Stockwinners Market Radar for October 20, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:22 EDT Logitech CEO: It was a great quarter - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Bracken Darrell said Logitech has steadily progressed over the past year. "We are very good at delivering products at low cost with high quality," he noted. He said the company is fixated more on consumers versus the competition. "We try to be in categories with long-term secular growth," Darrell added.

18:15 EDT Netflix says production almost fully operational in most of world, including NA - Says pull-forward into 2021 "fairly modest." Says pull-forward in second half from first half "very strong." Says has completed production on over 100 production since the pandemic. Says production almost fully operational in most of the world, including in North America. Says all production forecast for 2021 is expected to happen in 2021.

18:11 EDT Accenture CEO sells 9.2K shares, Chairman sells 10.9K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Accenture disclosed that its CEO Julie Sweet sold 9.2K shares of common stock, chairman David Rowland sold 10.9K shares of common stock, and CFO Kathleen McClue sold 2.3K shares of common stock. The total of the three transactions was about $5.1M.

18:01 EDT Hycroft Mining appoints Stanton Rideoutas CFO - Hycroft Mining Holding announced the appointment of Stanton Rideout as the Company's Executive Vice President & CFO, effective October 20. Rideout is a seasoned financial executive and has more than 30 years of senior executive experience in the mining and manufacturing industries, including Romarco Minerals and Phelps Dodge. Rideout served as Senior Vice President, CFOof Romarco from 2010 to 2015 where he arranged the project debt financing for the Haile Gold Mine in South Carolina. Since Romarco was acquired by OceanaGold Corporation, he has been providing debt and equity consulting services for a number of mining companies in addition to being Chairman and consulting CEO of Carolina Gold Resources, a Canadian precious and base metals project-generator company. Effective upon Rideout's appointment as Executive Vice President & CFO, on October 20, Jeffrey Stieber will step down from his position as Vice President and Interim CFO and will become Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, reporting to Rideout. Stieber will remain an executive officer of the Company.

17:43 EDT Weidai Ltd (Class A ADS) trading halted, news pending

17:34 EDT Aligos Therapeutics director Thomas Woiwode buys 200,000 shares of company stock - Aligos Therapeutics director Thomas Woiwode disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 200,000 shares of company stock on October 20 at $15.00 per share. The total transaction amount was $3,000,000.

17:23 EDT OncoCyte says Q3 DetermaRx testing volume rose to 175 billable samples - The company states that in Q3, OncoCyte reported testing volume of DetermaRx more than doubled from the second quarter to 175 billable samples, maintained a re-order rate of ~60%. onboarded hospitals increased to 67, including prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network and National Cancer Institute cancer centers.

17:17 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $138.77M Navy contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $138.77M modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. This modification adds scope to continue the development of pilot training device software to align the F-35 air system with continued capability development. Additionally, this modification provides for testing and continuous re-certification activities for dual capable F-35 aircraft as Block 4 capabilities are developed, matured and fielded in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and non-Department of Defense, or DOD, participants. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida and Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in June 2024. FY20 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4.62M; FY20 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3.33M; and non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $1.07M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:10 EDT Teradyne up 5% to $92.37 after Q3 results, Q4/FY20 guidance beat estimates

17:01 EDT Brown & Brown raises quarterly dividend 8.8% to 9.25c per share - Brown & Brown, Inc. announced that the board of directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 9.25c per share. The dividend is payable on November 18, 2020 to shareholders of record on November 4, 2020. The dividend represents an 8.8% increase from the previous regular quarterly cash dividend of 8.5c per share and is the twenty-seventh consecutive annual dividend increase for the company.

16:41 EDT Union Pacific COO Jim Vena to move to new role at end of year - Union Pacific announced Jim Vena, COO, will move to a new role at the end of this year. The company also announced Eric Gehringer will succeed Vena as executive vice president-Operations, effective Jan. 1, 2021, while Vena will remain employed at the company as senior advisor through June 2021. Gehringer will become executive vice president-Operations on Jan. 1, and will lead all of Union Pacific's Operating functions. Gehringer has served in many capacities throughout his 15-year career at Union Pacific. Starting in Engineering, Eric rose through the ranks to ultimately head the Engineering and Mechanical department prior to serving in his current role as senior vice president- Transportation.

16:34 EDT WD-40 jumps 11% to $220 after Q4 results beat estimates

16:32 EDT Snap sees Q4 daily active user growth of 18% year-over-year - Snap said in prepared earnings call remarks, "While there is continued uncertainty about the macro operating environment, we are pleased with the strength of the underlying momentum we have established with our advertising partners, and we remain highly optimistic about the long term prospects for our business. In addition, we are pleased with the growth trends we have observed in our Snapchatter community and believe that momentum will continue into Q4 with DAU of approximately 257 million, implying year-over-year growth of approximately 18 percent, which is consistent with the growth rate observed in Q3."

16:31 EDT Lincoln Electric raises quarterly dividend to 51c from 49c per share - The dividend is payable January 15, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 31, 2020.

16:26 EDT Snap reports Q3 ARPU up 28% at $2.73 - Reports Q3 adj. EBITDA $56M vs. ($42M) last year. Q3 DAUs were 249 million in Q3 2020, an increase of 39 million or 18% year-over-year and average number of Snaps created every day grew 25% year-over-year.

