Stockwinners Market Radar for July 19, 2023 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:30 EDT Yellow Corp says IBT breached collective bargaining agreement - Yellow Corporation said that the leadership at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has publicly claimed that the union may lawfully strike Yellow Corporation over its failure to make its July contribution to Central States pension and health and welfare funds, but a strike "would be anything but lawful, as it would violate the parties' collective bargaining agreement." The Union's breaches of the collective bargaining agreement, which are detailed in the complaint Yellow filed in its District of Kansas lawsuit against the Teamsters, are the direct cause of Yellow's inability to make contributions to the funds, the company said. "In June, Yellow wrote to the funds, requesting a short-term deferral of its obligation to pay contributions for two months, July and August, with interest," Yellow said. "This request is not without precedent. Regrettably, the Board of Trustees of Central States refused Yellow's request, despite the funds' healthy reserves. Even more regrettably, Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien has blamed Yellow for failing its workers, but it is the Teamsters' leadership who has failed the 22,000 Teamsters employed by Yellow as well as the 8,000 non-union employees who may soon become the Teamsters' collateral damage. For many months, Teamsters' leadership has steadfastly refused to negotiate the company's long-planned and necessary modernization effort that would enable Yellow, a 100-year-old company, to streamline and strengthen its operations to compete against non-union carriers. To keep up with the times and customers' needs, the Company must implement its well-publicized business modernization plan known as "One Yellow," yet Teamsters' leadership has rejected all proposed changes of operations and all proposed interim agreements, freezing the company's business plan for nine months. This has cost Yellow in excess of $137M in Adjusted EBITDA and has prevented critical refinancing for the Company. Ever since Teamsters' leadership made its request that Yellow open its contract early, Yellow has tried to meet to negotiate a contract that would provide wage increases for its Teamster employees. In fact, just last week, Yellow made yet another proposal to the Teamsters, offering a significant wage increase that aligns with its union competitors. Commencement of meaningful negotiations with the Teamsters would set the stage for Yellow to reengage in comprehensive refinancing efforts with its lenders while clearing a path to advance One Yellow. All stakeholders- lenders, shareholders, employees, and customers need to see progress. In short, Teamsters' leadership's obstruction of One Yellow directly caused Yellow's liquidity crisis and Yellow's need to implement cash-conservation measures, including its benefit funding deferral request. For nine months, Yellow has been ready, willing, and able to meet with the Teamsters at any time and at any place to discuss the future of its union and non-union employees and to work through the implementation of One Yellow. Even today, the Company remains ready, willing, and able to hold serious negotiations."

19:02 EDT LGI Homes announces expansion into Port Charlotte, Florida - LGI Homes announced its expansion into the city of Port Charlotte, Florida. "We are excited to bring our high-quality, affordable homes to the Port Charlotte area," said AJ Jordan, VP of Operations for LGI Homes. "Our mission is to help families and individuals achieve the dream of homeownership. We believe that Port Charlotte offers an exceptional opportunity for them to change their lives for the better in a remarkable location."

18:27 EDT Netflix sees positive and growing FCF trajectory in coming years - Says strikes could hurt cash flow in 2024.

18:20 EDT Dell Technologies to acquire Moogsoft, terms not disclosed - Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Moogsoft, an AI-driven provider of intelligent monitoring solutions that support DevOps and ITOps. This transaction will further enhance Dell's AIOps capabilities, as part of its longstanding approach of embedding AI functionality within its product portfolio and as a critical component of its "multicloud by design" strategy. The transaction is expected to close in Q3.

18:14 EDT Netflix says financial impact of password crackdown is gradual - Says most revenue growth in 2023 is from new members. Says still early to count impact of paid shared accounts.

18:06 EDT Investar Holding approves 350,000 shares under repurchase program - Investar Holding, the holding company of Investar Bank, National Association, announced that the Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of an additional 350,000 shares of the Company's common stock under a stock repurchase program, in addition to 248,439 shares remaining under the current repurchase program. The additional shares authorized for repurchase represent approximately 4% of the Company's outstanding common stock. Recent stock buyback activity includes 138,275 shares that were repurchased by the Company during the first two quarters of 2023 at an average price of $14.39. Since the inception of the stock repurchase program in 2015, the Company has paid $46.7M to repurchase 2,451,561 shares at an average price of $19.05.

18:03 EDT Netflix says SAG, WGA strikes 'not what we wanted' - Says SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are "not what we wanted." Says had hoped to reach an agreement by now. Says "super committed" to reaching new agreements "as soon as possible." Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:59 EDT Tesla says in talks with major OEM to license FSD - Says "open" to licensing FSD. Expects to use both Nvdia (NVDA) and Dojo. Expects to have 100x increase in training data over next 1.5 years. Says gross margin remains healthy. Says has seen a reduction in pricing across the board for all commodities.

17:54 EDT Tesla says in talks with major OEM to license FSD - Says "open" to licensing FSD. Expects to use both Nvdia (NVDA) and Dojo. Expects to have 100x increase in training data over next 1.5 years. Says gross margin remains healthy. Says has seen a reduction across the board for all commodities.

17:41 EDT Tesla says Q3 production will be 'a little bit down,' cites factory upgrades - Says robo taxi products will have "quasi-infinite demand." Says has "outstanding capabilities" in AI. Expects to start delivering Cybertruck later this year. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:28 EDT Pfizer announces NEJM publication of GBS maternal vaccine candidate data - Pfizer announced data from a Phase 2 study investigating its hexavalent capsular polysaccharide, or CPS, conjugate Group B Streptococcus, or GBS, vaccine candidate, GBS6, being developed for maternal administration to protect infants against invasive GBS disease. In stage two of the three-part study, which enrolled 360 healthy pregnant individuals, GBS6 generated robust maternal antibody responses against the six GBS CPS serotypes included in the vaccine, and these antibodies were efficiently transferred to infants at ratios of ~0.4-1.3 depending on GBS6 group. Based on a parallel natural history study conducted in South Africa, the Phase 2 study immunogenicity data suggest that GBS6 may offer meaningful protection against invasive GBS disease in newborns and young infants. The results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, or NEJM, and will inform a planned Phase 3 clinical development program. In both the mothers and infants, the safety profile was similar between the vaccine and placebo groups. Local reactions were generally mild or moderate and of short duration with pain at the injection site being the most frequently reported event. Solicited systemic events were similar among the GBS6 groups and the placebo group, with most events being mild or moderate. Overall, 2 to 8% of participants in the GBS6 groups, depending on dose, and 5% of those in the placebo group reported fever. Among pregnant individuals, adverse events, or AEs, occurred in 45% to 70% of the participants in the GBS6 groups, depending on dose, and in 61% of those in the placebo group. The most common AEs and serious adverse events, or SAEs, were conditions that are related to pregnancy. Among the infants, AEs occurred in 62% to 75% of the participants in the GBS6 groups, depending on dose, and in 74% of those in the placebo group. None of the SAEs were deemed related to the vaccine candidate. A parallel natural history study conducted in South Africa is also reported in the same issue of NEJM. This study enrolled approximately 18,000 mother-infant pairs to estimate anti-CPS immunoglobulin antibody concentrations in infant sera associated with risk of invasive disease through 89 days of age after delivery. Antibody concentrations associated with protective natural immunity obtained from this second study were compared to maternally transferred GBS6 vaccine-induced antibody levels in infants in the Phase 2 study to determine the percentage of infants that have antibody levels exceeding those associated with protection. Naturally acquired anti-CPS IgG concentrations correlated with reduced risk of disease in the natural history study with similar results for serotypes Ia, III, and an aggregate of all GBS6 serotypes that indicated 75-95% protective titers of 0.184-0.827 microgram/mL anti-CPS IgG. The proportion of infants born to immunized mothers in stage two of the Phase 2 study with anti-CPS IgG antibody concentrations greater than0.184 ug/mL varied by serotype and formulation, with 57% to 97% seroresponder rates achieved for the most immunogenic formulation.

17:17 EDT Doma Holdings sell Texas and Midwest retail locations and operations centers - Doma Holdings has announced the sale of its Texas and Midwest Local Retail Title Operations to Capital Title of Texas and Near North Title Group, respectively. The completed sales include multiple retail title locations and operations centers in the Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin regions. This transaction follows Doma's announcement on its Q1 earnings call that it had been conducting a comprehensive review of the business over the last several months to evaluate the optimal organization structure to successfully deliver on its mission to make homebuying more affordable and to maximize shareholder value. In connection with the transactions, Houlihan Lokey is acting as a financial advisor to Doma and Mayer Brown is acting as legal counsel to Doma.

