestiture of IHS Markit's Oil Price Information Services, or OPIS; Coal, Metals and Mining; and PetroChem Wire businesses. As previously announced, the parties have agreed to a sale of these businesses to News Corp, subject to approval of relevant antitrust authorities. The companies have further discussed with the CMA the divestiture of IHS Markit's base chemicals business to address any remaining concerns. S&P Global and IHS Markit will now formally submit these remedy proposals to the CMA. The companies consider the proposed remedies sufficient to address the CMA's competition concerns and obtain clearance for their transaction in Phase 1. The CMA will provisionally decide whether the remedy proposals are sufficient by November 2.

07:51 EDT Small Pharma doses first patient in Phase IIa DMT-assisted therapy trial - Small Pharma announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Company's Phase IIa clinical trial for its lead N,N-dimethyltryptamine candidate, SPL026, which, in combination with psychotherapy, is intended to serve as a possible treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. The first of 42 patients with MDD have now been dosed in the blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept Phase IIa study of SPL026 in combination with psychotherapy. The Phase IIa portion of the Phase I/IIa study, being held at two UK clinical trial sites - Hammersmith Medicines Research and MAC Clinical Research - will assess the efficacy of one versus two doses of SPL026 in combination with psychotherapy in patients with MDD, while furthering the Company's safety and tolerability dataset. Efficacy will be assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating scale to measure any potential reduction in the patients' depression. Topline results are anticipated in the first half of 2022.

07:44 EDT Atea Pharmaceuticals down 70% to $12.10 after AT-527 trial did not meet endpoint

07:40 EDT Statera BioPharma announces IRB approval for STAT-205 study in acute COVID-19 - Statera Biopharma announced that it has received Institutional Review Board approval to conduct a Phase 1 pilot study at Loma Linda University Health to evaluate STAT-205 as a treatment to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 progression, the virus that causes COVID-19. STAT-205 is an immune-modulator designed to decrease elevated inflammatory responses associated with viral infection and inhibit viral replication in human lung cells. The randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study will enroll 24 patients that are age 18 years or older who test positive for acute SARS-CoV-2 and show symptoms of mild infection that are at high risk for disease progression. The study is designed to assess the pharmacokinetics, early predictive biomarkers, and safety of STAT-205. During preclinical in vitro studies, STAT-205 demonstrated an ability to inhibit the replication of coronaviruses in human lung cells. Previous data also suggest that STAT-205 could prevent life-threatening lung inflammation caused by COVID-19, as well as lessen the risk of reinfection. Statera is also developing STAT-205 as a treatment for patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, also known as "long haulers." Approximately 30% of patients with acute COVID-19 develop "long haul" syndrome, and these patients also represent a significant unmet medical need. A Phase 2 study in post-acute COVID-19 patients is expected to commence by year-end 2021.

07:39 EDT Nexus Real Estate enters into $98.2M purchase, sale agreement - Nexus Real Estate Investment Trust announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a 50% interest in a newly constructed automated grocery customer fulfilment centre strategically located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. The newly built 309,000 square foot Class A property is located at 2400 Trans-Canada Highway in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, and is fully leased on an absolutely triple net basis to a subsidiary of Empire on a long-term basis. The purchase price is expected to be partially satisfied through the assumption of mortgage financing in the principal amount of approximately $61,500,000 with approximately 15 years remaining term, with the balance expected to be satisfied in cash. The REIT has sufficient liquidity available from its credit facilities and unencumbered properties to finance this acquisition and the other properties the REIT has under contract. The purchase and sale agreement is conditional upon mortgage assumption and other approvals and the acquisition is expected to close in December 2021.

07:37 EDT KemPharm announces uplisting to Nasdaq Global Select Market - KemPharm announced that its shares of common stock have been approved for listing to The Nasdaq Global Select Market. Trading on the exchange will commence effective with the open of business on October 19, 2021, under KemPharm's current ticker symbol, "KMPH".

07:36 EDT Locus Biosciences secures financing up to $25M from Hercules Capital - Locus Biosciences announced that the company has entered a credit facility of up to $25 million with Hercules Capital. The funds under the facility will be available in tranches upon the achievement of specific clinical and business milestones.

