Stockwinners Market Radar for January 12, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EST Uxin Ltd trading halted, news pending

19:50 EST Transcode Therapeutics Inc trading halted, news pending

17:59 EST SEC Chair Gensler issues statement on unauthorized access to @SECGov X.com - SEC Chair Gensler stated, "Based on current information, staff understands that, shortly after 4:00 pm ET on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, an unauthorized party gained access to the @SECGov X.com account by obtaining control over the phone number associated with the account. The unauthorized party made one post at 4:11 pm ET purporting to announce the Commission's approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, as well as a second post approximately two minutes later that said "$BTC." The unauthorized party subsequently deleted the second post, but not the first. Using the @SECGov account, the unauthorized party also liked two posts by non-SEC accounts. While SEC staff is still assessing the scope of the incident, there is currently no evidence that the unauthorized party gained access to SEC systems, data, devices, or other social media accounts. Upon becoming aware of the incident, staff in the Office of Public Affairs posted to the official @garygensler X.com account at 4:26 pm ET, alerting the public that the @SECGov account had been compromised, an unauthorized post was made, and the Commission had not approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded products. Staff deleted the first unauthorized post on the @SECGov account, un-liked the two liked posts, and, at 4:42 pm ET, made a new post on the @SECGov account stating that the account had been compromised. Staff also reached out to X.com for assistance in terminating the unauthorized access to the @SECGov account. Based on information currently available, staff believe that the unauthorized access to the account was terminated between 4:40 pm ET and 5:30 pm ET. The SEC takes its cybersecurity obligations seriously. Commission staff are still assessing the impacts of this incident on the agency, investors, and the marketplace but recognize that those impacts include concerns about the security of the SEC's social media accounts. The staff also will continue to assess whether additional remedial measures are warranted. Staff are coordinating with appropriate law enforcement and federal oversight entities, including the SEC's Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, amongst others, in their investigations. The agency will provide updates on the incident as appropriate. Importantly, the Commission makes its actions public on the Commission's website, http://www.sec.gov. The Commission does not use social media channels to make its actions public; social media posts only amplify announcements that are made on our website."

17:33 EST Merck: FDA approves Keytruda in combination with chemoradiotherapy - Merck announced the U.S. FDA has approved KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of patients with FIGO 2014 Stage III-IVA cervical cancer. The approval is based on data from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-A18 trial, in which KEYTRUDA plus CRT demonstrated an improvement in progression-free survival, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 41% compared to placebo plus CRT in patients with FIGO 2014 Stage III-IVA disease. Median PFS was not reached in either group. This approval marks the third indication for KEYTRUDA in cervical cancer and the 39th indication for KEYTRUDA in the U.S.

16:32 EST NLS Pharmaceutics receives notice of deficiency from Nasdaq - NLS Pharmaceutics announced that on January 9, 2024, it received a letter from the Listing Qualifications staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the company that it is no longer in compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) requires listed companies to maintain stockholders' equity of at least $2,500,000. In accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5810(c)(2)(A), the company has 45 calendar days, or until February 23, 2024, to submit a plan to regain compliance. If the plan is accepted, Nasdaq can grant an extension of up to 180 calendar days from the date of the letter to evidence compliance. The notification letter has no immediate effect on the company's listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company's management is looking into various options available to regain compliance and maintain its continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company intends to submit the compliance plan as soon as practicable.

16:08 EST Transcode Therapeutics CEO Michael Dudley resigns - TransCode Therapeutics reported further steps in its previously-announced restructuring. The restructuring is intended to further reduce expenditures and enable greater concentration of company resources on a planned Phase 1 clinical trial for its lead therapeutic candidate, TTX-MC138. The restructuring follows a strategic review of the company's operations to identify areas in which it could delay or reduce expenditures, including a previously announced reduction in headcount. In connection with the restructuring, TransCode's co-founder and CEO, Michael Dudley, announced his retirement. He will resign as an executive officer and director of the company effective January 13. Tom Fitzgerald, currently CFO and a director of TransCode, will become interim CEO. Fitzgerald will continue as TransCode's CFO, a position he has held since July 2018. In connection with the restructuring, TransCode's board also elevated Zdravka Medarova, currently CTO, to the role of chief scientific officer. Medarova is expected to become increasingly active in partnership and collaboration discussions as well as overseeing TransCode's science and intellectual property activities. Philippe Calais, currently chairman of the board of directors, will assume the position of executive Chairman.