17:00 EDT Alnylam announces publication of Zilebesiran results in NEJM - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announced that results from its Phase 1 study of zilebesiran, an investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting liver-expressed angiotensinogen in development for the treatment of hypertension, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The full manuscript is titled, "Zilebesiran, an RNA Interference Therapeutic Agent for Hypertension," and will appear in the July 20, 2023 issue of NEJM. The key data reported in the publication showed that in the Phase 1 study, compared to placebo, zilebesiran was associated with dose-dependent reductions in serum AGT, achieving tonic blood pressure control with consistent and durable blood pressure reduction throughout a 24-hour period, sustained up to six months after single doses of greater than or equal to200 mg of zilebesiran. Zilebesiran also demonstrated an acceptable safety profile supporting continued clinical development; the most frequent treatment-related adverse events were mild, transient injection-site reactions. "Hypertension is the leading cause of premature death, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease worldwide, and the global prevalence is steadily increasing in parallel with population aging and secular trends in the prevalence of risk factors including obesity, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet. Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive treatments, nearly half of patients with hypertension fail to achieve guideline-recommended blood pressure targets, leaving them at residual risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, kidney disease progression, and mortality. For clinicians, the challenge in optimizing treatment of hypertension is frequently compounded by poor adherence to prescribed medical therapy and substantial variability in blood pressure between office visits and over the 24-hour cycle," said Akshay Desai, M.D., the lead author of the manuscript and Director of the Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Program in the Advanced Heart Disease Section of the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "In this context, the data we have published in NEJM are exciting, suggesting the potential role for zilebesiran to treat hypertension in a novel way via a novel, subcutaneously administered gene silencing approach to hypertension. This novel approach may provide durable, tonic blood pressure control with infrequent, office-based dosing and a favorable safety profile. Additional clinical trials will provide further insights into the potential of this approach to improve clinical outcomes in the growing population of patients with hypertension."

16:53 EDT Southwest Gas' Julie Williams ceases service as COO - According to a regulatory filing, on July 17, 2023, Julie M. Williams was named Senior Vice President/Continuous Improvement and Optimization of Southwest Gas Corporation, and effective immediately upon her appointment to this role, Williams ceased her service as the company's Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. As the leader of the company's Office of Continuous Improvement and Optimization, Williams will focus on driving long-term positive change throughout the company, accelerating the company's pursuit of excellence by identifying and executing on utility optimization initiatives. There will be no changes to Williams' compensation as a result of the change in her role at the company.

16:35 EDT Parsons to design Texas interstate highway 14 expansion - Parsons Corporation announced that Texas Department of Transportation's TXDOT Waco District has selected the company to provide schematic/environmental services and plans, specifications, and estimates PS&E design for the expansion of Interstate Highway IH 14. Expansion of the IH 14 system in Texas, to result in an extended network of highways across Texas and the Southeast - was authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, IIJA, in 2021. This project will extend IH 14 from its current terminus in Belton, Texas, to Rogers, Texas, while improving the IH 14/US 190/IH 35 system interchange. "We are excited to build on our more than 50 years of delivering infrastructure in Texas by partnering with the Waco District and TXDOT on a new major project to improve safety and traffic operations, promote economic development, improve mobility and connect communities," said Mark Fialkowski, president, mobility solutions business unit for Parsons. "We have a deep bench of resources prepared to deliver transformative infrastructure solutions that will save time, maximize value, and improve transportation throughout the region."

16:34 EDT Steel Dynamics remains confident in market conditions - "We remain confident that market conditions are in place for domestic steel consumption to be solid," said said Mark Millett, Chairman and CEO. "Order entry activity continues to be strong across all of our businesses. We believe North American steel consumption will increase in the coming years, and that demand for lower-carbon emission, U.S. produced steel products coupled with lower imports will support steel pricing. The continued onshoring of manufacturing businesses, combined with the expectation of significant fixed asset investment to be derived from public funding related to the U.S. Infrastructure, Inflation Reduction Act, and Department of Energy programs, will competitively position the domestic steel industry. We believe this will benefit all of our operating platforms, especially our steel and steel fabrication businesses. This environment, in combination with our existing and ongoing expansion initiatives, are firm drivers for our continued growth in the coming years. We are quickly progressing on our aluminum flat rolled products mill and are incredibly excited about this meaningful growth opportunity, which is aligned with our existing business and operational expertise," said Millett. "The team has placed orders for critical equipment, and the rolling mill site location in Columbus, Mississippi is exceptional. We have intentionally grown with our customers' needs, providing efficient sustainable supply-chain solutions for the highest quality products. Thus far, this has primarily been achieved within the steel industry - however, a significant number of our flat rolled steel customers are also consumers and processors of aluminum flat rolled products. We are pleased to further diversify our end markets with plans to supply aluminum flat rolled products with high recycled content to the countercyclical sustainable beverage can industry, in addition to the automotive and industrial sectors."

16:32 EDT Liberty Energy provides market outlook for remainder of the year - "The industrialization of emerging economies is driving long term demand for reliable, affordable energy, and the North American land market is in a strong position as the largest supplier of incremental production. Our industry remains healthy, even with a modest contraction in oil prices from 2022 levels and transient softness in natural gas markets. The discipline of producers and service providers alike, with investment programs fueled by cash flow, steadier activity levels, and strong balance sheets, supports an industry with healthy returns and free cash flow generation," commented Mr. Wright. "We anticipate North American completions activity will moderate in the second half of the year versus the first half. Service companies are reducing fleets in response, supporting a balanced frac market and a largely stable price environment. We expect to continue to deliver healthy free cash flow and return capital to our shareholders through opportunistic share repurchases and dividends," commented Mr. Wright.

16:32 EDT Heritage-Crystal Clean to be acquired by J.F. Lehman in $1.2B deal - Heritage-Crystal Clean announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an investment affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company ("JFLCO"), a leading private equity investment firm focused on the aerospace, defense, maritime and environmental sectors, in an all-cash transaction that values Crystal Clean at approximately $1.2 billion. Under the terms of the merger agreement, JFLCO will acquire all the outstanding shares of Crystal Clean for $45.50 per share in cash. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 24.9% to Crystal Clean's 60-day volume-weighted average price on July 19, 2023, the last full trading day prior to today's announcement. Crystal Clean's Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement and recommends that Crystal Clean shareholders vote in favor of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Crystal Clean shareholders and the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Upon completion of the transaction, Crystal Clean will become a privately held company and shares of Crystal Clean common stock will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange or trade in any other public market. Fully committed debt financing in support of the transaction is being provided by Jefferies Finance LLC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The merger is not subject to any financing condition. Additionally, The Heritage Group and its affiliates, which collectively hold 26.70% of the Crystal Clean common shares, and Brian Recatto, who holds 3.23% of the Crystal Clean common shares, have each entered into a voting and support agreement with JFLCO pursuant to which each has committed to vote all of its Crystal Clean common shares in favor of the transaction. The merger agreement provides for a "go-shop" provision under which Crystal Clean and its Board of Directors may actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter negotiations with parties that offer alternative proposals during a 35-day period following the execution date of the definitive agreement, expiring at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 23, 2023. There can be no assurance this process will result in a superior proposal. Crystal Clean does not intend to disclose developments about this process until it determines whether such disclosure is appropriate or otherwise required.

16:29 EDT User reports indicate issues at Instagram, says Downdetector - Reference Link

16:29 EDT Axalta Coating CFO Sean Lannon to depart, Carl Anderson to succeed - Axalta Coating (AXTA) announced that Carl Anderson has been appointed senior VP and CFO, effective August 14. Anderson will succeed Sean Lannon, who will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Anderson is a seasoned financial executive with decades of corporate strategy and financial leadership experience in the global industrial and automotive sectors. He joins Axalta from XPO (XPO).

16:26 EDT XPO Logistics CFO Carl Anderson to step down, Kyle Wismans to succeed - XPO (XPO) announced the promotion of Kyle Wismans to the position of chief financial officer, effective August 11. Wismans currently serves as XPO's senior vice president, revenue management and finance, after joining the company in 2019 as senior vice president, financial planning and analysis. He will succeed CFO Carl Anderson, who is stepping down to rejoin a former colleague in an industry where he worked for over a decade. Wismans has held numerous senior financial positions during his 17-year career with global public companies. Prior to XPO, he was an executive with General Electric (GE).

16:23 EDT United Airlines sees FY23 capacity up ~18% y/y - Sees FY23 adjusted CapEx ~$8.5B; Adjusted net debt to adjusted EBITDAR less than 3.0x.

16:22 EDT Discover says taking actions to correct card product misclassification - The company said, "Beginning around mid-2007, Discover incorrectly classified certain credit card accounts into our highest merchant and merchant acquirer pricing tier. Incremental revenue resulting from this card product misclassification amounted to less than 1% of our cumulative discount and interchange revenue, gross, since that time, or less than two basis points as a percentage of sales over this timeframe. The misclassification affected pricing for certain merchants and merchant acquirers, but not for cardholders. Based on information available as of June 30, 2023, the Company determined that the revenue impact of the incorrect card product classification was not material to the consolidated financial statements of the Company for any of the impacted periods. Notwithstanding, for go-forward comparative purposes, the Company corrected the recognition of discount and interchange revenue as well as the related impacts to assets, liabilities and retained earnings in all prior periods presented. After adjusting for tax effects, the cumulative impact to beginning retained earnings as of April 1, 2023, was a decrease of $255 million, and the impact to net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, was a reduction of $8 million. As of June 30, 2023, the Company's consolidated financial statements reflect a liability of $365 million within accrued expenses and other liabilities to provide refunds to merchants and merchant acquirers as a result of the card product misclassification. Management is taking actions to correct the card product misclassification going forward and to prepare a program to compensate affected direct merchants and merchant acquirers. However, given differences in individual merchant agreements, changes in network terms, and availability of historical data, it is difficult to determine the final amount of potential refunds at this time. An investigation into this issue by an external law firm working at the direction of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is ongoing. Discover is in discussions with its regulators regarding this matter and corporate governance and risk management. In addition, the Company received a proposed consent order from the FDIC in connection with consumer compliance. This proposed consent order does not include the card product classification matter. Additional supervisory actions could occur."

