Stockwinners Market Radar for October 03, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:07 EDT Large U.S. consumer names modestly higher afterhours as port strike ends - The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance announce they have "reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume." Shares of large U.S. consumer names were modestly higher afterhours on the announcement: Walmart (WMT) ended the session up 0.5%, Target (TGT) up 0.7%, Costco (COST) up 0.4%, BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) up 0.4%, Best Buy (BBY) up 0.6%, Dollar General (DG) up 1.1%, Amazon.com (AMZN) up 1.2%, and Wayfair (W) up 1.9%.Reference Link

19:50 EDT Biodexa Pharmaceuticals PLC-ADR trading halted, news pending

19:13 EDT Zuora CEO Tzuo sells 63,873 class A shares - In a regulatory filing, Zuora chairman and CEO Tien Tzuo disclosed the sale of 63,873 class A common shares of the company on October 3 at a price of $8.3436 per share.

18:37 EDT Extra Space Storage CEO sells $1.34M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Extra Space Storage disclosed that its CEO Joseph Margolis sold 7.5K shares of common stock on October 1st in a total transaction size of $1.34M.

17:51 EDT Illumina general counsel Charles Dadswell to step down - Illumina announced that after 11 years of service, Charles "Chuck" Dadswell will step down as General Counsel and Secretary on October 3. Dadswell has agreed to remain an Illumina employee, serving as an advisor to CEO Jacob Thaysen and the Board of Directors, through March 31, 2025. Scott Davies has been named acting General Counsel and Secretary while the company conducts a search for Dadswell's permanent successor. "Throughout his tenure, Chuck has been a valuable advisor to Illumina's leadership team and its Board of Directors. He is a respected industry leader whose expertise and advice helped Illumina reach the industry leadership role it holds today," said Jacob Thaysen, Chief Executive Officer of Illumina. "I want to personally thank Chuck for his advice and assistance as I was joining Illumina. I speak for everyone at Illumina when I say how appreciative we are for his many contributions to our organization."

17:37 EDT Bristol Myers announces FDA approval of Opdivo for treatment of NSCLC - Bristol Myers announced that the FDA approved Opdivo for the treatment of adult patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, and no known epidermal growth factor receptor mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements, for neoadjuvant treatment, in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy, followed by single-agent Opdivo as adjuvant treatment after surgery - otherwise referred to as perioperative therapy, which is used before and after surgery. The approval is based on results from the CheckMate-77T trial, the company's second positive Phase 3 randomized trial with an immunotherapy-based combination for the treatment of resectable NSCLC.

17:33 EDT Patterson-UTI reports September drilling activity - Patterson-UTI reported that for the month of September 2024, the Company had an average of 107 drilling rigs operating in the United States. For the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Company had an average of 107 drilling rigs operating in the United States.

17:12 EDT Exxon Mobil estimates effects of market factors impacting Q3 results - The company sees change in Liquids (oil) prices negatively impact Q3 earnings by $0.6B to $1.0B and change in gas prices impact Q3 earnings by negative $0.2B to positive $0.2B. In a regulatory filing, Exxon Mobil stated: "To give perspective regarding market and planned factors affecting 3Q 2024 results, we are providing the following summary of items management believes will impact 3Q 2024 results relative to 2Q 2024 results. These factors are generally limited to significant planned activities, market dynamics, and seasonal demand patterns. This is only intended to provide information regarding current estimates of these factors. It is not comprehensive of all changes between 2Q 2024 and 3Q 2024 results and is not an estimate of 3Q 2024 earnings for the Corporation." Reference Link

17:03 EDT Amkor Technology, TSMC to collaborate on advanced packaging in Arizona - Amkor Technology (AMKR) and TSMC (TSM) announced that the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate and bring advanced packaging and test capabilities to Arizona, further expanding the region's semiconductor ecosystem. Amkor and TSMC have been closely collaborating to deliver technologies for advanced packaging and testing of semiconductors to support critical markets such as high-performance computing and communications. Under the agreement, TSMC will contract turnkey advanced packaging and test services from Amkor in their planned facility in Peoria, Arizona. TSMC will leverage these services to support its customers, particularly those using TSMC's advanced wafer fabrication facilities in Phoenix. The close collaboration and proximity of TSMC's front-end fab and Amkor's back-end facility will accelerate overall product cycle times. The companies will jointly define the specific packaging technologies, such as TSMC's Integrated Fan-Out and Chip on Wafer on Substrate that will be employed to address common customers' needs.

17:00 EDT Palo Alto Networks CTO sells $12.0M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Palo Alto Networks disclosed that its CTO Nir Zuk sold 36K shares of common stock on October 1st in a total transaction size of $12.0M.

16:35 EDT Ultragenyx provides update on Cyprus2+ study, to submit protocol amendment - Ultragenyx reported that the Phase 1/2/3 Cyprus2+ study of its UX701 gene therapy has demonstrated meaningful clinical activity as well as improvements in copper metabolism in Stage 1. Multiple responders have completely tapered off of standard-of-care treatment with responses seen in all three dose cohorts. The company plans to enroll an additional cohort in Stage 1 at a moderately increased dose and with an optimized immunomodulation regimen to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of the gene therapy, with the objective of having the majority of patients come off of standard-of-care treatment before selecting a dose for the randomized placebo-controlled stage of the study. In Stage 1, 15 patients were enrolled into three sequential dosing cohorts and followed for at least 24 weeks. Six of the patients have completely tapered off of standard-of-care treatment with chelators and/or zinc therapy, and a seventh patient has begun to taper as of the data cut-off date in August. In patients who have tapered off standard-of-care, non-ceruloplasmin bound copper has stabilized to normal, healthy levels. In some patients, there were increases in ceruloplasmin-copper activity consistent with improved ATP7b function. From a safety perspective, UX701 has been well tolerated, with no unexpected, related treatment emergent adverse events and no significant immunologic safety events as of the data cut-off. The company will be submitting a protocol amendment for the additional cohort at a moderately increased dose and with an optimized immunomodulation regimen to optimize delivery efficiency and efficacy for the AAV vector.

16:33 EDT AMN Healthcare appoints Brian Scott CFO, COO - AMN Healthcare (AMN) announced that Brian Scott has been appointed CFO and COO, effective November 21. In this role, Scott will be responsible for AMN's finance and enterprise operating functions as the company continues to evolve its model to be more automated and scaled. Scott is returning to AMN, where he previously held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility in finance, strategy and accounting over his 17-year tenure, including serving as CFO and chief accounting officer from 2011 to 2021. Most recently, Scott served as CFO of Jack in the Box (JACK).

16:31 EDT PennyMac Financial CCMO Chang to step down - PennyMac Financial Services (PFSI) and PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (PMT) announced that William Chang is stepping down from his positions as Senior Managing Director and Chief Capital Markets Officer for PFSI and Senior Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer for PMT, in order to pursue other interests in the mortgage banking industry. In April of last year Pennymac hired industry veteran Mark Elbaum to leverage the platform it built to drive additional value for the company through strategic initiatives. Mr. Elbaum has held leadership roles at previous companies including Homepoint Financial, Bank of America and Countrywide that have included oversight of capital markets, pricing products and hedging. He has significant mortgage banking experience and has been in active collaboration with the production, pricing and capital markets teams in his tenure at Pennymac. Mr. Elbaum will assume the responsibilities of Chief Capital Markets Officer for PFSI and Chief Investment Officer for PMT upon Mr. Chang's departure. "At Pennymac, we have a deep bench consisting of talented leaders who I believe are among the best in the industry," said Chairman and CEO David Spector. "To ensure a smooth transition, I have asked Mark to step into the roles on an interim basis, with the utmost confidence in his ability to lead our capital markets group."

16:28 EDT Procter & Gamble exec Davis sells 4,447 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Procter & Gamble Health Care CEO Jennifer Davis disclosed the sale of 4,447 common shares of the company on October 2 at a price of $171.6541 per share.

16:18 EDT Sonida Senior Living to acquire two senior living communities in GA for $29M - On October 1, 2024, the Company signed a purchase and sale agreement to acquire two senior living communities in the Atlanta, GA market for $29.0M. Sonida intends to fund the transaction with cash on its balance sheet and proceeds from its senior secured revolving credit facility. The assets have an average age of five years and will add 178 units to Sonida's portfolio. Consistent with the Company's focus on regional densification, the acquisition brings Sonida's Atlanta portfolio total to three assets and further grows its exposure to highly attractive Southeast markets. The portfolio's in-place occupancy and average RevPOR are 86% and more than $5,700, respectively. Sonida's purchase price is approximately $173,000 per unit, which reflects a significant discount to the Company's estimate of replacement cost and expands Sonida's accretive acquisitions year-to-date as the Company capitalizes on historically favorable senior housing trends. On October 3, 2024, the Company closed on an additional $75 million commitment under the senior secured revolving credit facility (the "Credit Facility") it entered with BMO Bank N.A. on July 24, 2024. The incremental $75 million availability, which was provided by the Royal Bank of Canada, results in a total aggregate commitment under the Credit Facility of up to $150 million.

16:16 EDT Verde Clean Fuels names George Burdette as new CFO - Verde Clean Fuels announces the appointment of George Burdette as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Burdette will be responsible for all aspects of finance for the Company. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Burdette served as CFO of Arbor Renewable Gas, a private equity owned renewable fuels platform. Prior to Arbor, Mr. Burdette served as CFO of Itafos, a publicly traded, global phosphate fertilizer producer.

16:12 EDT Trevi Therapeutics provides update on Haduvio's clinical development program - Trevi Therapeutics provided updates on its clinical development programs for investigational therapy Haduvio - oral nalbuphine ER - for the treatment of chronic cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - IPF - and refractory chronic cough - RCC. The Phase 2b CORAL trial for the treatment of chronic cough in patients with IPF has enrolled 50% of the targeted study enrollment, which is the number of patients needed for the pre-specified sample size re-estimation. The outcome of the SSRE result is expected in December. Assuming no adjustments are made to the sample size, topline results are expected in the first half of 2025. The Human Abuse Potential completed dosing. Topline results are expected in December. The Phase 2a RIVER trial for the treatment of RCC has enrolled the planned sample size but remains open to allow for additional enrollment in both arms to approximate the stratification targets. Topline results are now expected in Q1 2025.