16:24 EDT Snap surges 17.22% after Q3 earnings beat

16:18 EDT Usana reports Q3 active customers up 16.5% from last year at 650K

16:16 EDT Container Store up over 16% at $11.70 per share following Q2 earnings beat

16:13 EDT Prothena, Roche to advance prasinezumab into late-stage clinical development - Prothena (PRTA), a late-stage clinical company with expertise in protein dysregulation and a diverse pipeline of investigational therapeutics for neurodegenerative and rare peripheral amyloid diseases, announced that based on positive signals of efficacy consistent with disease modification in the PASADENA study, Roche(RHHBY) and Prothena plan to advance prasinezumab into a Phase 2b study in patients with early Parkinson's disease. The study will be designed to further assess the efficacy of prasinezumab by expanding upon the patient population enrolled in PASADENA to include patients with early Parkinson's disease on stable levodopa therapy. Prasinezumab is the first anti-alpha synuclein antibody to advance into late-stage development. Prothena will earn a $60 million clinical milestone payment upon first patient dosed in this study. Further details are expected to be announced in the first half of 2021. "We are very encouraged by the results from PASADENA, demonstrating significant slowing of motor progression and improvements on imaging biomarkers consistent with disease modification, as this provides a rich dataset to directly inform and de-risk this next late-stage study," stated Gene Kinney, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Prothena. "Results from the PASADENA study are part of a growing clinical body of evidence suggesting antibodies that optimally target misfolded proteins can result in clinically meaningful benefit. With a growing pipeline of programs based on this scientific approach, Prothena is poised to advance a number of novel therapeutics for devastating diseases."

16:11 EDT iRobot jumps 7% to $103.01 after Q3 results, FY20 guidance beat estimates

16:09 EDT Xeris granted fast track designation by FDA for XP-0863 - Xeris Pharmaceuticals announced it was granted Fast Track designation by the Food and Drug Administration for the investigation of XP-0863 for the treatment of acute repetitive seizures. Xeris' XP-0863 was previously granted orphan designations both for the treatment of acute repetitive seizures and for the treatment of Dravet Syndrome. "The FDA's Fast Track designation highlights the clear unmet need in treating acute repetitive seizures with the preparations of diazepam available today and highlights our opportunity to dramatically improve care through the introduction of a ready-to-use injection formulation," said Paul R. Edick, Xeris' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We are working to identify the right development and commercialization partner who can accelerate our efforts to evaluate and deliver this simple format that could make all the difference in an urgent seizure setting."

16:09 EDT WD-40 CEO says saw demand for products 'linked to renovation trends' - "Fiscal year 2020 brought us many unexpected challenges but it also brought many unexpected opportunities," said Garry Ridge, WD-40 Company's chairman and CEO. "As a global business that sells products in more than 176 countries and territories around the world, each of our markets were impacted differently by the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore our sales results varied greatly between geographies. In geographies where retail operations remained open and where we were able to leverage our strong digital presence, we saw strong sales growth. However, in markets with strict movement restrictions in place or less developed e-commerce adoption, our sales were challenged. An unexpected developing trend we experienced in the fourth quarter was an increase in demand for products linked to renovation trends associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems that the more time people spend isolated in their homes, the more time and money they spend making home improvements. We are calling this trend, 'isolation renovation' and in nearly all our direct markets we saw double-digit sales growth of WD-40 Multi-Use Product due to this phenomenon."

16:08 EDT Pioneer Natural to acquire Parsley Energy in up to $7.6B transaction - Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and Parsley Energy (PE) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Pioneer will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Parsley in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $4.5 billion as of October 19, 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, Parsley shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.1252 shares of Pioneer common stock for each share of Parsley common stock owned. The total value for the transaction, inclusive of Parsley debt assumed by Pioneer, is approximately $7.6 billion. This combination is expected to drive annual synergies of $325 million and to be accretive to cash flow per share, free cash flow per share, earnings per share and corporate returns beginning in the first year, creating an even more compelling investment proposition. Pioneer expects the transaction to be accretive on key financial metrics including cash flow and free cash flow per share, earnings per share and return on capital employed beginning in 2021. This all-stock transaction constitutes a 7.9% premium to Parsley shareholders based on unaffected closing share prices as of October 19, 2020. Pioneer will issue approximately 52 million shares of common stock in the transaction. After closing, existing Pioneer shareholders will own approximately 76% of the combined company and existing Parsley shareholders will own approximately 24% of the combined company. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both Pioneer and Parsley and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, regulatory approvals and shareholder approvals. Parsley's largest investor, Quantum Energy Partners, which owns approximately 17% of Parsley's outstanding shares, has executed a Voting and Support Agreement in connection with the transaction. Upon closing of the transaction, Pioneer's Board of Directors will be expanded to thirteen to include Matt Gallagher, Parsley's President and CEO, and A.R. Alameddine, Parsley's lead director. Pioneer's executive management team will lead the combined company with the headquarters remaining in Dallas, Texas.

16:07 EDT Apyx Medical announces two peer-reviewed publications on Helium Plasma - Apyx Medical announced the publication of two separate peer-reviewed articles published in the journal, Dermatological Reviews. "We are very pleased to announce these two peer-reviewed clinical publications, which represent important additions to the portfolio of clinical evidence supporting the use of Renuvion," said Charlie Goodwin, CEO. "Specifically, these publications looked retrospectively at the use of Renuvion when used independently of liposuction for subdermal coagulation in the neck and when used in combination with liposuction for subdermal coagulation in various treatment areas of the body. The data from the retrospective studies in these publications serves to strengthen the risk/benefit profile of Renuvion's Helium Plasma Technology. Building on the results of these studies, we look forward to the continued expansion of our portfolio of clinical evidence to demonstrate the clinical utility of our Renuvion technology and facilitate broad-based adoption in the market."

16:06 EDT CrossFirst Bancshares announces up to $20M share repurchase program - The company's board has approved up to $20M in share repurchases. Repurchases under the company's new program will be made in open market or privately negotiated transactions in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-18, subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements, and other relevant factors. This share repurchase plan does not obligate the company to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be suspended at any time at the company's discretion. CrossFirst had 52,195,778 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30.