16:02 EST SurgePays names Jeremy Gies president - SurgePays has appointed Jeremy Gies, to President of SurgePays, Inc. In his new role, Gies will draw upon his seasoned expertise and industry relationships to drive sales growth, optimize operational efficiencies, explore strategic M&A opportunities, and guide the launch of new products. A focal point of his responsibilities includes a nationwide expansion of the convenience store network, with an emphasis on elevating both the quantity of stores transacting on the SurgePays network and the sales per store. Brian Cox, Chairman and CEO of SurgePays said, "Jeremy has proven to be a dynamic leader within the company. I believe he will help lead the way through the next growth stages of SurgePays. 2024 will be a year in which the Company is laser-focused on growing sales, store count and wireless subscribers and Jeremy's corporate experience will be leaned on to build out those sales operations, and other processes to maximize revenue realization from our growth. In addition, Jeremy will look at other growth opportunities through potential mergers and acquisitions and partnerships. I couldn't be more excited to add another driven subject matter expert to the team."

15:19 EST Bakkt, Plaid parnter to offer 'seamless' account linking for fiat onramps - Bakkt said it is partnering with Plaid to offer "faster, seamless" account linking for fiat onramps. "Since most retail investors keep the bulk of their cash in banks and other financial institutions, efficient fiat-to-crypto onramps between banks and crypto platforms greatly improve the user experience," Bakkt said. "The Bakkt and Plaid layered integration allows users to easily link their bank accounts to fund crypto trading. Bakkt provides the fiat-to-crypto onramps, while Plaid takes care of the verification process needed to link end users' bank accounts to enable transfer of fiat from their banks into their crypto wallet. Plaid also provides account linking functionality to more than 7,000 fintech apps." Reference Link

15:13 EST Nubia Brand International Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:04 EST Tingo receives Nasdaq notification of noncompliance - Tingo Group announced that on January 4, 2024, it received written notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that, as a result of the Form 8-K filed by the company on December 26, 2023, which disclosed that its previously issued financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the Forms 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, June 30, and September 30, 2023 should no longer be relied upon pending further investigation, the company is no longer in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires timely filing of all required periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nasdaq has determined to apply Listing Rule 5101 and requires that the company submit a plan no later than January 18, 2024, to regain compliance. If Nasdaq accepts the plan, Nasdaq can grant the company an extension of up to 180 calendar days from the Company's Form 8-K disclosure, or until June 24, 2024, to regain compliance.

13:01 EST Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 2 to 619 rigs

12:41 EST Citi sees 2024 U.S. cards NCL rates to rise above pre-COVID levels - Sees mid-single digit loan growth in both branded and retail cards in 2024.

12:38 EST Citi sees modest rebound in Investment Banking and Wealth in 2024 - Sees lower partner payments in Retail Services.

12:33 EST Pono Capital Three Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:18 EST Citi sees global growth slowing in 2024

12:00 EST QuantumScape falls -7.9% - QuantumScape is down -7.9%, or -64c to $7.46.

12:00 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -8.0% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -8.0%, or -51c to $5.87.

12:00 EST BP Prudhoe Bay rises 14.4% - BP Prudhoe Bay is up 14.4%, or 39c to $3.09.

11:56 EST Bank of America: Managing headcount by hiring less, not major job cuts

11:40 EST Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp IV trading resumes

11:30 EST Bank of America sees $16.4B of expenses in Q1, coming down after

11:29 EST Bank of America sees 'modest' deposit growth in 2H24

11:20 EST Bank of America 'well positioned' against new capital rules

11:16 EST Federal Court of Appeals affirms ruling in Masimo, Apple patent dispute - After Masimo (MASI) sued Apple (AAPL) for infringing the '703 patent, Apple petitioned for inter partes review of claims 1-7, 9-18, and 20-24 of the '703 patent, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit noted in a ruling posted to its site. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board construed the claimed "processing characteristics" as "determined from a signal received from one or more detectors configured to detect light." J.A. 14. Based on this construction, the Board assessed Apple's eight obviousness grounds, each of which addressed either or both of Diab and Amano. Ultimately, the Board concluded that Apple failed to show obviousness of the challenged claims. Apple appealed. The Court stated in a ruling posted today: "We have considered Apple's remaining arguments and find them unpersuasive. Accordingly, the decision of the Board is affirmed." Reference Link

11:07 EST Bank of America CEO: 2023 showed 'economic resilience'