16:17 EDT Calix rallies 2% to $50.00 following Q2 beat

16:16 EDT IBM says Q2 growth led by software and consulting - "Organizations are using our hybrid cloud and AI technology, and our consulting capabilities, to transform their operations," said Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman and CEO. "We continue to respond to the needs of our clients who seek trusted, enterprise AI solutions, and we are particularly excited about the response to the recently launched watsonx AI platform. Finally, we remain confident in our revenue and free cash flow growth expectations for the full year." "In the quarter, revenue performance was led by our growth vectors of software and consulting, and we continued to expand our gross profit margin, driven by our improving portfolio mix and productivity initiatives," said James Kavanaugh, IBM senior vice president and CFO. "This year we have leveraged our strong cash position to invest for growth, announcing seven acquisitions to bolster our hybrid cloud and AI strategy, while continuing to return value to shareholders through dividends."

16:15 EDT Korn Ferry names Jeanne MacDonald CEO of RPO - Korn Ferry announced that it has appointed Jeanne MacDonald as Chief Executive Officer, Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Mathias Herzog will assume leadership of the firm's Digital Solution. "Jeanne and Mathias are proven executives, and we are thrilled to have people of their caliber lead these offerings," said Gary D. Burnison, CEO, Korn Ferry. "Jeanne is the natural choice to lead RPO after years of overseeing Global RPO Solutions and playing a fundamental role in the business's commercial and financial success. Mathias brings in-depth consulting and technology expertise that will help further the digitization of our offerings and intellectual property to drive superior client performance. With Jeanne and Mathias, we are confident that our RPO and Digital solutions will continue to evolve and thrive."

16:10 EDT Calix sees 2023 non-GAAP gross margin up 200-250 basis points - The company said, "Our non-GAAP gross margin guidance for the third quarter of 2023, at the midpoint, represents an increase of 70 basis points compared with the prior quarter. As our platform offerings continue growing as a percentage of revenue, product mix and with the supply chain continuing to normalize, we now expect our 2023 non-GAAP gross margin to increase by 200 to 250 basis points. Our non-GAAP operating expense guidance for the third quarter of 2023 represents our intention to invest fully to our target model to address the opportunity in front of us."

16:08 EDT Tesla: Cybertruck factory tooling 'on track'

16:07 EDT Calix no longer expects impact from abnormal supply chain - The company said, "With an adequate supply of components, less than 260 active SKUs to manage and inventory turns of around 3, we no longer anticipate being impacted by abnormal supply chain issues even though silicon lead times remain extended when compared with pre-pandemic levels. The ongoing improvements in the supply chain frees the product and supply-chain teams to focus their energies on partner optimization, expansion of processes that leverage the data and visibility that our platform provides and cost reductions."

16:06 EDT Las Vegas Sands reinstates dividend at 20c per share - The company announced the resumption of its program to return capital to stockholders. The company's quarterly dividend has been reinstated at 20c per common share. The next dividend will be paid on August 16 to Las Vegas Sands stockholders of record on August 8.

16:06 EDT Kinder Morgan raises quarterly dividend 2% to 28.25c per share - Kinder Morgan's board of directors approved a cash dividend of $0.2825 per share for the second quarter ($1.13 annualized), payable on August 15, 2023, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on July 31, 2023. This dividend is a 2% increase over the second quarter of 2022.

16:05 EDT Netflix sees revenue growth to 'accelerate more substantially' in Q4 - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "We expect that our revenue growth will accelerate more substantially in Q4'23 as we further monetize account sharing between households and steadily grow our advertising revenue. We expect Q3 operating income of $1.9B vs. $1.5B in Q3'22 and operating margin of 22% compared with 19% in the year ago period. We're still targeting a full year 2023 operating margin of 18%-20%, based on F/X rates as of January 1, 2023, up from 17.8% in FY22."

16:03 EDT United Airlines reports Q2 capacity up 17.5% y/y - Reports Q2: TRASM down 0.4% compared to second-quarter 2022. CASM down 4.0%, and CASM-ex1 up 2.0%, compared to second-quarter 2022.

15:41 EDT Blizzard to add selection of games to Steam, starting with 'Overwatch 2' - Activision Blizzard's (ATVI) Blizzard Entertainment announced that it is bringing a selection of its games to online PC game platform Steam, starting with "Overwatch 2," which will be available on Steam starting August 10. "It's our goal at Blizzard to listen to players and try to exceed their expectations in everything we do," said Mike Ybarra, President of Blizzard Entertainment. "While Battle.net remains a priority for us now and into the future, we've heard players want the choice of Steam for a selection of our games, starting with Overwatch 2 on August 10th. We're happy to work with Valve to make that happen." The news comes as Activision Blizzard and Microsoft (MSFT) extended the deadline for their merger agreement to October 18, 2023. Reference Link

13:46 EDT North American rail traffic down 5.8% for the week ending July 8 - The Association of American Railroads or AAR reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 15. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 478,153 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.4% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending July 15 were 225,609 carloads, up 0.9% compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 252,544 containers and trailers, down 5.3% compared to 2022. North American rail volume for the week ending July 15, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 329,965 carloads, up 0.9% compared with the same week last year, and 313,660 intermodal units, down 12% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 643,625 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.8%. North American rail volume for the first 28 weeks of 2023 was 18,028,356 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.2% compared with 2022. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Union Pacific (UNP), Greenbrier (GBX), Trinity Industries (TRN), FreightCar America (RAIL) and Wabtec (WAB). https://www.aar.org/news/weekly-rail-traffic-for-the-week-ending-july-15-2023/

12:13 EDT Apple jumps after report on AI push, Alphabet and Microsoft slip - Shares of Apple (AAPL) are rising in Wednesday afternoon trading after Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that the tech giant is quietly working on artificial intelligence tools that could challenge OpenAI, while adding that the company has yet to devise a clear strategy for releasing the technology to consumers. Apple has built its own framework to create large language models, people with knowledge of the efforts told Bloomberg. With that foundation, known as "Ajax," Apple also has created a chatbot service that some engineers call "Apple GPT," the sources added. The artificial intelligence push has become a major effort for Apple in recent months, with several teams collaborating on the project, said the people. Shares of Apple are up about 2% to $197.29 following the report, while shares of Microsoft (MSFT) and Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) have each moved lower. Reference Link

12:10 EDT PTC Therapeutics sees Upstaza BLA submission in Q3 - Sees Translarna CHMP Type II Variation Opinion in Q3, sees FDA Type C meeting for Translarna in 2H. The company also sees Vatiquinone FA FDA Type C meeting in 2H and Sepiapterin NDA submission in Q4.

12:05 EDT Apple up 1% to $196.18 after Bloomberg report on AI tools

12:00 EDT Joby Aviation falls -13.1% - Joby Aviation is down -13.1%, or -$1.31 to $8.74.

12:00 EDT Lemonade rises 16.6% - Lemonade is up 16.6%, or $3.46 to $24.29.

12:00 EDT Carvana rises 32.8% - Carvana is up 32.8%, or $13.07 to $52.87.

11:56 EDT Origin Agritech secures RMB 2M grant to build Germplasm Bank - Origin Agritech has been awarded a grant of RMB 2M from the Xinjiang government. The grant aims to support Origin's efforts to build a local Germplasm Bank in Xinjiang and the Company's contract growing of Nutritionally Enhanced Corn in the region.

11:45 EDT Deutsche Bank says 'well positioned to meet our regulators' expectations' - Deutsche Bank made the following statement on two enforcement actions related to Deutsche Bank issued by the Federal Reserve: "We are committed to maintaining robust risk management programs with a special emphasis on Anti-Financial-Crime and Compliance controls. The Written Agreement and the Consent Order with the Federal Reserve relate to our historic tardiness in adhering to older enforcement actions and agreements, as well as a correspondent banking relationship we exited in 2015. We appreciate that the Federal Reserve recognizes the progress we have made in recent years in remediating and resolving control weaknesses. We also recognize that these actions reinforce the need to ensure we stand by our commitments and close our remediation obligations in the near future. As part of this work, we have taken several actions, including extensive enhancements to our client due diligence and transaction monitoring, and significantly invested in controls since 2019 to enhance our effectiveness and increase the size of our global Anti-Financial Crime team by more than 25 percent - to more than 2,000 employees. Given the momentum we have built in the last two years, we believe we are well positioned to meet our regulators' expectations. The imposed fine is in large part covered by provisions taken in previous quarters." Reference Link

11:13 EDT Haynes reports all manufacturing operations 'running now' - Haynes International provided an update regarding its operational restoration efforts following the recent cybersecurity incident. As disclosed last week, on June 10, 2023, the Company began experiencing a network outage indicative of a cybersecurity incident. Upon detection of the incident, the Company engaged third-party specialists to assist in investigating the source of the outage, determine its potential impact on the Company's systems, and securely restore full functionality to the Company's systems. Although various aspects of the Company's networks were down while the Company retained specialists and remediated the incident, all of the Company's manufacturing operations are now running, albeit with some operating inefficiencies. In addition, the Company has substantially restored its administrative, sales, financial, and customer service functions. While the Company has determined that some data was copied from the network, at this stage, there is no evidence that either customer or employee information was accessed. Although the incident and the Company's response efforts caused some delay in product shipments, it is not yet possible to determine the full impact on the Company's quarterly financial results. The investigation into this incident and the Company's restoration efforts are ongoing.