16:11 EDT Martin Midstream Partners to be acquired by Martin Resource Management - Martin Midstream Partners announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Martin Resource Management Corporation would acquire all of the outstanding common units of MMLP not already owned by MRMC and its subsidiaries. The Merger Agreement follows the offer made by MRMC in May 2024 to acquire the Public Common Units. The Merger Agreement provides for an all-cash transaction whereby each holder of the Public Common Units would receive $4.02 per common unit owned, representing a 34.00% premium to the market closing price prior to MRMC's initial proposal made on May 24, 2024 and an 11.33% premium to the trailing 30-trading day volume-weighted average price. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval and the approval by the holders of a majority of the outstanding common units.

16:07 EDT Thomson Reuters to sell FindLaw business to Internet Brands - Thomson Reuters has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its FindLaw business to Internet Brands. Internet Brands is a fully integrated online media and software services company that is operates digital platforms in high-value vertical categories, including Health and Legal. This transaction will allow both Thomson Reuters and Internet Brands to concentrate on their strategic priorities. The transaction is expected to close Q4, pending regulatory approvals.

16:04 EDT Jack in the Box CFO Brian Scott leaves company - Jack in the Box announced the resignation of EVP and Chief Financial Officer Brian Scott, who has accepted a new position outside of the restaurant industry. To assist with a smooth transition, his last day with Jack in the Box will be November 20th. Dawn Hooper, a Jack in the Box veteran of 24 years who has previously served as interim chief financial officer, will assume the role of principal financial officer on November 1st and interim CFO upon Scott's departure. She is expected to remain in the role until a permanent successor is appointed. "I'd like to thank Brian for his contributions to Jack in the Box, and for being a valuable part of our team during his time with the company," said Darin Harris, chief executive officer. "I am committed to finding an excellent financial leader to be a part of the transformation we have been pursuing, and the ambition we have for our two brands."

16:03 EDT Solaris Energy Infrastructure COO Price to retire - Solaris Energy Infrastructure announced that Kelly Price, Chief Operating Officer, will be retiring from the company, effective December 31, 2024. Price has served as Solaris' COO since early 2017 and will continue to support the company during the transition period to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities. Upon retirement, Price will serve as an advisor to the company throughout 2025. "On behalf of our Board of Directors and the Company, I want to express my deepest appreciation for Kelly and his contributions to Solaris. Kelly has been an integral part of the Solaris executive team since joining us in 2017 prior to our Initial Public Offering. Kelly's leadership in driving operational efficiency and delivering strategic organic initiatives has contributed to the overall growth and success of the Company. I wish Kelly all the best in his well-deserved retirement," Bill Zartler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Solaris commented. In connection with Price's retirement, the company will commence a search for a successor to the COO role and expects to consider both internal and external candidates.

16:01 EDT IonQ demonstrates remote ion-ion entanglement - The company states: "IonQ announced it has achieved the next milestone on the path towards scaling its quantum systems - demonstrating remote ion-ion entanglement. Building off the ion-photon entanglement achievement announced in February, this demonstration announced in September showcases the second out of four significant milestones required to develop photonic interconnects - a foundational step towards quantum networking and a core component of IonQ's scaling strategy. IonQ's world-class R&D team entangled two trapped ion qubits from separate trap wells using entangled photons to achieve these results. The IonQ team achieved remote entanglement by developing a system to collect photons from two trap wells and routing them to a single detection hub. This critical "point-to-point" step established a quantum communication link - an essential piece in scaling quantum systems. While IonQ has always intended to implement photonic interconnects in its systems, never before has any company demonstrated the ability to bring this technology to an integration stage within a commercially available, enterprise-grade quantum computer."

15:31 EDT OpenAI introduces new way of working with ChatGPT, Canvas - Earlier on Thursday, OpenAI introduced a new way of working with ChatGPT... The company blogged in part: "We're introducing canvas, a new interface for working with ChatGPT on writing and coding projects that go beyond simple chat. Canvas opens in a separate window, allowing you and ChatGPT to collaborate on a project. This early beta introduces a new way of working together-not just through conversation, but by creating and refining ideas side by side....People use ChatGPT every day for help with writing and code. Although the chat interface is easy to use and works well for many tasks, it's limited when you want to work on projects that require editing and revisions. Canvas offers a new interface for this kind of work. With canvas, ChatGPT can better understand the context of what you're trying to accomplish. You can highlight specific sections to indicate exactly what you want ChatGPT to focus on. Canvas opens automatically when ChatGPT detects a scenario in which it could be helpful. You can also include "use canvas" in your prompt to open canvas and use it to work on an existing project...Investors in OpenAI include Microsoft (MSFT), Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, Fidelity Management, Nvidia (NVDA), and SoftBank (SFTBY). Reference Link

15:11 EDT WHO approves Abbott Molecular mpox diagnostic test for emergency use - The World Health Organization, or WHO, has listed the first mpox in vitro diagnostic under its Emergency Use Listing, or EUL, procedure, calling it "an important step in improving global access to mpox testing." WHO stated: "The approval for emergency use of the Alinity m MPXV assay, manufactured by Abbott Molecular Inc., will be pivotal in expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing mpox outbreaks, where the need for quick and accurate testing has risen sharply. Early diagnosis of mpox enables timely treatment and care, and control of the virus." Reference Link

14:53 EDT Senator Warren urges regulator 'to apply four-step framework to Citi' - In a letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Senator Elizabeth Warren said, "In August 2020, Citibank mistakenly wired $900M to Revlon, one of its borrowers, resulting in one of the 'biggest blunders in banking history.' According to press reports, Citi's poorly designed payment software 'almost encouraged bank personnel to make huge mistakes' and contributed to the faulty transfer. You were responsible for supervising Citi in the fallout from that disaster, to ensure that it quickly remedied those failures, but you admitted in July 2024-over four years later-that Citi 'failed to make sufficient and sustainable progress towards achieving compliance with the 2020 Consent Order.' Despite your admission of Citi's noncompliance... you refuse to take meaningful action to rein in this unruly bank. Last year, in a speech on large banks' 'too-big-to manage problem,' you described a 'four step escalation framework' that the OCC would follow in cases where massive banks had 'control failures, risk management breakdowns, and negative surprises [that] occur too frequently.' You described the four steps: private warnings; public enforcement and fines; growth restrictions; and the breaking up of recidivist banks, and you vowed that the OCC would follow this framework. It is time to do so. I urge you to apply your four-step framework to Citi, which has proven itself to be too-big-to-manage by repeatedly failing to protect its customers and meet bank regulators' standards." Reference Link

12:06 EDT Fisk Electric awarded first phase of $147M electrical contract for Harris Health - Tutor Perini's Fisk Electric Company has been awarded the first phase of a guaranteed maximum price contract currently valued at approximately $147M by McCarthy Building Companies for electrical services for the new Harris Health hospital on the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital campus in Houston, Texas. The project owner is Harris Health. Fisk Electric's scope of work includes the core and shell and tenant finish-out electrical and fire alarm components for the ground-up construction of the new hospital tower and podium. Work is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024 with substantial completion of the entire electrical contract anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2028. The new 12-story hospital is expected to open in late 2028. The new hospital will include approximately 1.3 million square feet and will feature 390 private rooms, with the space to add 60 more when additional capacity is needed. With a rooftop helipad, 15 dedicated operating rooms and a cutting-edge hybrid operating room, the hospital is designed to cater to a wide range of medical needs from routine procedures to the most complex emergency surgeries. The initial $29M portion of the overall contract value was added to the Company's backlog in the third quarter of 2024 with the remaining portions to be added to backlog as subsequent phases are awarded.

12:00 EDT Youdao falls -15.5% - Youdao is down -15.5%, or -92c to $5.03.

12:00 EDT First Foundation rises 6.8% - First Foundation is up 6.8%, or 40c to $6.35.

12:00 EDT AMTD Digital rises 19.7% - AMTD Digital is up 19.7%, or 77c to $4.68.

11:37 EDT McDonald's launches Chicken Big Mac in U.S. restaurants - McDonald's announced the McDonald's Chicken Big Mac, a twist on the original Big Mac that has been a fan favorite since 1968, will debut in the U.S. After making appearances on McDonald's menus around the world, U.S. fans are now getting their chance to experience this limited time offer starting Oct. 10, at participating locations while supplies last.

11:29 EDT Korn Ferry expands Interim Talent operation into France - Korn Ferry announced that it is expanding its Interim Talent operation into France. As part of this expansion, the firm also announced that Laurent David has joined Korn Ferry to lead this solution in France. He is based in the firm's Paris office. David joins Korn Ferry from a European interim talent management firm where he led the digital & technology and sales & marketing practices.

11:16 EDT Texas sues insulin manufacturers, PBMs over insulin prices - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit against insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers, including Eli Lilly (LLY), Cigna's (CI) Express Scripts, CVS Pharmacy (CVS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), Sanofi (SNY) and UnitedHealth (UNH), "over a conspiracy to increase prices of insulin." In a statement, Paxton said, "Through this conspiracy, the manufacturers artificially and willingly raised the prices of insulin then paid a significant, undisclosed portion back to the PBMs as a quid pro quo for inclusion in the PBMs' standard offerings. The PBMs then granted preferred status to the manufacturer whose drug has the highest list price while excluding lower priced drugs. These synthetic insulin drugs, which today cost the manufacturers less than $2 to produce and were originally priced at $20 when released in the late 1990s, now range between $300 and $700. In the last decade alone, the manufacturers who are defendants in the lawsuit have increased the prices of their insulins up to 1,000%. Attorney General Paxton is suing because the insulin pricing scheme violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, constitutes unjust enrichment, and represents an unlawful civil conspiracy." Reference Link

11:09 EDT EON Resources completes infrastructure upgrades increasing daily oil production - EON Resources announced the completion of infrastructure improvements and upgrades increasing daily oil production to over 1,000 gross barrels of oil per day range from the inherited baseline of 925 BOPD. In addition to the oil production starting to increase, infrastructure improvements have increased water injection by 50% from previous levels. The impact of water injection is not immediate, but does improve oil production over the following several months. The completion of these projects will enhance production for the next three-to-five years. Along with the aforementioned improvements, the company instituted a chemical /acidizing treatment program on 24 wells which resulted in an increase of 80 BOPD; the cost of this project was only $5,500 per well, with a payback period of less than 2 months. Oil production stabilized during the summer, and the company is now seeing increased daily production without increased operating costs.

