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

20:03 EST Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 160K shares of Zoom Video today -

19:50 EST Sidus Space Inc trading halted, news pending

19:50 EST comScore trading halted, news pending

18:56 EST Nvidia director sells $5.0M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Nvidia disclosed that its director Mark Stevens sold 10.2K shares of common stock on December 15th in a total transaction size of $5.0M.

18:51 EST Avis Budget CEO sells $3.6M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Avis Budget disclosed that its CEO Joseph Ferraro sold 18.5K shares of common stock on December 15th in a total transaction size of $3.6M.

18:46 EST Cardiff Oncology director Gary Pace buys $41.1K in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Cardiff Oncology disclosed that its director Gary Pace bought 30K shares of common stock on December 19th in a total transaction size of $41.1K. Share of Cardiff Oncology are up 3% afterhours.

18:14 EST Shell invests in Sparta development in Gulf of Mexico - Shell Offshore, a subsidiary of Shell (SHEL), announced the Final Investment Decision for Sparta, a deep-water development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. 51%-owned by Shell Offshore Inc. and 49%-owned by Equinor Gulf of Mexico LLC (EQNR), Sparta is expected to reach a peak production of approximately 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and currently has an estimated, discovered recoverable resource volume of 244M boe. Sparta will be Shell's 15th deep-water host in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently scheduled to begin production in 2028. "Shell's latest deep-water development demonstrates the power of replication, driving greater value from our advantaged positions," said Zoe Yujnovich, Shell's Integrated Gas & Upstream Director. "This investment decision is aligned with our commitment to pursue the most energy-efficient and competitive projects while supplying safe, secure energy supplies today and for decades to come."

17:44 EST FedEx sees another 'strong' holiday season - FedEx (FDX) says company seeing another "strong" holiday season. Says ability to drive margin improvement in the near-term has been strained by transitory factors. Says making "clear progress" on company transition with DRIVE program. Says retains majority of business won from UPS (UPS). Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:31 EST Siebert Financial, Kakaopay agree to terminate stock purchase agreement - Siebert Financial Corp. and Kakaopay Corporation announced that they have entered into a mutual agreement to terminate the previously announced Second Tranche Stock Purchase Agreement that they entered into on April 27, 2023. The parties have terminated the SPA after reaching a compromise regarding their disagreement over, among other things, the occurrence of a "Purchaser Material Adverse Effect" in the SPA, and the ability of the closing conditions in the SPA to be satisfied. Under the terms of the parties' agreement, Kakao Pay will continue to own the 8,075,607 shares of Siebert common stock that it purchased from Siebert in May 2023, and retain its right under a separate stockholders' agreement to designate one director to Siebert's board of directors, subject to certain conditions. Other contractual consent rights that Kakao Pay would have otherwise retained once the parties failed to consummate the stock issuance contemplated by the SPA have been modified to provide Siebert's management with additional flexibility to grow the company. Siebert will make a payment to Kakao Pay as a settlement fee, payable in installments beginning on March 29, 2024. Neither party will pay any other fees, or have any other liabilities, to the other party related to the SPA.

17:22 EST Rush Enterprises to replace RPT Realty in S&P 600 at open on 1/2/2024 - Kimco Realty Co. (KIM) is acquiring RPT Realty (RPT) in a transaction expected to be completed on or about January 2 pending final conditions.

17:20 EST Beyond Air director Carey buys 1.2M common shares - In a regulatory filing, Beyond Air director Robert Carey disclosed the purchase of 1.2M common shares of the company on December 18 at a price of $1.635 per share.

17:19 EST Livent to replace NCR Voyix in S&P 400 at open on 1/2/2024 - Allkem Limited is merging with Livent in a transaction expected to be completed on or about Thursday, January 4 pending final conditions. The combined company will be considered U.S. domiciled for index purposes, and Livent will be treated as the surviving entity. Post merger, the company will be named Arcadium Lithium plc and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "ALTM".

17:11 EST Dynatrace CFO Benson sells 35,996 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Dynatrace CFO James Benson disclosed the sale of 35,996 common shares of the company on December 18 at a price of $54.84 per share.

17:01 EST Bit Digital says no disruption to operations in Iceland due to volcano - Bit Digital announced that there has thus far been no adverse impact to its operations in Iceland following the volcano eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula. The Company continues to monitor potential outcomes related to ongoing seismic activity in the country, but at this point expects no material impact to either its bitcoin mining operations or AI infrastructure business in Iceland.

16:52 EST Mitek Systems appoints David Lyle as CFO - Mitek Systems (MITK) announced the appointment of David Lyle as CFO. He will assume the CFO role on January 2, 2024, currently held by Fuad Ahmad, Mitek's current interim CFO, who will remain with Mitek during the next several months to ensure a successful transition. Lyle brings an impressive background with 28 years of technology industry experience, 16 of which were spent leading public companies as CFO, including Surgalign Spine Technologies, Airgain, (AIRG), Maxwell Technologies (MXWL) prior to its sale to Tesla and Entropic Communications prior to its sale to Maxlinear. As Mitek's Chief Financial Officer, Lyle will report directly to Mitek's CEO, Max Carnecchia, and will oversee global finance and accounting, information technology and security, and facilities. Mitek was recently named an industry leader in Javelin Strategy & Research's 2023 Know Your Customer Solution Scorecard and by Liminal, an advisory and market intelligence firm specializing in the digital identity, cybersecurity and fintech markets.

16:48 EST Clear Channel Outdoor names David Sailer as CFO, succeeding Brian Coleman - Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings announced that David Sailer, currently the Executive Vice President, CFO of the Americas, has been appointed as Executive Vice President, CFO of the company, effective as of March 1, 2024. At that time, Sailer will succeed Brian Coleman, who will depart from his position as Executive Vice President, CFO and will become a consultant to the company. In this role, Coleman will work with the company's Board of Directors, management team and financial advisors on strengthening the company's balance sheet. It is expected Coleman will remain in his capacity as a consultant to the company until April 15, 2025. Additionally, the company reaffirmed its previously issued guidance for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023.

16:45 EST NRC determines PG&E's LRA for operations of DCPP is sufficient for review - The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC, determined that Pacific Gas and Electric Company's, or PG&E, License Renewal Application, or LRA, for extended operations of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, or DCPP, is sufficient for its review. The NRC's determination of sufficiency now allows PG&E to continue operating Units 1 and 2 at DCPP past their current licenses, while the LRA is under review. As the agency fully evaluates PG&E's application, the multi-year review process will provide opportunities for public participation. PG&E filed the LRA on Nov. 7, at the state's direction, to ensure electric reliability for all Californians. The facility is the state's largest power plant and producer of clean energy, generating enough carbon-free electricity to meet the needs of three million people. The announcement comes after the California Public Utility Commission voted last week to approve the ratemaking design and new retirement dates for Diablo Canyon's Units 1 and 2, now 2029 and 2030 respectively.

16:37 EST Warhammer creator Games Workshop in deal with Amazon Content Services - "Further to its announcement on 16 December 2022, Games Workshop is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Amazon Content Services, a subsidiary of Amazon.com for the prospective development by Amazon of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe into films and television series, together with associated merchandising rights. Under the terms of the agreement, Games Workshop has granted exclusive rights to Amazon in relation to films and television series set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, together with an option for Amazon to license equivalent rights in the Warhammer Fantasy universe following the release of the initial Warhammer 40,000 production. Games Workshop and Amazon will work together for a period of 12 months to agree creative guidelines for the films and television series to be developed by Amazon. The agreement will only proceed once the creative guidelines are mutually agreed between Games Workshop and Amazon. A further announcement will be made in due course.The Company makes no change to its forecast for the 53 week period ending 2 June 2024," said Games Workshop in an earlier release. Reference Link

16:33 EST Fulton Financial raises quarterly dividend, approves share repurchase program - Fulton Financial Corporation Fulton Financial Corporation announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of seventeen cents per share on its common stock, payable on January 12, 2024, to shareholders of record as of January 2, 2024. This is a one cent per share increase from the quarterly cash dividend that the Board declared on September 19, 2023. In addition, Fulton announced that the Board declared a quarterly dividend of $12.81 per share on its Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, payable on January 16, 2024, to shareholders of record as of January 1, 2024, for the period from and including October 15, 2023, to but excluding, January 15, 2024. Fulton also announced that the Board approved the repurchase of shares of Fulton's common stock and other securities in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $125 million commencing on January 1, 2024 and expiring on December 31, 2024. Under the 2024 Program, up to $25 million may be used to repurchase shares of Fulton's Preferred Stock and outstanding subordinated notes. Purchases may be made from time to time under the 2024 Program in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. The 2024 Program may be discontinued at any time at the discretion of the Board and does not commit Fulton to repurchase any of its securities. Purchases, if any, will be determined by management in its discretion and will depend upon a number of factors, including Fulton's capital position, liquidity, financial performance and alternate uses of capital, the market price of Fulton's securities, general market and economic conditions, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

16:31 EST Chesapeake Utilities subsidiary acquires assets of J.T. Lee and Son's - Chesapeake Utilities announced that its subsidiary, Sharp Energy, has acquired the propane operating assets of J.T. Lee and Son's in Cape Fear, North Carolina. Through this acquisition, Sharp Energy expands its customer base in North Carolina, including adding approximately 3,000 customers and distribution of approximately 800,000 gallons of propane annually. The transaction also includes a bulk plant with 60,000 gallons of propane storage, enabling the Company to realize efficiencies with additional storage capacity and overlapping delivery territories.

16:30 EST UiPath CFO sells $1.33M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, UiPath disclosed that its CFO Ashim Gupta sold 52K shares of common stock on December 15th in a total transaction size of $1.33M.

16:27 EST NYSE to commence delisting against Farfetch - The New York Stock Exchange announced that the staff of NYSE Regulation has determined to commence proceedings to delist the Class A ordinary shares of Farfetch Limited from the NYSE. Trading in the Company's Class A ordinary shares will be suspended immediately. NYSE Regulation has determined that the Company's Class A ordinary shares are not suitable for listing pursuant to Section 802.01D of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. NYSE Regulation staff reached this decision in view of the Company's Form 6-K disclosure on December 18, 2023 that a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company entered into agreements to obtain bridge financing and to facilitate a process to dispose of all of the Company's assets. In connection with the entry into these agreements, all of the Company's independent members of the board have resigned. The Company further disclosed that upon consummation of the sale of the Company's assets, it expects that there will be no value remaining for the holders of its Class A and B ordinary shares and its convertible notes. The Company has a right to a review of this determination by a Committee of the Board of Directors of the Exchange. The NYSE will apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist the Company's Class A ordinary shares upon completion of all applicable procedures, including any appeal by the Company of the NYSE Regulation staff's decision.