11:06 EST Legrand acquires ZPE Systems, terms not disclosed - Legrand has announced its acquisition is complete of ZPE Systems, Inc., a Fremont, California-based company that offers critical solutions and services to deliver resilience and security for customers' business critical infrastructure. This includes serial console servers, sensors, and services routers that enable remote access and management of network IT equipment from data centers to the edge. The acquisition brings together ZPE's secure and open management infrastructure and services delivery platform for data center, branch, and edge environments to Legrand's comprehensive data center solutions of overhead busway, custom cabinets, intelligent PDUs, KVM switches, and advanced fiber solutions. ZPE Systems will become a business unit of Legrand's Data, Power, and Control Division. Arnaldo Zimmermann will continue to serve as Vice President and General Manager of ZPE Systems, reporting to Brian DiBella, President of Legrand's DPC Division.

11:00 EST Delta Air Lines says no plans to cut staffing levels

10:34 EST Mid Penn Bancorp announces new CFO after Allison Johnson departs - Mid Penn Bancorp announces the appointment of Justin Webb as Chief Financial Officer, effective January 8. Webb has served most recently as senior executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer. Webb replaces Allison Johnson, who departed the company on January 5, to pursue other opportunities.

10:30 EST Wells Fargo sees $700M in merit increases

10:18 EST Wells Fargo continuing to de-risk, reduce exposure in commercial real estate

10:13 EST Wells Fargo sees repurchasing more shares in 2024 vs. 2023

10:12 EST Wells Fargo taking credit tightening action as appropriate, says CEO

10:10 EST Delta Air Lines says expects demand to remain strong - Says rewarding employees with $1.4B in profit sharing payments in February. Says Airbus order complements fleet strategy. Says aircraft are 20% more fuel efficient than crafts they are replacing. Says completed transformation at Los Angeles airport ahead of schedule. Says completing generational rebuild of LaGuardia later this year. Says focused on delivering excellent reliability. Says customer base is in a healthy financial position. Says corporate travel continues to improve. Says expects another strong year internationally. Says well-positioned to build on momentum. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

10:00 EST Delta Air Lines falls -6.6% - Delta Air Lines is down -6.6%, or -$2.81 to $39.45.

10:00 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -9.1% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -9.1%, or -58c to $5.80.

10:00 EST DRDGold rises 9.4% - DRDGold is up 9.4%, or 69c to $7.97.

09:56 EST Zoomcar Holdings Inc trading resumes

09:47 EST NexGen Energy rises 9.2% - NexGen Energy is up 9.2%, or 65c to $7.70.

09:47 EST ZIM Integrated rises 9.7% - ZIM Integrated is up 9.7%, or $1.33 to $15.05.

09:47 EST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares falls -6.9% - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3x Shares is down -6.9%, or -44c to $5.94.

09:46 EST Wells Fargo: FY24 NII could potentially be 7%-9% lower than FY23 - Wells Fargo, in Q4 earnings conference call presentation slides, said 2024 net interest income could potentially be ~7%-9% lower than the full year 2023 level of $52.4B. The firm expects average loans to decline slightly, with modest growth in commercial loans and credit card loans in the second half of the year. Wells expects further attrition in Consumer Banking and Lending deposits resulting in a continued shift to a higher percentage of interest bearing deposits. Expectations assume the asset cap will remain in place for 2024. Sees NII troughing towards the end of the year. Wells currently anticipates ~$1.3B of ongoing business-related operating losses in 2024, such as fraud, theft, and other business as usual losses in 2024.

09:44 EST UnitedHealth says experienced one of best selling years ever - Says engagement and new membership are very important markers. Says starting 2024 at 50% new membership engagement. Says experienced diverse growth in one of best selling years ever. Says model translates. Says feels good about experience in 2023. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

09:38 EST Grubhub settles Massachusetts overcharging allegations for $3.5M - Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has announced a settlement with Just Eat Takeaway.com's Grubhub. The settlement resolves a 2021 lawsuit brought by the AG's office alleging that Grubhub illegally overcharged fees to Massachusetts restaurants in violation of the statutory fee cap in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under the settlement terms, Grubhub will pay a combined total of over $3.5M to impacted restaurants. Grubhub will also pay $125,000 to the Commonwealth. Reference Link

09:29 EST SMX secures $5M contract with R&I Trading - SMX is pleased to announce a $5M contract with R&I Trading of New York. This project, spearheaded by the SMX team, will deploy SMX's cutting-edge technology to enhance supply chain transparency with respect to a NATO member state and with the expectation of expanding to further NATO member states. This new agreement with R&I Trading aims to set new standards in brand protection, authentication, ethical sourcing, and origination, specifically for the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sector, including Beverage and Pharmaceutical industries. SMX's innovative approach will enable NATO member states to ensure the integrity and transparency of their supply chains, reflecting the company's commitment to ethical business practices and technological innovation.