07:35 EDT FTI Consulting appoints Anthony Primiano as senior managing director - FTI Consulting announced the appointment of Anthony Primiano as a Senior Managing Director in the Broker-Dealer Regulatory & Litigation group within the firm's Financial Services practice. Primiano, who is based in New York, will provide FTI Consulting clients with compliance advisory and risk management services and will bring his unique experience and skillset to assist with regulatory investigations, internal reviews, compliance risk assessments and compliance remediation planning, particularly in domestic and international wealth management. Primiano joins FTI Consulting from UBS Financial Services, where he was Americas Head of Global Wealth Management Compliance and Operational Risk Control.

07:34 EDT Axon's digital evidence management solution selected by Scottish Government - Axon and its U.K. subsidiary, Axon Public Safety UK, announced that the Scottish Government has selected Axon's digital evidence management solution, Axon Evidence, as part of their commitment to invest in the development of a Digital Evidence Sharing Capability for Scotland's public safety authorities. This modernization initiative will connect all Scottish justice sector partners and stakeholders, including the police, courts, prosecutors and defense agents.

07:33 EDT Assembly Biosciences, Antios Therapeutics announce clinical collaboration - Antios Therapeutics and Assembly Biosciences announced that the companies have entered into a clinical collaboration agreement to evaluate a triple combination treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. A single cohort in the ongoing Antios Phase 2a ANTT201 clinical trial will evaluate ATI-2173, Antios' investigational proprietary active site polymerase inhibitor nucleotide, vebicorvir, Assembly Bio's investigational lead core inhibitor candidate, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor. The multi-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled cohort will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of this all-oral triple combination. This cohort is expected to start in the first half of 2022 and will enroll 10 treatment naive or off-treatment HBeAg negative or positive patients in a 12-week treatment study. "Our collaboration with Antios emphasizes our commitment to evaluating the backbone of our core inhibitors plus a nucleos(t)ide analogue in combination with other mechanisms to treat HBV, a cause of chronic infection that can lead to a higher risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer," said John McHutchison, AO, MD, Chief Executive Officer and President of Assembly Bio. "The commitment that we and Antios share to pursue finite and curative therapies for HBV unites us in these research efforts and offers hope for patients."

07:32 EDT Plus Therapeutics announces FDA clearance on NDA for 186RNL - Plus Therapeutics announced clearance of its Investigational New Drug, or IND, application from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Rhenium-186 NanoLiposome, 186RNL, for the treatment of leptomeningeal metastases (LM). The Company expects to initiate patient accrual in a Phase 1 dose escalation trial of 186RNL in the fourth quarter of 2021. The ReSPECT-LM trial is a multicenter, sequential cohort, open-label, single dose, dose escalation Phase 1 study. It will evaluate the maximum tolerated dose, maximum feasible dose, safety, and efficacy of a single administration of 186RNL via intraventricular catheter for LM following standard surgical, radiation, and/or chemotherapy treatment. The primary endpoint of the study is the incidence and severity of adverse events/serious adverse events and dose limiting toxicities. Secondary endpoints include overall response rate, duration or response, progression free survival, and overall survival. "Leptomeningeal metastasis is a neurologically devastating and fatal complication of cancer," said Marc Hedrick M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Plus Therapeutics. "Our latest approved IND application is part of a multifaceted plan to expand our radiotherapeutic pipeline with promising, innovative drugs to treat a variety of rare and difficult to treat cancers." The ReSPECT-LM Phase 1 clinical trial follows preclinical studies in which tolerance to doses of 186RNL as high as 1,075 Gy was shown in animal models with LM with no observed significant toxicity. Treatment led to marked reduction in tumor burden in both C6 and MDA-231 LM models.

07:31 EDT Atea Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

07:28 EDT Merck rises 2% after Atea Covid drug fails in Phase 2 study - Shares of Merck (MRK) after up 2% to $78.94 in premarket trading after Atea Pharmaceuticals (AVIR) reported that AT-527 in the outpatient setting did not meet the primary endpoint of reduction from baseline in the amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus in patients with mild or moderate Covid compared to placebo. Merck's and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics' molnupiravir is currently under review at the Food and Drug Administration, and, if authorized, it will be the first oral antiviral to treat Covid patients in the U.S.