16:04 EDT Netflix sees Q4 operating margin of 13.5% - Netflix said: "We forecast Q4 operating margin of 13.5% vs. 8.4% last year, which means we'll over-deliver this year on our original full year margin target; our FY20 operating margin is now expected to be 18% (vs. 16% originally) or a 500 basis point increase year over year. Since 2016, we will have more than quadrupled our annual GAAP operating margin (which is our primary profitability metric). As in the past, we intend to continue to grow our operating margin each year and at an average rate of 300 basis points per year over any few-year period, but we anticipate more lumpiness."

16:03 EDT Netflix down 6% in after-hours trading after results, guidance

16:01 EDT Netflix reports Q3 global streaming paid net additions of 2.2M - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "As we expected, growth has slowed with 2.2m paid net adds in Q3 vs. 6.8m in Q3'19. We think this is primarily due to our record first half results and the pull-forward effect we described in our April and July letters. In the first nine months of 2020, we added 28.1m paid memberships, which exceeds the 27.8m that we added for all of 2019. In these challenging times, we're dedicated to serving our members... We added 2.2m net memberships in Q3, compared with our 2.5m guidance. Retention remains healthy and engagement per member household was up solidly year over year in Q3'20."

16:01 EDT Intuit names Waymo COO Mawakana to board of directors - Intuit (INTU) announced it has appointed Tekedra Mawakana to its board of directors. Mawakana is the COO of Waymo LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet (GOOG). "Tekedra has a deep understanding of issues at the intersection of automated technology, consumer trust and global public policy," said Brad Smith, Intuit's Executive Chairman of the Board. "Her appointment significantly strengthens the board's automated technology expertise, and we are thrilled that she will bring her experience and perspective to the Intuit board."

14:14 EDT Ligand says total potential contract payments through 2036 now over $4.5B - Ligand reported that total potential contract payments through 2036 now exceed $4.5B. "Ligand has booked over $200M of contract revenue over the past five years, and reported more than $400M in risk adjusted total potential contract payments over the next five years," the company said in conjunction with its investor day meeting. At the meeting, management reviewed its capital deployment strategy, which is balanced between M&A and returning capital to stockholders. "Ligand has deployed over $2 billion of capital since 2007. Ligand's external investments have focused on corporate M&A, representing 50% of capital deployment over the period, while returning capital to stockholders primarily via share buybacks, special dividends and bond repurchases also represents 50% of capital deployment over the period. Ligand noted that funding cycles and its business model create ample M&A opportunity, and that special and/or regular dividends are potential future forms of capital return," the company announced.

13:33 EDT American Electric increases quarterly dividend to 74c per share - The Board of Directors of American Electric Power declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 74c a share on the company's common stock, an increase of 4c per share. The increase is in line with the company's 5% to 7% operating earnings growth range. The dividend is payable Dec. 10, 2020, to shareholders of record as of Nov. 10, 2020, and is the company's 442nd consecutive quarterly common stock cash dividend. "AEP remains focused on delivering reliable, affordable and clean energy to our customers, while providing value to our shareholders," said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and CEO "AEP has paid a cash dividend on its common stock every quarter since 1910, and we're pleased our strategic business decisions continue to provide increased returns to our shareholders."

13:27 EDT Consumer Portfolio: Auto Experience offer was unsolicited - Consumer Portfolio says the acquisition offer from Auto Experience was unsolicited but that it will respond by the deadline. CEO Charles Bradley says he personally has not spoken to Auto Experience. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

13:18 EDT Google responds to Justice Department lawsuit, calls 'deeply flawed' - Kent Walker, Google's SVP of Global Affairs, said in a blog post: "Google Search has put the world's information at the fingertips of over a billion people. Our engineers work to offer the best search engine possible, constantly improving and fine-tuning it. We think that's why a wide cross-section of Americans value and often love our free products. Today's lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed. People use Google because they choose to, not because they're forced to, or because they can't find alternatives. This lawsuit would do nothing to help consumers. To the contrary, it would artificially prop up lower-quality search alternatives, raise phone prices, and make it harder for people to get the search services they want to use. Let's talk specifics. The Department's complaint relies on dubious antitrust arguments to criticize our efforts to make Google Search easily available to people. Yes, like countless other businesses, we pay to promote our services, just like a cereal brand might pay a supermarket to stock its products at the end of a row or on a shelf at eye level. For digital services, when you first buy a device, it has a kind of home screen "eye level shelf." On mobile, that shelf is controlled by Apple, as well as companies like AT&T, Verizon, Samsung and LG. On desktop computers, that shelf space is overwhelmingly controlled by Microsoft. So, we negotiate agreements with many of those companies for eye-level shelf space. But let's be clear-our competitors are readily available too, if you want to use them." Reference Link

13:08 EDT Cogeco board rejects revised unsolicited proposal from Altice, Rogers - Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications (CGEAF) announced that their boards of directors have unanimously rejected the revised unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Altice USA, Inc. (ATUS) and Rogers Communications (ROG) announced on October 18, 2020. The boards of directors of the Corporations met earlier today to consider the revised unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Altice USA, Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. At that meeting, Louis Audet, as representative of the Audet family, formally confirmed to the boards the publicly stated unanimous position of the Audet family as set out in its press release dated October 18, 2020. Following separate deliberations of the independent board members supported by independent legal counsel, taking into account the stated position of the Audet family, the boards rejected the revised unsolicited, non-binding proposal and will not engage with Altice and Rogers.