11:04 EDT Hyatt enters technology agreement with Sabre - Hyatt Hotels (H) announced a new technology agreement between affiliates of Hyatt and Sabre Corporation (SABR). Under this agreement, Sabre's SynXis Central Reservation System will become the main Central Reservation System for Hyatt hotels beginning in 2024. This integration will enhance Hyatt's reservation capabilities, streamline its operations, and deliver a seamless and efficient experience for guests, including a faster search and booking process. The agreement comes on the heels of Hyatt's announcement of Hyatt PrO to optimize its revenue management system. These innovations are done with the aim of enhancing Hyatt's commercial technology stack, informed by listening to owners and operators.

11:01 EDT TPG to acquire Nextech from Thomas H. Lee Partners for $1.4B - TPG has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Nextech from Thomas H. Lee Partners for $1.4B. TPG is investing in Nextech through TPG Capital, its U.S. and European late-stage private equity platform. Nextech provides comprehensive electronic medical record and practice management software to specialty physician practices. The company's intelligent, cloud-based solutions are designed to meet the unique workflow requirements of its customers, helping specialty practices enhance operations and better support patient care and satisfaction using a single, integrated platform. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.

10:47 EDT Activision Blizzard 'committed' to Microsoft for as long as needed, Kotick says - Activision Blizzard (ATVI) CEO Bobby Kotick says the company is "hopeful" to see a resolution with the U.K. government in 45 days for the proposed Microsoft (MSFT) deal.

10:20 EDT Greene County Bancorp raises quarterly dividend 14.3% to 8c per share - Greene County Bancorp announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 8c per share on the Company's common stock. The dividend reflects an annual cash dividend rate of 32c per share which represents a 14.3% increase from the previous annual cash dividend of 28c per share. The cash dividend for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 will be paid to shareholders of record as of August 14, 2023, and is expected to be paid on August 31, 2023.

10:04 EDT iHeartMedia, LinkedIn enter partnership for business podcast content - iHeartMedia (IHRT) and LinkedIn (MSFT) have announced a strategic partnership that will leverage iHeartMedia's infrastructure and distribution capabilities and LinkedIn's global community of more than 930 million members, to introduce new offerings to the business podcast space. LinkedIn also offers a space for communities to continue the conversation and engage with each other across a variety of content experiences on the platform, including Posts, Newsletters, and Live Events, all within a trusted, safe, professional context. The company said, "Key elements of the partnership include: Launching New Podcasts: LinkedIn and iHeartMedia will collaborate to produce new shows for the LinkedIn Podcast Network powered by iHeartPodcasts, offering new, compelling content to professionals looking for ideas, insights, and inspiration they need to get ahead in their careers. iHeartMedia will monetize these new podcasts, connecting brands to important conversations in the professional space. Collaborating with Leading Industry Podcasters: LinkedIn and iHeartMedia will partner to license leading business and B2B podcasts, offering a differentiated promotional playbook to help them grow and monetize their content. Enhancing Resources for Emerging Podcasters: LinkedIn and iHeartMedia are teaming up to offer new resources for niche and emerging business podcasters. With this partnership, qualifying podcasters will gain streamlined access to LinkedIn's tools, best practices, and coaching, and to iHeart's hosting, distribution, monetization services, while receiving co-branding opportunities from the LinkedIn Podcast Network and iHeartMedia."

10:00 EDT Joby Aviation falls -8.3% - Joby Aviation is down -8.3%, or -84c to $9.22.

10:00 EDT Toast falls -10.5% - Toast is down -10.5%, or -$2.80 to $23.96.

10:00 EDT StarTek rises 10.8% - StarTek is up 10.8%, or 31c to $3.17.

09:57 EDT Macy's unveils On 34th women's apparel and accesories brand - Macy's introduces its new private brand, On 34th, a women's apparel and accessories collection of "classics made for modern life." Macy's said: "Designed for women, by women, the collection features wardrobe staples like the perfect pant and special pieces like the sequin skirt, to make her smile with enough 'wow' to inspire women to escape the ordinary and run their world. On 34th is the first new brand unveiled as part of the company's reimagined customer-centric private brands portfolio. On 34th will be available for purchase at Macy's stores, online at Macys.com, and through the Macy's mobile app starting on August 17th with On 34th shoes launching spring 2024."

09:47 EDT Omnicom falls -9.1% - Omnicom is down -9.1%, or -$8.87 to $89.06.

09:47 EDT AT&T rises 7.9% - AT&T is up 7.9%, or $1.06 to $14.51.

09:47 EDT Carvana rises 31.1% - Carvana is up 31.1%, or $12.39 to $52.19.

09:46 EDT Goldman Sachs to evaluate tangibles for impairment of GreenSky - Goldman will evaluate tangibles for impairment of GreenSky should it decide to sell the business.

09:35 EDT Goldman Sachs CEO Solomon says growing dividend a priority - Says "well positioned" to grow dividend further.

09:22 EDT Sarcos Technology and Blattner team on autonomous robotic solar construction - Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp and Blattner announced that the companies have entered into a collaboration agreement. The agreement focuses on the development and refinement of Sarcos' autonomous mobile robotic system designed to optimize employee safety and enhance the efficiency of the installation of photovoltaic modules for utility-scale solar projects."Like many industries, the solar construction industry is experiencing significant worker shortages post-COVID and has not yet recovered," said Laura Peterson, Interim President and CEO, Sarcos. "Our autonomous robotic solar construction system is expected to ease these workforce challenges while improving overall safety and speed in the solar installation process."...Sarcos and Blattner are collaborating to evaluate and further refine the technology, functionality, and safety of this system through a series of field trials that will occur over the next several years in which Blattner will provide funding, expertise, and facilities for testing. The companies intend to test the system through varying environmental conditions across different sites in preparation for Sarcos' commercial launch of the system, currently estimated for late 2024.

09:16 EDT Lexaria Bioscience granted patent for DehydraTECH-Nicotine - Lexaria Bioscience has been granted a new patent in the oral nicotine sector by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. US patent #11,700,875 Compositions and Methods For Sublingual Delivery of Nicotine includes claims for many types of nicotine, including nicotine benzoate, nicotine ditartrate, nicotine citrate, nicotine polacrilex, and many others, for use in sublingual delivery formats like oral pouches. DehydraTECH-nicotine has already shown in multiple sets of animal testing that it can be delivered to the bloodstream up to 10-times to 20-times faster at up to 10-fold higher levels of nicotine into blood plasma from oral absorption than concentration matched controls. Speed of onset is of vital importance to nicotine users. This US-awarded patent is also progressing as a patent application through other jurisdictions internationally. This US patent award and the international patent applications are supported in part by the superior pharmacokinetic blood plasma data generated by Lexaria in its animal studies conducted from 2017 through 2021. Lexaria considers the work completed by competitors to be substantially inferior when it is limited to indirect theoretical extrapolations of nicotine absorption into the bloodstream and/or subjective commentary from small numbers of people, as opposed to Lexaria's rigorous scientific examinations.

09:11 EDT Artelo Biosciences to present new mechanism of action data on ART26.12 - Artelo Biosciences announced that Saoirse O'Sullivan, PhD, Vice President of Translational Sciences at Artelo Biosciences, will be presenting "The Therapeutic Potential of Fatty Acid Binding Protein Inhibitors" at the Gordon Research Conference on "Charting the Course to Novel Therapeutics From a Fundamental Understanding of Cannabinoid Neurobiology" being held July 16-21, 2023 at the Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel in Spain. Professor O'Sullivan's presentation on Thursday, July 20, 2023 includes data on ART26.12, Artelo's lead compound targeting a variety of painful neuropathies, as well as the potential of FABP inhibitors beyond peripheral neuropathies. ART26.12 was selected from Artelo's platform of inhibitors to FABPs as its first candidate drug. The Company recently announced it expects pre-IND meeting feedback on its IND planning and development strategy from the Food and Drug Administration during the third quarter of this year with the goal of initiating clinical development in early 2024.

09:10 EDT LPL Financial: Syracuse Wealth joins broker-dealer, RIA, custodial platforms - LPL Financial announced that Syracuse Wealth Management has joined LPL Financial's broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. The team of six advisors reported having served approximately $250 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets, and join LPL from Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. Based in Liverpool, N.Y., with branches in Syracuse and Utica, Syracuse Wealth Management is led by OSJ Gary Lucas along with partners Ronald Pratt, Jr. and Brenda Monk, who have a combined 75 years of experience in the financial services industry. They are joined by a robust team that includes branch financial advisors Michael J. Cook, Donald Jaquin and Jonathan Lovecchio, executive assistant and partner Audrey Hennessy, as well as their support staff. Together the group takes a focused and individualized approach to financial planning.