16:22 EST HCI Group assumes $30M of in-force premium from Citizens, consolidated up to $1B - HCI Group announced that its majority owned subsidiary, TypTap Insurance Company, has successfully assumed approximately $30M of in-force premium from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Florida's state-backed insurance company. "TypTap has successfully completed the first of its two assumptions from Citizens. With this assumption of policies from Citizens, HCI reached a significant milestone of writing over $1B of in-force premium. This is a tremendous accomplishment as the company started 2023 with less than $740M of in-force premium," said Paresh Patel, HCI's chairman and chief executive officer. The number of policies assumed by TypTap is approximately 6,800 polices. The assumption, effective December 19, 2023, is based upon an approval in October 2023 by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

16:21 EST Vertex CEO DeStefano sells 39,300 class A shares - In a regulatory filing, Vertex president and CEO David DeStefano disclosed the sale of 39,300 class A common shares of the company on December 15 at a price of $27.1552 per share.

16:19 EST Investcorp Europe Acquisition I, OpSec Group secure SAKATA INX investment - OpSec Group and Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp I, a special purpose acquisition company, announced a strategic investment from SAKATA INX Corporation in the form of unsecured convertible loan notes issued by OpSec. As previously announced, on April 25, 2023, OpSec and Investcorp Europe entered into a definitive business combination agreement that would result in OpSec becoming a public company. Upon closing of the proposed business combination, the newly combined company will operate as OpSec Group and will trade under the symbol "OPSC" on Nasdaq. On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Loan Notes, the Loan Notes will convert into ordinary shares of the newly combined company in conjunction with the closing of the proposed business combination.

16:16 EST Peloton appoints Chris Bruzzo to Board of Directors - Peloton (PTON) announced the appointment of Chris Bruzzo as a member of the Board of Directors, effective December 19. Bruzzo, a proven leader with more than two decades of experience working for global consumer brands, brings extensive knowledge in marketing, brand management, digital strategy, communications, retail, and interactive entertainment. Current Board member Jonathan Mildenhall will simultaneously step down from his role to focus on his expanding professional responsibilities. Bruzzo previously served as executive vice president and chief experience officer of Electronic Arts (EA) for nine years. With these changes, Peloton's Board remains composed of seven directors, with more than half of the Board consisting of members of diverse communities: female, of color, and/or LGBTQIA+.

16:13 EST Leslie's Chairman Steven Ortega will not seek reelection at AM March 24 - Leslie's, announced that Steven L. Ortega, Chairman of the Board of Directors has decided not to seek reelection at Leslie's 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in March 2024, marking his retirement from the Board at that time.Ortega's retirement follows a tenure with the Company of nearly two decades, during which he played a key role driving Leslie's growth and building its reputation as one of the largest and most trusted direct-to-consumer brands in the U.S. pool and spa care industry. Mr. Ortega joined Leslie's in 2005 and served in roles of increasing responsibility, including as Chief Executive Officer and President from 2017 to 2020. He has served as Chairman of the Board since 2020 and has overseen numerous transformational business changes during his career.

16:12 EST LianBio CEO Yizhe Wang resigns, Adam Stone named interim CEO - LianBio announced that Yizhe Wang, CEO has resigned from LianBio to pursue other opportunities. In connection with his departure, the LianBio board of directors has appointed Adam Stone, chief investment officer of perceptive advisors and member of the LianBio board of directors as interim CEO. LianBio's board of directors will continue to represent the best interests of LianBio and its shareholders and evaluate strategic alternatives for the company. The board of directors expects to communicate an update on the ongoing strategic review in the first quarter of 2024.

16:10 EST Compass Pathways: Psilocybin treatment 'well-tolerated' in phase 2 PTSD study - Compass Pathways announced that an initial data readout showed that investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment was well-tolerated in a phase 2 clinical trial of people living with post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD . This is believed to be the first study reporting on the feasibility of psilocybin as a potential treatment for PTSD. The open-label study evaluated the safety and tolerability of COMP360 psilocybin treatment in patients with PTSD as a result of trauma experienced as adults. 22 participants received a single 25mg dose of investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment. The initial data readout, based on monitoring patients at 24 hours post COMP360 administration, indicated that COMP360 was well-tolerated and the safety profile was as expected, with no treatment emergent serious adverse events recorded. In line with the study design, participants are being monitored for a 12-week period post dosing. Safety and efficacy data over that period are expected to be announced in spring 2024. The study is being conducted in the UK and US at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City and Sunstone Therapies, Rockville, Maryland. Dr Guy Goodwin, Chief Medical Officer, Compass Pathways, said: "Safety is of paramount importance when developing potential new treatments, so we are pleased to see these positive safety signals. These results are consistent with findings from other studies and add to the growing body of evidence to demonstrate the potential of COMP360 in difficult-to-treat mental health conditions." Dr James Rucker, Consultant Psychiatrist and Lead of the Psychoactive Trials Group at King's College London, said: "PTSD is a very distressing condition and existing treatments are not always effective. It's encouraging to see these initial safety results for COMP360 psilocybin treatment in this patient population and we look forward to a more detailed analysis of the study next year."

16:08 EST FedEx reports Q2 operating margin 6.4% vs. 5.3% last year - Reports Q2 operating income $1.42B vs. $1.21B last year. The company states: "FedEx Ground operating income increased primarily due to yield improvement, cost reductions, and higher volumes. Cost per package declined 2%, driven by lower line-haul expense and improved first- and last-mile productivity. FedEx Freight operating income increased despite a decline in revenue. The profit increase was driven by higher yield and increased efficiency, partially offset by lower shipments. FedEx Express operating income declined due to lower revenue, partially offset by reduced operating expenses. The revenue decrease was driven by volume declines, lower fuel surcharges, reduced demand surcharges, and a mix shift toward lower-yielding services."

16:07 EST NN, Inc. announces $10M new business win in automotive electrical wiring - NN announced a foundational new business win worth more than $10M with one of the world's largest connector and wire harness manufacturers for commercial and passenger vehicles. The win underscores NN's strength and expertise in the automotive electrical market for both internal combustion engine ICE and electrical vehicles EV. The company continues to gain traction with new business wins in key markets, resulting from stronger integration of global sales and operations teams, as well as renewed focus on operational efficiencies. "This is a big strategic win for NN and consistent with revised forward strategy of aggressive growth in connectors and electrical systems for vehicles. Low voltage and high voltage connectors and shielding are integral parts of the vehicle electrical system. We call it 'connect and protect'. True to our heritage, we are vertically integrated with laser cutting, precision stamping and metrology equipment. Combined with our low-cost sourcing headquartered in China, we have the footprint and cost structure to become a market leader," said Harold Bevis, NN's Chief Executive Officer. "Our new product-application based strategy is rooted in our strengths and leveraging new areas, including medical and electrical applications." The connector components and connector shielding that NN will produce for this project and other recent wins in 2023 are bound for approximately 20 different electric and hybrid vehicles. This win is an immediate ramp up, with production beginning in 2024, and is additive to the company's revenue and profit profile.

16:06 EST Aclaris Therapeutics to reduce workforce by 46%, provides corporate updates - Aclaris Therapeutics announced several corporate updates. First, Aclaris announced the publication of the Phase 2a trial results of ATI-1777 in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, or AD, in the peer-reviewed journal JID Innovations on November 27. ATI-1777 is Aclaris' investigational topical "soft" JAK 1/3 inhibitor being developed as a potential treatment for mild to severe AD that was generated from its proprietary KINect drug discovery platform. The article, entitled "ATI-1777 a topical JAK 1/3 inhibitor may benefit atopic dermatitis without systemic drug exposure, results from preclinical development and Phase 2a randomized-controlled study ATI-1777-AD-201," presents the results from both preclinical development studies and the Phase 2a study of ATI-1777 in moderate to severe AD, and is available here. In the Phase 2a study, ATI-1777 demonstrated meaningful improvement in the modified Eczema Area and Severity Index, or EASI, over 4 weeks of treatment and minimal measurable systemic exposure with a 2% formulation applied twice daily. Based on these results, Aclaris progressed ATI-1777 into a Phase 2b trial in patients with mild to severe AD. The Phase 2b vehicle-controlled trial is designed to further explore the concentration range of ATI-1777, as well as a once-daily regimen using the 2% formulation. The trial enrolled 250 patients, including adults and children as young as 12 years old, across 34 clinical trial sites in the United States. The primary efficacy endpoint is the percent change in EASI over a period of 4 weeks. Secondary measures of efficacy, as well as safety and pharmacokinetics, will also be assessed. Aclaris now expects to report top-line results from this trial in January 2024. Aclaris also announced the following corporate updates: Aclaris now plans to explore the use of zunsemetinib, its investigational lead oral small molecule MK2 inhibitor, as a potential treatment for pancreatic cancer and metastatic breast cancer as well as in preventing bone loss in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Aclaris plans to use ATI-450 instead of ATI-2231, its second MK2 inhibitor, due to ATI-450's more advanced clinical development package. Aclaris plans to continue the development in collaboration with Washington University. Aclaris is reassessing the most effective pathway for ATI-2138, its investigational oral covalent ITK/JAK3 inhibitor, including the indication selection due to the evolving competitive landscape within ulcerative colitis. Aclaris plans to provide further guidance in early 2024. Aclaris intends to accelerate the advancement of several of its discovery programs emerging from the KINect drug discovery platform, with the goal of generating investigational new drug applications from these programs in the near term. In addition, Aclaris has approved a plan to reduce its workforce by approximately 46%. Aclaris anticipates this reduction will begin immediately and will be substantially complete by June 30, 2024.

16:05 EST Galapagos to present new data at Ash 2023 fromongoing CD19 Car-t sudies - Galapago to present additional encouraging clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 CD19 CAR-T studies, EUPLAGIA-1 with GLPG5201 and ATALANTA-1 with GLPG5101, in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, rrCLL , with or without Richter transformation, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, rrNHL during two poster sessions at the 65th American Society of Hematology ASH Annual Meeting taking place in San Diego, from 9-12 December. Additional safety and efficacy data further support potential of innovative, decentralized approach to CAR-T manufacturing and transformational impact on patients with severe hematologic cancers Two poster presentations include recent data updates and additional data not included in the ASH abstracts

15:52 EST Compugen spikes after deal with Gilead for anti-tumor drug - Cancer immunotherapy company Compugen's (CGEN) shares are up $1.25, or 171%, to $1.98 in afternoon trading after Gilead Sciences (GILD) announced an agreement with Compugen to exclusively license its potential first-in-class, pre-clinical antibody program against IL-18 binding protein, including the COM503 drug candidate. Compugen also announced earlier that it will be eligible to receive a milestone payment of $10M from AstraZeneca (AZN) when the first patient is dosed in AstraZeneca's ARTEMIDE-Bil01 trial with rilvegostomig. Rilvegostomig is a PD-1/TIGIT bispecific antibody where the TIGIT component is derived from Compugen's clinical-stage anti-TIGIT antibody, COM902.