11:06 EDT Milestone announces rollout of CompuFlo Epidural System at iHeal Pain Center - Milestone Scientific announced that iHeal Pain Center has adopted the CompuFlo Epidural System following epidural steroid injection procedures by Dr. Desai, DO. Dr. Desai has performed six cervical and two lumbar ESI procedures using the CompuFlo Epidural System, leading to its integration within the clinic. This milestone marks the launch of the next phase of Milestone Scientific's commercial activities, following the recent achievement of a granted Medicare Part B Physician payment rate with First Coast Service Options and Novitas Solutions, Inc. for the CompuFlo Epidural System under the American Medical Association's technology-specific Category III CPT code CPT0777T. The favorable Medicare Price Assignment was granted across multiple Jurisdictional Medicare Administrative Contractors regions, including key states such as Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, District of Columbia, and Delaware.

10:45 EDT OpenAI announces $4B credit facility, allowing access to over $10B in liquidity - OpenAI announced that in addition to securing $6.6B in new funding from investors, it has established a new $4B credit facility with JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Citi (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), Santander (SAN), Wells Fargo (WFC), SMBC (SMFG), UBS (UBS), and HSBC (HSBC). This is a revolving credit facility that is undrawn at closing. OpenAI said: "This means we now have access to over $10B in liquidity, which gives us the flexibility to invest in new initiatives and operate with full agility as we scale. It also reaffirms our partnership with an exceptional group of financial institutions, many of whom are also OpenAI customers." "This credit facility further strengthens our balance sheet and provides flexibility to seize future growth opportunities," said Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI. "We are proud to have the strongest banks and investors in the world supporting us."

10:31 EDT MultiPlan names Curren Katz as chief data science officer - MultiPlan Corporation (MPLN) announced an addition to its leadership team and two internal promotions within its Legal team. Curren Katz, PhD has been appointed Chief Data Science Officer. In this newly created role, Katz will lead the company's efforts and accelerate its expertise in data science and AI. She joins MultiPlan from Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) pharmaceuticals, where she served most recently as Global Head, Strategic Business Transformation after leading Data Science and Digital Health. Tara O' Neil has been promoted to General Counsel from her former role as the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. Scott Mays has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Legal and Deputy General Counsel from his former role as Vice President, Legal and Associate General Counsel.

10:11 EDT VivoPower's Tembo enters partnership agreement with Sarao Motors - Tembo E-LV announced its definitive partnership agreement with Philippine jeepney manufacturer Sarao Motors. With a strategic focus on delivering purpose-driven sustainable transport solutions, Tembo will provide Sarao with solutions to electrify the next generation of public utility jeepneys. Deliveries of Tembo's electric jeepney kits are already en route to the Philippines and expected to be at Sarao's headquarters in Las Pinas City, Metro Manila within the next weeks.

10:05 EDT Google signs 12-year power purchase agreement with energyRe - energyRe announced that Google has signed a 12-year power purchase agreement to purchase renewable energy from a 435-megawatt solar project to be developed, owned, and operated by energyRe. energyRe will supply electricity and Renewable Energy Credits generated from the solar project to Google to power the equivalent of more than 56,000 homes. The project will support Google's 2030 goal to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid where the company operates.

10:03 EDT EVgo jumps 42% to $5.59 after JPMorgan upgrade, Energy Department loan

10:00 EDT BlackSky rises 6.4% - BlackSky is up 6.4%, or 32c to $5.31.

10:00 EDT AMTD Digital rises 35.5% - AMTD Digital is up 35.5%, or $1.39 to $5.30.

10:00 EDT Ingevity falls -14.6% - Ingevity is down -14.6%, or -$5.46 to $32.00.

09:50 EDT Ingevity falls -10.9% - Ingevity is down -10.9%, or -$4.08 to $33.38.

09:48 EDT Youdao falls -12.8% - Youdao is down -12.8%, or -76c to $5.19.

09:47 EDT Studio City rises 6.5% - Studio City is up 6.5%, or 55c to $9.00.

09:43 EDT Cemtrex trading resumes

09:33 EDT A2Z to effect 1-for-2.5 reverse share split - A2Z Cust2Mate Solutions will effect a 1-for-2.5 reverse share split of its common shares, no par value per share. The Reverse Share Split will become effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on October 8, 2024, and the Common Shares will commence trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on a post-split basis at the opening of the market on October 8, 2024. The Common Shares will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the Company's existing trading symbol, "AZ," and a new CUSIP number 002205102 has been assigned as a result of the Reverse Share Split. The Reverse Share 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.

09:31 EDT HNI Corporation CFO Marshall Bridges to retire, Vincent Paul Berger to succeed - HNI Corporation announced Marshall Bridges notified the corporation of his decision to retire as senior VP and CFO, effective December 28. On October 1, the board of directors appointed Vincent Paul Berger II as executive VP and CFO, effective December 29. Berger is a 27-year HNI member, serving as EVP and President of Hearth and Home Technologies since 2016. Following his retirement from full-time employment, Bridges will continue in a part-time role assisting the corporation with strategic projects focused in the area of artificial intelligence.

09:25 EDT Diana Shipping announces direct continuation of time charter contract - Diana Shipping has extended the time charter contract with Aquavita International S.A., for one of its Post-Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Phaidra. The gross charter rate is $12,000 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum May 1, 2025 up to maximum July 15, 2025. The new charter period is expected to commence on October 11, 2024. The "Phaidra" is a 87,146 dwt Post-Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2013. The employment of "Phaidra" is anticipated to generate approximately $2.4 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

09:15 EDT IQVentures to complete acquisition of The Aaron's Company - The Aaron's Company and IQVentures announced that they expect to complete the previously announced acquisition by IQVentures of The Aaron's Company later today. The acquisition was originally announced on June 17, 2024, and approved by The Aaron's Company shareholders on September 25, 2024. Upon completion of the transaction, The Aaron's Company's common stock will cease trading and will no longer be listed on the NYSE.

09:13 EDT CleanSpark provides September Bitcoin mining update - CleanSpark released its unaudited bitcoin mining and operations update for the month ending September 30, 2024. September Bitcoin Mining Update: Bitcoin mined in September: 493; CY2024 bitcoin mined: 5,079; FY2024 bitcoin mined: 7,098; Total bitcoin holdings as of September 30: 8,049; Total bitcoin sold in September: 2.5; Deployed fleet: 188,520; Fleet efficiency: 21.94 J/Th; Month-end operating hashrate: 27.6 EH/s

09:11 EDT Del Taco debuts Del's Mucho Meal$ value menu - Del Taco is winning in the value space with the launch of its NEW Del's Mucho Meal$, where guests have 4 brand new meal combos to choose from. NEW Del's Mucho Meal$ start at $4.49* and each includes a Mini Cinnamon Churro, small Crinkle Cut Fries, and a 16oz Fountain Drink, with the option to upgrade to Medium or Macho Crinkle Cut Fries and Drink. The full list of NEW Del's Mucho Meal$ includes: $4.49 Snack Taco Mucho Meal: For the taco fans, get 2 Snack Tacos, a Mini Cinnamon Churro, small Crinkle Cut Fries, and a 16oz Fountain Drink for only $4.49! $5.49 B&C Burrito Mucho Meal: Grab 2 of our favorites! A Bean & Cheese Burrito with choice of red or green sauce, a Grilled Chicken Taco, a Mini Cinnamon Churro, small Crinkle Cut Fries, and a 16oz Fountain Drink for only $5.49! $6.49 Double Taco Mucho Meal: Enjoy our Double Taco Mucho Meal with a The Del Taco, a Grilled Chicken Taco, a Mini Cinnamon Churro, small Crinkle Cut Fries, and a 16oz Fountain Drink for only $6.49! $7.49 Chicken Lover's Mucho Meal: Enjoy our Chicken Lover's Mucho Meal with a Grilled Chicken Taco, a Chicken Cheddar Roller with choice of green sauce, ranch or chipotle, a Snack Queso Quesadilla, a Mini Cinnamon Churro, small Crinkle Cut Fries, and a 16oz Fountain Drink for only $7.49!

09:09 EDT Tetra Tech wins $249M multiple-award USACE environmental services contract - Tetra Tech announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USACE , Omaha District, awarded the Company a $249M, multiple-award contract to provide environmental assessment and design services at facilities and sites throughout the United States. Under this 7-year contract Tetra Tech's scientists, engineers, and technical specialists will perform comprehensive environmental services including the development of water resource management plans, assessment and protection of ecosystems, and design of sustainable building elements to maximize water and energy efficiency. "Tetra Tech has supported the USACE for more than 40 years to restore and protect the environmental resources at its facilities," said Dan Batrack, Tetra Tech Chairman and CEO. "As the top-ranked firm in Environmental Management by Engineering News-Record for the past 15 years, we are pleased to use our Leading with Science approach to support the USACE in addressing their most complex environmental challenges."

09:08 EDT Onconetix announces financing through $2M private placement - Onconetix announced the signing and closing of a private placement of 3,499 shares of the Company's Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, $0.00001 par value, and warrants to acquire up to an aggregate of 591,856 additional shares of the Company's common stock, $0.00001 par value per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $2.0 million. The Series C Preferred Stock are initially convertible into an aggregate of 776,590 shares of Common Stock, subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments. The Warrants will have an exercise price of $4.38 per share, subject to customary adjustments, and are exercisable beginning six months and one day after the issuance date and expiring on the third anniversary of the Initial Exercisability Date. The Company has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 3, 2024, with additional details of the transaction. The Company agreed to seek stockholder approval for the issuance of all of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock and exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Company intends to use the gross proceeds from the private placement for working capital and general corporate purposes. Tungsten Advisors served as financial advisor to Onconetix. Additionally, on October 2, 2024, Onconetix entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement with an equity line institutional investor, whereby the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Purchaser, and, subject to limited exceptions, the Purchaser is obligated to purchase, up to $25 million of newly issued shares of the Company's common stock. The Company's right to commence sales of Common Stock to the Purchaser are subject to certain conditions, including that a registration statement covering the resale of such shares is declared effective by the SEC. Actual sales of shares of Common Stock to the Purchaser under the Purchase Agreement will depend on a variety of factors to be determined by the Company from time to time, including, among others, market conditions, the trading price of the Common Stock and determinations by the Company as to the appropriate sources of funding and the Company's operations.

09:07 EDT PNC Bank, Akoya announce expansion of existing integration - PNC Bank and Akoya announced the expansion of their existing integration to support corporate data sharing through the Akoya data access network. This feature enhances the ability of corporate clients to securely share their financial data with third parties, including fintechs and data aggregators, that power platforms they use to run their businesses, enhancing security and reliability through API-based connections.