12:55 EDT Microsoft to establish first datacenter region in Austria - Microsoft announced commitment to drive local innovation and growth in Austria, including plans to establish its first datacenter region in the country, which will bring the power of Microsoft's global-scale and cloud to the country's broad ecosystem of startups, SMBs, enterprises and government. The company also announced a new Center of Digital Excellence to modernize Austria's IT infrastructure, public governmental services and industry innovation. Microsoft will also continue to invest in new community resources to boost innovation and digital skilling for approximately 120,000 Austrians by 2024. Microsoft President Brad Smith made the announcement at the Austrian Federal Chancellery alongside Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Margarete Schrambock, Federal Minister for Digitization and Economic Affairs and Dorothee Ritz, General Manager of Microsoft Austria. Reference Link

12:33 EDT J.C. Penney sees 'significant progress' toward final asset purchase agreement - J.C. Penney (JCPNQ) announced that it has filed a draft asset purchase agreement, or "APA," which tracks the terms of the previously announced letter of intent, to sell JCPenney. "All parties are working to conclude negotiations and intend to utilize the ongoing mediation process to help achieve that goal," J.C. Penney stated. Under the deal agreement, Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) and Simon Property Group (SPG) will acquire substantially all of JCPenney's retail and operating assets through a combination of cash and new term loan debt. Once finalized, the OpCo transaction will be subject to Court approval and other closing conditions. A hearing to seek Court approval for the transaction is expected to be scheduled for early November 2020. If Court approval is received and the closing conditions in the APA are met, it is expected that the OpCo sale will close in advance of the December 2020 holiday season. JCPenney's operating assets will then conduct business outside of the Chapter 11 process under the JCPenney banner with Simon and Brookfield as its owners. The First Lien Lenders are expected to acquire ownership of the PropCos through the company's Plan of Reorganization, which will be completed following the closing of the OpCo transaction, J.C. Penney said.

12:04 EDT Emerson awarded $14M contract to support Caspian Sea platform - Emerson has been awarded a $14M contract to provide automation technologies for the new Azeri Central East offshore platform in the Caspian Sea, the latest development in the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli oilfield. Emerson will serve as the main automation contractor, providing its Project Certainty methodologies and digital technologies that transform capital project execution to help BP bring this fast-track project onstream in 2023.

12:03 EDT Lockheed Martin has slowed CapEx spend on F-35s amid Covid

12:00 EDT iHuman falls -12.4% - iHuman is down -12.4%, or -$2.95 to $20.80.

12:00 EDT Pitney Bowes rises 12.2% - Pitney Bowes is up 12.2%, or 79c to $7.22.

12:00 EDT Weidai rises 367.7% - Weidai is up 367.7%, or $3.01 to $3.83.

11:42 EDT Lockheed Martin sees 'multitude of opportunities' in Aeronautics

11:23 EDT Lockheed Martin sees low single digit growth for Aeronautics, MFC in 2021

11:06 EDT Ligand sees royalty revenue to triple over next three years - In a regulatory filing, Ligand Pharmaceuticals noted that members of the company's management team will present at a virtual Investor Day event via webcast on October 20. In connection with the presentation, the company announces that based on preliminary unaudited financial information, the company expects Captisol revenue to be approximately $23.0M for the quarter ended September 30. In the slides for the event, Ligand noted that it forecasts royalty revenue will triple over the next three years, from $33M in 2020 to $95M projected for 2023. In the slides, Ligand also pointed to what it calls the "strongest pipeline in the company's history" and the "most substantial calendar of late-stage events in Ligand's history."

11:03 EDT GM to invest $17M in Romulus, Michigan propulsion plant

11:02 EDT GM to move production of GMC Acadia to Lansing Delta Township Assembly

11:00 EDT GM investing $2B to transition Spring Hill, Tennessee plant to build EVs

10:34 EDT Gaming and Leisure Properties moves up Q3 earnings release and call date - Gaming and Leisure Properties announced that the company will now release its 2020 third quarter financial results after the market close on Tuesday, October 27, and will host its quarterly conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28.

10:32 EDT Hoth Therapeutics announces USPTO grant of patent - Hoth Therapeutics announced that through its commercial licensing agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, has granted U.S. Patent No. 10,793,525 related to novel 13-Cis-RAMBA retinamides optimized to target key signaling pathways implicated in a variety of cancers. This patent, "the first of its kind," expires on October 5, 2036, Hoth stated. "With this patent, Hoth Therapeutics continues to bolster its diverse IP portfolio, which now contains multiple patents related to both oncology treatments and dermatological disorders. We look forward to progressing towards additional breakthroughs throughout our entire biopharmaceutical pipeline in the near future," stated, Robb Knie, Chairman and CEO of Hoth Therapeutics.

10:26 EDT Justice Department suit against Google includes search, advertising - Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen is speaking on a call regarding the charges.

10:22 EDT Exclusive deals with phonemakers protected Google's monopoly, Rosen says - Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen is speaking on a call regarding the charges.

10:02 EDT Optibase announces subsidiary's settlement of dispute - Optibase announced that its subsidiary, Eldista GmbH, of which the company owns 51%, the owner of an office building in Geneva, Switzerland, known as Centre des Technologies Nouvelles, has reached an agreement with its tenant in the CTN Complex, LEM, in a dispute between the parties. The parties agreed to cease all current and future legal proceedings in connection with the aforesaid dispute and that Eldista will compensate LEM its alleged damages in a total amount of CHF 700,000, or approximately $766,000. Commenting on the settlement, CEO of Optibase, Amir Philips, said, "We are pleased to have reached this agreement which will allow us to put this dispute behind us and continue focusing on quality management of our assets".

10:00 EDT Hexcel falls -6.8% - Hexcel is down -6.8%, or -$2.48 to $33.88.

10:00 EDT AMC Entertainment falls -7.6% - AMC Entertainment is down -7.6%, or -27c to $3.27.