09:09 EDT Fortinet receives ISO 14001 environmental management certification - Fortinet received an International Organization for Standards 14001 certification for its largest owned warehouse, located in Union City, California. This is the first Fortinet site to achieve the global standard and operate in accordance with strong environmental management practices. This certification demonstrates that the company has a certified Environmental Management System in place to reduce the environmental footprint of its operations.

09:07 EDT Potbelly signs multi-unit development agreement with Bryant Keil - Potbelly Corporation announced that it has finalized a 27-shop agreement in Maryland with the company's founder Bryant Keil and his son Hampden. The agreement grants Mr. Keil exclusive territory rights in seven Maryland counties - Washington, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George, Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's - to develop 15 new Potbelly shops in the next eight years. Additionally, Potbelly will refranchise 12 existing restaurant locations as part of the transaction.

09:05 EDT Macom awarded $4M AFRL contract - Macom announced that it has been awarded a contract from the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, to develop advanced semiconductor process technology related to Gallium Nitride-on-Silicon Carbide. Under the contract, Macom will conduct research and development on GaN-on-SiC semiconductor process technologies used in millimeter-wave Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit products. The contract, valued at approximately $4M, will have a multi-year period of performance.

09:05 EDT Toro Corp. announces delivery of third LPG carrier Dream Syrax - Toro announces that on July 17, 2023 the Company completed the previously announced sale of M/T Wonder Avior, a 2004-built Aframax/LR2 tanker, at a price of $30.1 million, by delivering the vessel to its new owner. The Company expects to record during the third quarter of 2023 a net gain of $18.6 million, excluding any transaction-related costs. In addition, on July 18, 2023, the Company took delivery of the 2015 eco design Japanese-built 5,000 cbm LPG carrier Dream Syrax, which it had agreed to acquire, as previously announced, on April 27, 2023. The acquisition price of $16.95 million was financed in its entirety with cash on hand.

09:03 EDT Senmiao Technology reports ride-hailing platform metrics for June - Senmiao Technology announced the operating metrics for its proprietary online ride-hailing platform for the month of June. In June, Senmiao and its affiliates recorded more than 0.7M total completed orders, compared to approximately 0.8M total orders completed in May 2023. The decrease was due to increased competition in the Chengdu market as a result of new ride-hailing platforms continuing to offer promotions during the month. Numbers reported include the number of completed orders from several ride-hailing platforms in Chengdu, utilizing Senmiao's network of cars and drivers for a set monthly fee.

08:55 EDT Toast to remove 99c order processing fee from new digital ordering suite - In a regulatory filing earlier, Toast disclosed that on July 19, the company issued a letter to customers regarding its decision to remove the 99c order processing fee from the company's new version of its digital ordering suite. "The company does not expect this decision to have any material impact to its previously announced guidance for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 or the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023," the filing stated. Reference Link

08:49 EDT Selina Hospitality opens newsiest hotel in Dakhla, Morocco - Selina Hospitality announced the opening of its newest hotel in Dakhla, Morocco. The newly opened hotel offers guests a unique and immersive experience in the stunning coastal city of Dakhla. The hotel has 376 bedspaces. Guests can also enjoy a variety of amenities, including a pool, wellness center, on-site restaurant, and co-working spaces.

08:47 EDT Gotransverse selected by Consensus Cloud Solutions - Gotransverse announced that Consensus Cloud Solutions has chosen the Gotransverse agile monetization platform to optimize operational efficiency and streamline billing processes for customers across multiple industries, including healthcare, finance, insurance, legal, real estate, manufacturing, and government.

08:39 EDT Activision Blizzard, Microsoft extend merger deadline to October 18 - As announced on January 18, 2022, Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share in an all-cash transaction. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both Activision Blizzard and Microsoft and by Activision Blizzard's stockholders. On July 18, Activision Blizzard (ATVI) and Microsoft (MSFT) entered into an agreement waiving certain rights to terminate the merger agreement if the merger has not been consummated prior to October 18, 2023. The terms of the agreement include an increase in the termination fee payable to Activision Blizzard from $3.0B to $3.5B if the transaction is terminated after August 29, 2023, and to $4.5B if the transaction is terminated after September 15, 2023. The agreement also includes amendments to Activision Blizzard's commercial Xbox arrangements with Microsoft, valued at up to $250M for each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The agreement further enables Activision Blizzard to declare and pay one regular cash dividend for fiscal year 2023 of up to 99c per share, prior to and not contingent on the closing of the transaction. Also on July 18, the company's board of directors declared a cash dividend of 99c per share of the company's outstanding common stock, payable on August 17 to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 2, from cash on hand.

08:38 EDT SurgePays announces 'direct to consumer' partnership with LeadEx Solutions - SurgePays announced that it has entered into a partnership with LeadEx Solutions. LeadEx Solutions' proprietary software will authorize SurgePays to communicate directly with consumers when performing ATM transactions, providing the Company with extended reach to a fresh channel of qualified Affordable Connectivity Program customers. President of SurgePays Fintech, Jeremy Gies said, "Many underbanked consumers have reloadable debit and other stored value cards while routinely using ATMs as their primary access to cash. Partnering with LeadEx provides SurgePays integrated access to position our full screen ads on the ATM during the transaction and empower customers to opt-in to the enrollment process."

08:37 EDT Bridgeline Digital announces Loyola Press' move to AWS servers - Bridgeline Digital (BLIN) announced Loyola Press's strategic move to Amazon Web Services (AMZN), AWS, servers to drive conversions with HawkSearch, Bridgeline's advanced AI-powered search solution. The non-profit publisher will power site search and conversions with HawkSearch Advanced Analytics reporting and SEO.

08:37 EDT Abeona Therapeutics joins Rare Disease Company Coalition - Abeona Therapeutics announced that it has joined the Rare Disease Company Coalition, an alliance of life science companies committed to discovering, developing, and delivering therapies for patients impacted by rare diseases. Abeona's CEO Vish Seshadri, Ph.D., M.B.A., has been appointed to the RDCC's Board of Directors.

08:35 EDT Tenax Therapeutics issued U.S. patent for levosimendan in PH-HFpEF - Tenax Therapeutics announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, has granted a new method of use patent for oral levosimendan, TNX-103, in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, PH-HFpEF, expiring in 2040. The issued patent covers the use of oral levosimendan for the treatment of PH-HFpEF and provides exclusivity through December 2040. The '355 patent further builds upon the Company's substantial IP, which also includes issued U.S. patents for the use of intravenous and subcutaneous formulations of levosimendan for the treatment of PH-HFpEF. "The issuance of patent '355 is a very important achievement in protecting the discoveries made with the HELP Study, while also preserving for our shareholders the substantial commercial value of potentially developing the first drug to treat this large and underserved patient population," said Chris Giordano, Chief Executive Officer of Tenax Therapeutics. "With this patent now in hand, providing us a potential commercial runway to December 2040, we are excited to be moving into Phase 3 testing with the oral formulation, where we hope to demonstrate the ability of TNX-103 to address this significant unmet need in patients with PH-HFpEF."

08:34 EDT MeiraGTx announces gene manufacturing site in Ireland received commercial MIA - MeiraGTx Holdings announced that after a successful inspection by the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, it has received a Commercial Manufacturer's/Importer's Authorization, MIA, for its Quality Control, QC, testing facility at its GMP manufacturing site in Shannon, Ireland. "Receiving our first commercial license for our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Shannon so rapidly is another testament to the quality of the MeiraGTx team and our industry leading end-to-end capabilities," said Alexandria Forbes, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of MeiraGTx. "This certification not only enables us to accelerate the development and delivery of our own pipeline of gene therapies for a range of serious conditions, but it also provides potential for MeiraGTx to generate additional revenue as the industry faces increasing delays and shortages of licensed, reliable QC testing for advanced therapies globally."

08:21 EDT SOBR Safe launches production of SOBRsure wearable device - SOBR Safe has initiated commercial production of its alcohol detection wristband, SOBRsure. SOBRsure will be available for purchase August 1, 2023, and the Company is currently accepting pre-orders. SOBRsure is being produced in the United States by Michigan-based BGM Electronic Services. With numerous potential applications, SOBRsure is initially intended for use by teen drivers and over-the-road trucking, and for outpatient alcohol use disorder treatment.

08:15 EDT Oasis Cannabis launches VIP loyalty program - CLS Holdings USA announced the launch of its new VIP loyalty program for the Company's retail dispensary, Oasis Cannabis. Following five years of developing, expanding and managing the dispensary's very effective standard loyalty program, Oasis Cannabis now debuts its new VIP edition utilizing Springbig's text-based loyalty software. Alongside the recent implementation of additional innovative solutions, this program is having positive effects on the Company's revenue and cash flow. Oasis Cannabis' inaugural VIP loyalty program, launched on Saturday July 1st, has received an overwhelmingly positive response from our Oasis customers. Available to all customers, the elevated loyalty program provides outstanding value, offering a range of benefits for a nominal fee of only $20 per month or $150 yearly. Membership perks include expedited services such as skip-the-line privileges, a standing discount of 25% off, a remarkable 40% off on all City Trees products (all day, every day), 1st visit & monthly promotional items, free delivery,and first looks into flash sales, fresh drops, and more. With its exceptional offerings, the VIP loyalty program is expected to attract thousands of sign-ups annually.