09:05 EDT Mosaicx partners with Vibrant Emotional Health or georouting capabilities - Mosaicx announced that its intelligent routing technology powers new georouting capabilities for the 988 Lifeline. Since the 988 Lifeline debuted in 2022, Mosaicx has been committed to enhancing its accessibility and responsiveness through vital backend technology. Mosaicx and Vibrant are working to continuously improve crisis care solutions. The new georouting solution is designed to protect help seekers' privacy while still allowing them to access localized support. Georouting identifies the county from which a call is initiated and connects the help seeker to a geographically appropriate crisis call center. This capability is crucial to providing localized support because in many cases a caller's current location does not match their area code.

09:05 EDT Cipher Mining provides September 2024 operational update - Cipher Mining released its unaudited production and operations update for September 2024. Cipher mined ~1551 bitcoin in September. During the month, the company's operational and construction teams finalized preparations for the upgrade of the mining fleet at Odessa, expected in the coming weeks, and continued to build the new Black Pearl data center. Cipher produced ~1552 BTC in September. Cipher sold ~923 BTC, ending the month with a balance of ~1,512 BTC.

09:04 EDT Uber, Avride announce multiyear delivery robot partnership - Uber and Avride announced a multiyear strategic partnership to bring Avride's delivery robots and autonomous vehicles to Uber and Uber Eats. The delivery partnership will launch first with sidewalk robots on Uber Eats in Austin in the coming weeks, before expanding to Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey, later this year. The mobility partnership is expected to launch for riders in Dallas later next year. After launch, when a consumer requests a qualifying delivery or ride on the Uber Eats or Uber apps, they may be presented with the option to have that trip fulfilled by an Avride delivery robot or autonomous vehicle.

09:03 EDT Myriad Genetics and Ultima Genomics to explore UG 100 sequencing platform - Myriad Genetics and Ultima Genomics, a developer of a new ultra-high throughput sequencing platform, announced a joint effort to explore Ultima's UG 100 sequencing platform and its ppmSeq technology to advance Myriad's ability to offer groundbreaking clinical tests. Myriad has purchased a new UG 100 that will soon join other leading sequencing platforms in its new Lab of the Future facility in South San Francisco. The Myriad Precise Molecular Residual Disease (MRD) test performs whole-genome sequencing on two samples from cancer patients-one from a tumor and one from normal tissue-to comprehensively identify tumor-specific variants for subsequent tracking in a personalized panel. With Ultima's support, Myriad will explore the potential for the Precise MRD test to improve in both performance and cost with ppmSeq on the UG 100.

09:02 EDT Agora announces launch of Conversational AI SDK - Agora announced the launch of its Conversational AI SDK, integrated with OpenAI's Realtime API to allow developers to seamlessly bring engaging, voice-driven AI experiences to any app. This integration lets developers build conversational AI for a vast range of use cases and provide users with a more natural way to interact with AI than ever before.

08:49 EDT AIM ImmunoTech granted U.S. patent for Ampligen for endometriosis treatment - AIM ImmunoTech announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. patent No. 12,102,649, covering both compositions and methods comprising the Company's drug Ampligen in the treatment of endometriosis, a painful chronic condition that affects nearly 10% of women of reproductive age, or approximately 6.5 million women in the United States. The patented method involves the administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition containing AIM's proprietary double-stranded RNA products. The patent's claims describe a unique class of therapeutic double-stranded RNAs which are key components in these treatment methods and compositions. The versatile administration options offer flexibility for patient-specific needs and care. The patent also covers treatments targeting recurrent endometriosis and includes options for co-administration with interferons, including well-known types such as alpha and beta interferons.

08:43 EDT Urban-Gro signs $12M in cannabis sector contracts in Q3 - urban-gro has signed multiple new contracts with more than fifteen clients in the cannabis sector, with aggregate expected contract revenue of approximately $12 million. The contracted scopes of work include equipment procurement as well as engineering, architecture, and design services for cultivation, extraction, and retail dispensary projects across the U.S. The Company expects the majority of revenue from these projects to be recognized by the end of the first quarter of 2025.

08:42 EDT 180 Life Sciences settles legacy liabilities - The company said, "In addition to completing the acquisition of the Technology Gaming Package and advancing the Company's SCA program, management of the Company has also been successful in settling a variety of legacy debts and litigation matters. The debt settlements have helped de-leverage 180's balance sheet through highly favorable, low-cost settlements. In addition, the Company has successfully resolved certain longstanding legacy litigation in a manner that we believe is highly advantageous, marking a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to strengthen our position. We believe that this favorable resolution removes a major overhang, allowing the Company to focus fully on its core operations and strategic growth initiatives."

08:41 EDT 180 Life Sciences believes acquisition enables continued Nasdaq listing - Management believes that the acquisition of the Gaming Technology Platform enables the Company to satisfy Nasdaq's continued listing stockholder equity requirement as of September 30, 2024. Nasdaq has provided the Company until October 15, 2024 to complete all public filings which will demonstrate the Company's compliance with Nasdaq's stockholder equity requirements. While the Company believes the acquisition has cured the Company's prior stockholder equity non-compliance, the Company hasn't yet received official word from Nasdaq regarding such compliance, and Nasdaq could require additional information or continue to deem us in non-compliance, which could result in the delisting of our common stock and warrants at the end of the extended compliance period.

08:39 EDT EVgo receives conditional commitment for $1.05B DOE loan guarantee - EVgo announced that it has received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.05B of debt financing, from the U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, Loan Programs Office under its Title 17 program to accelerate expansion of its fast-charging network in community locations across the U.S. The financing would accelerate EVgo's efforts to scale its charging footprint and increase nationwide access to public charging stations. Access to this low-cost financing will facilitate the build out of approximately 7,500 additional fast charging stalls across the U.S., with the top state markets anticipated to be Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. If finalized, EVgo expects to complete the deployment of the new stalls by 2030. In alignment with the Biden-Harris administration's Justice40 initiative, over 40% of stalls to be built pursuant to the financing, if finalized, are anticipated to be in marginalized areas that have been overburdened by environmental impacts. EVgo also plans to leverage the 30C tax credit, which was expanded as part of the Inflation Reduction Act and supports the buildout of public EV charging infrastructure with a focus on driving investment to rural and lower-income communities.

08:36 EDT TC Biopharm announces artificial intelligene initiative with Carnegie Mellon - TC BioPharm announced it has entered into a sponsored research agreement with Carnegie Mellon University to explore the potential use of artificial intelligence to optimize the patient screening process. "TC BioPharm is pleased to partner with Carnegie Mellon University as we continue to research cutting-edge solutions for the advancement of the cell therapy industry," stated Bryan Kobel, CEO of TC BioPharm. "An issue the cell therapy industry faces as a whole is donor variability as well as how to more accurately predict outcomes and responses between donors and patients. Finding a solution for how to select the best donors for allogeneic cell therapies to generate the best product, and also how to match the best cell therapy and donor to the best patient beyond the current HLA matching process, represents a massive opportunity from a market perspective and also would have far-reaching applications for CDMOs and other industry players."

08:35 EDT BlackSky awarded five-year $290M NGA contract - BlackSky was awarded a five-year, up to $290M multi-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity NGA contract to monitor global economic and environmental activity and military capability using high-cadence, rapid revisit satellite imagery and AI-driven change-detection analytics. Under the contract, BlackSky expects to provide analytical services that detect and identify objects of interest such as aircraft, ships, vehicles, and shipping containers. BlackSky will use its current and future time-diverse satellite constellation to provide change-monitoring services over critical infrastructure. BlackSky will leverage its proprietary broad area search capability to automatically detect and identify changes to the Earth resulting from human and natural activities such as deforestation, construction, mining, flooding and other phenomena that contribute to climate change or wildfires.

08:34 EDT LightPath awarded Phase 2 funding from U.S DoD partnership - LightPath Technologies announced the U.S. Department of Defense, DoD, via the Defense Logistics Agency, Strategic Materials, DLA, has awarded Phase 2 funding to support the qualification of additional LightPath Black Diamond chalcogenide glasses as substitute to germanium. "We initiated Phase One of this qualification program with the DLA after multiple stakeholders inside the DoD realized the urgent need to find replacements for Germanium," said Sam Rubin, President and Chief Executive Officer of LightPath. "Phase One was significant success, resulting in the qualification of new proprietary BlackDiamond materials. These materials are now designed into multiple programs of record and demonstrate significant additional value beyond simply replacing Germanium."

08:33 EDT iPower enters partnership with Zyla - iPower announced its partnership with Zyla, a multi-currency financial account service offered by Ant International. This collaboration enables Zyla's clients to expand their sales on major U.S. online marketplaces through iPower's SuperSuite platform. The Company's partnership with Zyla is the first step towards a potential collaboration of supply chain financial services integrated within iPower's SuperSuite platform, enhancing the value and comprehensive support provided to its supply chain partners. Through this collaboration, iPower can assist Zyla's clients in expanding their reach into key U.S. online marketplaces by providing access to sales channels and fulfillment services. Additionally, iPower gains access to a network of businesses seeking entry into the U.S. ecommerce market, positioning the Company to attract new supply chain partners and drive growth in the SuperSuite platform. Zyla is the first financial services provider partner of iPower, marking a critical step toward providing supply chain financial services within iPower's SuperSuite platform.

08:32 EDT Rezolve AI partnering with Microsoft in retail digital engagement - Microsoft (MSFT) and Rezolve AI (RZLV) announced a strategic partnership aimed at providing retailers with advanced capabilities for digital engagement. Through this collaboration, Rezolve AI's Brain Suite - including Brain Commerce, Brain Checkout, and Brain Assistant - will be powered by Microsoft Azure and available globally via Microsoft's Azure Marketplace and co-sell channels. This partnership aims to empower retailers to transform their customer engagement and operations with advanced AI solutions powered by the Microsoft Cloud. In addition, Microsoft will extend Go-to-Market and co-sell support, providing marketing, sales, and technical support to accelerate Rezolve AI's market penetration over the next five years.

08:31 EDT Sabre, Arajet sign long-term distribution agreement - Sabre Corporation announced a multi-year distribution agreement with the Dominican flag carrier Arajet. Under the agreement, Arajet will distribute its inventory of flights, offers and services through a vast network of travel agents across the world, giving Sabre-connected agents access to additional airline content to create personalized offers and experiences for their leisure travelers through the Sabre Global Distribution System.