15:40 EST Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Scout Motors brands to use NACS port for EVs - Volkswagen (VWAGY), Audi, Porsche and Scout Motors announced planned implementation of the North American Charging Standard, or NACS, for future products in the North American region, beginning in 2025. To enable existing customers with a Combined Charging System charging port to access the Tesla (TSLA) Supercharger network - which would greatly expand charging provider choice - the brands are exploring adapter solutions for existing vehicles. "This has the potential to expand customer charging access to more than 15,000 Superchargers. This is in addition to the more than 3,800 DC fast charging outlets currently in operation by Electrify America and Electrify Canada. Electrify America has already announced it will work to offer the NACS connector at charging stations by 2025 in North America, as well as continuing to support CCS. Volkswagen Group remains committed to improving the charging experience through open standards and interoperability," VW stated. Reference Link

15:07 EST Bluerock Homes Trust declares special $1.00 dividend on Class A, C common stock - Bluerock Homes Trust announced that its Board of Directors has authorized and the company has declared a one-time, special cash dividend of $1.00 per share of the company's Class A Common Stock and Class C Common Stock to satisfy the company's distribution requirements as a REIT for fiscal year 2023. The Common Stock Dividend will be payable in cash on Friday, January 5, 2024 to holders of Class A Common Stock and Class C Common Stock of record as of Friday, December 29, 2023.

14:13 EST Volkswagen announces three-year cost-cutting plan, says job cuts on the way - Volkswagen said its flagship brand has achieved an important milestone in the "Accelerate Forward/ Road to 6.5" global performance program, with management and employee representatives reaching agreement on key points to streamline the company, following intensive negotiations. The objective of the three-year program is to secure the Volkswagen Group's core brand competitiveness, ensure it is future-proof and sustainable in the long term, the car maker said. The Volkswagen brand aims to make a positive earnings contribution totaling EUR 10B by 2026, also to offset negative effects such as inflation and higher raw material costs. The operating return on sales is expected to improve sustainably to 6.5% in 2026. The Volkswagen brand projects that the program will deliver positive earnings contributions of up to EUR 4B early as 2024. To achieve this, the company said it will concentrate on performance-enhancing and cost-saving measures in the program's three focus areas: optimizing material and product costs, reducing fixed and manufacturing costs, and increasing revenues. The company and the employee representatives have also reached agreement on staff reduction measures to cut personnel and labor costs. These measures will apply throughout Volkswagen AG. As such, from January 2024 the Company will extend its partial retirement schemes to all employees born in 1967 (and for severely handicapped employees born in 1968), to reduce administrative staff costs in particular. The current hiring freeze and access freeze to the Tarif Plus salary group will continue until further notice. Volkswagen AG aims to reduce its administrative staff costs in particular by 20%. The company will also offer selective termination agreements at all levels if necessary. There is no general termination-agreement program. Open positions in the future will not be filled or will only be filled in exceptional cases. For this, the Company will also facilitate transfers within the Group via an internal job market. The workforce reduction measures will take effect for Volkswagen AG from January 2024, seamlessly following on from the "Digital Transformation Roadmap" agreement concluded between the Company and the employee representatives in 2019.

13:53 EST NLRB finds eBay, TCGPlayer violated labor laws - Region 3 of the National Labor Relations Board has found merit with elements of the Unfair Labor Practice charges filed by Communications Workers of America, said the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees. The NLRB's decision affirms that eBay and TCGPlayer have broken the law in their responses to worker organizing. "We have experienced eBay's refusal to respect our legally-protected rights first-hand. We applaud this ruling and hope that the reality of legal consequences will motivate the company to come to the table and bargain with us in good faith,"said Ethan Salerius, Receiving Generalist at TCG Player and CWA Bargaining Committee member. The NLRB has found that eBay / TCGPlayer have violated the National Labor Relations Act in the following ways: Refusing to recognize the Union and delaying bargaining after the election in March 2023; Refusing to provide information to which the Union is legally entitled; Making changes to sick leave benefits and other working conditions without engaging in bargaining; Denying union representation (Weingarten Rights) to employees during disciplinary investigations; and strictly enforcing work rules and policies in retaliation for the workers' decision to unionize. "When employers break the law and violate the rights of their workers, there are consequences. And when workers organize they can stand united to protect one another. Now that the board has come to a decision on eBay's illegal practices, we hope the company will see the light, obey labor law and engage in good faith bargaining practices so that workers can secure a strong union contract," said Dennis Trainor, CWA District 1 Vice-President. Reference Link

13:27 EST Brilliant Acquisition Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:21 EST Mueller Industries' officer Steffen Sigloch sells over $2.6M in company shares - Mueller Industries' officer Steffen Sigloch discloses the sale of 58,522 shares of company stock at $45.11 per share on December 15 for a total transaction amount of $2,639,927.

12:41 EST Independent Bank announces adoption of 2024 share repurchase plan - Independent Bank Corporation announced that its Board of Directors authorized a 2024 share repurchase plan on December 19, 2023. Under the terms of the 2024 share repurchase plan, the company is authorized to buy back up to 1,100,000 shares, representing approximately 5% of its common stock. The 2024 share repurchase plan is authorized to last through December 31, 2024. The company's 2023 share repurchase plan will expire on December 31, 2023. Through December 19, 2023, the company had repurchased 298,601 shares of its common stock at an average price of $17.27 per share.

12:00 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -7.4% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -7.4%, or -42c to $5.28.

12:00 EST EG Acquisition falls -9.0% - EG Acquisition is down -9.0%, or -97c to $9.83.

12:00 EST Trinseo rises 16.5% - Trinseo is up 16.5%, or $1.18 to $8.32.

11:47 EST Mullen Automotive announces 1-for-100 reverse stock split effective December 21 - Mullen Automotive will effect a 1-for-100 reverse stock split of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share, that will become effective on December 21, 2023, at 12:01 a.m., Eastern Time. Mullen's Common Stock will continue to trade on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the existing symbol "MULN" and will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on December 21, 2023. The new CUSIP number for the Common Stock following the Reverse Stock Split will be 62526P 406. At the Company's 2023 Special Meeting of Stockholders held on December 15, 2023, and reconvened on December 18, 2023, the Company's stockholders approved a proposal to authorize a reverse stock split of the Company's Common Stock at a ratio within the range of 1-for-2 to 1-for-100. The Company's board of directors approved a 1-for-100 reverse split ratio, and the Company will file a Certificate of Amendment to its Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect the Reverse Stock Split effective December 21, 2023. The Reverse Stock Split is primarily intended to bring the Company into compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for maintaining its listing on Nasdaq. There is no guarantee the Company will meet the minimum bid price requirement.

11:19 EST ServisFirst increases quarterly cash dividend 7% to 30c per share - ServisFirst Bancshares announces: At a meeting held on December 18, 2023, its Board of Directors increased the company's quarterly cash dividend from 28c per share to 30c per share. The dividend is payable on January 8, 2024 to stockholders of record as of January 2, 2024.

11:14 EST CFPB orders U.S. Bank to pay $21M for COVID-19 era conduct - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, announced it ordered U.S. Bank to pay nearly $21 million for keeping out-of-work consumers from accessing unemployment benefits at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, separately fined U.S. Bank $15M. The CFPB and OCC coordinated during their investigations into U.S. Bank's illegal conduct. U.S. Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp. Reference Link

10:56 EST Northann Corp trading resumes

10:44 EST Sportsmap Tech Acquisition Corp trading resumes

10:19 EST Sportsmap Tech Acquisition Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:16 EST Banyan Acquisition Corp trading resumes

10:11 EST SEC charges Tingo Mobile founder with 'massive fraud' - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it obtained a temporary asset freeze, restraining order, and other emergency relief against Mmobuosi Odogwu Banye a/k/a Dozy Mmobuosi and three affiliated U.S. based entities of which he is the CEO in connection with an alleged multi-year scheme to inflate the financial performance metrics of his companies and key operating subsidiaries to defraud investors worldwide. The SEC's complaint, filed on Dec. 18, alleges that, since at least 2019, Mmobuosi spearheaded a scheme to fabricate financial statements and other documents of the three entities, Tingo Group Inc., Agri-Fintech Holdings Inc., and Tingo International Holdings Inc. and their Nigerian operating subsidiaries, Tingo Mobile Limited and Tingo Foods PLC. The complaint further alleges that Mmobuosi made and caused the entities to make material misrepresentations about their business operations and financial success in press releases, periodic SEC filings, and other public statements. The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges all four Defendants with violating the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and additionally charges Nasdaq-listed Tingo Group, OTC-traded Agri-Fintech, and Mmobuosi with reporting, books and records, and internal controls violations. It also charges Mmobuosi with lying to auditors, insider trading, and failing to file Forms 4 disclosing the sales of millions of Agri-Fintech common stock for which he was the ultimate beneficial owner. The complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and the return, pursuant to Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, of bonuses and profits obtained by Mmobuosi from sales of Tingo Group or Agri-Fintech stock. The complaint also seeks an order prohibiting Mmobuosi from acting as an officer or director of a public company or from participating in the offering of any penny stock. Reference Link

10:04 EST Affirm advances after expanding to self-checkout at Walmart stores - Affirm (AFRM) shares are up in early trading after the payment network operator announced it has expanded its services with Walmart (WMT) to bring Affirm's pay-over-time options to self-checkout kiosks at over 4,500 Walmart stores in the United States. "Now, eligible shoppers can easily pay over time for their favorite electronics, apparel, toys, and more in simple monthly payments when checking themselves out in-store... In addition to being available in Walmart stores nationwide, on walmart.com, and in the Walmart app, U.S. consumers can also pay over time with Affirm at Walmart Vision and Auto Centers," Affirm stated. Pat Suh, Affirm's SVP of Revenue, added: "Expanding our partnership with Walmart and bringing Affirm's transparent monthly pay-over-time options to their self-checkout kiosks in the U.S. will help even more consumers increase their purchasing power during the holiday shopping season and beyond." Near 10 am ET on Tuesday morning, Affirm shares have risen $5.89, or more than 13%, to $49.59.

10:00 EST Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares falls -5.5% - Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares is down -5.5%, or -65c to $11.20.

10:00 EST Digital Equipment Corporation falls -19.1% - Digital Equipment Corporation is down -19.1%, or -$3.42 to $14.50.

10:00 EST Trinseo rises 12.5% - Trinseo is up 12.5%, or 89c to $8.03.

09:47 EST Banyan Acquisition Corp trading halted, news pending

09:47 EST Snap falls -4.1% - Snap is down -4.1%, or -69c to $16.33.

09:47 EST Trinseo rises 8.2% - Trinseo is up 8.2%, or 58c to $7.72.

09:47 EST a.k.a. Brands rises 8.7% - a.k.a. Brands is up 8.7%, or 89c to $11.09.

09:42 EST CureVac announces German Federal Patent Court decision in BioNTech litigation - CureVac N.V. (CVAC) announced that the nullity action filed by BioNTech (BNTX) against the German part of CureVac patent EP 1 857 122 B1 was granted by the German Federal Patent Court. CureVac will appeal before the German Federal Court of Justice . The ruling represents a first decision on validity in ongoing patent litigation between CureVac and BioNTech SE in Germany, which involves a total of eight CureVac intellectual property rights. Proceedings continue regarding the seven remaining rights, for which validity, infringement and potential damages will be decided individually. Following today's decision, a ruling on infringement of the German part of EP 1 857 122 B1, scheduled for December 28, 2023, before the Regional Court Dusseldorf, will likely be postponed.