09:16 EST Dassault Aviation receives order for 42 Rafales from French Air Force - At the end of December 2023, the French Defense Procurement Agency awarded Dassault Aviation an order for 42 Rafale combat aircraft, known as "tranche 5", for the French Air Force. The order book, plus the new "tranche 5" contract, secure production activity for the next ten years.

09:04 EST Cboe Global Markets launches margined Bitcoin and Ether futures - Cboe Digital announced it successfully launched margined Bitcoin and Ether futures and completed its first margined Bitcoin futures trade. With support from Blockfills, DV Trading LLC, Jump Trading Group, Marex, Toa Capital Partners and Wedbush in executing these trades, Cboe Digital becomes the first U.S. regulated crypto native exchange and clearinghouse to offer both spot and leveraged derivatives trading on a single platform.

09:02 EST Syla Technologies becomes largest shareholder of Riberesute - Syla Technologies completed the acquisition of common shares of Riberesute which the Company had previously announced on November 15, 2023. On January 12, 2024, pursuant to the agreement entered into by SYLA and Riberesute on November 15, 2023, Syla concluded the acquisition of 2,158,800 shares of Riberesute common stock from Riberesute's largest shareholder and other shareholders. As the result of the Share Acquisition, the Company's ownership interest in Riberesute became 20.39% of the total number of outstanding shares as of the end of May 2023, positioning Syla as the largest shareholder in Riberesute.

09:02 EST Cellebrite enters collaboration for investigations of crimes against children - Cellebrite DI announced a powerful collaboration aimed at reducing crimes against children and online child exploitation. This new campaign titled Operation Find Them All brings the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, The Exodus Road, Raven and Cellebrite together for the first time under a collective goal to accelerate investigations of online crimes against children and in doing so, help law enforcement find missing children, solve crimes involving exploited minors, remove harmful online images and bring perpetrators to justice. In addition to a financial investment to all three organizations, Cellebrite is providing NCMEC and The Exodus Road with in-kind use of its preeminent technology-namely Pathfinder, an AI-based Investigative Analytics solution, and Smart Search, a cloud-based OSINT tool for investigators-to help these organizations in their efforts to dismantle child exploitation and child sex trafficking rings by accelerating the time it takes for law enforcement to investigate persons and organizations of interest, analyze evidence, gather insights, develop and advance leads and rescue innocent survivors.

08:50 EST Delta Air Lines to purchase 20 A350-1000s from Airbus - Delta (DAL) announced it reached an agreement with Airbus (EADSY) to purchase twenty A350-1000s, with options for twenty additional widebody aircraft. Deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to begin in 2026. In addition to improved fuel efficiency, these aircraft will add higher gauge, more premium seating and greater cargo capabilities to the international widebody fleet. The company also announced a service agreement with Rolls Royce (RYCEY) to service its Trent XWB-97 engines. The order for the aircraft is within Delta's previously announced capital expenditure and capacity targets.

08:47 EST JPMorgan says 'encouraged' by level of capital markets activity - Says has strong pipeline. Says extent, timing of capital markets normalization is "uncertain." Says NII outlook assumes deposits "very modestly down." Says NII guidance assumes "meaningful sequential declines." Sees ongoing card loan growth, but not at 2023 levels. Seeing residual inflation effects in expense outlook.