08:28 EDT Aditxt provides update on plans for 2024 year-end, accessing strategic capital - Aditxt, provided an update on its plans for 2024 year-end.Aditxt's two acquisition targets, Evofem Biosciences, (EVFM) and Appili Therapeutics ( APLIF), have reported revenue of $7.8 M for the six months ended June 30, 2024. Appili has received approximately $6M of the total $14M to date in a non-dilutive funding commitment from the DoD. These funds, along with other potential funding sources, are anticipated to continue advancing the ATI-1701 program toward an Investigational New Drug IND submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA in 2025. The Company estimates it will require approximately $4 million in cash to fund its proposed acquisition of Evofem inclusive of the $1.8 million purchase of Common Shares, and Aditxt's obligation to purchase an additional $2.28 million in Evofem Series F-1 Convertible Preferred Stock by October 31, 2024. ...This shelf registration statement covers the sale of up to $100 million in securities. ...The Company also filed a resale registration statement covering the shares issuable under the Company's Equity Line of Credit...The Company is making concerted efforts to clean up its balance sheet and capitalization table. As of the date hereof, the Company also has approximately $19 million in accounts payable and accrued expenses and approximately $7.8 million is owed to secured creditors...."The closing of the two target acquisitions, maintaining our Nasdaq listing and accessing strategic capital, and reduction of debt and accounts payable, are key to our future plans," said Amro Albanna, Chairman, Co-Founder, and CEO of Aditxt. "We understand the many challenges that lie ahead but believe that through our current efforts Aditxt will be well-positioned to meet transformational milestones in 2025 that will deliver value to our shareholders and stakeholders."

08:28 EDT Aemetis completes initial construction phase of California multi-dairy digester - Aemetis' Aemetis Biogas subsidiary has completed initial construction of a multi-dairy anaerobic digester to process waste from approximately 14,000 dairy cows in Merced County, California. The multi-dairy digester is expected to begin operations by year-end 2024 and produce more than 200,000 MMBtu per year of renewable natural gas. The project is connected to the 36-mile Aemetis biogas pipeline. Currently, Aemetis generates biogas from anaerobic digesters fed by ten dairies, producing approximately 300,000 MMBtu per year of RNG. After completion of the multi-dairy digester and two other digesters, Aemetis will be producing approximately 550,000 MMBtu of RNG per year from 16 dairies. Aemetis Biogas expects to add an additional 27 dairies to its biogas portfolio. When fully operational, the dairies in the Aemetis Biogas Central Dairy Project are expected to generate more than 1.6 million MMBtu per year of RNG and annual revenues of $250M.

08:26 EDT Spectral AI completes proof of concept for wound measurement technology - Spectral AI completed a proof-of-concept module of its wound measurement technology that calculates the total body surface area of a burn. This technology, which is currently integrated into the company's DeepView System for burn indication, provides a fast, standardized measurement that the company believes is a significant improvement over current wound size measurement technology and can improve patient treatment decisions. Spectral AI's proprietary wound measurement technology utilizes the same image capture produced by DeepView AI-Burn that provides an immediate, binary assessment of a burn wound's healing trajectory to also deliver distance, area and volume measurements with sub-millimetric accuracy.

08:24 EDT Asset Entities selected by Maxx Talent Awards - Asset Entities announced that Maxx Talent Awards, a platform for showcasing the talents of aspiring actors, models, and singers, has selected the company to design, develop, and manage its server on the Discord social community platform. The Maxx Talent Awards offers actors, models, singers, and other performers the opportunity to showcase their abilities for top Hollywood agents, modeling agencies, and other industry professionals. Maxx Talent currently operates showcases in Salt Lake City, Utah but, with this agreement, seeks to open a digital showcase in the near future.

08:22 EDT Grifols subsidiary GigaGen awarded U.S. BARDA contract - Grifols subsidiary GigaGen, a biotechnology company advancing transformative antibody drugs for immunodeficiencies, infectious diseases and checkpoint-resistant cancers, has been awarded a contract by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority - BARDA -, part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The award, valued at up to $135.2M, is to develop a recombinant polyclonal antibody therapy for botulinum neurotoxins and a second biothreat of interest to the agency that will be determined at a later time. The BARDA project builds upon GigaGen's contract awarded by the U.S. DOD Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense in 2022. The BARDA project will support the manufacturing and initial clinical development of a drug product that targets all seven BoNT variants. BoNT, one of the most toxic biological substances, is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and can cause progressive muscle paralysis from the head to the rest of the body, which can be fatal if left untreated. GigaGen recently received clearance from the FDA for its IND application to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of GIGA-2339, the company's candidate for the treatment of HBV infection. The company anticipates initiating the trial in Q4.

08:19 EDT LeddarTech showcases LeddarVision as AutoSens Europe - LeddarTech Holdings highlights the critical contributions of Texas Instruments and Arm in enhancing its groundbreaking LeddarVision products. Customers are invited to experience the future of automotive innovation with LeddarTech's LeddarNavigator demonstrator at AutoSens Europe. This state-of-the-art showcase demonstrates the company's advanced AI-based sensor fusion and perception software, LeddarVision, and underscores the transformative power of industry-leading processor technology. Enabled by Texas Instruments' TDA4VE-Q1 processor and seamlessly integrating Arm's automotive processors, this software technology sets a new standard in performance and capability.

08:17 EDT Bionano Genomics adjourns Special Meeting of Stockholders - Bionano Genomics has adjourned its Special Meeting of Stockholders held on October 2, 2024 because a quorum was not present at the time of meeting. Based on preliminary reports as of October 2, 2024, only 22.5% of total shares outstanding as of the record date have submitted their votes, whereas 33.3% of total shares outstanding as of the record date are necessary to satisfy the quorum requirements for a meeting. Based on the preliminary reports from the votes submitted as of October 2, 2024, approximately 74.5% of votes represented in person or by proxy at the Special Meeting were voted "For" the proposal. The Special Meeting will reconvene at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on October 30, 2024. Voting polls will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 29, 2024. Proxies previously submitted in respect of the Special Meeting will be voted at the reconvened Special Meeting unless properly revoked, and stockholders who have previously submitted a proxy or otherwise voted need not take any action.

08:15 EDT Theriva Biologics' SYN-004 receives positive DSMC review in Phase 1/2 trial - Theriva Biologics announced a positive outcome from the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee - DSMC - review of results from the second Cohort of its Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of SYN-004 - ribaxamase - in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant - HCT - recipients for the prevention of acute graft-versus-host-disease, or aGVHD. The study is ongoing and remains blinded; however, key findings from blinded data for Cohort 2 included: no adverse events were determined by the investigators to be related to study drug treatment; a total of 15 SAEs were reported among 10 patients; no patients died within the 30-day follow-up period after the last dose of study drug; 1 patient died 95 days and another 211 days after the last dose of study drug due to cancer relapse and pneumonia respectively. Consistent with the findings from Cohort 1 and previous studies of SYN-004 in healthy volunteers, no patient blood samples were positive for SYN-004 at any timepoint. The pharmacokinetics of piperacillin, which can be metabolized by SYN-004, were as expected for this patient population. Based on a review of the safety and pharmacokinetic data, the DSMC has recommended that the study proceed to enroll Cohort 3.

08:13 EDT Phunware to showcase mobile first conference event solution at IMEX, G2E - Phunware will introduce a fully-customizable and configurable mobile solution for events during the IMEX America and Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, October 7-10. Phunware is scheduling demos of its latest app offerings for attendees of the simultaneous trade shows. The Conference Event Solution features are designed to ensure events run smoothly while keeping attendees and guests fully engaged. The solution advances many in-demand tools for events management and gaming environments, including dynamic wayfinding, mobile engagement messaging, events scheduling, and content management. Phunware's Conference Event Solution features: Intuitive Wayfinding: Attendees can easily navigate complex venues with turn-by-turn directions, ensuring they find key sessions and exhibitor booths effortlessly. Increased Sponsor ROI: Sponsors can leverage the platform to reach attendees with location-based notifications and targeted promotions. Data-Driven Insights: Organizers gain valuable insights into attendee behavior and preferences through real-time data and analytics.

08:11 EDT Golden Matrix's Meridianbet shortlisted as eligible operator in Brazil - Golden Matrix Group announced that its subsidiary, Meridian Gaming Brasil, has passed another round of Brazil's exclusive licensing process for sports betting and iGaming. As one of only 89 companies selected at the Federal level, Meridian Gaming Brasil remains well-positioned to continue operating nationwide during the adaptation period, which extends until December 31, 2024. This shortlist, released by the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, narrows the pool of companies eligible to operate in a market projected to reach around $2.2 billion in 2024. The Brazilian gambling industry is forecasted to generate $34 billion in sports betting turnover by 2028, with an onshore gross win of $2.8 billion, according to a report by the International Betting Integrity Association. This licensing process will grant GMGI's subsidiary Meridianbet nationwide access to the Brazilian market, allowing the company to tap into the country's rapidly expanding market and reach a diverse and eager audience.

08:09 EDT Bitdeer provides September 2024 production and operations update - Bitdeer announced its unaudited mining and operations updates for September 2024. The operational update includes self-mined Bitcoin of 164 Bitcoins; in mining rig manufacturing, the Sealminer A1 mass production remains on schedule for Q4 2024 and is expected to contribute 3.4 EH/s to Bitdeer's proprietary hashrate; Seal02 chip initial tape-out wafers were received from TSMC in mid-September and will be integrated into Bitdeer's Sealminer A2 mining machines, with mass production scheduled to commence in November 2024; design of Seal03 remains on track to tape-out in Q4 2024 with a chip efficiency of 10 J/TH. TLM Group completed its feasibility assessment of Bitdeer's Massillon and Clarington/Hannibal sites in Ohio, reporting positive results regarding suitability for Tier 3 HPC/AI datacenters. The company has commenced discussions with development partners and potential end users for these sites. TLM Group's feasibility assessments of Bitdeer's other global sites is ongoing. Bitdeer AI cloud services remained near 100% average utilization for this month. Launched pilot H100 capacity in Canada. Launched AI Workflow platform, providing quick model inference capabilities. Client-hosted mining machine numbers remained steady from August, with the overall hash rate increase of 0.3 EH/s. The company expects the remaining excess capacity to be filled over the next two quarters. Construction of the Tydal, Norway, 40 MW phase 1 expansion remains on track to be energized in December 2024. Rockdale, Texas, USA, 100 MW hydro-cooling conversion is planned for phased completion between December 2024 and February 2025. Jigmeling, Bhutan, 500 MW construction remains on track with the primary substation expected to be completed by Q1 2025.