07:23 EDT Galera Therapeutics to resume trading at 07:30ET

07:22 EDT Fifth Third: Capital plans support buyback of shares totaling $300M in Q4

07:21 EDT Fifth Third sees Q4 NII down 1%, or up 1% excluding PPP impacts - Sees average loans and leases up 1%, or up 2% excluding PPP impacts. Sees Q4 noninterest income up 6%, or relatively stable excluding the impact of $44M Q4 TRA revenue. Sees noninterest expense stable to up 1%, with a net charge-off ratio of 10-15bps and an effective tax rate of 22%-23%. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call presentation slides.

07:15 EDT LGI Homes announces new single-family plans in Oklahoma City - LGI Homes announced a brand-new line-up of five floor plans in its Oklahoma City-area communities. Priced from the $220s, this new collection of homes offers homebuyers value for a newly constructed home situated in a premier family-friendly community. Ranging in size from 1,405 to 2,483 square feet with three to five bedrooms, and two to three bathrooms, these new homes are brimming with curb appeal and overflowing in upgrades. Crafted with the CompleteHome package, each one and two-story home features a host of impressive, included upgrades at no additional cost. Inside each of these new plans you will find a full suite of stainless steel Whirlpool kitchen appliances, sprawling granite countertops, designer wood cabinetry with crown molding, luxury vinyl-plank flooring, programmable thermostats and more.

07:14 EDT DMC Global's DynaEnergetics announces global price increase - DynaEnergetics, a business of DMC Global, announced it will re-implement a 5% global price increase on all products shipped on or after November 22, 2021. DynaEnergetics announced a price increase in this year's second quarter, but postponed its implementation. Ian Grieves, president of DynaEnergetics, said, "Concurrent with improved industry fundamentals that include sharply higher oil and gas prices and increased well completion activity, there has been a considerable escalation in labor and material costs. This price adjustment is necessary to offset those increases, as well as the anticipated wind down of the federal government's CARES Act." Grieves added, "In today's tight labor market, the efficiency and performance benefits of DynaEnergetics' perforating systems are especially pronounced. Our DS systems are the only perforating products that are fully integrated, and factory assembled. They are delivered just in time to the wellsite, enabling customers to reduce inventory, streamline their supply chains, eliminate assembly operations and deploy fewer people to location."

07:12 EDT CareDx, Eledon Pharmaceuticals announce collaborative research agreement - CareDx (CDNA) and Eledon Pharmaceuticals (ELDN) announced a collaborative research agreement to use AlloSure to help assess the efficacy of Eledon's investigational AT-1501 in the prevention of rejection in upcoming renal transplantation trials. In July of this year, Eledon announced that it had received approval from Health Canada to commence human trials of AT-1501 in renal transplantation. Eledon anticipates initiating the trial in the fourth quarter of this year with interim data read-outs beginning in late 2022. "This collaboration agreement provides Eledon with access to CareDx's best-in-class technologies," stated David-Alexandre C. Gros, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Eledon. "Our partner's experience with biomarkers and predictive algorithms gives us the opportunity to gather important insights on the potential for longer term allograft survival rates as we advance AT-1501 through clinical development. We are pleased to partner with the market leader in broader transplantation services and look forward to working together towards supporting transplant patients."

07:11 EDT Oxford says Boehringer Ingelheim exercises option on gene therapy treatment - Oxford Biomedica announces that Boehringer Ingelheim has exercised its option to license Oxford Biomedica's lentiviral vector technology to manufacture, register and commercialise BI 3720931, a lentiviral vector-based gene therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Under the terms of the option and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim, originally announced in August 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim will pay Oxford Biomedica an option exercise fee of GBP3.5 million. Oxford Biomedica is further entitled to development, regulatory and sales milestones of up to a further GBP27.5 million, in addition to a tiered low single digit royalty on net sales of a CF gene therapy product. This option exercise by Boehringer Ingelheim follows on another recent signature of a Development & Supply Agreement which was announced in April 2021, relating to the clinical manufacture of various types of viral vector based products. In parallel, Boehringer Ingelheim has also exercised its option to license intellectual property and know-how from IP Group and the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium relating to the same lentiviral vector-based product candidate for the treatment of CF. This development partnership between academia, Pharma and Biotech focuses on the development of a novel, replication deficient lentiviral vector, in an inhaled formulation, to selectively introduce a CFTR gene into the relevant target cell. This approach has demonstrated high gene transfer efficiency and offers the possibility of repeated administration to maintain a therapeutic effect. In addition, the approach has the potential to address all of the more than 2,000 different known gene mutations across CF patients, and therefore offers a gene-independent disease-modifying treatment option for patients. Should the program progress into clinical development, Oxford Biomedica expects to produce large quantities of lentiviral vectors using its highly efficient GMP-compliant manufacturing process in bioreactors.