08:45 EST Morgan Stanley to pay more than $249M to settle SEC fraud charges - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged investment banking giant Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and the former head of its equity syndicate desk, Pawan Passi, with a multi-year fraud involving the disclosure of confidential information about the sale of large quantities of stock known as "block trades." The SEC also charged Morgan Stanley with failing to enforce its policies concerning the misuse of material non-public information related to block trades. The SEC's order concerning Morgan Stanley finds that the firm willfully violated Sections 10(b) and 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5(b) thereunder, censures the firm, and orders it to pay approximately $138M in disgorgement, approximately $28M in prejudgment interest, and an $83M civil penalty. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York today announced criminal resolutions with Morgan Stanley and Passi. The SEC's ordered disgorgement and prejudgment interest for Morgan Stanley will be deemed partially satisfied by the forfeiture and restitution paid by the firm, which totals $136,531,223, pursuant to its criminal resolution, the SEC announced. Reference Link

08:35 EST Super Group comments on business ahead of conference - Super Group provided comments by management in advance of next week's conference participation. Neal Menashe, CEO stated, "We closed the year strong and reiterate our 2023 ex-US financial guidance of revenue of (EUR) 1.35 billion and operational EBITDA of at least (EUR) 240 million. For the year, we set annual records for both deposits and net gaming revenue and during the fourth quarter, we achieved a new record for unique monthly active customers, reflecting consistent customer engagement and our leading position in key markets. The growth in Africa continues and has resumed in Canada - this growth has more than offset the impact of regulatory changes in India. In the US, our net EBITDA investment for the year will be less than the (EUR) 70 million previously communicated. We are optimistic about another year of growth in 2024 and we plan to communicate our annual outlook when we announce our fourth quarter 2023 financial results in March."

08:35 EST Teradyne appoints Bridget van Kralingen to board of directors - Teradyne announced the election of Bridget van Kralingen to its Board of Directors effective January 12, 2024. Ms. van Kralingen was also appointed to the Board's Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Ms. van Kralingen is a Partner at Motive Partners, a specialist private equity firm focused on building, backing and buying financial technology companies.

08:31 EST Ally Financial names Doug Timmerman as interim CEO, effective February 1 - Ally Financial announced that Douglas Timmerman, president of dealer financial services, will become the company's interim CEO on Feb. 1, following the departure of current CEO Jeffrey Brown on January 31. During Timmerman's 30-plus years at Ally, he has held a wide variety of leadership positions across the company's auto finance and insurance business, most recently serving as president of dealer financial services where he is responsible for deepening relationships with 22,000 dealer customers. Under his leadership, Ally has cemented its position as the leading prime auto lender, optimizing the business significantly and increasing and diversifying the dealer customer base. Brown announced in October 2023 plans to step down as CEO of Ally Financial in early 2024.

08:28 EST Citi sees cutting 20,000 jobs in medium-term - Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call presentation slides.

08:04 EST Three New Jersey agencies select GovDeals to conduct online real estate sale - GovDeals announces that the Borough of Caldwell, Cape May County, and Dennis Township in New Jersey, have all joined more than 15,000 GovDeals sellers to offer their surplus real estate for sale to the public on its leading online marketplace for government agencies and educational institutions to sell surplus assets. By choosing to sell these properties online, these agencies can expose them to a wider range of potential buyers, resulting in increased returns. "After several successful real estate sales around the state, these three sellers, like numerous others, are starting to see the true value of selling their surplus real estate properties on the GovDeals platform," says Scott Pearlman, New Jersey account manager for GovDeals. GovDeals is powered by Liquidity Services.

08:02 EST Under Armour names Yassine Saidi as Chief Product Officer - Under Armour announced two new leadership appointments: Yassine Saidi as Chief Product Officer and Kara Trent as President of the Americas. Saidi will join the company on Jan. 29, and Trent, currently serving as the managing director of the company's EMEA region, will assume her new role in February. Both will report directly to President and CEO Stephanie Linnartz. Saidi brings nearly twenty years of industry brand experience, including adidas and PUMA, with deep roots and accomplishments in shaping the sneaker market and developing authentic performance gear. Kara Trent, who joined Under Armour in 2015, has been responsible for the company's second-largest business in EMEA since October 2021. Before Under Armour, she served in merchandising, planning, and buying roles in her 8-year tenure at PUMA and 5-year span at Reebok.

08:01 EST Kellanova announces executive leadership changes for No. America, Latin America - Kellanova announced the retirement of Chris Hood, President, Kellanova North America. Nicolas Amaya, currently President, Kellanova Latin America, will succeed Hood as President, Kellanova North America. Victor Marroquin, currently General Manager, Kellanova Mexico, will succeed Amaya as President, Kellanova Latin America. Both Region leaders will report to Chairman, President and CEO, Steve Cahillane. Transitions begin immediately, with Hood's retirement effective at the end of April 2024.