10:00 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials rises 10.8% - Rayonier Advanced Materials is up 10.8%, or 44c to $4.53.

09:55 EDT Virgin Galactic rises after Chanos makes bullish comments on space companies - According to headlines from Reuters, Kynikos' Jim Chanos said while speaking at the Grant's investment conference that he would go long any of the space companies that have gone public. In morning trading following the headlines regarding the comments from the famed investor, Virgin Galactic (SPCE) shares are up 72c, or 3.1%, to $23.53.

09:47 EDT Renren falls -5.7% - Renren is down -5.7%, or -33c to $5.42.

09:47 EDT Natuzzi rises 7.8% - Natuzzi is up 7.8%, or 44c to $6.10.

09:47 EDT GATX rises 9.7% - GATX is up 9.7%, or $6.66 to $75.00.

09:36 EDT Flowr to acquire Terrace Global for C$63M - Terrace Global announced it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement pursuant to which The Flowr Corporation will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares in the capital of Terrace Global. Under the terms of the Agreement, holders of Terrace Global common shares will receive 0.4973 of a common share of Flowr for each Terrace Global common share held. Upon completion of the Transaction, existing Flowr and Terrace Global shareholders would own approximately 60.9% and 39.1% of the pro forma company, respectively, on a fully diluted in-the-money basis. The exchange ratio implies a price of C$0.22 per Terrace Global common share and a premium of approximately 47%, based on the thirty day volume weighted average prices of Flowr Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange and the spot price of Terrace Global as of October 19, 2020. The combined entity is estimated to realize annual synergies of approximately C$2M per year, allowing Flowr to operate more efficiently with a commitment to continued excellence. The Transaction will be affected by way of a court approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act. Under the terms of the Transaction, each shareholder of Terrace Global will receive 0.4973 of a Flowr Share per Terrace Global Share, which implies a price per Terrace Global Share of C$0.22 based on the thirty day volume weighted average price of the Flowr Shares and the spot price of Terrace Global Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange as of October 19, 2020. The Transaction is subject to the approval of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The Transaction will also require the approval at a special meeting of Terrace Global Shareholders of not less than two-thirds of the votes validly cast by Terrace Global Shareholders, present in person or by proxy at the meeting, and, by a majority of the minority votes validly cast by Terrace Global Shareholders, present in person or by proxy at the meeting, as required pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. All of the directors and senior officers of Terrace Global and other certain shareholders of the Company have entered into a support agreement with Flowr to, among other things, support the Transaction and vote their Terrace Global Shares in favour of the Transaction. The Agreement provides for, among other things, the board of directors of Terrace Global being able to consider a superior proposal in certain circumstances. The Agreement also provides for the payment by Terrace Global of a termination fee of up to C$3,000,000 in favour of Flowr in certain circumstances. In addition, the Agreement provides that, under certain circumstances, where the Transaction is not completed because of the failure of Flowr to obtain certain approvals or consents, Flowr would be required to reimburse Terrace Global's expenses up to C$500,000. As noted above, the Transaction is conditional upon: the amendment of the existing indenture governing the 10% subordinated secured debentures issued by Flowr in the aggregate principal amount of C$21.6M to enable the early conversion of approximately C$11.9M of debentures held by insiders of Flowr; and certain amendments to the senior secured credit facility from a syndicate of lenders led by ATB Financial, including a future basket for the issuance of up to at least C$11.9M subordinated secured debentures on substantially similar terms to the existing debentures as well as the improvement of certain credit covenants. The Transaction remains subject to certain other closing conditions including the receipt of certain approvals and the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions. The parties do not anticipate requiring an approval of shareholders of Flowr to complete the Transaction. The Board of Directors of Terrace Global unanimously recommends that Terrace Global Shareholders vote in favour of the resolution to approve the Arrangement, which will be the subject of the Terrace Global Special Meeting expected to be held in the fourth quarter of 2020. The recommendation of the Terrace Global Board is supported by a fairness opinion from Hyperion Capital Inc. to the effect that, as of the date of the opinion, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications on which each such opinion is based, the consideration to be received by Terrace Global Shareholders pursuant to the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to such shareholders. It is currently expected that, subject to receipt of all regulatory, court, shareholder and other approvals, and the satisfaction or waiver of all conditions, the Transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2020.

09:32 EDT Amyris, Arzeda enter development collaboration agreement - Arzeda announced that the company has entered into a joint development agreement with Amyris that leverages the complementary nature of the two companies' technology platforms to accelerate the development and commercialization of high value ingredients. This marks the second joint project between the parties. Amyris and Arzeda collaborated successfully on a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Technology Investment Agreement during the period of 2015-2019. The objective of this Development Collaboration Agreement is for Arzeda to design and develop novel enzymes for Amyris with unique functionalities, which Amyris will incorporate into their fermentation process to facilitate production of the target high value ingredients. Funding of the project is milestone-based, with Arzeda receiving an additional payment contingent on early success as well as a value-share on product commercialization. Enzymes being designed and developed by Arzeda for this project are not found in nature and thus represent the power of the computational platform to build enzymes with unique functionality without a natural starting point. Amyris and Arzeda expect to have fermentation strains containing enzymes designed by Arzeda developed during 2021.