07:09 EDT 36Kr Holdings provides customized video advertising solutions to Intel - 36Kr Holdings (KRKR) announced that the Company has provided customized short-form video advertising solutions for Intel (INTC) , representing a brand new marketing collaboration between the two companies. 36Kr's innovative marketing solution promotes Intel Evo platform-based laptops in a professional, illustrative and user-friendly manner. It includes a 7-minute video featuring the design concept and performance of Intel's premium laptops, as well as three 4-minute short-form videos demonstrating three of Intel's original technologies: Intel Wi-Fi 6, ThunderboltTM 4 and Iris Xe Graphics, respectively. These customized videos are being distributed through 36Kr's own network as well as its various distribution outlets among major third-party traffic platforms.

07:08 EDT Castle Biosciences to acquire Cernostics for $30M in initial consideration - Castle Biosciences announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cernostics , an Illumina Ventures company. Cernostics specializes in spatial biology and artificial intelligence-driven image analysis of tissue biopsies. Its TissueCypher Barrett's Esophagus Assay is the first precision medicine test designed to predict future development of high-grade dysplasia HGD and/or esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett's esophagus BE. "We are pleased to welcome Cernostics into the Castle family," said Derek Maetzold, president and CEO of Castle Biosciences. "Acquiring the TissueCypher platform is aligned with our commitment to utilizing innovative technology to provide clinically actionable information that guides disease management and improves patient outcomes. The TissueCypher Barrett's Esophagus Assay addresses an unmet need in BE, as it is designed to objectively and accurately predict progression from non-dysplastic, indefinite for dysplasia and low-grade dysplasia BE to HGD or esophageal adenocarcinoma EAC. This is critical, as EAC is highly lethal, with five-year survival rates under 20%1, and intervention, ablation, in patients with BE has been proven to reduce progression to EAC. Unfortunately, the incidence of esophageal cancer is increasing at one of the fastest rates of all cancers in the U.S., so we need new clinical tools to reverse this growth trend in the diagnosis of EAC. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Cernostics will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Castle Biosciences. At closing, Castle will pay $30M in initial consideration to Cernostics security holders, which may consist entirely of cash or $20M in cash and $10M in common stock of Castle, at Castle's sole discretion. The purchase price is subject to customary working capital and other adjustments. Further, up to an additional $50M in cash and/or common stock, at Castle's sole discretion, is payable in connection with the achievement of certain milestones based on 2022 performance. The transaction is expected to close prior to year-end 2021, subject to the delivery of certain financial statements to the Company, continued employment of certain Cernostics personnel and satisfaction of other customary conditions to closing. Upon finalization of the transaction, Hoerres and Cernostics' executive management team and other staff based in Pittsburgh are expected to stay with the Company. Cernostics' laboratory and operations will remain in Pittsburgh.

07:06 EDT Evogene subsidiary launches its two first cannabis medical products - Canonic, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Evogene, announced the full commercial launch of its first two medical cannabis products, known as G200 and G150, following positive feedback received from patients during the company's pre-launch campaign. These products were originally expected to be released to market during 2022.

07:05 EDT Iridium sees FY21 OEBITDA $375M - Sees Full-year 2021 OEBITDA of approximately $375M (previous outlook was for OEBITDA of between $365M-$375M). OEBITDA for 2020 was $355.6M.