08:14 EDT Duos Technologies Group appoints Lonegro to board of directors - Duos Technologies (DUOT) has appointed rail industry veteran Frank Lonegro to its Board of Directors. Lonegro currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN). Lonegro will serve as an independent Director of Duos, replacing Ed Harris who served on Duos Board until November 2022. His addition to the Duos Board brings the board composition back to five total directors, four of whom are independent.

08:10 EDT Rhythm announces two publications on caregivers of patients with BBS - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announced two new publications detailing the burden of hyperphagia and obesity for adult caregivers, families and patients living with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, BBS, based on results of The CAREgiver Burden in BBS, CARE-BBS, study. The research is published in the peer-reviewed journal, The Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. "Burden of Hyperphagia and Obesity in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome: a Multi-country Survey," includes results from a cross-sectional survey of 242 adult caregivers of patients with BBS across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. Caregivers of patients with BBS reported that hyperphagia has broad impacts, well beyond contributing to obesity. Caregivers observed hyperphagic behaviors throughout the day, most frequently negotiating for food and waking up and asking or looking for food during the night. Hyperphagia had at least a moderate negative impact on most patients' mood/emotions, sleep, school, leisure, and familial relationship. "Caregiver Burden in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome: Findings from the CARE-BBS Study," quantifies caregiver burden associated with obesity and hyperphagia. The findings show that patients' hyperphagia had a moderate-to-severe impact on caregiver mood, sleep, and relationships, contributing to a high level of personal strain and work productivity loss for caregivers in the workforce, as well as a meaningful family impact.

08:09 EDT Treasure Global signs collaboration agreement with VCI Global - Treasure Global (TGL) announced that the Company has signed a collaboration agreement with VCI Global (VCIG) for the development of an artificial intelligence-powered travel platform as a new offering for travelers in Malaysia. VCI Global has selected TGL to develop the AI-powered platform to function as a high-tech portable concierge App, utilizing the latest advanced technologies to provide relevant travel recommendations in real time. As part of the agreement, VCI Global will pay a service fee to TGL worth USD$1 million. TGL will develop, design and produce the integrated software platform and provide ongoing maintenance for the AI-powered travel app, which is targeted to launch next year. "Our AI-powered travel platform will be a catalyst for growth, unlocking tremendous opportunities in the online travel sector. TGL's unwavering focus on cutting-edge technologies and strategic partnerships solidifies its position as a trailblazer in the travel industry, strongly positioned to meet the evolving needs of modern travellers," said Sam Teo, Chief Executive Officer of Treasure Global.

08:07 EDT Synchronoss, Verizon sign cloud contract extension through 2030 - Synchronoss Technologies (SNCR) announced the signing of a seven-year contract with Verizon (VZ) until June 30, 2030. The extended agreement provides Verizon and its cloud subscribers with a long-term, predictable model of support and ongoing investment in continued product evolution that will build upon new capabilities, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning. "The long-term partnership with Verizon underscores the value we deliver to their subscriber base and reinforces Verizon's confidence in our platform and the advanced features that deliver the best user experience," said Jeff Miller, President and CEO of Synchronoss. "In addition to providing continued growth opportunities for our cloud business, this agreement represents the next foundational step in validating our cloud-first strategy that will serve our customers, employees, and shareholders well over time."

08:06 EDT Hoth Therapeutics receives approval from FDA for protocol change in HT-001 trial - Hoth Therapeutics announced that it has received approval from the FDA for a protocol change in its Phase 2a clinical trial of HT-001. Participants will apply HT-001 Gel once per day for 6 weeks, during which the effect on treating acneiform rash and other skin disorders induced by EGFRI therapy will be evaluated using different assessment tools to measure severity of rash, pain, and itching, as well as the change in quality of life. The study will be completed in 2 parts: the first part is an open-label (unblinded) cohort and all patients will receive HT-001 topical gel with the active ingredient; the second part is a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel Phase 2a dose-ranging study and patients will be randomized to receive one of three concentrations of HT-001 or placebo. Hoth will compare HT-001 to the placebo in the second period to see if HT-001 provides a significant treatment effect.

08:05 EDT Verses AI appoints Hari Thiruvengada as VP, product - VERSES AI named Hari Thiruvengada as VP of Product, Enterprise. Dr. Thiruvengada will lead teams responsible for building enterprise-grade products for manufacturing, supply chain and retail customers. As Director of Product Management, Director of User Experience and Global Design Director at Honeywell, he led development of solutions used by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Department of Energy and US Navy,

08:05 EDT Leidos awarded $375M contract by ODNI - Leidos was recently awarded a prime contract to provide intelligence, technical, financial and management services to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI. The single award, cost-plus-award-fee contract has a one-year base period of performance and six one-year options. The awarded value is $375M. Leidos will work to maximize synergies and efficiencies for ODNI by aligning intelligence, technical, financial and management services with clear lines of contractor responsibility. This will help enable ODNI to execute its responsibilities, achieve the DNI's vision and support effective and efficient mission success to the intelligence community.

08:04 EDT Dynatrace expands consumption commitment, GTM partnership with Microsoft - Dynatrace (DT) announced an expanded multi-year consumption commitment and go-to-market, or GTM, partnership with Microsoft (MSFT), with joint sales enablement and marketing, including campaigns, events, webinars, and customer solution workshops and hands-on labs. The goal is to meet the growing demand from joint customers worldwide for the Dynatrace platform on Microsoft Azure to accelerate cloud migration and optimization initiatives. The Dynatrace platform is now available as an Azure-native service in regions around the world and easily accessible to Microsoft customers through the Azure Portal. Customers can use their Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment, or MACC, to purchase the Dynatrace platform through the Azure Marketplace, simplifying purchasing and contract management. Dynatrace supports all Azure Services, including Azure Spring Cloud, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Linux, and Azure Functions, enabling customers to monitor their entire hybrid and multicloud environment, including all dependencies, in near real-time.

08:03 EDT Inspira Technologies announces collaboration agreement with Perfusion Solution - Inspira Technologies announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Perfusion Solution. The collaboration involves combining the INSPIRA ART100 product with Perfusion Solution's broad commercial footprint and infrastructure across the United States. The INSPIRA ART100 is an extracorporeal blood circulation device that provides cardio-pulmonary support by directly oxygenating the blood and removing carbon dioxide, providing life support to patients undergoing open-heart surgery or following surgery in intensive care units. The Company envisages that following the submission of the INSPIRA ART100 to the FDA and receipt of regulatory clearance, this collaboration with Perfusion Solution will allow for the future commercialization of the INSPIRA ART100. The collaboration includes a summary distribution agreement that will be followed by a more comprehensive agreement. The agreement has an initial term of 5 years, subject to completion of product development and meeting certain purchase targets.

08:00 EDT Golden Tag provides update on acquisition of La Parrilla complex - Golden Tag Resources provides the following update regarding its proposed acquisition of the La Parrilla Silver Mine Complex in Durango, Mexico from First Majestic Silver Corp ("First Majestic") pursuant to an asset purchase agreement entered into between First Majestic, First Majestic Plata, S.A. DE C.V., and Golden Tag, dated December 7, 2022 and as previously announced in the Company's news release dated December 7, 2022. The Transaction is proceeding as previously announced in the Company's news releases dated May 30 and April 14, 2023, and is expected to close in August. Completion of the Transaction remains subject to a number of conditions including, but not limited to the approval by the Golden Tag shareholders of the creation of a new Control Person, and receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. On May 25, 2023 the Company received approval from Mexico's antitrust agency, the Comision Federal de Competencia Economica for the acquisition of La Parrilla. As disclosed on May 30, 2023, Golden Tag and First Majestic amended the Asset Purchase Agreement to reduce Golden Tag's minimum required financing to $7.2 million from $9 million. As previously announced, Golden Tag has closed on two tranches of its non-brokered private placement financing of subscription receipts for aggregate gross proceeds of $6.9 million. The Company has received further subscription commitments, which when combined with the first two tranches, total in excess of $7.2 million.

07:39 EDT Starbox Group secures 3-year contract valued at $600,000 - Starbox announced that its Malaysian subsidiary, Starbox Rebates, has entered into a software licensing agreement with MY Rebates PH Solutions Corporation, MRP, a Philippines-based company. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide technology support with its unique, internally developed artificial intelligence Rebates Calculation Engine System to help MRP in its system to better target customers and improve operational efficiency. The salient terms of the Agreement are as follows: The contract period shall be for three years, commencing July 19, 2023, and ending July 18, 2026; The total contract sum during the Contract Period is US$600,000.00; and The Company will grant MRP access to its system and will help train the staff of MRP with respect to its use. Lee Choon Wooi, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Starbox Group, commented, "We are delighted to have signed the Agreement with MRP, demonstrating our push into a new developing market. We believe the Philippines market offers a huge potential for Starbox Group to grow. Moving forward, we will continue developing and upgrading our technology system to meet the demand of our clients across various industries and countries, which is expected to boost our business and revenue growth in the long term."