09:21 EDT General Motors reports surpassing 1M Wi-Fi subscriptions - In September, General Motors (GM) "crossed a new milestone as the first automaker with more than 1 million subscribers to its Wi-Fi-enabled data services," provided by AT&T (T), GM announced. Next year, GM and AT&T plan to add HBO Max to a premium bundle of streaming content to complement the WarnerMedia RIDE and in-vehicle Wi-Fi offering, GM noted. Reference Link

09:19 EDT Virtu Financial expands broker-neutral FX offering - Virtu Financial announced several product and service enhancements in its broker-neutral FX offering, supporting the firms' strategic initiative to deliver a one-stop solution for buy-side FX execution. Virtu's scale, credibility and diverse client base coupled with its FX expertise, leading workflow technology and trade analytics helps position the firm as a trustworthy workflow provider in the FX market-where participants are seeking transparency, reduced implementation costs, data-driven execution, measurement and long-term clearing solutions. Virtu is pleased to announce the following initiatives: Execution Management Platform for FX: Virtu is adding new FX execution capabilities to Triton, its global multi-asset class EMS used by institutional trading desks to manage market access and execution needs. The new capabilities enable clients to execute FX directly with their liquidity providers by RFS protocol and directed execution such as dealer algos. Broker-Neutral Access to Dealer Liquidity: Virtu is also making its API trading infrastructure available for broker-neutral FX client trading. While maintaining strict client data segregation, the technology allows clients to leverage Virtu's low latency infrastructure and breadth of geographical and liquidity provider coverage. FX Trade Analytics and Data: Virtu's global and multi-asset class TCA is integrated with the firm's workflow solutions, providing access to Virtu's market insights. Enhanced FX Analytics capabilities include Virtu FX reference rates with high time-granularity, FX algo analytics with direct dealer data capture and expanded coverage for the FX ACE market impact model. Analytics products can be accessed via the Virtu Analytics Portal and Open Technology API. FX Post-Trade Services: Virtu is also expanding its global TradeOps post-trade services to include FX trades matching, confirmations and settlement instruction handling.

09:17 EDT Rafael announces start of Phase 1 study of CPI-613 in Japan - Rafael Pharmaceuticals announced its partner Ono Pharmaceutical has begun a Phase 1 study in Japan for patients with pancreatic cancer. The multicenter, open-label study is evaluating the efficacy and safety of Rafael's lead compound, CPI-613, labeled as ONO-7912 in Japan, in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX in patients with pancreatic cancer refractory or intolerance to chemotherapy including gemcitabine. This announcement comes on the heels of Rafael reaching its target enrollment of 500 patients in its global Phase 3 trial.

09:12 EDT Kinross Gold provides long-term production profile - Kinross Gold announced that it expects to produce an average of approximately 2.5 million gold equivalent ounces per year from 2020 - 2029 driven primarily by promising organic opportunities across its global portfolio. The Company previously announced on September 17, 2020 that it expects to increase production by 20% from 2021 - 2023, with estimated production of 2.4 million Au eq. oz. in 2021, 2.7 million Au eq. oz. in 2022, and 2.9 million Au eq. oz. in 2023. Kinross also anticipates an overall downward trend in cost of sales per ounce sold over its three-year growth profile. Kinross will host an operations update and production outlook presentation and question and answer period from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET to discuss the details of the Company's 2021 - 2023 guidance. The Company will also provide an overview of the production, exploration and mine life extension opportunities that underpin its production outlook to 2029, and details on additional opportunities in its portfolio that could further strengthen its long-term production outlook. Kinross' growing production outlook from 2021 - 2023 is based on expected additional ounces from: higher planned production at Kupol and planned life of mine extension at Chirano, both derived from successful exploration programs; expected enhancements to the Fort Knox mine plan, including accelerating production at the Gilmore project to bring ounces forward and mining the Gil satellite deposit; continued outperformance at Paracatu through expected improvements in throughput, more ounces from the tailings reprocessing and accelerated mining of the western area of the pit, and; higher anticipated production from the north area of Bald Mountain. Kinross' strong long-term production profile is based on long-life assets that anchor the Company's global portfolio, along with numerous growth projects in all operating regions. These growth projects, which range from scoping through feasibility study level of confidence, include: Udinsk, the first deposit expected to be developed on the Chulbatkan license in Russia; the recently acquired Peak project in Alaska; the Phase S extension at Round Mountain in Nevada, and; the Lobo-Marte project in Chile; The Company is also studying further organic development and exploration opportunities given its attractive pipeline of projects and flexibility of its portfolio in a favourable gold price environment.

09:10 EDT Synchrony says successfully launched Venmo program - Says expenses for Q3 included a $89M restructuring charge which equated to a 11c per share EPS reduction. Says pandemic continued to provide impact to results. Says impact moderated throughout Q2 and Q3. Says net interest income decreased 21% compared to prior year driven by the impact of COVID-19 and the Walmart sale. Says successfully launched Venmo program and card. Says consumers are actively seeking and demanding contactless payment options. Says leveraging QR code technology. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:10 EDT Castor Maritime announces delivery of M/V Magic Nova, charter agreement - Castor Maritime announces that on October 15, 2020 it took delivery of the 2010 Japan-built Panamax dry bulk vessel it had previously agreed to acquire as announced on October 1, 2020, the M/V Magic Nova. The Magic Nova Acquisition was financed in whole with cash on hand that the Company raised in the two equity offerings conducted in June and July of this year. On October 17, 2020, the M/V Magic Nova commenced employment under a time charter agreement with an expected term of between 6 to 9 months that is anticipated to provide the Company with approximately $1.9 million of gross incremental revenues for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter and approximately $2.8 million should employment extend to its maximum period. As of the date of this press release, the Company's fleet operates at an approximate average gross charter hire rate of $10,800.