07:05 EDT Atea says Phase 2 MOONSONG trial results did not meet primary endpoint - Atea Pharmaceuticals reported that the global Phase 2 MOONSONG trial evaluating AT-527 in the outpatient setting did not meet the primary endpoint of reduction from baseline in the amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 compared to placebo in the overall study population, of which approximately two thirds of patients were low-risk with mild symptoms. However, in high-risk patients with underlying health conditions, a reduction of viral load of approximately 0.5 log10 at Day 7 was observed at 550 mg and 1,100 mg BID compared with placebo. Based on the MOONSONG topline and additional recent results for AT-527 as well as the evolving COVID-19 environment, Atea, together with Roche, are assessing potential modifications to the global Phase 3 MORNINGSKY trial including the trial's primary endpoint and patient population. As a result, we now anticipate Phase 3 MORNINGSKY data in the second half of 2022. Atea and Roche are jointly developing AT-527 as an oral direct-acting antiviral for the treatment of COVID-19. Its unique mechanism of action, with dual targets including chain termination and NiRAN inhibition, has the potential to create a high barrier to resistance with broad antiviral coverage to different variants of SARS-CoV-2. Atea has completed a comprehensive nonclinical program to characterize the safety profile of AT-527. Results from these nonclinical studies demonstrate that AT-527 is non-mutagenic and has no effects on fertility and reproduction. The global Phase 2 MOONSONG trial is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled trial, evaluating the antiviral activity, safety and pharmacokinetics of AT-527 550 mg and 1,100 mg administered twice daily in adult patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 versus placebo. The primary endpoint of this virology trial, which enrolled patients who were SARS-CoV-2 positive, is change from baseline in amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA as measured by RT-PCR at specified timepoints. In the topline analysis, treatment with AT-527 did not meet the primary endpoint as it did not show a clear reduction in SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the overall population of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 compared to placebo. Overall, approximately two-thirds of the patients had mild symptoms with no underlying health conditions and were on average 37 years old. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccinated patients were among the patients included in the overall study population. In high-risk patients with underlying health conditions, a reduction of viral load of approximately 0.5 log10 at Day 7 was observed with administration of 550 mg as compared to placebo and with administration of 1,100 mg BID as compared to placebo. In addition to baseline patient characteristics, several factors may have impacted the MOONSONG data results, which evaluated viral kinetics. These potential factors include different variants emerging during the study, greater penetration of vaccinations within the enrolled population and a pooled placebo patient population. The pooled placebo patient population included different vaccination status and may have included different COVID-19 variants. Consistent with previous studies, AT-527 was generally safe and well tolerated. In the MOONSONG study, the proportion of patients experiencing any adverse event was 20% in the placebo group, 20% in the AT-527 550 mg BID group and 27% in the AT-527 1100 mg BID group. There were 3 non-drug related serious adverse events in each of the treatment groups and all other AEs were grade 1 or 2. Gastrointestinal-related AEs were the most commonly reported AEs: 8% in the placebo group; 7% in the AT-527 550 mg BID group; 17% in the AT-527 1100 mg BID group, with mild to moderate nausea/vomiting resulting in premature study drug discontinuation of 3% in the placebo group, 0% in the AT-527 550 mg BID group and 17% in the AT-527 1100 mg BID group. No clinically significant differences in laboratory abnormalities were observed in the treatment arms as compared to placebo. In addition to the MOONSONG results announced today, results from the bronchoalveolar lavage study and Phase 2 hospitalized trial are being presented at the International Society for Influenza and Other Respiratory Virus Diseases-World Health Organization Virtual Conference, in a poster and oral session held virtually October 19-21, 2021.

07:04 EDT Philip Morris confirms confidence in 2021-2023 growth targets - The company said: "We confirm our confidence in our 2021 to 2023 growth targets, despite device constraints that could persist into the first half of 2022, with temporarily lower IQOS user growth rates."

07:02 EDT Lee Enterprises announces partnership with Mudd Advertising - Lee Enterprises announced a strategic partnership with Mudd Advertising. The partnership leverages a customized version of Lee's Vision platform enabling Mudd to fully support the cross-channel marketing efforts of retail automotive dealers and manufacturers across the United States. Vision is a proprietary sales enablement and execution software, powered by Lee's national agency, Amplified Digital. "This partnership demonstrates the commitment to digital solutions for both organizations," said Kevin Mowbray, Lee president and chief executive officer. "The Vision platform has transformed local advertising for Lee Enterprises as part of our digital transformation strategy, and it aligns perfectly with the direction of Mudd Advertising."