09:37 EST Jin Medical International Ltd trading resumes

09:35 EST Prospector Capital shareholders approve business combination with LeddarTech - LeddarTech and Prospector Capital announced that Prospector's shareholders voted to approve the previously announced business combination between Prospector and LeddarTech Holdings Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of Canada and a wholly owned subsidiary of LeddarTech, at the extraordinary general meeting of Prospector's shareholders held on December 13, 2023. Voters representing over 85% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares of Prospector cast votes in favor of the proposal in connection with the business combination at the Extraordinary General Meeting. Prospector shareholders also voted to approve all other proposals presented at the Extraordinary General Meeting. In connection with the Extraordinary General Meeting, shareholders holding an aggregate of 855,440 Prospector Class A ordinary shares exercised their right to redeem their Prospector Class A Shares for approximately $10.91 per share of the funds held in Prospector's trust account, leaving approximately $14.6 million in cash in the trust account after satisfaction of such redemptions. 1,338,616 Prospector Class A Shares will remain outstanding after satisfaction of such redemptions. Prospector plans to file the results of the Extraordinary General Meeting, as tabulated by the inspector of elections, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Upon closing of the transaction, which the parties are working expeditiously to effect, the combined company will operate as LeddarTech Holdings Inc. and is expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "LDTC", with warrants under the ticker symbol "LDTCW." Additionally, given that the transaction did not close on December 15, 2023, Prospector announced that the record date for the previously announced issuance of one additional Prospector Class A Share for each non-redeemed Prospector Class A Share to shareholders holding such non-redeemed Prospector Class A Shares did not occur, and instead will be on the date of the closing of the business combination.

09:30 EST Digital Equipment Corp. trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:11 EST Crexendo says cloud communication platform surpasses 4M users - Crexendo announced that its cloud communication platform now supports over four million end users globally. When Crexendo acquired the NetSapiens platform in June of 2021 there were approximately 1.7 million users on the platform. In September of this year, the Company announced that its user base had surpassed three and a half million users. With additional new licensees deploying Crexendo's platform combined with strong growth from their existing base of over 220 licensees, there are now over 4 million users utilizing the Crexendo NetSapiens platform for their communication needs.

09:10 EST 10x Genomics' three platforms featured in published study on breast tumors - 10x Genomics announced that Nature Communications has published a 10x-conducted study using the Chromium Single Cell, Visium Spatial and Xenium In Situ platforms as part of an integrative approach to understand how tumor microenvironment differences influence invasiveness. In this study, the 10x scientists sought to untangle the complex heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment of a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded - FFPE - breast cancer block using independent but complementary technologies. The researchers first defined the cellular composition of the sample using Chromium Single Cell Gene Expression Flex. Visium analysis was able to identify three spatially distinct tumor regions. Lastly, the team used the single cell spatial resolution of Xenium In Situ to more precisely map complex regions of the tumor where multiple cell types were present in very close proximity. Integration of the Chromium and Visium data enabled the three spatially distinct tumor domains to be correlated with specific clusters and differentially expressed genes, while Xenium provided the cell-type composition of the domains. After pinpointing the triple-positive receptor region in the sample in the Xenium data, the team was able to reexamine this region within the Visium data to assess differences in cellular composition and gene expression.

09:09 EST Pioneer Power gets three new orders valued at $3.1 for e-Boost chargers - Pioneer Power Solutions, announced that it has received three new orders valued at $3.1M in the aggregate for its e-Boost mobile electric charging solutions. With these orders and the current backlog, the Pioneer e-Mobility business unit is expected to deliver a record number of mobile off-grid EV charging solutions in 2024 that will significantly contribute to the revenue and operating margin of Pioneer Power Solutions in 2024."These orders, valued at $3.1 million in the aggregate, reflect the continued acceleration we are experiencing in the adoption of our e-Boost solutions," commented Geo Murickan, head of Pioneer Power's e-Mobility business. "These orders are of particular significance for two reasons. First, two are from new customers and one is a re-order from an existing customer who has already experienced the benefits of our e-Boost solution.

09:07 EST Ryman Hospitality expands board with appointment of Erin Mulligan Helgren - Ryman Hospitality Properties announced that Erin Mulligan Helgren has been appointed to its Board of Directors effective as of January 1, 2024. In connection with Ms. Helgren's appointment to the Board, the size of the Board will increase from nine directors to ten directors, effective as of January 1, 2024. Helgren currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of OfficeSpace Software Inc., a privately-held enterprise software company.

09:06 EST Fat Brands announces Round Table Pizza debut in Houston - FAT announces that it has officially opened its first Round Table Pizza location in greater Houston. Located in Richmond, Texas, the new restaurant is operated by franchisee Paul Tran, an oil industry veteran and retiree, and will be a welcome addition to the West Houston suburbs. "Establishing a presence in Houston represents a pivotal step in Round Table Pizza's domestic growth strategy, especially as we continue building upon our presence in Texas," says Taylor Wiederhorn, Chief Development Officer of FAT Brands. "Round Table Pizza has seen great success in the San Antonio and Dallas markets, and we believe the Richmond community will enjoy what we have to offer."

09:06 EST Parker-Hannifin becomes official control system partner to American Magic - Parker Hannifin announced it will design and implement advanced control systems for New York Yacht Club American Magic racing yachts and support the challenger's pursuit of the 37th America's Cup. As Official Control Systems Partner to American Magic, Parker will use its proven aerospace and industrial technologies for systems that enable precise control of the yacht's lifting surfaces and wing - providing optimum performance that is critical at the elite level of competitive sailing. "Parker is thrilled to support American Magic once again, building on our achievements from the previous campaign and the trusted partnership we have developed together," said Mark Czaja, Vice President - Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for Parker. "Their elite sailors will helm some of the fastest boats ever built, and we look forward to the challenge of bringing the America's Cup back in 2024."

09:04 EST Processa provides interim analysis from Phase 1b trial of NGC-Cap - Processa Pharmaceuticals provides an interim analysis from its Phase 1b study of its Next Generation Capecitabine, NGC-Cap. Thus far in the Phase 1b study, patients have received doses of NGC-Cap ranging from 75 mg once a day to 225 mg twice a day, significantly less than the 1,600 mg to 2,500 mg twice a day dose administered for FDA-approved capecitabine. More importantly, these much lower doses for NGC-Cap result in 5-FU exposure up to 10 times greater than the higher FDA-approved capecitabine doses due to NGC-Cap's unique metabolic pathway. One would anticipate that the much greater 5-FU exposure would result in greater and/or more severe side effects when, in fact, the side effect profile for 5-FU exposures from NGC-Cap had a similar anabolite side effect profile to FDA-approved capecitabine. In addition, the side effects associated with FBAL, such as hand-foot syndrome, that can lead to capecitabine intolerance, were almost non-existent, likely because FBAL exposure was approximately 1% of the exposure seen after FDA-approved capecitabine administration.

09:03 EST RTX's Raytheon receives $31.3M government contract - Raytheon, an RTX business, will design, build and test two high-power microwave antenna systems that will use directed energy to defeat airborne threats at the speed of light. The systems are designed to be rugged and transportable for front-line deployment. Under the three-year, $31.3M contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Raytheon will deliver prototype systems to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force as part of the Directed Energy Front-line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat program.

09:03 EST Scilex announces results from market research on Gloperba - Scilex Holding announced that a recent market research study among rheumatologists revealed a high degree of interest in Gloperba as a liquid colchicine formulation designed for precision dosing. Specifically, clinicians using colchicine for prophylaxis of gout flares in adults indicated a strong likelihood to use Gloperba instead of tablets/capsules in certain at-risk patient populations who have a clinical need for lowered precision dosing to mitigate the risk of colchicine toxicity. Notably, the American College of Rheumatology guidelines also reflect this need. Scilex is currently in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the dosing recommendations for these patient populations.

09:02 EST Hain Celestial appoints Amber Jefferson as new Chief People Officer - Hain Celestial has named Amber Jefferson as its new Chief People Officer. Jefferson, who will join the company on January 1, spent more than 20 years in the consumer goods, retail, foodservice, and travel industries. Jefferson most recently served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Farmer Brothers Coffee. Prior to that role, Jefferson spent nine years at Kellogg Company in various business unit human resources leadership roles, most recently serving as head of HR for the company's North America Sales and Digital Commerce business. Earlier in her career, Jefferson held HR leadership roles with increasing importance at Sabre Corporation, a global travel software developer, and Brinker International, a global casual dining restaurant company.

08:53 EST LiveOne finalizing merchandise business restructuring - Currently finalizing the restructuring of the merchandise business slashing 75-100 staff expected to result in $5 - $10m cost savings, with focus on key customers and expanding celebrity brands to maximize revenue and profitability.

08:50 EST Cenntr's LS400 gets approval from CARB to participate in CA HVIP - Cenntro Electric Group Limited announced that its all-electric class 4 Logistar 400 LS400 received approval from the California Air Resources Board CARB to participate in California's Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project HVIP in the state of California, providing a $60,000 point-of-sale voucher for the Company's customers. Preceding the HVIP approval, Cenntro's LS400 received certification from CARB as a zero-emission vehicle in the state of California in June of this year. The zero-emission vehicle certification is awarded to vehicle manufacturers that meet specific emissions standards in compliance with CARB regulations. The LS400's certification as a zero-emission vehicle cleared the way for the LS400 to be approved for participation in the HVIP. In December 2022, the LS400 also received a certificate of conformity from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The approval to participate in the HVIP program is awarded to vehicle manufacturers, like Cenntro, that meet specific on-road zero-emission powertrain standards in compliance with CARB regulations. California's HVIP incentive program is intended to advance adoption and commercialization of fleet vehicles, helping to reduce the total cost of ownership of hybrid and zero-emission commercial vehicles in the state of California.

08:46 EST NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals announces 1-for-8 reverse stock split - NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals announced a 1-for-8 reverse stock split of the company's Common Stock, par value 0.1c. Beginning on December 21, the company's Common Stock will trade on Nasdaq on a split adjusted basis. At the company's annual meeting of stockholders on June 28, the stockholders approved a proposal to effect a reverse split of the company's outstanding common stock at a ratio in the range of 1-for-5 to 1-for-8 to at the discretion of the Board, to enable the company to comply with Nasdaq continued listing requirements. The company's common stock will continue to trade on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "NRBO". The new CUSIP number for the common stock following the reverse split is 64132R 404. The number of authorized shares of the company's common stock will remain at 100 million, while the number of outstanding shares will be reduced from approximately 38.8 million to approximately 4.85 million.