09:08 EDT Verizon expands partnership with Niantic for mobile gaming - Verizon expanded its partnership with Niantic, the developer of Pokemon GO, to make mobile gaming more interactive and rewarding for Verizon wireless customers. The companies have teamed with industry leaders to create a new planet-scale platform that paves the way for immersive AR experiences on 5G, and are offering wireless customers access to limited events and rewards so trainers can experience Pokemon GO like never before. Verizon and Niantic will exclusively collaborate to build high-performing interactive experiences designed to give gamers more. Ahead of a major upcoming Pokemon GO global event, customers are invited to play on the 5G network built for gamers and access rare content. New bonuses and limited events will be available, including: Exclusive Event - Join Verizon for a Pokemon GO Special Weekend event and get the chance to catch rare Pokemon and item rewards, as well as event spawns on November 7. New masks - Pokemon has introduced masks, and Verizon customers can grab an exclusive hooded sweatshirt & mask set for their avatar. Digital billboards - Unlock sponsored gifts from Verizon when you explore the virtual world to discover where you can get valuable in-game content. 5G demo - Be among the first to get a small taste of 5G's power with a multiplayer mobile AR game demo soon to be released.

09:06 EDT Tetra Tech awarded $209M USACE contract - Tetra Tech announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, Mobile District, Planning and Environmental Division awarded the company a $209M multiple-award contract. Under this five-year contract, Tetra Tech will provide technical services for planning, assessments, and studies to support environmental initiatives for conservation, coastal and shoreline protection, wetland restoration, and sustainable infrastructure development. Tetra Tech's scientists and engineers will leverage high-end technology and advanced analytics to deliver innovative solutions in sustainability, environmental planning, and design.

09:05 EDT Alteryx announces partnership with Adobe - Alteryx (AYX) announced a partnership with Adobe (ADBE) to provide marketers access to new analytics and data science solutions through Adobe Exchange. Alteryx APA unifies analytics, data science and process automation in one self-service platform, making it easy for marketers to answer any question from Adobe Experience Cloud applications and Adobe Experience Platform, and combine Adobe data with other data sources for holistic answers and actions. Together, the Alteryx Analytic Process Automation Platform and Adobe Experience Platform enable organizations to automate marketing analytics to achieve fast analytics-driven outcomes.

09:04 EDT Marathon Patent Group appoints Simeon Salzman as CFO - Marathon Patent Group announced the appointment of Simeon Salzman to the position of CFO. Simeon will report to Chairman and CEO, Merrick Okamoto, while overseeing all financial activities, including audits, acquisitions, finance, and tax and accounting. Simeon succeeds former CFO, David Lieberman, who had worked closely with Okamoto for 18 years. Mr. Lieberman will continue to serve on the Company's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Marathon, Mr. Salzman served as the CFO and Senior Vice President of the Las Vegas Monorail Company.

08:49 EDT ViacomCBS unit VCNI announces departure of Pierluigi Gazzolo - ViacomCBS Networks International, VCNI, a division of ViacomCBS has confirmed the departure of "one of its longest serving executives, Pierluigi Gazzolo, who will step down from his role as President, Streaming and Studios for VCNI at the end of this month to focus on other interests. During Gazzolo's tenure as President of Streaming and Studios for VCNI, he successfully established the content proposition, team and go to market strategy for the international launch of Paramount+ and expanded the roadmap for Pluto TV internationally. Reporting to David Lynn, President and CEO of VCNI, and working closely with Tom Ryan, President & CEO of ViacomCBS Streaming, Kelly Day, Chief Operating Officer of VCNI, will take over leadership of the division's streaming business as President of Streaming and COO of VCNI. In this new role, Day will have oversight of the international roll-out of Paramount+, a new premium SVOD service due to launch in 2021 across Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics; as well as the ongoing expansion of Pluto TV, following its successful launch in Latin America," noted the company in a statement.

08:47 EDT Laurentian Bank appoints Rania Llewellyn as CEO - The Laurentian Bank of Canada announced the appointment of Rania Llewellyn as President and CEO and as a member of its Board of Directors, effective October 30, 2020. Llewellyn joins the Bank following a 26-year career at Scotiabank, where she began as a part-time teller and recently left as EVP, Global Business Payments.

08:44 EDT Procter & Gamble says 'very strong start' to FY21 - Says driving costs savings in all facets of business. Says near term will "continue to be challenging," but "like our long-term prospects." Says expects to be "highly cash generative." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:39 EDT Senmiao Technology signs agreement with BYD Auto Sales - Senmiao Technology announced the signing of a Framework Agreement with BYD Auto Sales, a wholly owned subsidiary of BYD Company, for the sale of BYD manufactured electric vehicles, or EVs, to Senmiao and joint promotion of EV vehicles for utilization in China's ride-sharing or ride-hailing market. Under the agreement, Senmiao has agreed to promote and give priority to BYD's EVs for its leasing customers utilizing the vehicles for the purposes of ride-sharing, while BYD will provide favorable pricing, financial support, charging station priority, marketing, and after-sales service. As part of the agreement, Senmiao will provide an initial deposit and expects to purchase at least 5,000 vehicles from 2020 to 2021 to support expected ride-sharing growth.

08:37 EDT Manhattan Associates intoduces Manhattan Active Allocation - Manhattan Associates introduced Manhattan Active Allocation, the first allocation solution specifically engineered for today's omnichannel marketplace, with a fresh approach to managing short lifecycle inventory. A leader in inventory optimization, Manhattan is the first to apply this expertise to softlines retail, with a new solution that also improves allocator agility and responsiveness.