08:08 EDT Hycroft Mining announces additional drill results from Hycroft Mine - Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation announces additional drill results from the 2024 exploration drill program at the Hycroft Mine, located in Nevada, a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction. Alex Davidson, Vice President, Exploration commented: "We are very pleased with the assay results from the Vortex - Camel high-grade silver dominant trend. The drilling was designed to test the west dipping low angle structures responsible for brecciation that is allowing for the significant mineralization at Vortex. This new drilling not only adds significantly to the known high-grade silver mineralization by extending Vortex to the west and south, but also vertically ties together what were previously considered to be discrete zones of high-grade. Furthermore, the drilling contributes significantly to our understanding of how these low angle structures open exploration potential to the east of the current resource."

08:06 EDT OS Therapies: Last patient in OST-HER2 OS trial completes last patient visit - OS Therapies announces that the last patient enrolled in the AOST-2121 clinical trial NCT04974008 of OST-HER2 in recurred, resected Osteosarcoma OS has completed their final radiographical evaluation at 52 weeks and the treatment period for the clinical trial has now ended. The Company is preparing to request a Type C Meeting with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration FDA and to make any protocol adjustments based on FDA's recommendations. Following those adjustments, the Company will lock the clinical trial database in preparation for data analysis and topline data readout, expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2024...The proposed OST-HER2 mechanism of action is based on innate and adaptive immune stimulating responses activated by the Lm vector. This treatment generates T-cells that can eliminate or slow potential micro-metastases that can grow into recurrent Osteosarcoma. T-cell responses target HER2 expressed by the tumor and then kill the cell, releasing additional tumor targets. There are currently no approved adjuvant treatments for recurrent Osteosarcoma in the United States. There have not been any novel therapeutic interventions approved by the FDA in over 40 years.

08:06 EDT Allarity names Jeremy Graff as president, CDO, Jose Iglesias as consultant CMO - Allarity Therapeutics (ALLR) announced several key leadership appointments to accelerate its clinical and strategic development. To further advance its clinical development efforts, Allarity has appointed Jeremy R. Graff, Ph.D., as President and Chief Development Officer. Dr. Graff, who has been a consultant to the Company since December 2023, will now take on a more formal leadership role. During his nearly 17-year tenure at Eli Lilly and Company (LLY), Dr. Graff established and led the translational oncology group, advancing 31 clinical assets in the company's oncology portfolio. In his new role at Allarity, Dr. Graff will continue to oversee the Company's clinical development programs, including the advancement of its dual PARP and Tankyrase inhibitor, stenoparib, alongside Allarity's Drug Response Predictor companion diagnostic. Additionally, Allarity announced the appointment of Jose Iglesias, M.D., as Consultant Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Iglesias, with over 35 years of global experience in the pharmaceutical industry, will significantly enhance the Company's expertise in oncology clinical development. His appointment comes as Allarity accelerates the stenoparib program's path toward regulatory approval for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. His career includes leadership roles at Biothera, Boston Biomedical, Celgene Corporation, and Eli Lilly and Company. In further strengthening its leadership team, Allarity has appointed Jesper Hoiland, the former President of Novo Nordisk's (NVO) U.S. operations, as a key Strategic Advisor. Mr. Hoiland's global pharmaceutical leadership experience will be instrumental in advancing the Company's strategic initiatives, particularly around the anticipated commercialization of stenoparib.

08:04 EDT Visa introduces Visa Tokenized Asset Platform - Visa introduced the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform, or VTAP, a new product designed to help financial institutions issue and manage fiat-backed tokens on blockchain networks. The VTAP solution is available on the Visa Developer Platform for participating financial institution partners, to create and experiment with their own fiat-backed tokens in a VTAP sandbox. Now, Visa is applying its expertise in new technologies, such as smart contracts, to enable banks to issue and transfer fiat-backed tokens over blockchain networks.

08:01 EDT ZK International Group secures significant contract with Shenzhen Gas Group - ZK International Group announces that it has secured a significant contract with Shenzhen Gas Group for the Shenzhen Municipal Infrastructural Gas Pipeline Procurement Project. This project, valued at approximately $4.47 million, will involve the provision of state-of-the-art crimped carbon steel pipes and fittings for gas engineering in multi-story residential buildings across Shenzhen. With the adoption of this technology, ZK International is poised to benefit further from the ongoing infrastructure development and modernization across China's urban regions, particularly given the strong backing of Shenzhen Gas Group for the crimped carbon steel technology.

07:56 EDT Costamare announces election of Class II directors at Annual Meeting - Costamare announced the election of two Class II directors at the Company's virtual annual meeting of stockholders held today. The elected Class II directors are Gregory Zikos and Vagn Lehd Moller who were elected to hold office for a term ending at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2027 and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. Stockholders also ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young (Hellas) Certified Auditors Accountants S.A. as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.

07:54 EDT CMC Metals identifies drill targets at Amy, completes mapping at Silverknife - CMC Metals has completed a recent site visit at Amy where drill targets were identified for our proposed 2025 drill program. In addition, our geological team completed a detailed mapping and prospecting program on the Silverknife Property. Amy is a high-grade silver-lead-zinc CRD target located just 8 kilometers to the west of Coeur Mining's Silvertip mine in north-central British Columbia and is 100% owned by the Company. Historically the property has been subject to considerable exploration work including two adits with over 700 meters of development, 300,000-line feet of geochemical and geophysical surveys, 31,000 cubic feet of trenching and 10,498 feet of drilling. At the 1280-foot level, the historical adit was reported to have intersected 140 feet of highly mineralized vein material and a mineralized vein with over 10 meters in length and 1.2 meters in width that assayed 19.08 oz/t silver, 0.64% lead and 7.78% zinc. It is noted that the Company and the Qualified Person has not been able to verify these historical results so they should not be relied upon in any manner. In 2022, SRK completed a compilation of historical data for the Company that included several episodes of exploration. That review served to identify a large geochemical anomaly over 4 kilometers in strike length and 500-1300 meters in width immediately adjacent to a sediment-intrusive contact that is an ideal setting for a CRD style deposit. This large anomalous area is yet to be explored with modern exploration techniques. Recent mapping efforts by CMC have identified a massive sulphide mantle and several gossanous areas on surface just south of the 4450 level portal location that are thought to have been the target of historical drilling and adit development efforts. Samples were collected from the surface mantle as well as from the 4450 dump and have been submitted for assaying. CMC is preparing a permit application for the property which will include the reopening of former trenches and an extensive drill program proposed for the 2025 season. Our geological team also completed a 1;2,500 scale mapping effort on the Silverknife Property. Areas that encountered alteration and gossanous zones were mapped in greater detail at 1:1,000 scale. The work was completed in cooperation with Coeur Mining Inc. who own the adjacent Silvertip Mine property. Mapping efforts in the Silverknife South Zone identified the presence of fugitive calcite and zones of strong pervasive oxidation in sandstones of the Tapioca Formation. Fugitive calcite is considered to be an indicator mineral for CRD deposition. Sandstones are typically not reactive and hence are often not altered. But in the Silverknife South Zone they have been altered which suggests that alteration may also occur in the underlying limestone units. Therefore, this presents a valid target for CRD mineralization. Senior Geologist, Cesar Symonds had the opportunity to present his findings to Dr. Peter Megaw, a renowned expert on CRD deposits, who urged the Company to continue its current approach to exploration efforts on the Silverknife Property. Mapping efforts also served to confirm the presence of limestone in the Tootsee North Zone that overlie the previously identified geophysical anomaly presenting another favorable target for CRD mineralization. The property is already permitted for drilling and further work will be undertaken to pinpoint drill targets for drilling in the foreseeable future.

07:46 EDT Constellation Brands CEO says 'continued to deliver strong performance' in Q2 - CEO Bill Newlands said, "While the current macroeconomic backdrop has weighed on demand for beverage alcohol - and for consumer packaged goods, more broadly - we continued to deliver strong performance in Q2 of Fiscal '25. Our company once again outperformed the dollar sales growth of the total CPG sector, and our Beer Business remained both the #1 share gainer in its category and a top 3 share gainer in the broader beverage industry. Our relentless focus on delivering top-tier growth and winning in the marketplace, as well as driving efficiencies, supported another quarter with a double-digit increase in comparable EPS, in line with our full-year outlook."

07:40 EDT Soligenix enters partnership with Sterling Pharma - Soligenix announced that it has established a partnership agreement with Sterling Pharma Solutions to optimize and implement a commercially viable, scalable production technology for synthetic hypericin. Synthetic hypericin, the active ingredient in the topical drug product formulations HyBryte and SGX302 being developed for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphom and psoriasis, respectively, is a potent photosensitizer that is topically applied to skin lesions. Soligenix and Sterling are currently working to transfer and optimize the manufacturing processes and analytics to enable GMP manufacturing for clinical trials with the intent of establishing a long-term commercial manufacturing collaboration.

07:37 EDT Moderna fends off Alnylam U.S. patent suit over COVID vaccines, for now - Alnylam (ALNY) told U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly in a filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware on Wednesday that the company could not win its case that accused Moderna's (MRNA) blockbuster COVID-19 vaccines of infringing one of its patents after the judge interpreted part of the patent in a way that favored Moderna. The companies jointly asked the court to dismiss the case without prejudice, which would allow Alnylam to refile the lawsuit if an appeals court disagrees with Connolly's interpretation. Reference Link

07:34 EDT Elevai Labs files two patent applications for EL-22 in muscle loss - Elevai Labs filed two novel patent applications for its lead candidate, EL-22, aimed at treating muscle loss in obese patients. These patent applications cover both standalone and combination therapies using EL-22 alongside GLP-1 receptor agonists, marking a significant advancement in obesity treatment. The newly filed patent applications support the development of EL-22, an engineered probiotic expressing myostatin, designed to revolutionize obesity care by preserving muscle mass while reducing fat mass. EL-22 has successfully completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in South Korea, demonstrating safety and tolerability in healthy volunteers. Elevai now plans to assess the efficacy of EL-22 in combination with leading weight-loss therapies to address muscle wasting-a common side effect of GLP-1 medications-while promoting fat loss. Elevai Biosciences' patent portfolio now includes 4 patent applications and 5 issued patents that provide adequate protection in focus markets, including the USA, Japan, China and Korea.