08:44 EST Royalty Management, American Resources provide update on Advanced Magnetic Labs - American Resources Corporation (AREC) and Royalty Management Holding (RMCO) announced that their partner and investments in Advanced Magnetic Labs, Inc. has announced a successful year of advancing its technology, capabilities, and strategic relationships for positioning into commercial manufacturing of permanent magnet products. Both American Resources Corporation and Royalty Management Corporation have participated in the Series A Round of capital raising by Advanced Magnet Lab. Furthermore, American Resources Corporation's wholly owned subsidiary, ReElement Technologies Corporation, is a commercial partner to AML through the sale of high purity rare earth oxides produced domestically by ReElement from the recycling of end-of-life permanent magnets to feed the oxides into the domestic market manufacturing marketplace AML's manufacturing capabilities are built on the backbone of its technology, PM-Wire, which is a scalable and modular, manufacturing process, that has ability to produce non-sintered and sintered permanent magnets at a high-rate and high-yield. The process is adaptable to a variety of applications, including those that benefit from magnets in unique configurations and material compositions, such as electric motors. The Company's first step into high-rate commercial manufacturing will be non-sintered permanent magnets for select commercial and defense customers. AML has several development programs underway for enabling electric motor applications, including a collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for an electric vehicle motor. AML plans to co-locate manufacturing with customers or supply chain partners, with preliminary discussions underway with several United States jurisdictions for site locations. The collaboration with ORNL is a gleaming example of the value of PM-Wire. The technology will replace 2,750 complex Halbach array sintered magnets with eight non-sintered helical magnets and eliminate the need to actively cool the motor rotor with equal motor performance. AML envisions this demonstration as a potential springboard into commercial automotive applications, while also working with other end-use applications in industrial generators, aerospace, and defense. Going forward, the Company will continue to expand its development programs and explore new material compositions for sintered and non-sintered magnets at its two locations, on the Space Coast, in Brevard County, Florida. These locations, which encompass approximately 10,000 square feet, will continue to support customers with prototyping and research and development for alloys and magnets. Furthermore, AML and ReElement Technologies are in discussion of co-location opportunities for full scale production. . AML foresees scaling manufacturing organically in 2024 through strategic partnerships with both customers and material providers. At its current locations in Florida, AML can support an output of approximately 200 metric tons per year of permanent magnets.

08:41 EST Expion360 introduces two lithium iron phosphare battery storage solutions - Expion360 has entered the home energy storage market with its introduction of two premium lithium iron phosphate battery storage solutions that enable residential and small business customers to create their own stable micro-energy grid and lessen the impact of increasing power fluctuations and outages. The company anticipates its new product line to benefit from incentives available through California's Self-Generation Incentive Program and federal tax credits available through the Inflation Reduction Act for home battery systems. Expion360 will begin taking orders for the new home energy storage solutions in the first quarter of 2024 with shipments beginning in the second quarter of 2024.

08:39 EST Connexa Sports Technologies appoints ArenaCX as strategic partner - Connexa Sports Technologies confirmed it appointed ArenaCX as a strategic partner for the outsourcing of Slinger Bag's consumer response and service operations. Slinger Bag has experienced rapid growth over the past three years and now has in excess of 40,000 consumers using Slinger Bag products across the USA. This rapid growth brought multiple complications in consistently maintaining the level of the customer service and response times Connexa seeks to provide as part of the total Slinger Bag brand experience. In recently reviewing service levels, Slinger Bag discovered response and issue resolution times had significantly increased to levels that were no longer acceptable to the brand or its US based customers. Through accessing the Business Processing Outsource platform operated by ArenaCX, Slinger Bag identified HelpSquad as the appropriate service partner to provide Level 1 servicing to all of its USA clientele. Following a period of intense training, the month one results of this partnership have improved customer response times across the average of 1,100 tickets raised by our customers each month, by an incredible 90%.

08:39 EST Ascendis announces TransCon hGH achieved 'statistically superior' outcomes - Ascendis Pharma A/S announced positive topline results from foresiGHt, its Phase 3 randomized, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled and active-controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of TransCon hGH with placebo and daily hGH in adults with growth hormone deficiency. TransCon hGH demonstrated superiority on its primary efficacy endpoint at Week 38: Change from baseline in trunk percent fat as measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry; TransCon hGH demonstrated superiority on its key secondary efficacy endpoints at Week 38: Change from baseline in total body lean mass - TransCon hGH +1.60 kg vs placebo -0.10 kg, Change from baseline in trunk fat mass - TransCon hGH -0.48 kg vs placebo +0.22 kg; Exploratory post-hoc analysis at Week 38 demonstrated comparable treatment effect of TransCon hGH and daily hGH on target tissues. For patients with IGF-1 SDS levels less than or equal to 1.75 at Week 38: Change from baseline in trunk percent fat - TransCon hGH -2.42% vs. daily hGH -2.59%, Change from baseline in total body lean mass - TransCon hGH +1.70 kg vs daily hGH +1.37 kg, Change from baseline in trunk fat mass - TransCon hGH -0.90 kg vs daily hGH -0.94 kg; TransCon hGH was generally safe and well tolerated, with no discontinuations related to study drug and with comparable safety and tolerability to daily hGH. "TransCon hGH, our once-weekly growth hormone, is designed to deliver unmodified somatropin, thereby preserving the same overall endocrine benefits inherent in endogenous and daily hGH," said Jan Mikkelsen, Ascendis Pharma's President and CEO. "Next year, we plan to submit a supplemental Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA for the adult GHD indication and look forward to reporting data from our Phase 2 program in Turner syndrome."

08:38 EST Cherry Hill Mortgage announces $50M preferred stock repurchase plan - Cherry Hill Mortgage announced that its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $50M of the company's preferred stock, which includes its 8.20% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock and its 8.250% Series B Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock.

08:37 EST FOXO Technologies receives noncompliance notification from NYSE - FOXO Technologies received an official notice of noncompliance from NYSE Regulation stating that the company is not in compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards due to the failure to timely file the company's Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30 by the filing due date of November 20.

08:36 EST Reliance Global provides year-end update on RELI exchange - Reliance Global Group provided an update on its business-to-business InsurTech platform, RELI Exchange. Ezra Beyman, CEO of Reliance, stated, "Since the launch of RELI Exchange last year, the platform has rapidly become one of the premier agency partner networks in the country. At the same time, we continue to enhance the platform to provide an even more compelling value proposition for both existing agency partners and potential agency partners. Notably, we have witnessed a more than 60% increase in total RELI Exchange policies following the onboarding of Fortman Insurance under our new and fully integrated "One-Firm" approach. Additionally, RELI Exchange continues to add new commercial insurance carriers to its already robust lineup, allowing our agency partners to expand their business further by providing competitive insurance quotes across a variety of insurance products. With the recent addition of two new carriers, we now offer coverage from more than 35 insurance carriers nationwide. Through our AI and machine learning algorithms, agents can provide quotes from a wide array of carriers across the nation in just a few minutes, ensuring that their clients are getting a diverse and competitive selection to choose from. All of this has served to accelerate the growth of the platform as evidenced by the fact we now have more than 365 agencies in our exclusive Agency Partner network. Moreover, our agency partners have competitive offerings in all 46 states in which we operate. With the U.S. insurance market's vast potential, valued at approximately $2.7 trillion in 2021 and anticipated to grow by 26% to $3.4 trillion by 2027, we believe that the success of the RELI Exchange platform positions the Company to continue its growth and gain market share heading into 2024."

08:35 EST Inhibikase Therapeutics issues letter to shareholders, provides update - Inhibikase Therapeutics issued a Letter to Shareholders. "Despite the market volatility experienced this year, we approach the end of the year with our stock price up 68% since its low point of $0.81 on October 9. We have made great strides across our multi-therapeutic pipeline as the year comes to a close. In neurodegeneration, we continue to advance our 201 trial evaluating risvodetinib in untreated Parkinson's disease and began actively enrolling patients in the second quarter. As of today, all 32 sites are consenting, screening and enrolling patients with 35 participants enrolled, 50 potential participants scheduling or reviewing informed consent forms and 11 potential participants undergoing medical evaluations necessary to be considered for enrollment. Thus far, only three mild treatment-related adverse events have been reported across all enrolled patients. Based on the current pace of enrollment, we expect to report results from this trial in the second half of 2024... Our cancer therapeutics program has also made significant progress throughout 2023. IkT-001Pro, our prodrug of imatinib, was evaluated in 66 healthy subjects, ages 18 to 55, to measure bioequivalence to 400 mg or 600 mg imatinib mesylate. With these studies complete, we will have a pre-NDA teleconference with the FDA in early 2024 to discuss the requirements of approval of IkT-001Pro for up to nine cancer indications. Recently, we requested to amend our Orphan Drug Designation for imatinib delivered by IkT-001Pro by adding eight additional indications. We are also evaluating the market potential of IkT-001Pro in non-oncology indications to which imatinib has already been shown to have meaningful benefit. We look forward to providing updates on this progress in the first half of 2024. Across our therapeutic pipeline, we have developed technologies that will advance clinical development and may augment commercial success. For risvodetinib, a commercial tablet formulation was developed that doubles drug exposure at the same dose. We believe this formulation significantly improves oral drug absorption. For IkT-001Pro, the prodrug has shown early signals of safety improvements relative to imatinib mesylate, but more work will be required before we know the scope of these safety improvement across a range of patients. 2023 was a year of growth: growth of our clinical and chemistry teams as well as rapid advancement of our clinical programs. We believe 2024 will be the year of transformation."

08:34 EST Brightcove names Kathy Klingler CMO, Jim Norton CRO and David Beck COO - Brightcove announced two additions and a newly formed role to its executive leadership team. Kathy Klingler has been appointed chief marketing officer, or CMO, and Jim Norton as chief revenue officer, or CRO, effective January 8, 2024. Additionally, Brightcove's current chief strategy and corporate development officer, David Beck, is taking on an expanded role as chief operating officer, or COO.

08:32 EST BetMGM, NHL announce multi-year North American partnership extension - BetMGM and the National Hockey League announced a multi-year North American partnership extension. BetMGM continues as an Official Sports Betting and Gaming Partner and will create specialized VIP fan experiences, utilize NHL imagery to design team and League-branded casino games, and be featured during nationally televised broadcasts. BetMGM will receive significant branding within nationally televised broadcasts in the U.S. BetMGM's camera visible signage will extend across the NHL's regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, highlighted by inventory that includes Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards, the League's advanced approach to dynamic dasherboard advertising and virtual slot in-ice ads.

08:18 EST Nascent Biotech completes payment of variable convertible note - Nascent Biotech has completed payment of all outstanding variable convertible debt obligations. On August 30, 2023, the Company and the Noteholder YA II PN, LLC agreed to terms that fully satisfy the Company's outstanding obligation with respect to the related note. Under the terms of the agreement, the Noteholder did not charge any interest and the obligation is now considered "settled in full" with no conversion to common shares.

08:17 EST ENGlobal regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum bid price rule - ENGlobal received notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market, dated December 15, 2023, informing ENGlobal that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement as set forth under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) for continued listing on Nasdaq. As previously disclosed, on December 21, 2022, Nasdaq notified the Company that its common stock failed to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 over the previous 30 consecutive business days as required by the Nasdaq listing rules. As previously disclosed on June 28, 2023, Nasdaq notified the Company that it had until December 18, 2023, to regain compliance by maintaining a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive trading days. The Nasdaq notice states that Nasdaq has determined that for the 10 consecutive business days, from December 1, 2023 to December 14, 2023, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock has been at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, Nasdaq has confirmed that the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and the matter is now closed.