07:38 EST Belden expands operations in India with Phase 2 of Pune Plant - Belden has marked a significant milestone in its operations in India with the groundbreaking ceremony of expansion of their manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. This expansion adds to the existing footprint by 19,000 square meters and represents a substantial investment of approximately $40M, reaffirming Belden's commitment to meeting the region's burgeoning demand. The expansion will result in a substantial increase in Belden's production capabilities, allowing the company to meet the rising demands for network and data solutions. With this investment, Belden aims to strengthen its foothold in both domestic and foreign markets. The phase II of Chakan plant will serve as a hub for delivering high-quality products for network infrastructure solutions worldwide. Belden's expanded facility will be equipped to manufacture specialized Ethernet switches and firewalls designed for industrial and building automation, connectivity solutions and assemblies of patch cords and connectors tailored for diverse industrial applications, reinforcing Belden's global impact.

07:12 EST Starwood Capital acquires 10 hotels from Edwardian Group, no terms - Starwood Capital Group announced that a controlled affiliate has acquired a portfolio of 10 hotels from Edwardian Group for an undisclosed sum via an off-market transaction. The portfolio comprises 10 hotels with 2,053 rooms. Edwardian Group will continue to own and operate The Londoner and its two Radisson Collection hotels, The May Fair and The Edwardian Manchester, following closing of the transaction. Alongside the acquisition, Starwood Capital and Edwardian Group intend to collaborate on future opportunities together. As part of this relationship, Edwardian Group will continue to operate the portfolio on a transitional basis while Starwood Capital plans its future investment into the hotels.

07:03 EST Wells Fargo reports Q4 ROE 7.6%, ROTCE 9.0%

07:01 EST Wells Fargo CEO: We continue to execute on our strategic priorities - CEO Charlie Scharf commented, "Although our improved 2023 results benefited from the strong economic environment and higher interest rates, our continued focus on efficiency and strong credit discipline were important contributors as well." "We continue to execute on our strategic priorities and while it is early and we have more to do, we are starting to see improved growth and increased market share in parts of the company which we believe will drive higher returns over time. For example, our new credit card products have driven an increase in consumer spend at a rate significantly better than the industry average. We have also been investing in the Corporate and Investment Bank where revenue grew 26% from a year ago and our investment banking and trading market shares increased. The positive results in both areas were accomplished while maintaining our existing risk appetite," Scharf continued. "Additionally, continued execution of our more focused home lending strategy should also produce higher returns and earnings over the next several years. And while our Consumer, Small and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management businesses remain strong, opportunities to increase share are significant," Scharf added. "As we look forward, our business performance remains sensitive to interest rates and the health of the U.S. economy, but we are confident that the actions we are taking will drive stronger returns over the cycle. We are closely monitoring credit and while we see modest deterioration, it remains consistent with our expectations. Our capital position remains strong and returning excess capital to shareholders remains a priority," Scharf continued. "I want to thank everyone who works at Wells Fargo for their dedication, talent, and all they do to move our company forward." Scharf concluded.

06:50 EST JPMorgan CEO: We ended the year with a solid quarter - Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, commented: "We ended the year with a solid quarter, producing net income of $9.3 billion, or $12.1 billion excluding the FDIC special assessment and discretionary securities losses. Our record results in 2023 reflect over-earning on both NII and credit, but we remain confident in our ability to continue to deliver very healthy returns even after they normalize. Our balance sheet remained extremely strong, with a CET1 ratio of 15.0%, a staggering $514 billion of total loss-absorbing capacity and $1.4 trillion in cash and marketable securities. We continue to believe that the recent series of regulatory and legislative proposals, including Basel III endgame, could cause serious harm to consumers, businesses, and markets. We hope that regulators will make the necessary adjustments so the rules promote a strong financial system without causing undue consequences for end users. 2023 was a good example of the power of our investment philosophy and fortress principles, as well as the value of being there for clients-as we always are-in both good times and bad times. The result was continued growth broadly across the Firm. We will highlight a few examples: CCB added over 2 million net new checking accounts in 2023; CIB maintained its #1 rank in both IB and Markets and gained over 100bps of IB market share; CB added over 5,000 new relationships, roughly 2x the prior year; and AWM saw record client asset net inflows of $490 billion, over 20% higher than its prior record. The U.S. economy continues to be resilient, with consumers still spending, and markets currently expect a soft landing. It is important to note that the economy is being fueled by large amounts of government deficit spending and past stimulus. There is also an ongoing need for increased spending due to the green economy, the restructuring of global supply chains, higher military spending and rising healthcare costs. This may lead inflation to be stickier and rates to be higher than markets expect. On top of this, there are a number of downside risks to watch. Quantitative tightening is draining over $900 billion of liquidity from the system annually, and we have never seen a full cycle of tightening. And the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have the potential to disrupt energy and food markets, migration, and military and economic relationships, in addition to their dreadful human cost. These significant and somewhat unprecedented forces cause us to remain cautious. While we hope for the best, the past year demonstrated why we must be prepared for any environment. To conclude, I want to thank our tremendous employees for making us one of the most trusted financial institutions in the world. They work tirelessly to serve our clients, including extending credit and raising capital totaling $2.3 trillion, as well as providing continuity for First Republic customers."