07:32 EDT Legend Biotech to open cell therapy R&D facility in Philadelphia - Legend Biotech is establishing a new research and development facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to advance its portfolio of next-generation cell therapies. The new Philadelphia facility adds to Legend's existing global R&D organization, which encompasses more than 350 employees across the globe. The 31,000-square-foot facility at 2300 Market Street is expected to be complete in Q3 of 2025. Legend, which has over 1,200 employees in the U.S., anticipates 55 full-time employees will eventually be based in the Philadelphia facility. This expansion builds on Legend's existing R&D footprint in the U.S., including a facility in Piscataway, New Jersey.

07:21 EDT SMX, FinGo enter collaboration mandate to develop 'Phyiscal to Digital' platform - SMX announces its collaboration mandate with Sthaler Ltd, which markets FinGo. Together, they are developing a centralized reporting platform that will authenticate and ensure transparency from the source - whether it be a field, mine, or farm - through the entire supply chain for Natural Rubber, Commodities, Food, and Mining industries. SMX believes the global marketplace is becoming increasingly complex, and businesses face rising pressure to comply with stringent environmental, social, and governance regulations. This pressure could result in companies ensuring that their supply chains are ethical, compliant with government regulations, and able to report data accurately in real time. This collaboration mandate, the first step in a planned broader relationship between SMX and Sthaler, is meant to address the complex challenges faced by multinational corporations in meeting ESG compliance and reporting requirements, specifically those related to: Ethical sourcing of materials; Child labour, conflict minerals; Use of chemicals and pesticides; Location identification of farms and farmers; EU Deforestation Regulation reporting compliance. This collaboration mandate, which runs on a three month review cycle, is expected to mark a transition from manual and paper-based auditing to real-time digital reporting, reducing compliance and audit costs, lowering reputational risks, and enhancing overall productivity across supply chain operations. In addition, it is expected to offer a practical, scalable, and commercially viable solution to modern supply chain challenges. Additionally, it is expected that the platform will also facilitate enhanced visibility and reporting, assisting businesses in complying with regulations like EUDR.

07:17 EDT Euro Manganese names Ludivine Wouters as non-executive director - Euro Manganese announced the appointment of Ms. Ludivine Wouters as a non-executive Director to the Board of Directors of the Company, effective October 2, 2024. As previously announced, Ms. Wouters' official appointment follows her successful acquisition of a Director Identification Number from the Australian Business Registry Services.

07:14 EDT Xtract One selected by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers for venue admission - Xtract One's SmartGateway has been selected to protect all entrances at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as a result of the company's partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. Installation was completed during Q2. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home to the Cavaliers, is a sports and entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Cleveland. SmartGateway will aim to eliminate long entry lines. SmartGateway is an AI-powered patron screening solution tailored for large, ticketed venues, designed to improve entry efficiency and detect threats. SmartGateway unobtrusively scans patrons for weapons and other prohibited items as they walk through, eliminating the need to empty pockets.

07:13 EDT Harrow announces relaunch of TRIESENCE for vitrectomy visualization, inflamation - Harrow (HROW) announced the relaunch of TRIESENCE, triamcinolone acetonide injectable suspension, 40 mg/mL, a preservative-free synthetic corticosteroid that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA for visualization during vitrectomy and for the treatment of ocular inflammatory conditions that are unresponsive to topical corticosteroids. In commenting on the announcement, Mark L. Baum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Harrow, said, "We are very excited to have brought TRIESENCE back to the U.S. market, providing ophthalmologists access to a trusted FDA-approved product that has benefited millions of Americans. Accomplishing this required rebuilding the entire TRIESENCE supply chain and involved a global collaboration between Harrow and technical experts from our partners around the world. We are grateful for this team's dedication and commitment, without which we would not have achieved this success."

07:11 EDT Ionis Pharmaceuticals to present data on donidalorsen at ACAAI - Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced that it will present new three-year data from the Phase 2 open-label extension study as well as additional results from the pivotal Phase 3 OASIS and OASISplus studies of donidalorsen, the company's investigational RNA-targeted prophylactic medicine for hereditary angioedema. Results will be presented at the 2024 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, ACAAI, Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

07:10 EDT Build-A-Bear announces collaboration with Varsity Brands - Build-A-Bear Workshop announces a collaboration with Varsity Brands through its Varsity Spirit division, the global leader in cheerleading, dance team, and band apparel, camps, competitions and yearbooks. "This relationship is about much more than licensed products," said Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop. "It taps into the growing energy and strong culture of the sport of cheerleading. By blending Build-A-Bear's personalized experience with Varsity Spirit's vibrant community, we're offering fans and squads something truly memorable - a chance to celebrate what they love while strengthening connections and celebrating team spirit."

07:09 EDT Mammoth Energy announces payoff, termination of term credit facility - Mammoth Energy Services announced the payoff and termination of its term credit facility with Wexford Capital LP. On October 2, 2024, the Company used a portion of the proceeds received from the first installment payment from the previously disclosed settlement agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to pay off all outstanding amounts under its term credit facility, including accrued and unpaid interest, in the aggregate amount of $50.9 million, and terminated the facility. Mark Layton, Chief Financial Officer, commented, "We are excited to announce the payoff and termination of our term credit facility and are now debt free. In connection with the debt payoff, our board of directors has authorized an increase in our 2024 capital expenditure budget to $23 million, representing an increase of $11 million from our previously announced capex guidance. Of the $11 million increase, we plan to use $6 million to grow and add crews in our infrastructure division and $5 million for maintenance to our current infrastructure fleet."

07:08 EDT Valvoline achieves milestone of opening 2,000th location - Valvoline announces that in September it opened its 2,000th location under the Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM and Great Canadian Oil Change brands. This advances the Company's efforts to expand its network of services centers to 3,500 in the United States and Canada.

07:07 EDT Avidity announces FDA removed partial clinical hold on Delpacibart Etedesiran - Avidity Biosciences announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has removed the partial clinical hold on delpacibart etedesiran, an investigational treatment designed to address the root cause of myotonic dystrophy type 1.

07:06 EDT Zevia regains compliance with NYSE Mminimum price requirement - Zevia PBC announced that it received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange on October 1, 2024 that the Company has regained compliance with the minimum stock price continued listing standard set forth in Section 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. The Company previously received a noncompliance notice from the NYSE on June 26, 2024, because the average closing price of the Company's Class A common stock had been less than $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. On September 30 the Company's Class A common stock closed above $1.00 and had an average closing share price of at least $1.00 over the prior 30 trading-day period.

07:06 EDT Apollo Silver announces 5-to-1 share consolidation - Following closing of the Offering, the Company intends to consolidate its issued and outstanding Shares at a ratio of five (5) pre-Consolidation Shares to one post-Consolidation Share. Prior to the Consolidation, and assuming completion of the Offering, the Company is expected to have 224,693,729 Shares issued and outstanding. Following the Consolidation, the Company will have approximately 44,938,746 Shares issued and outstanding.

07:05 EDT Enbridge sanctions pipelines to support bp project - Enbridge announced that it will build, own, and operate crude oil and natural gas pipelines in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the recently sanctioned Kaskida development, operated by BP Exploration & Production Company (BP). The crude oil pipeline, named the Canyon Oil Pipeline System, will be a combination of 24" and 26" pipe with capacity of 200,000 barrels per day. It will originate in the Keathley Canyon area and deliver crude to the existing Green Canyon 19 platform, operated by Shell Pipeline Company LP for ultimate delivery to the Louisiana market.

07:04 EDT Cytomed Therapeutics acquires assets and license of Malaysian cord blood bank - CytoMed Therapeutics has through its subsidiary, IPSC Depository, acquired the license and certain assets of Cellsafe International, a Malaysian cord blood bank. The acquisition includes a cord blood banking licence issued by Malaysia's Ministry of Health, cryopreservation equipment with more than 12,000 cord blood units and two freehold real estate properties totalling 189 square metres in which the operation is situated. This new biotechnology arm will be undertaken through CytoMed's subsidiary, LongevityBank. The latter is the holding company of IPSC Depository which holds the cord blood banking licence issued by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Cord blood has emerged as a valuable raw material with significant therapeutic potential in cell therapies. However, cord blood is a rare and expensive resource. The company will be inviting experts in longevity field to join its board of directors or as advisers as it seeks to develop and grow this subsidiary as a specialised umbilical cord blood-derived cell therapy arm.

07:03 EDT Boardwalk REIT provides operational update - Boardwalk REIT is providing an update highlighting the continued strong demand for affordable rental housing. The Trust's average occupied rent continues to represent exceptional value at an average of $1,485 per month for August 2024, approximately 36% below the Canadian average listing rent of $2,310 for a two-bedroom apartment unit, as per the recent Rentals.ca September 2024 Rent Report. Edmonton, the Trust's largest market, has an average listing rent for a two-bedroom apartment of $1,704, as per the same report.

07:02 EDT Dynatrace completes acquisition of European Drilling Projects - Drilling Tools International announced that it has closed on its acquisition of European Drilling Projects known as ED Projects, EDP, a global provider of next-generation stabilizers, specialty reamers, and wellbore optimization technology for the drilling industry. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

06:59 EDT NRx Pharmaceuticals subsidiary to acquire West Coast Interventional - Hope Therapeutics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRx Pharmaceuticals announced signing a non-binding letter of intent, or LOI, for acquisition of a West Coast Interventional Psychiatric Clinic. Importantly, as a component of the acquisition, the founder of the clinic, has agreed to join Hope as chief medical innovation officer. The clinic to be acquired will establish Hope's model for clinics operating in the company's network across the country. These treatments may include Ketamine, Spravatoa, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, talk therapy and other treatment options. Additionally, patients may also have access to clinical trials of new treatment modalities through these clinics.

06:57 EDT Aecom selected to provide program management services for Queen Street HEIP - AECOM has been selected by Peel Region to provide program management services for the Queen Street Housing Enabling Infrastructure Program. This initiative aims to build the necessary wastewater and water linear infrastructure to support the development of housing mandated under Bill 23, which includes Ontario's goal to build 1.5 million units by 2031.The Queen Street HEIP plans to build essential infrastructure to support new housing projects, stimulate local economic growth and improve community well-being. AECOM's scope of work for the program includes planning, designing, and implementing new water and wastewater systems to ensure residents have safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater services that meet the accelerated growth and housing demands in Peel.