08:16 EST NRx Pharmaceuticals signs agreement with Columbia University - NRx Pharmaceuticals announced that it has signed a License Data and Technical Information Agreement with Columbia University for rights to data from a randomized, active-controlled trial of 80 patients hospitalized for Acute Suicidality in Depression. This represents NRx's second well-controlled trial demonstrating the efficacy of IV Ketamine in this indication. NRx plans to present the data from these two trials to FDA in support of a New Drug Application to be filed in Q1 of 2024.

08:15 EST Climb Channel Solutions announces launch of new partnership with DNSFilter - Climb Channel Solutions, an international specialty technology distributor and wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, announces their partnership with DNSFilter. DNSFilter's launch into the North American market and their use of Climb as their sole distributor will enable resellers and MSPs to mitigate cyber-attack risk. An estimated 80% of threats come through the DNS layer during a cyber-attack, making DNS security an essential component of a company's security posture. "Climb is proud to be named the sole distributor of DNSFilter's security solution and assist at the inception of their channel goals," says Dale Foster, CEO of Climb Channel Solutions. "Their solution answers the needs of our reseller and MSP partners, helping to protect against ongoing cyberthreats in the industry. We are excited to include their offerings to our North American line card and showcase their inclusion of emerging and disruptive technologies to our partners."

08:13 EST GD Culture Group unveils 'One Story at a Time' marketing approach - GD Culture Group unveiled its marketing approach, named One Story at a Time, with a primary focus on enhancing audience experiences on TikTok. The One Story at a Time expects to refine virtual influencers to authentically represent brands and captivate target audiences by shifting them from virtual spokespersons to dynamic storytellers. This strategic evolution marks a significant step in the Company's journey to navigate in the digital influencer landscape. After the November 20, 2023 announcement introducing AI-driven Digital Humans on TikTok, the current fleet of 30 digital avatars has garnered attention. These avatars, boasting unique personalities and compelling content, have collectively amassed 334,000 followers and nearly 70,000 likes since the October launch earlier this year.

08:11 EST Cerence introduces automotive-specific LLM in collaboration with Nvidia - Cerence (CRNC) introduced an automotive-specific large language model, CaLLM, powered by NVIDIA (NVDA) technology. CaLLM serves as the foundation for Cerence's next-generation in-car computing platform, running on the NVIDIA DRIVE platform. Cerence is working with NVIDIA to solve several key automaker challenges: accelerating time to market by enabling new user experiences to be deployed via a cloud integration with both existing embedded systems and new generative AI-powered domains, giving OEMs an advantage as drivers demand increasingly intelligent features and capabilities inside the car.

08:11 EST Mainz Biomed, Bantleon partner, initiate second phase of CRC screening program - Mainz Biomed announced the second phase of its colorectal cancer, CRC, screening campaign through its BGM partnership with Bantleon, a shareholder of German AVIA and renowned for its high-performance lubricants and service solutions. Bantleon selected ColoAlert, Mainz Biomed's highly efficacious and easy-to-use screening test for CRC, for its corporate health program, BGM. This continued BGM initiative follows a successful pilot program and will launch in Q1 2024 in line with CRC awareness month March. Darin Leigh, Chief Commercial Officer at Mainz Biomed, added: "Early detection is key to increasing treatment options as well as survival rates for colorectal cancer patients. Screening at regular intervals is essential to detecting the disease in early stages where it can be successfully treated and dramatically improve patient outcomes. We applaud Bantleon for their highly progressive approach to the wellbeing of their employees and look forward to our continued collaboration as we work to spare more people from the devastating impacts of this disease."

08:10 EST Caterpillar demonstrates underground mining portfolio in Australia - Caterpillar (CAT) has successfully demonstrated its first battery electric prototype underground mining truck for Newmont (NEM) and other industry leaders, at the company's proving ground in Tasmania, Australia. Caterpillar developed its first battery electric prototype underground mining truck with voice of customer input and support from Newmont. This battery electric truck will complete Caterpillar's first fully electric underground load and haul solution when paired with the commercially available R1700 XE battery electric loader. Caterpillar also completed a demonstration of its growing autonomy and automation capabilities. Autonomous trucks can help to enhance mine site safety by removing operators from potentially hazardous or remote sites.

08:09 EST Spectral AI appoints Peter Carlson as CFO - Spectral AI, Inc. (MDAI) announced the hiring of Peter Carlson as CFO. Carlson most recently served as CFO at MiMedx Group (MDXG), a pioneer and leader in the advanced wound care space.

08:08 EST Infinera selected by WJBTN to expand broadband services - Infinera announced Western James Bay Telecom Network, WJBTN, selected Infinera to expand connectivity services to rural communities in northern Ontario, Canada. With Infinera's optical networking solution based on the Infinera XTM Series, the Canadian rural telecom service provider can deliver flexible, reliable, and cost-effective high-bandwidth solutions to its residential, business, and government customers. "We are pleased to support Western James Bay Telecom Network's upgrade, helping them expand their broadband networking infrastructure with Infinera's leading technology to deliver robust connectivity services to rural Ontario communities," said Nick Walden, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Infinera.

08:07 EST Biora Therapeutics announces new patent for NaviCap platform - Biora Therapeutics received an Issue Notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a patent related to the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders through targeted delivery of JAK inhibitors for its NaviCap targeted oral delivery platform under development. US Patent Application No. 17/313,339, entitled "Treatment of a Disease of the Gastrointestinal Tract with a JAK Inhibitor and Devices," will issue as US Patent No. 11,857,669 on January 2, 2024. The patent is directed to methods of treating a GI disease by delivering a therapeutically effective amount of a JAK inhibitor at a desired location in the GI tract, where the therapeutically effective amount of the JAK inhibitor is less than an amount that is effective when the JAK inhibitor is administered systemically. The patent covers many JAK inhibitors, including those that are approved or in development for a range of indications. The NaviCap ingestible device platform is protected by a patent portfolio consisting of 30 patent families, including 86 granted patents and 81 pending applications. Included in the NaviCap portfolio are 34 granted patents and 6 pending applications directed to the device's proprietary autonomous localization technology and to various therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including, but not limited to, Janus kinases, TNF-alpha, integrins, chemokines, IL-12/23, S1P, and IL-10 inhibitors, and the delivery of antibodies, peptides, small molecules, nucleic acids, stem cells, bacterial yeast, or phages to the gastrointestinal tract. Biora's total corporate portfolio consists of 73 patent families, including approximately 190 issued patents and 135 pending applications filed in major jurisdictions around the world, including the US, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Australia, Canada, and Mexico.

08:06 EST ZK International Group wins $8M bid to supply Chongqing city with gas - ZK International Group has secured an $8M bid in collaboration with Chongqing Gas Group in Chongqing City, the fourth largest Chinese city with an estimated urban population of 16.34 million. The $8M bid pertains to the gas piping infrastructure procurement program initiated by the Chongqing Gas Group for its municipal gas piping infrastructure project.

08:04 EST TPI Composites, Nordex extend, expand contract in Turkiye - TPI Composites announced that it has extended and expanded its supply agreements with Nordex in Turkiye. Under the terms of the amended agreements, TPI will add two lines of manufacturing capacity bringing the total capacity under contract in Turkiye with Nordex to eight lines serving domestic and export market needs. Additionally, the term of the agreements has been extended for up to three years through 2026. "We are pleased to announce this expansion of our relationship with Nordex in Turkiye building on our strong collaboration over the past ten years and delivering cost-effective solutions to serve Nordex's wider European market needs, including Turkiye," said Bill Siwek, President and CEO of TPI.

08:02 EST BIO-key announces 1-for-18 reverse stock split - BIO-key International has approved a 1-for-18 reverse stock split that will become effective with the commencement of trading on December 21, 2023.BIO-key stockholders approved a proposal last week to allow the Board to proceed with a reverse split to assist the Company in its effort to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. BIO-key had approximately 16.9 million shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of December 19, 2023. After giving effect to the 1-for-18 reverse stock split, BIO-key will have approximately 941,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.

08:02 EST Engie North America announces commissioning of Sun Valley project - ENGIE North America announced that its Sun Valley Battery Storage project in Hill County Texas has been commissioned. The 100MW / 100MWh project is one of ENGIE's largest utility scale storage facilities in the U.S. so far and is co-located with the company's existing 250MW Sun Valley Solar project which commenced operation last year. The Sun Valley Battery Storage project will provide reliability and ancillary services to meet ERCOT's growing demand for electricity and is a key element in supporting the acceleration of the Net Zero energy transition.

07:53 EST FactSet falls 3% to $446.10 in pre-market after Q1 results, FY24 guidance cut

07:49 EST Microsoft and Elevat partner in IoT for heavy machinery industry - Microsoft announced a strategic technical partnership with Elevat leveraging Elevat Machine Connect and Microsoft Azure Edge. This collaboration aims to accelerate digital transformation and empower businesses with connectivity and insights. Elevat Machine Connect, an IoT platform, connects devices, sensors, and machines, enabling real-time data collection, analysis, and control. Elevat Machine Connect will be integrated with Azure Edge, providing connectivity and data flow between edge devices and the cloud. Leveraging Azure Edge's capabilities, Elevat Machine Connect will enable organizations to analyze data at the source. The combined solution allows businesses to scale their IoT deployments to accommodate evolving needs and growth.

07:46 EST Peabody Energy renames North Goonyella Mine as the Centurion Mine - Peabody announced that the North Goonyella Mine will now be known as the Centurion Mine. In October, the company reached an agreement to acquire a large portion of the Wards Well coal deposit adjacent to the existing North Goonyella Mine. The new name reflects the pending addition of the acquired resources, creating a premier, tier one premium hard coking coal mine with a life of 25 years or more. The Centurion Mine remains on track to commence mining of development coal in the first quarter of 2024. The project is expected to reweight Peabody's long-term production and revenue toward metallurgical coal when longwall production commences in 2026.

07:43 EST Verses Technologies identifies new path to AGI, extends invitation for collab - VERSES AI has penned an open letter and invitation to OpenAI to collaborate on the pursuit of artificial general intelligence, AGI. The open letter, published today in The New York Times, outlines how VERSES is pursuing an alternative approach to AGI using Active Inference, a method pioneered by VERSES' Chief Scientist, Karl Friston. Active Inference comprises a set of techniques and tools enabling the design and deployment of intelligent agents capable of automatically and efficiently seeking out and learning from relevant data, resulting in an auditable and human-explainable decision-making and action-selection process. VERSES' latest research results indicate that its Active Inference agents may soon be able to match and surpass the performance of leading AI state-of-the-art approaches based on deep learning while using orders of magnitude less data and fewer computations. The Company expects to share more details and validation tests with partners and the broader community in the coming months. The breakthrough is also anticipated to be integrated into the Genius platform, aiming to empower developers to create agents capable of learning from any dataset, reasoning, planning and adapting. These agents are optimized for energy and computational efficiency, specifically tailored for intelligent computing on the edge rather than solely in the cloud. "We believe that nature's blueprint for intelligence offers the best foundation to scale systems to AGI and beyond," said Gabriel Rene, VERSES founder and CEO. "A foundation that can enable smarter, safer and more sustainable, standards-based approaches to general and super intelligent systems. Building on this foundation, our latest research has revealed a promising new path toward this goal."