06:58 EDT Travelers reports Q3 book value per share of $115.74 - Reports Q3 book value per share of $115.74, up 5% from September 30, 2020; adjusted book value per share of $104.77, up 10% from September 30, 2020.

06:56 EDT Sonic Automotive acquires Bobby Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM - Sonic Automotive announced the acquisition of Bobby Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM in Sealy, Texas. Effective today, the Company will operate the dealership as Momentum Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Sealy, marking the 88th franchised location in the Company's portfolio and its first Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, or CDJR, dealership. The dealership serves residents of Houston, Katy, Columbus, Brookshire, Sealy and surrounding areas of South Texas with new and pre-owned vehicles.

06:55 EDT Eli Lilly announces tirzepatide results published in The Lancet - Adults with type 2 diabetes with increased cardiovascular, or CV, risk experienced superior A1C and body weight reductions from baseline across all three doses of tirzepatide compared to titrated insulin glargine in results from Eli Lilly's SURPASS-4 clinical trial, which were published in The Lancet. At 52 weeks, the highest dose of tirzepatide led to an A1C reduction of 2.58% and reduced body weight by 11.7 kg compared to results for those treated with insulin glargine for the efficacy estimand. SURPASS-4 is the largest and longest clinical trial completed to date of the phase 3 program studying tirzepatide as a potential treatment for type 2 diabetes. The primary endpoint was measured at 52 weeks, with participants continuing treatment up to 104 weeks or until study completion. The completion of the study was triggered by the accrual of major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE, to assess CV risk. In newly published data from the treatment period after 52 weeks, participants taking tirzepatide maintained A1C and weight control for up to two years. The overall safety profile of tirzepatide, assessed over the full study period, was consistent with the safety results measured at 52 weeks, with no new findings up to 104 weeks. Gastrointestinal side effects were the most commonly reported adverse events, usually occurring during the escalation period and then decreasing over time. SURPASS-4 achieved each of its primary and key secondary endpoints. All three doses of tirzepatide led to statistically significant and superior A1C and body weight reductions compared to insulin glargine for both estimandsii at 52 weeks. For the treatment-regimen estimand, all three doses of tirzepatide led to superior A1C and weight reductions at 52 weeks. Hypoglycemia less than 54 mg/dL was reported in 8.8%, 6.1% and 8% of participants in the tirzepatide arms and in 19.1 percent of participants in the insulin glargine arm over the full study period. Episodes of hypoglycemia were seen more often in participants who had a background therapy of a sulfonylurea. In an additional exploratory endpoint, all three doses of tirzepatide led to favorable changes from baseline in fasting lipids at 52 weeks. Specifically, at the highest dose of tirzepatide: total cholesterol was reduced by 5.6%, triglycerides were reduced by 22.5%, low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol was reduced by 7.9%, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was reduced by 21.8%, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol was increased by 10.8%. The most commonly reported adverse events over the full study period in the tirzepatide arms were gastrointestinal-related and generally mild to moderate in severity. For study participants treated with tirzepatide, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting were more frequently experienced compared to insulin glargine. Treatment discontinuation rates due to adverse events over the full study period were 7.3%, 7.9% and 8.9%, compared to 1.9%. A safety analysis evaluated adjudicated MACE-4, a composite endpoint of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke and hospitalization for unstable angina. Within SURPASS-4, comparing pooled tirzepatide to insulin glargine, no increased cardiovascular risk was identified with tirzepatide; a hazard ratio of 0.74 was observed.

06:47 EDT Halliburton CEO: I see a multi-year upcycle unfolding - "Our third quarter performance demonstrates the effectiveness of both our strategy and our execution. Total company revenue increased 4% sequentially, and adjusted operating income grew 6% with solid margins in both divisions," commented Jeff Miller, Chairman, President and CEO. "Both operating divisions experienced revenue growth in the international and North America Land markets. Our Completion and Production division delivered solid mid-teens margins, and our Drilling and Evaluation division margins maintained their steady momentum. I am pleased with our strengthening free cash flow profile. In the third quarter, we generated $469 million of free cash flow, retired $500 million of debt, and maintained our cash balance at $2.6 billion. I see a multi-year upcycle unfolding. Structural global commodity tightness drives increased demand for our services, both internationally and in North America. I believe Halliburton is uniquely positioned in both markets to benefit from this improving environment. I believe our value proposition, technology differentiation, digital adoption, and capital efficiency will allow us to deliver profitable growth internationally and maximize value in North America. Halliburton will continue to execute our key strategic priorities to deliver industry-leading returns and strong free cash flow for our shareholders," concluded Miller.