06:47 EDT International Game signs 10-year contract extension with NCEL - International Game announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, signed a 10-year contract extension with the North Carolina Education Lottery, or NCEL. The contract extension will begin July 1, 2027, and run through June 2037. The NCEL has been an IGT customer since the Lottery began in 2006. Under the terms of the agreement, IGT will deploy its Aurora central system, a feature component of IGT's integrated lottery solution, Omnia. Additionally, IGT will provide upgraded Wizard back-office business applications, up to 8,500 newly launched Retailer Pro S2 terminals, 500 GameTouch 28 self-service vending machines, 2,000 lottery play centers, 4,000 Jackpot signs, a dual cellular communication network, and expanded testing capabilities for the NCEL.

06:43 EDT Zomedica announces expansion of equine distribution agreement with Grovet - Zomedica announced the expansion of its distribution partnership in Europe with Grovet. The terms of the updated agreement offer Grovet equine distribution rights for Zomedica's equine PulseVet and TRUFORMA product platforms throughout most of Europe. Grovet will exclusively distribute these equine products in 27 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, and will distribute these products on anon-exclusive basis in Italy and the UK. In addition to expanding the distribution of PulseVet products to equine veterinarians into additional European countries, this agreement also expands their product offerings to include the TRUFORMA platform as well as the Company's current equine assays for eACTH and Cortisol, and equine Insulin when it launches later this year.

06:41 EDT Novavax clarifies 'has neither updated nor reaffirmed' FY24 financial guidance - In a regulatory filing, Novavax stated that it is aware of an analyst report published on October 1, which referred to discussions with Novavax's management regarding, among other things, the anticipated U.S. market for COVID-19 vaccination for the 2024-2025 vaccination season. "Novavax would like to clarify that while it has anticipated the COVID-19 vaccination market in the U.S. will be similar to last year, it has neither updated nor reaffirmed its full year 2024 financial guidance issued on August 8, 2024," the filing stated. Reference Link

06:39 EDT Brown & Brown acquires the assets of The Canopy Group - Brown & Brown has acquired the assets of The Canopy Group, a multiline insurance agency focusing primarily on personal lines and commercial property and casualty for small businesses. Based in Le Sueur, Minnesota, The Canopy Group serves over 16,000 customers throughout Minnesota. Paul Borchert and Jeff McDonald will continue to lead The Canopy Group operations from their offices in Minnesota.

06:38 EDT Lifezone Metals signs MOU with Japanese organization for nickel battery industry - Lifezone Metals signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security - JOGMEC -. This strategic partnership aims to support JOGMEC's efforts to secure cleaner metals from the Kabanga Nickel Project for the Japanese battery industry. Kabanga is one of the world's largest and highest-grade undeveloped nickel sulfide deposits with byproduct copper and cobalt. By utilizing Lifezone's Hydromet technology, the Project is expected to significantly reduce emissions compared to traditional smelting methods. Lifezone will collaborate with JOGMEC to facilitate the supply of metals from Kabanga, through Lifezone's portion of marketing rights, for Japan's battery market. The MOU is non-binding and imposes no obligations on either party. JOGMEC is an independent administrative agency of the Japanese government whose mission is to secure a stable and affordable supply of energy and mineral resources to strengthen Japan's industrial base.

06:35 EDT Avangrid awarded $425M federal capacity contract for Maine transmission project - Avangrid announced that the U.S. Department of Energy selected Avangrid for a $425 M capacity contract for its Aroostook Renewable Project. The award is part of the DOE's Transmission Facilitation Program. The announcement by DOE comes as the Maine Public Utilities Commission prepares to issue a transmission line Request for Proposals to connect 1,200 MW of renewable energy to the New England power grid in Maine. The generation portion is being solicited by the MPUC separately. Avangrid intends to participate in the transmission line RFP process and will include the awarded $425M capacity contract as part of the company's proposal. This $425M award represents one of the largest federal investments in energy development in Maine's history. Avangrid also plans to invest more than $15M for Disadvantaged Communities in Maine. The Maine PUC will likely announce winning bids in 2025.

06:17 EDT Ingevity CEO John Fortson departs, Luis Fernandez-Moreno named interim CEO - Ingevity announced that John Fortson has departed as president and CEO and from the board of directors of the company, effective as of October 2, 2024. The board of directors has appointed current board director, Luis Fernandez-Moreno as interim president and CEO while it conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Fernandez-Moreno has been a member of Ingevity's board of directors since its spinoff in 2016. He was chair of the nominating and governance committee, a position he resigned to assume the role of interim president and CEO.The board has initiated a search process to identify a permanent president and CEO and has retained a leading executive search firm to assist in the process.

06:09 EDT Radware introduces new Threat Intelligence Service - Radware introduced a new Threat Intelligence Service designed to help security operation center teams, threat researchers, and incident responders enhance threat detection, identify compromised systems, and ultimately lower MTTR. The service, which is an expansion of Radware's cloud security platform, offers them unique, real-time intelligence and pre-emptive warnings about potential network attacks so they can make more informed decisions about application and data center threats.

06:07 EDT Zions Bancorp enters collaboration with Snapdocs to digitize mortgage closings - Snapdocs announced a collaboration with Zions Bancorporation to digitize the lender's mortgage closings. The Zions network of banks selected Snapdocs for its unmatched ability to drive high digital closing adoption, optimize operational efficiency, and provide flawless experiences for loan officers, settlement partners, and borrowers. Zions operates in 11 western states, and sought a digital closing provider with the proficiency to implement and scale digital closings across its network. Snapdocs offered comprehensive training and white-glove support for all local Since implementation, Zions has reported a 100% eSign success rate-meaning no borrowers opted out of a digital closing-and a 100% scanback rate with settlement partners. The lender has also seen an 80% reduction of errors in closing documents due to hybrid closingbrands, and after just one month of working with Snapdocs, Zions achieved over 75% adoption of hybrid closings.

06:05 EDT AstraZeneca reports Calquence sNDA granted Priority Review in U.S. - AstraZeneca's supplemental New Drug Application, or sNDA, for Calquence has been accepted and granted Priority Review in the U.S. for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma, or MCL, the company announced. "The Food and Drug Administration grants Priority Review to applications for medicines that, if approved, would offer significant improvements over available options by demonstrating safety or efficacy improvements, preventing serious conditions or enhancing patient compliance. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act date, the FDA action date for their regulatory decision, is anticipated during the first quarter of 2025," the company stated.

06:03 EDT Albany International updates expectations for aerospace business - Albany International Corp. (NYSE: AIN) announced today that it is providing a preliminary update to its full year outlook largely to reflect revised revenue and profitability expectations for the aerospace business within its Engineered Composites (AEC) segment. Following its regular quarterly review of program costs and estimates relative to certain large complex aerospace contracts the Company has updated its labor, material input and scrap cost assumptions over the duration of certain long-term contracts. These increased cost assumptions as well as the impact of suspended production at a key customer pending their union negotiations will result in an approximate $24 million negative Estimate-at-Completion adjustment in the third quarter of 2024. Changes in other forecast assumptions are projected to lower second-half pre-tax earnings by an additional $8 million. "We continue to see momentum in both Machine Clothing and Engineered Composites. The Heimbach integration remains on track, and Albany's differentiated innovation is translating into robust demand across both segments," said President and CEO, Gunnar Kleveland. "At the same time, growth in our aerospace programs is resulting in more complex projects, where the manufacturing learning curve and labor ramp are steeper. Notwithstanding these changes, we expect AEC will maintain high-teen EBITDA margins that are well above peer averages. With Chris Stone's recent appointment as President of AEC, I am also confident that we will successfully execute on the opportunities in our growing aerospace business, which are being created by Albany's advanced technology and deep customer relationships. Combined with the Company's continued strong cash flows and financial strength, Albany has a solid foundation for success and value creation. Significant new orders to date this year and our substantial backlog reinforce the financial upside available to the Company."

05:48 EDT Hims & Hers falls after FDA says Lilly weight loss drug shortage is over - The Food and Drug Administration last night said it determined the shortage of tirzepatide injection, a glucagon-like peptide medication, has been resolved. Tirzepatide injection has been in shortage since 2022 due to increased demand, the agency noted. The FDA confirmed with Eli Lilly that its stated product availability and manufacturing capacity can meet the present and projected national demand. "Patients and prescribers may still see intermittent localized supply disruptions as the products move through the supply chain from the manufacturer and distributors to local pharmacies," the FDA added. The agency reminded "compounders of the legal restrictions on making copies of FDA-approved drugs." Compounded drugs "are not approved by FDA. FDA-approved drugs go through FDA's rigorous review for safety, effectiveness, and quality as part of the premarket approval process," the agency added. Shares of compounded drug maker Hims & Hers (HIMS) are down 7% to $17.56 in premarket trading after the FDA said Eli Lill's weight-loss drug shortage is over. Reference Link

05:17 EDT Amazon announces discounts, deals during Prime Big Deal Days - Amazon announced discounts and millions of deals worldwide top categories including electronics, home, toys, beauty, and apparel during Prime Big Deal Days. Prime members can also save on last minute Halloween costumes and accessories from Rubies and Tipsy Elves.

05:07 EDT CareTrust REIT acquires 396-bed/unit skilled nursing portfolio for $74.7M - CareTrust REIT announced that it has acquired a four-facility, 396-bed/unit skilled nursing portfolio located in the Mid-Atlantic for a total investment amount of approximately $74.7M. One of the four facilities acquired is a skilled nursing and assisted living campus, which includes 47 assisted living units. In connection with the acquisition, the company entered into a triple-net master lease with a new operator relationship for the company. The operator is an experienced skilled nursing operator who has operated facilities across multiple states. The new master lease has an initial term of 15 years with two, five-year extension options and provides for a year one contractual lease yield of 9.3% with annual CPI-based escalators. To facilitate certain local constraints, the acquisition of one of the facilities was structured as a mortgage loan extended by CareTrust to the operator, with the mortgage loan having substantially the same economics, maturity, and other terms as the master lease. The investment was funded using cash on hand. In September, the company raised $309.9M at an average price of $30.38 per share under its new $750M ATM program bringing its outstanding share count to 171.5M shares. Also in September, the company paid off its $200M term loan. The company is currently in the process of amending and extending its existing credit facility. As of today, the company currently has approximately $280M of cash on hand.