07:42 EST Philip Morris to promote Moira Gilchrist to chief communications officer - Philip Morris announced senior management changes to further accelerate its rapid transition to a substantially smoke-free company. Effective January 1, 2024, Moira Gilchrist will be promoted to chief communications officer and join PMI's senior management team. Moira has had a distinguished career at PMI since joining the organization's R&D function in 2006, serving most recently as VP, strategic and scientific communications. In her new position, she will report to CEO Jacek Olczak. Also effective January 1, 2024, Marian Salzman, currently SVP, global communications, will assume the position of SVP and chief corporate citizenship officer. After more than five years spent building the Global Communications function, Marian will return to the U.S. to serve as a driving force in developing PMI's business in the U.S. market.

07:40 EST Xoma raises up to $140M in non-recourse financing - XOMA Corporation (XOMA) entered into a non-dilutive, non-recourse, royalty-backed loan for up to $140 million of capital with certain funds managed by the credit platform of Blue Owl Capital Inc. (OWL). XOMA has drawn down $130 million in principal from Blue Owl and has the option to draw another $10 million should the royalties received from VABYSMO sales on or prior to March 15, 2026, exceed a predetermined amount. XOMA is obligated to make semi-annual interest payments at a fixed rate of 9.875% per year until the royalty-backed loan is repaid, at which time VABYSMO royalty payments will revert back to XOMA. The loan is repayable over a 15-year period, although XOMA may repay it in full at any time during that period, subject to the terms of the loan. Additionally, XOMA has issued to Blue Owl warrants to purchase an aggregate of up to 120,000 shares of XOMA's common stock in three equal tranches with strike prices of $35.00, $42.50, and $50.00 per share, respectively, resulting in implied premiums of 122%, 170%, and 217% to the price of XOMA's common stock at closing, respectively.

07:39 EST Cardlytics announces multi-year contract renewal with Lloyds Bank - Cardlytics announced that Cardlytics UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardlytics, renewed its Spending Rewards Agreement with Lloyds Bank Plc. Under the agreement, Cardlytics UK Limited will continue to provide service to Lloyds customers through December 31, 2026.

07:36 EST Biogen: EC revokes centralized marketing authorizations for TECFIDERA generics - Biogen Inc. (BIIB) announced that the European Commission has revoked the centralized marketing authorizations for generic versions of Biogen's product TECFIDERA held by Accord, Mylan, Neuraxpharm, Polpharma and Teva (TEVA). In reaching this decision, the European Commission affirmed that Biogen is entitled to full data protection and marketing protection for TECFIDERA. Biogen welcomes the actions of the European Commission, which confirm the laws governing data exclusivity and marketing protection. Those laws are essential to protecting innovation. TECFIDERA is entitled to marketing protection until February 3, 2025, and is the only dimethyl fumarate treatment for multiple sclerosis that may be lawfully placed on the market for sale in the EU until that date. Biogen has initiated legal action to defend its market protection rights. Biogen has sufficient supply of TECFIDERA to supply the entire European market.

07:34 EST Ocugen announces FDA granted RMAT designation to OCU400 - Ocugen announced that the FDA has granted RMAT designation to Ocugen's investigational product OCU400 for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa associated with RHO mutations. "RMAT designation is a significant accomplishment for the OCU400 clinical development program, as it validates the potential for our game-changing gene therapy approach to fulfill an unmet medical need for people who are facing blindness due to RP," said Arun Upadhyay, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D at Ocugen. "FDA's decision also reinforces the sense of urgency to bring a therapeutic option to these patients." RMAT designation for OCU400 was based on preliminary clinical data supporting the maintenance and improvement of visual acuity and function in RP patients in the OCU400 -101 Phase 1/2 clinical trial as measured by Best Corrected Visual Acuity, Low Luminance Visual Acuity, and Multi-Luminance Mobility Test (MLMT).

07:33 EST Anavex receives CHMP agreement for MAA submission on oral blarcamesine - Anavex Life Sciences announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use within the European Medicines Agency agreed that oral blarcamesine for Alzheimer's disease is eligible for submission of an application for a Union Marketing Authorisation in the EU under the European Medicines Agency's centralised procedure. The granting of the eligibility from the CHMP under the centralised procedure allows for submission of a single Marketing Application to the European Medicines Agency that, if approved, would allow blarcamesine to be marketed in all EU member states. Anavex is aiming to submit the Marketing Authorisation Application as early as possible in 2024. The ANAVEX 2-73-AD-004 Alzheimer's disease placebo-controlled Phase 2b/3 trial showed that in addition to significant improvement in dementia symptoms, blarcamesine demonstrated reduction of pathological aggregation of amyloid in early Alzheimer's disease as well reduction of brain volume loss, a well-known marker of neurodegeneration. Data from the blarcamesine in Alzheimer's disease Phase 2b/3 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial will be published in an upcoming peer-reviewed journal.

07:17 EST Genius Group pays in full $18.13M of convertible notes - Genius Group has extinguished $18.13 million in convertible notes, 15 months ahead of schedule. The convertible note was signed with Alto Opportunity Master Fund, SPC - Segregated Master Portfolio B, a fund managed by Ayrton Capital LLC on August 26, 2022, and had a maturity date of February 26, 2025. The note has been fully paid through a combination of cash and converted ordinary shares within the first 15 months of the agreement's original 30-month term.

07:16 EST NanoXplore commissions graphene-enhanced silicon, anode active pilot lines - NanoXplore announces the successful commissioning of two anode material pilot lines, achieving remarkable energy density and product validation. NanoXplore's proprietary silicon graphene technology produced in the pilot line, has achieved an energy density of 1150 Wh/L, and demonstrated compatibility with conventional graphite anodes, resulting in an energy density of over 800 Wh/L. NanoXplore remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of energy storage capabilities using its advanced materials technology. The commissioning of the CSPG pilot line is now completed and can operate with a capacity of 200 tons per year. NanoXplore's CEO, Soroush Nazarpour, expressed enthusiasm about these successes: "As we mark the commissioning and validation of our two anode material pilot lines, I would like to underscore NanoXplore's dedication to innovation in the battery space and commitment to delivering cost-competitive, and high-performance solutions that redefine the energy storage landscape. The outstanding energy density achieved with our silicon graphene technology demonstrates the transformative potential of our advancements. With our CSPG products, we are committed to offering diverse, tailored solutions to meet our customers' evolving needs. Both these materials are currently being used in VoltaXplore's batteries and are important technology differentiators for VoltaXplore's business and its upcoming gigafactory."

07:13 EST Onconetix focused on cultivating key partnerships, acquiring vital assets - Onconetix issued a shareholder letter from the Company's CEO Dr. Neil Campbell, which read in part, "As 2023 draws to a close, I am eager to share with you the significant strides Onconetix has made in our journey towards becoming a leader in oncology. This past quarter has been transformative, marked by strategic shifts and notable achievements, all aimed at enhancing the value we bring to you as our shareholders. To reflect our recent achievements and renewed oncology focus, we have rebranded as Onconetix, Inc. This rebranding reflects a transformation of the business to one focused on the research, development and commercialization of proprietary science and technologies for therapeutics, diagnostics, and services for the treatment of cancer. A key component of our focus is Entadfi, an FDA-approved, once-daily oral treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Set for launch in 2024, Entadfi is poised to be an important product in our oncology therapeutics portfolio and has the potential to be a first-line treatment for BPH symptoms. However, our larger strategy and vision for our commercial portfolio is a dual therapeutic and diagnostic approach. With our recent acquisition of Proteomedix, a commercial stage European oncology diagnostics company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, we have achieved just that. Now our cornerstone products are Entadfi for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and Proclarix for prostate cancer diagnostics. In addition to significantly enhancing our emerging commercial portfolio, the acquisition of Proteomedix and its diagnostic platform marks a milestone in expanding our diagnostic capabilities worldwide. Proclarix is CE-certified and adhering to both European and American guidelines. Proclarix is already available in Europe and will be introduced in the U.S. through an exclusive partnership with a U.S. major laboratory corporation. Joining the senior management team of Onconetix will be Dr. Ralph Schiess, PhD, co-founder of Proteomedix, as Chief Science Officer, and Mr. Christian Bruhlmann, co-founder of Proteomedix, as Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager of Europe. Finally, in line with our commitment to oncology, we have transitioned away from our preclinical vaccine programs. These programs are now transitioning back to our vaccine partners, ensuring their continued progress by others while we direct our resources towards more targeted initiatives in oncology. As you can see, our strategy, bolstered by our latest acquisition, lays a solid foundation for Onconetix in the oncology sphere. We are focused on cultivating key partnerships, acquiring vital assets, and initiating our commercial revenue phase. Our goal is to build a company that is not only focused on growth for shareholders, but also on providing innovative solutions to clinicians, patients, and caregivers."

07:13 EST uniQure announces update on Phase I/II trials of AMT-130 gene therapy - uniQure N.V. announced updated interim data including up to 30 months of follow-up from 39 patients enrolled in the ongoing U.S. and European Phase I/II clinical trials of AMT-130 for the treatment of Huntington's disease. Updated Interim Data: Exploratory Efficacy Data: For patients receiving the high dose, neurological function as measured by cUHDRS and each of its individual components was preserved or improved at 18 months compared to pre-treatment baseline measurements. For patients receiving the low dose, neurological function as measured by Total Motor Score and Total Functional Capacity was preserved at 30 months compared to pre-treatment baseline measurements. When compared to the expected rate of decline from the natural history cohort, AMT-130 showed favorable trends in cUHDRS, TFC and TMS. composite Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale: AMT-130 showed a favorable difference in cUHDRS of 0.39 points at 30 months and 1.24 points at 18 months for the low- and high-dose, respectively. Total Functional Capacity: AMT-130 showed a favorable difference in TFC of 0.95 points at 30 months in the low-dose and 0.49 points at 18 months in the high-dose. Total Motor Score: AMT-130 showed a favorable difference in TMS of 2.80 points at 30 months in the low-dose and 1.70 points in the high-dose at 18 months. Biomarkers and Volumetric Imaging Data: Neurofilament Light Chain: Mean CSF NfL for the low-dose cohort remained below baseline through month 30 and was 6.6% below baseline. Mean CSF NfL for the high-dose cohort also further declined and is near baseline at month 18. These data suggest a reduction in neurodegeneration when compared to an expected increase from baseline in CSF NfL based on natural history data. Mutant Huntingtin Protein: Given AMT-130 is directly administered deep within the brain, the pharmacodynamics of mHTT in the CSF are not believed to be materially representative of mHTT in the targeted brain regions. Total Brain Volume: Changes in the total brain volume of patients treated with AMT-130 were observed after the surgical procedure and trended below natural history. The volumetric changes do not appear to be clinically meaningful or associated with protracted increases in neurodegeneration as measured by NfL. Safety and Tolerability: AMT-130 was generally well-tolerated, with a manageable safety profile at both the lower dose of 6x1012 vector genomes and the higher dose of 6x1013 vector genomes. The most common adverse events in the treatment groups were related to the surgical procedure. There were four serious adverse events unrelated to AMT-130 in the low-dose cohort, six unrelated SAEs in the high-dose cohort, and one SAE in the control group. In addition, there were four AMT-130-related serious adverse events in the high-dose cohort, including central nervous system inflammation, and severe headache that, retrospectively, also was attributable to central nervous system inflammation.