06:46 EDT Halliburton reports Q3 cash flow from operations $617M, free cash flow $469M

06:42 EDT Adagio Therapeutics announces in vitro data related to mAb ADG20 - Adagio Therapeutics announced new in vitro data demonstrating retained neutralizing activity of its monoclonal antibody, or mAb, ADG20, against a diverse panel of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the newly emerged Lambda and Mu variants. Notably, findings show that ADG20 demonstrated potent in vitro neutralizing activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern tested, including those with reduced susceptibility to mAb products currently available under Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, or in late-stage development. These data will be presented during a poster session at the 2021 ISIRV-WHO Virtual Conference, which is being held October 19-21, 2021. In addition, Adagio will present an encore poster highlighting recently announced data from the company's ongoing Phase 1 trial of ADG20 in healthy participants. In addition to the Phase 1 healthy participant trial, Adagio is advancing two ongoing global Phase 2/3 trials with ADG20, a treatment trial, or STAMP, and a prevention trial, or EVADE. The company anticipates submitting an EUA application to the FDA for ADG20 in the Q1 of 2022.

06:38 EDT Energous gains FCC approval for Active Energy Harvesting transmitter technology - Energous announced that its 900MHz 1W Active Energy Harvesting transmitter technology has received U.S. Federal Communications Commission Part 15 grant of equipment authorization for wireless power transfer at any distance. This approval complements a similar unlimited distance wireless charging approval in Europe, announced in May, 2021, expanding the ecosystem reach -- including customers, OEM partners and standards organizations -- for WattUp. The 1W Active Energy Harvesting transmitter can charge multiple devices at once, enabling at-any-distance over-the-air charging for the growing ecosystem of Internet of Things devices such as retail sensors, electronic shelf labels, industrial devices and more.

06:34 EDT Fifth Third reports Q3 net interest margin 2.59% vs. 2.58% a year ago

06:28 EDT Danone: FY recurring operating margin to be broadly in line with 2020

06:22 EDT Zoom Video invests undisclosed amount into DTEN - DTEN announced an investment made in the company by Zoom Video. The investment allows DTEN to accelerate new product and services innovations.

06:09 EDT Accenture acquires Xoomworks, terms not disclosed - Accenture has acquired Xoomworks Group, a consulting and technology company that specializes in procurement technology, digital innovation and software solutions development. The acquisition will expand Accenture's capabilities for helping clients accelerate technology-led business and procurement transformation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

06:03 EDT Walmart to build high-tech distribution center in Spartanburg County - Walmart announced plans to build a new, high-tech distribution center for fresh and frozen groceries in Spartanburg County, set to open in 2024. The 720,000+ square-foot facility will create more than 400 full-time jobs and will rely on the combination of Walmart associates, automation technology, robotics and machine learning to process grocery perishables and deliver them to nearby stores. The high-tech facility marks Walmart's largest grocery distribution center to date and will move 2x's more product than a traditional grocery DC in addition to presenting new technology-focused job opportunities in the region.

05:20 EDT Niu Technologies appoints Fion Zhou as chief financial officer - Niu Technologies (NIU) announced that the board of directors of the company has appointed Fion Zhou as the new chief financial officer with an effective date November 15. Fion Zhou will bring to NIU 15 years of experience working in financial and public companies. Prior to joining NIU, she served as the chief financial officer of Sogou (SOGO), where she led financial operations, legal matters, strategic investment, investor relationship and internal controls.

05:13 EDT Paysafe expands partnership with zen.com - Paysafe announced that it has extended its partnership with payments provider zen.com. Paysafe's eCash solution, Paysafecash, can now be used by individual customers as well as business clients across 25 countries in Europe to make fast and secure cash deposits into zen.com's virtual wallets.