06:37 EST Deciphera, GENESIS Pharma enter distribution agreement for RIPRETINIB - GENESIS Pharma and Deciphera Pharmaceuticals announce an exclusive distribution agreement for RIPRETINIB in 14 European markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Under the terms of the agreement, GENESIS Pharma will exclusively commercialize RIPRETINIB for the treatment of fourth-line gastrointestinal stromal tumor in: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. RIPRETINIB is approved in the European Union for the treatment of adult patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumour who have received prior treatment with three or more kinase inhibitors, including imatinib.

06:11 EST BlackRock to acquire GIP for $3B in cash and $12M in stock, sees accretion - BlackRock and Global Infrastructure Partners, or GIP, an independent infrastructure fund manager, jointly announce that they have entered into an agreement for BlackRock to acquire GIP for total consideration of $3B of cash and approximately 12M shares of BlackRock common stock. Under the terms of the transaction, BlackRock will acquire 100% of the business and assets of GIP for total consideration of $3B in cash and approximately 12M shares of BlackRock common stock. Approximately 30% of the total consideration, all in stock, will be deferred and is expected to be issued in approximately five years, subject to the satisfaction of certain post-closing events. BlackRock intends to fund the cash consideration through $3B of additional debt. BlackRock is currently rated AA- with S&P and Aa3 with Moody's, and this transaction is not expected to meaningfully change its leverage profile. The deal is expected to be modestly accretive to BlackRock's as-adjusted earnings per share and operating margin in the first full year post-close. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024 subject to customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

05:27 EST Tuniu receives noncompliance notification from Nasdaq - Tuniu announced that it has received written notification from the staff of the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market, indicating that for the last 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price for the company's American depositary shares, or ADSs, was below the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450. The Nasdaq notification letter has no current effect on the listing or trading of the company's securities on the Nasdaq Global Market.

05:17 EST Caledonia Mining sees FY24 gold production 74,000-78,000 ounces - Sees Fy24 capital expenditures $34.4M, which includes planned exploration at Motapa and further work on the Bilboes feasibility. The company said, "Anticipated group capital expenditure of $34.4m includes approximately $20m of sustaining investment (which is included in all-in sustaining cost guidance) and $14.4m of expansion expenditure, which includes investment in a new tailings storage facility with a life of approximately 12 years and further underground development. Expansion expenditure also includes $2m on preliminary exploration at Motapa and $3.5m on further work on the Bilboes feasibility studies. On-mine costs are expected to be consistent with costs incurred in 2023. Caledonia continues to work on the feasibility studies in respect of the Bilboes sulphide project to determine the optimal implementation strategy for the project. This work includes updating the existing feasibility study for a project producing approximately 170,000oz of gold per annum and work on an alternative phased approach to the project."

05:11 EST Stellantis invests in Tiamat, terms undisclosed - Stellantis announced its participation as a strategic investor in Tiamat, a France-based company that is developing and commercializing sodium-ion battery technology. Sodium-ion technology offers a lower cost per kilowatt-hour and is free of lithium and cobalt. Abundantly available sodium offers benefits in increased sustainability and material sovereignty. "Exploring new options for more sustainable and affordable batteries that use widely available raw materials is a key part of our ambitions of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan that will see us reach carbon net zero by 2038," said Ned Curic, Stellantis chief engineering and technology officer. "Our customers are asking for emissions-free vehicles that offer a combination of robust driving range, performance and affordability. This is our North Star, as Stellantis and its partners work today to develop ground-breaking technologies for the future." Tiamat is a spin-off of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, or CNRS. The company will use proceeds from the fundraising round that includes Stellantis Ventures to launch construction of a sodium-ion battery plant in France for power tools and stationary storage applications first, and then targeting to scale-up production of second-generation products for BEV applications.