07:09 EST MAIA Biotechnology announces dose in THIO-101in trial for patients with NSCLC - MAIA Biotechnology announced dose selection for THIO-101, a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its lead asset, THIO, in sequential combination with Regeneron's anti-PD-1 cemiplimab Libtayo in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC . During the dose-finding stage of THIO-101, patients were administered either 60mg, 180mg, or 360mg of THIO per cycle, followed by 350mg of cemiplimab Libtayo. The selected dose, 180mg/cycle, presented better safety profile and outperformed the other doses in the key measures of efficacy for NSCLC trials. Subsequently, all future trial participants will be treated with THIO 180mg/cycle. "All THIO dose levels tested exceeded the disease control rate DCR thresholds in Stage 1 of the THIO-101 Phase 2 trial. We observed disease control in the first 8 to 9 patients with a post baseline scan in each arm, beating our goal of disease control in 8 out of 19 patients per arm. Among the three studied doses, the 180mg dose showed stronger DCR and preliminary response rates compared to other doses," said Vlad Vitoc, M.D., MAIA's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "These results are particularly impressive in this pool of patients who were heavily pre-treated and resistant to prior treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a group that does not yet have standard of care treatment. We are highly encouraged by the unprecedented clinical data generated thus far in our Phase 2 trial, and as we move forward, we plan to pursue accelerated approval for THIO in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. We believe THIO's DCRs and ORRs in second line treatment suggest the drug's potential to define the standard of care for this NSCLC patient population." THIO is the only direct telomere targeting agent currently undergoing clinical development in the field of cancer drug discovery and treatment.

07:08 EST BioCryst announces publication of data from OLE of APeX-2 trial of ORLADEYO - BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced that data from the open-label extension, OLE, of the APeX-2 trial of oral, once-daily ORLADEYO for the prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema, HAE, in patients 12 years and older have been published online by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. "We are pleased to share long-term efficacy and safety data from APeX-2 as published in JACI: In Practice. These data further illustrate the potential lasting outcomes that can be appreciated by patients who are treated with oral, once-daily ORLADEYO. We continue to see long-term safety and effectiveness data that reinforce ORLADEYO as an important treatment option for patients with HAE, and we look forward to sharing additional real-world evidence at upcoming medical congresses," said Dr. Ryan Arnold, chief medical officer of BioCryst. The authors concluded that ORLADEYO was generally well tolerated, provided rapid and sustained reductions in HAE attacks and improved QoL over the study duration of 96 weeks. The results from part 3 of APeX-2 were first presented at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress in July 2021.

07:07 EST OTC Markets Group welcomes First Northern Community Bancorp to OTCQX - OTC Markets Group announced First Northern Community Bancorp, the single-bank holding company for First Northern Bank, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. First Northern Community Bancorp upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market.

07:06 EST Gilead and Compugen in license deal for novel pre-clinical immunotherapy program - Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) announced an agreement with Compugen (CGEN) to exclusively license its potential first-in-class, pre-clinical antibody program against IL-18 binding protein, including the COM503 drug candidate. "We are very pleased to add COM503 to our pipeline of investigational immuno-oncology therapies that have the potential to transform care for patients with cancer," said Flavius Martin, M.D., Executive Vice President, Research, Gilead Sciences. "We believe that this collaboration complements our strategy of developing modalities which promote immune-mediated tumor killing and may enable new combination therapies with programs in our growing oncology portfolio."

07:05 EST Micromobility.com receives delisting notice from Nasdaq, withdraws reverse split - Micromobility.com announced that the company received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq notifying the company that trading of its common stock and warrants will be suspended as of the opening of business on December 20 and, accordingly to the company, has postponed a special meeting of the stockholders of the company previously scheduled for January 2024 at which it intends to seek approval for an additional reverse split.

07:04 EST Ginkgo Bioworks, GreenLab announce partnership - GreenLab announced a new partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity. GreenLab is developing a product with the purpose of degrading PFAS and will leverage Ginkgo Enzyme Services to discover a novel enzyme of critical importance for use in this application.

07:02 EST Ginkgo Bioworks-led team awarded funding from U.S. DOE - Ginkgo Bioworks announced that a Ginkgo-led team - including partners from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, and Global Algae Innovations - has been awarded funding through the U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office. The scope of the project will be to develop a new approach to algal crop protection, inspired by integrated pest management strategies used for terrestrial crops.

06:52 EST CrossFirst Bancshares announces bond portfolio repositioning - CrossFirst Bankshares announced the sale of approximately $80M of available-for-sale municipal securities, resulting in an after-tax loss of approximately $0.8M. Proceeds from the sale will be deployed into higher-yielding agency mortgage-backed products, as well as used to pay off existing wholesale borrowings. The company expects the transaction will contribute additional diluted earnings per share accretion of 2c in 2024 representing less than a 1-year earn-back. The loss on the sale of securities is expected to have a neutral impact on consolidated shareholders' equity and the company's book value per share.

06:49 EST Merck's new BLA for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine granted priority review - Merck announced the FDA has accepted for priority review a new Biologics License Application - BLA - for V116, the company's investigational 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine specifically designed to help prevent invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia in adults. The FDA grants priority review to medicines and vaccines that, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment or prevention of a serious condition. The FDA has set a target action date, of June 17, 2024. The BLA for V116 is based, in part, on data from STRIDE-3, a pivotal Phase 3 trial which evaluated the immunogenicity, tolerability and safety of V116 compared to PCV20 - pneumococcal 20-valent conjugate vaccine - in adults who had not previously received a pneumococcal vaccine. The BLA for V116 is supported by results from multiple Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating V116 in both vaccine-naive and vaccine-experienced adult patient populations. The serotypes covered by V116 are responsible for approximately 83% of invasive pneumococcal disease in individuals 65 years of age and older. V116 includes eight unique serotypes not covered by currently licensed pneumococcal vaccines, which were responsible for approximately 30% of invasive pneumococcal disease in individuals 65 years of age and older, based on the same CDC data.

06:47 EST Accenture backs FY24 operating cash flow view $9.3B-$9.9B - For fiscal 2024, the company continues to expect operating cash flow to be in the range of $9.3 billion to $9.9 billion; property and equipment additions to be $600 million; and free cash flow to be in the range of $8.7 billion to $9.3 billion. The company continues to expect to return at least $7.7 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

06:10 EST AngloGold Ashanti to make strategic investment in G2 Goldfields - AngloGold Ashanti intends, subject to execution of definitive documentation and satisfaction of customary conditions, to subscribe for 24,500,000 common shares in G2 Goldfields at C$0.90 per share for total consideration of C$22.05M. Following completion of the Subscription, AGA will own approximately 11.7% of G2's issued and outstanding Shares. G2 is actively exploring in Guyana, a country which hosts the Guiana Shield, one of the world's most prospective gold provinces. G2's principal OKO project comprises the OKO Main Zone and Ghanie deposits. G2 announced, in April 2022, an Indicated Mineral Resource estimate for the OKO Main Zone containing 220,000 oz Au - 793,000 tons grading 8.63 g/t Au - and an Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 974,000 oz Au - 3,274,000 tons, grading 9.25 g/t Au -. G2 intends to publish a Mineral Resource update in the first half of 2024. AGA believes that G2's exploration properties have significant growth potential. As part of the Subscription, AGA will be granted pre-emptive and top-up rights for future security issuances by G2. The Subscription is expected to close in January 2024.

06:07 EST TFF Pharmaceuticals reports positive initial data from Phase 2 trials of TFF - TFF Pharmaceuticals announced positive initial data from the company's ongoing Phase 2 trials of Thin Film Freezing - TFF - VORI and TFF TAC, along with clinical data from the ongoing TFF VORI Expanded Access Program - EAP -. The ongoing Phase 2 trial of TFF VORI is evaluating treatment with TFF VORI versus oral voriconazole over a 13-week period in patients with IPA. Of the five patients treated for at least 8 weeks with TFF VORI: all five patients achieved a clinical response, all five patients achieved a mycologic response, three of four patients with pre- and post-treatment chest CT achieved a radiologic response, there was no need for continued anti-fungal use after treatment with TFF VORI in all five patients. In terms of safety, no all-cause mortality, no IPA-related mortality, no TFF VORI discontinuation due to an AE, majority of treatment emergent adverse events were deemed unrelated to TFF VORI, majority of TEAEs were Grade 2 or lower in severity, no hepatic toxicity. The ongoing Phase 2 trial of TFF TAC is an open-label study in lung transplant patients who require reduced tacrolimus blood levels due to kidney toxicity. Trial endpoints include safety/tolerability, kidney function, and acute allograft rejection. The initial data presented below are from the first four patients enrolled in the trial. Of the four patients enrolled in the TFF TAC Phase 2 study: all four patients were successfully transitioned from oral tacrolimus to TFF TAC, successfully lowered tacrolimus blood levels to 1/2 to 2/3 of the levels on oral tacrolimus in all four patients, no clinical evidence of acute rejection, no signs and symptoms suggestive of acute rejection, no deterioration in spirometry. All three patients who completed Part A chose to remain on TFF TAC and proceeded to Part B. As for safety, there was no mortality, no TFF TAC discontinuation due to an AE, majority of TEAEs were Grade 2 or lower in severity, maintenance of kidney function.

05:56 EST IBM to buy StreamSets, webMethods from Software AG for EUR 2.13B in cash - IBM (IBM) announced on Monday that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Software AG (STWRY), a company majority owned by Silver Lake, to purchase StreamSets and webMethods, Software AG's Super iPaaS enterprise technology platforms, for EUR 2.13B in cash. "Together with IBM's watsonx AI and data platform, as well as its application modernization, data fabric and IT automation products, StreamSets and webMethods will help clients unlock the full potential of their applications and data. This powerful combination helps drive innovation while preparing businesses for AI, no matter where applications or data reside," said Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President, Software and Chief Commercial Officer, IBM. StreamSets and webMethods will be acquired with available cash on hand. The consummation of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024.

05:16 EST Gogoro, Uber Eats Taiwan announce nearly $30M Green Delivery Program - Gogoro (GGR) and Uber (UBER) Eats Taiwan, announced a Green Delivery Program that will make it easier and more affordable for Uber Eats delivery partners to switch to electric scooters. The two-year partnership is worth close to $30M and is being funded by both companies. Delivery partners will receive discounts on new Gogoro Smartscooters and battery swapping programs, and be given incentives for deliveries on Gogoro Smartscooters. Through the program, Uber Eats expects EV deliveries in Taiwan to double from nearly 20% to 40% of all trips by the end of 2025.