07:37 EDT Goldman Sachs reports Q2 FICC sales & trading revenue $2.71B

07:37 EDT Goldman Sachs board approves 10% increase in dividend to $2.75 per share - On July 17, the Board of Directors of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. approved a 10% increase in the quarterly dividend to $2.75 per common share beginning in the third quarter of 2023. The dividend will be paid on September 28, 2023 to common shareholders of record on August 31, 2023.

07:36 EDT Goldman Sachs reports Q2 annualized ROE 4%, ROTE 4.4% - Reports book value per share $309.33. Global Banking & Markets generated quarterly net revenues of $7.19 billion, driven by strong performance in Equities, which included record quarterly net revenues in Equities financing. Asset & Wealth Management generated quarterly net revenues of $3.05 billion, including record Management and other fees and record Private banking and lending net revenues. Platform Solutions generated quarterly net revenues of $659 million, 92% higher than the amount in the prior year period.

07:35 EDT Dragonfly Energy completes U.S. lithium battery cell pilot line - Dragonfly Energy Holdings completed their U.S. lithium battery cell pilot line. Deploying the Company's patented dry deposition manufacturing processes, Dragonfly Energy has begun using its pilot line to dry deposit working anode, at a level sufficient to support large-scale production. The Company believes the establishment of its pilot line and the successful production of anode marks a critical milestone for its goal of manufacturing battery cells domestically from its Reno, Nevada, manufacturing facility. Dragonfly Energy's patented battery cell manufacturing processes are chemistry agnostic, meaning they can be applied to various uses, which is expected to enable the Company to expand into new markets over time and to achieve its goal of domestically producing nonflammable solid state battery cells. The processes allow the cells to be manufactured within a significantly smaller footprint and without the toxic solvent present in conventional cell manufacturing, which is expected to make the process not only more environmentally friendly but also more cost effective. Dragonfly Energy estimates this pilot line is capable of producing up to 150 MWh of domestically manufactured LiFePO4 battery cells per year when operating at 70 percent efficiency. The Company believes it can rapidly scale capacity with additional production lines as demand increases. Using its patented dry deposition processes, the Company has been able to significantly reduce the manufacturing footprint required to produce lithium-ion battery cells by replacing large, energy intensive equipment such as slurry coaters, conveyor dryers, and solvent reclamation equipment. The new pilot line requires less than 150 square feet of physical space per electrode and consumes less than 6 kW of power. This significant reduction in energy and space is expected to meaningfully reduce the environmental impact of future battery production compared to conventional manufacturing. Having demonstrated the scalability of the new manufacturing process with the production of anode material, the pilot line is expected to begin producing cathode material during the third quarter of 2023. With these important milestones, Dragonfly Energy expects to produce fully American-made battery cells from its pilot line in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Company expects to provide sample cells to potential customers at that time and expects to commercialize the cells by incorporating them into new Battle Born Batteries products during 2024. With a well-established brand and customer base, the Company believes it is in a prime position to be able to not only market American-made battery cells, but also incorporate them into its existing and future battery products, reducing the Company's reliance on imported cells and vertically integrating its battery production.

07:33 EDT Republic First Bancorp appoints Linda Sanchez as EVP, CPO - Republic First Bancorp announced the appointment of Linda Sanchez as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, effective July 17, 2023. She will report directly to Thomas Geisel, President and CEO. As CPO, Ms. Sanchez will oversee the financial and strategic aspects of human capital planning, as well as talent acquisition and retention, training and development, corporate benefits, and compensation. She will also spearhead Republic Bank's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts, continuing its culture of inclusivity and reinforcing the Bank's commitment to an environment where everyone can thrive and succeed. Sanchez has built a strong reputation for instituting effective human resources strategies, including in her most recent role as Chief People Officer at Diversified Search Group.

07:31 EDT ATI announces Richland, Washington as site of titanium melt expansion - ATI announced its Richland, Washington operations as the location of its previously announced titanium melting expansion through investment in new, state-of-the-art assets. The expansion will increase ATI's production of aerospace and defense-grade titanium by approximately 35% over the 2022 baseline levels, helping to meet strong titanium demand. The expansion is projected to be online by the end of 2024, with product qualifications occurring in 2025. "We're essentially doubling the capacity of this operation and upgrading its capabilities to deliver the high-quality premium materials our customers value," said Kim Fields, ATI president and COO. "This new capacity will have extraordinary chemistry control, process flexibility, and enable optimization of input materials," said Fields. The new capacity will supply aero-engine, airframe, and defense customers, including those served by ATI's recently announced $1.2B in long-term commitments.

07:12 EDT Emerita announces additional assay results from La Romanera Deposit - Emerita Resources announces additional assay results from the ongoing drilling program at La Romanera Deposit, part of Emerita's wholly owned Iberian Belt West projects. David Gower, P.Geo., CEO of Emerita, comments, "Massive sulphide mineralization continues to extend at depth at La Romanera and drill intercepts where assays are pending, as well as bore hole geophysical surveys, confirm that the sulphide mineralization continues to extend beyond the drilling completed to date. We are excited to see the intercept at El Cura as we have limited historical data for this deposit. Mineralization extends to at least 200 meters depth based on early drill results."

07:11 EDT Acreage Holdings, Botanica launch Journeyman THC lemonades in Illinois - Acreage announced that it has launched Journeyman THC lemonades in Illinois in partnership with Botanica. "We are incredibly proud to bring 'The Good Stuff' that Journeyman creates to the Illinois market," said Kate Nelson, Executive Vice President, Midwest & Northeast Regions of Acreage. "This is a very exciting opportunity to introduce consciously crafted, high-quality beverages made with simple, all-natural ingredients to consumers across the state. We are thrilled to embark on this collaboration with Botanica and look forward to expanding this valued partnership to our additional markets over the coming months."

07:09 EDT GeneDx, Prognos announce partnership to help rare disease patients - GeneDx and Prognos Health announced a strategic partnership to shorten the treatment odyssey for rare disease patients via real world data. The partnership offers life science companies a comprehensive de-identified dataset specific to rare disease to accelerate access to life saving therapies. Through this partnership, the Prognos Marketplace will integrate GeneDx's de-identified rare disease data, including regularly updated data as GeneDx continues to add new genomic and health information retrieved through its whole genome and whole exome sequencing tests. Biopharma companies who work with Prognos will then be automatically alerted about clinicians who have newly diagnosed patients and may benefit from therapies that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

07:07 EDT Mercury Systems receives $14M contract from PIT-RADWAR - Mercury Systems received a $14 million contract from PIT-RADWAR S.A., a supplier of the Republic of Poland's Armed Forces, to deliver subsystem processing boards for a new mobile radar system. Under this contract, Mercury will upgrade the system architecture with a new design to improve performance, range, and accuracy of the radar.

07:06 EDT Ginkgo Bioworks awarded $18M contract by DARPA - The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, announced that Ginkgo Bioworks, which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, has been awarded a 4-year contract worth up to $18M to reimagine how to manufacture complex therapeutic proteins. As a performer on DARPA's Reimagining Protein Manufacturing, or RPM, project, Ginkgo aims to deliver revolutionary advances in on-demand protein manufacturing by leveraging Cell-Free Protein Synthesis, or CFPS, to enable rapid, high-yield, distributed production of human therapeutic proteins that support national security objectives. Ginkgo will lead a team comprising representatives from Imperial College London, led by Prof. Paul Freemont, Nature's Toolbox, led by Alex Koglin, and consultant Michael Feldhaus. Therapeutic proteins bearing so-called "post-translational modifications," such as antibodies, cytokines, and clotting factors are particularly important in the marketplace and to DARPA, as are subunit and conjugate vaccines.

07:05 EDT XP Inc. reports Q2 client assets R$1T - Reports Q2 net inflows R$104B. Retail DATs totaled 2.2M in Q2.

07:03 EDT Autolus Therapeutics appoints Dolski as CFO, Hersberger, Neville as SVPs - Autolus Therapeutics announced the appointment of Robert Dolski as Chief Financial Officer, CFO, effective August 7, 2023. Dolski joins Autolus from Checkmate Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he served as Chief Financial Officer at the clinical-stage immuno-oncology biotech, acquired by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2022. Dolski will succeed Dr. Lucinda Crabtree, who, as previously announced, will be leaving Autolus in August. Dr. Veronica Hersberger was appointed as Senior Vice President, SVP Medical Affairs in Q2 2023 and has started to build up this critical function as the Company prepares obe-cel for launch. Hersberger joined Autolus from TargImmune Therapeutics AG, where she was Chief Medical Officer. Additionally, Miranda Neville has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Project Management, effective immediately. Neville leads the obe-cel program and has served in various roles at Autolus, most recently as Vice President, Head of Program and Portfolio Management.

07:03 EDT Evogene's Biomica reports 'positive' results from IBS studies - Biomica, a subsidiary of Evogene, reported interim positive results from pre-clinical studies in its IBS program. The pre-clinical work was performed in collaboration with the lab of Prof. Kara Gross Margolis, Associate Director for Clinical and Translational Research for the New York University Pain Research Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pathobiology in the NYU College of Dentistry and the Department of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In these studies, Biomica tested two candidate therapeutic consortia of live bacterial strains, BMC426 and BMC427. Treatment with these drug candidates effectively reduced visceral pain, a major symptom of IBS. Biomica is announcing positive results observed in its in-vivo pre-clinical work, which aimed to evaluate the potential of BMC426 and BMC427 in treating IBS. The results revealed that animals treated with either BMC426 or BMC427 displayed significantly lower levels of visceral sensitivity compared to the placebo-treated group. The study design and initial results will be presented in an oral presentation at the NeuroGASTRO conference of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility in September 2023.

07:01 EDT ADMA Biologics receives FDA approval for ninth plasma collection center - ADMA Biologic announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its ninth ADMA BioCenters plasma collection facility located in Dallas, GA. This plasma collection facility commenced operations and initiated source plasma collection in the third quarter of 2022. With the FDA approval announced today, this facility is now licensed to collect, and introduce into interstate commerce, human source plasma for further manufacturing in the U.S. "The successful expansion of ADMA's plasma collection network supports the Company's goal of plasma supply self-sufficiency, ongoing revenue growth objectives, and further enhances the Company's ongoing profitability outlook. The approval is a testament to the BioCenters team's tireless commitment, and we thank the FDA for its efforts and expeditious review of the Dallas, GA Biologics License Application, which came in advance of ADMA's anticipated approval date," said Adam Grossman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADMA.

06:49 EDT U.S. Bancorp reports Q2 net interest margin 2.90% vs. 2.59% a year ago

06:46 EDT Halliburton reports Q2 cash flow from operations $1.1B; free cash flow $798M

06:40 EDT Ault subsidiary Singing Machine launches new party accessory line - Ault Alliance (AULT) announced that its consolidated minority beneficially owned subsidiary, The Singing Machine Company (MICS) has launched a new party accessory product line, now available at approximately 866 Walmart (WMT) stores nationwide. The new program announced will be merchandised inside the Walmart Celebrations Party & Occasions department and will feature Singing Machine's newest party accessory, its Celebration Mic. The Celebration Mic is available now with a suggested retail price of $9.97.

06:38 EDT EU new car registrations up 17.8% in June - In June, the EU car market grew by 17.8% to 1M registered units, according to the ACEA. "This growth can be attributed to the region's rebound from a low comparison base last year, primarily driven by vehicle component shortages," the group stated. Publicly traded car makers include Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Mercedes-Benz Group (DDAIF), Nissan (NSANY), Stellantis (STLA), Tesla (TSLA), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VWAGY). Reference Link

06:36 EDT Ares Acquisition and Energy West sign joint development agreement - Energy Northwest, a premier provider of carbon-free electricity, and X-Energy Reactor announced the signing of a joint development agreement, or JDA, for up to 12 Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors in central Washington capable of generating up to a total of 960 megawatts of carbon-free electricity. Energy Northwest expects to bring the first Xe-100 module online by 2030. Energy Northwest owns or operates numerous clean energy generating facilities throughout the Northwest region of the United States, including Columbia Generating Station in Richland, which is the only commercial nuclear energy facility in the region. Under the JDA, the Xe-100 project is expected to be developed at a site controlled by Energy Northwest adjacent to Columbia Generating Station.

06:28 EDT Parsons awarded ROME contract team by NASA - Parsons announced an award on the Repairs, Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering, or ROME, contract team by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, to which it is a major subcontractor. Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC, Federal Facilities Logistics, will provide services at multiple NASA facilities through this indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, or IDIQ, contract with a maximum ordering value of $320M over five years. Parsons will provide facilities construction management and engineering and technical services in support of ASRC's IDIQ contract with NASA with an estimated value of up to $130M. ASRC Federal Facilities Logistics will provide operations and maintenance, architect engineering, construction, and facilities information resources services under the contract. As a subcontractor, Parsons will continue to provide elements of the Facilities, Construction, Engineering, and Technical Services III contract, which the company was awarded in 2017 for engineering, infrastructure, information technology, and program management services at Goddard. New work for Parsons includes a similar scope at Wallops. Parsons' partnership with NASA began in 1995 and has continued through three FaCETS contracts and now the ROME contract.

06:07 EDT Elevance Health reports Medical enrollment of 48M members - Medical membership totaled approximately 48M as of June 30, 2023, an increase of 938,000 or 2% year-over-year, driven primarily by growth in Medicaid, BlueCard, ACA health plan, and Medicare Advantage members, partially offset by attrition in our Employer Group risk-based business. During the second quarter of 2023, medical membership decreased by 135,000 driven by attrition in Medicaid due to the resumption of eligibility redeterminations.

06:05 EDT Stratasys issues statement on legality of shareholder rights plan - Stratasys issued the following statement on the Israeli court's preliminary views regarding the legality of Stratasys' shareholder rights plan: "On July 18, 2023, a few days after a full evidentiary hearing in the District Court in Tel Aviv, Israel, the judge presiding over the legal action in which Nano Dimension Ltd. challenged the Rights Plan as illegal, issued a decision in which the judge provided an indication of his preliminary views on the claim. The purpose of providing the indication of his preliminary views was to allow the parties 'a measure of certainty,' so they can "choose their next steps, both in the legal and in the business arena". The judge indicated his view, contrary to Nano's position, that a Shareholder Rights Plan is legal under Israeli law. The judge further indicated the Board's consideration in adopting an SRP would be subject to enhanced scrutiny. However, the judge also indicated that where the Board acted in good faith, after having informed itself and after consulting with experts, all for the benefit of the shareholders and the company, the board's business judgement would be legitimate. The judge provided a list of examples for considerations a board might properly consider, including: concern that the offeror is a company torn by internal disputes, concern that the offeror is a company traded at a significant discount, which may indicate the market's lack of confidence in its management, concern that previous companies acquired by the offeror have had their value written off, concern that a partial tender offer may leave shareholders stranded with a new controlling shareholder whose control premium would come at their expense, and where the board believes that the SRP may allow the emergence of a superior transaction (whether a tender offer at a higher price, or merger transactions) that the board believes are more beneficial to the company and its shareholders, and which open up collaborations and market opportunities for the company, greater interest for investors, or the creation of more employment, all creating value for the company. The judge set a schedule for submission of summations to be completed by September 14, 2023. Accordingly, Stratasys anticipates that a decision on this matter will not be available until late September or early October 2023."

06:03 EDT Stratasys board 'unanimously' rejects Nano Dimension's $25.00 revised offer - Stratasys (SSYS) announced that its Board of Directors, after consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors, unanimously determined that the revised partial tender offer announced by Nano Dimension (NNDM) on July 18, 2023 to acquire ordinary shares of Stratasys for $25.00 per share in cash is misleading, illusory, continues to significantly undervalue the company as a whole and is NOT in the best interests of all Stratasys shareholders. The Stratasys Board Urges Shareholders NOT TO TENDER Their Shares, to Withdraw Any Shares That Have Already Been Tendered, AND to File a Notice of Objection.

05:23 EDT GreenPower Motor announces revocation of cease trade offer - GreenPower Motor announced that the British Columbia Securities Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission have revoked a "failure to file" cease trade order in respect of GreenPower's securities under Multilateral Instrument 11-103 Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders in Multiple Jurisdictions. The CTO was issued as a result of GreenPower's failure to file its audited financial statements, management's discussion and analysis and related certifications for the year ended March 31 before the June 29 filing deadline. These documents were filed by GreenPower on SEDAR on July 14. GreenPower is coordinating with the TSX Venture Exchange a resumption of trading as expeditiously as possible. In addition, GreenPower announced that it has signed a non-binding term sheet with a lender for a secured term loan credit facility of up to $15M for the purpose of working capital requirements to cover manufacturing costs of GreenPower's existing sales pipeline. It is contemplated that certain subsidiaries of GreenPower will be guarantors of the loan and that the loan will be available for 12 months from the date of a credit agreement to be entered into between GreenPower and the lender. It is also contemplated that the loan will bear interest at the rate of U.S. prime plus the margin with a default interest rate of 2% above the pre-default rate of interest payable on demand, and that the loan will be repayable in 36 substantially equal, consecutive, monthly installments commencing on the 20th day of the 13th month following the first advance, and amounts repaid will not be available for reborrowing. The Loan would be subordinate to GreenPower's existing $8M line of credit and will be subject to an entry into the credit agreement, related financing documents, and other conditions customary for a loan of this type. There is no assurance that GreenPower will enter into the credit agreement with the lender on the terms expected, or at all.

05:08 EDT Yum China expects to declare dividend - Yum China announced, in compliance with the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong which require advance notice of board meetings at which a dividend is expected to be declared, that its board of directors will consider the declaration and payment of a quarterly dividend. If the board decides to proceed, the declaration will be adopted by board resolution on or around August 1 and will be promptly disclosed by the company.