08:35 EDT ViacomCBS names Tom Ryan president and CEO, ViacomCBS Streaming - ViacomCBS announced a new leadership structure for its global ecosystem of free and pay streaming services. "The integrated structure, which is effective immediately, will ensure a more holistic approach across both free and pay streaming, more closely align the company's streaming initiatives globally, and enhance ViacomCBS's ability to leverage the cross-house franchise and content strength of ViacomCBS to seize the global opportunity in streaming. Tom Ryan, currently CEO of Pluto TV, will assume the role of President and CEO, ViacomCBS Streaming, overseeing CBS All Access, which will relaunch as Paramount+ in early 2021, and Pluto TV. In this expanded role, he will have global oversight of the company's streaming strategy. Marc DeBevoise will step down from his role as Chief Digital Officer, ViacomCBS, and President and CEO, ViacomCBS Digital, serving in an advisory capacity for the remainder of 2020 to support a seamless transition and the ongoing transformation of the digital organization.Kelly Day, COO, ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), will take on an expanded role as President of Streaming, VCNI, overseeing all ex-U.S. digital and streaming platforms in addition to her COO responsibilities. She will work closely with Ryan and David Lynn, President and CEO of VCNI, on ViacomCBS's international streaming expansion, including the debut of Paramount+ in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics in 2021, as well as the ongoing international rollout of Pluto TV. As previously planned, Pierluigi Gazzolo will step down from his position as President, Streaming and Studios, VCNI, to pursue other interests," said the company in a statement.

08:35 EDT Cleveland BioLabs, Cytocom to combine in all-stock transaction - Cytocom and Cleveland BioLabs announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine their businesses in an all-stock transaction. Cytocom shareholders will have a majority position in the newly combined entity, which the parties anticipate will continue to be listed on the Nasdaq, and the initial Board of Directors for the combined company will consist of four members selected by Cytocom and three members selected by Cleveland BioLabs. The Boards of Directors of both companies have approved the combination. Each party to the proposed merger believes that the combined company will create near-term commercial opportunities in numerous areas of significant unmet medical needs including acute radiation injury, oncology, infectious disease, inflammation and autoimmune-mediated conditions, with multiple commercial, regulatory and clinical milestones expected over the next 12 to 18 months. Operating as "Cytocom, Inc." and under the leadership of Cytocom's experienced management team, the combined company will be positioned for consistent growth. The proposed transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by the stockholders of Cleveland Biolabs, the shares of the combined company being approved for listing on Nasdaq and a registration statement under the Securities Act becoming effective. Cytocom and Cleveland Biolabs expect the transaction to close during the first quarter of 2021.

08:35 EDT ThermoGenesis to receive patent for immunoassay test reader - ThermoGenesis Holdings announced that it has received notification from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, of its intent to issue U.S. Patent No. 10,823,746 on November 3, for the Company's new breakthrough lateral flow immunoassay test reader technology, the ThermoGenesis Reader. The application leading to this patent, titled, "Lateral Flow Immunoassay Test Reader and Method of Use," was accepted by USPTO under its recently announced COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Program. The ThermoGenesis Reader's technology is specifically designed to facilitate the efficient utilization of America's COVID-19 vaccine stocks as we enter 'The Vaccine Era' of COVID-19 response

08:32 EDT Cardiff Oncology reports new data from Phase 2 trial of onvansertib - Cardiff Oncology announced that new data and analyses related to its ongoing Phase 2 trial of onvansertib in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC, patients were featured in an electronic poster at the 27th Annual Prostate Cancer Foundation, or PCF, Scientific Retreat. The poster includes efficacy data demonstrating success in achieving the primary endpoint of disease control in patients showing initial resistance to Zytiga safety across three different dose and dosing schedules, as well as the potential clinical benefit for patients with the basal molecular tumor subtype. Cardiff Oncology is a clinical-stage biotechnology company and our mission is to develop new treatment options for cancer patients in indications with the greatest medical need.

08:28 EDT Lockheed Martin boosts FY20 segment operating profit view to roughly $7.125B - Prior view was $6.9B-$7.05B.

08:27 EDT Lockheed Martin raises FY20 Aeronautics sales view to ~$26.15B - Prior view was $25.3B-$25.8B. Now sees FY RMS sales roughly $16B vs. prior view of $15.6B-$16B, Space sales $11.8B from $11.65B-$11.95B, and MFC sales of $11.3B from $10.95B-$11.25B. Lockheed now sees FY Aeronautics segment operating profit of $2.825B, up from $2.725B-$2.775B, with Space operating profit of $1.16B, vs. prior $1.145B-$1.175B, RMS segment operating profit of $1.6B, up from $1.505B-$1.545B, and MFC segment operating profit of $1.54B, vs. prior $1.525B-$1.555B. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call presentation slides.

08:26 EDT Enphase, SunCool partner to bring solar-plus-storage to Florida homeowners - Enphase Energy announced that SunCool Energy has started offering the Enphase Encharge storage system to customers in South Florida. Encharge storage systems feature Enphase Ensemble energy management technology, which powers the world's first fully integrated, grid-agnostic microinverter-based solar-plus-storage system. The Enphase Encharge 10 and Encharge 3 storage systems offer usable and scalable battery storage capacities of 10.1 kWh and 3.4 kWh, respectively. This modular architecture helps installers to right-size storage for either customers' whole-home backup loads or to start small and grow over time, without additional external inverters. With a grid-agnostic system and fail-safe design with multiple, redundant microinverters in each storage device and a passive cooling system with no moving parts, the Encharge storage system offers maximum reliability. The Encharge storage system also provides a simple path to energy independence with Enphase grid-forming microinverters to keep homes powered when the grid goes down and save money when the grid is up.

08:22 EDT Assembly Biosciences appoints Gina Consylman to board of directors - Assembly Biosciences (ASMB) announced the appointment of Gina Consylman to its board of directors. Ms. Consylman will also serve as a member of Assembly's Audit Committee. Currently, Ms. Consylman is senior vice president and CFO at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD).

08:20 EDT iCAD signs distribution agreement with Change Healthcare - iCAD (ICAD) announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Change Healthcare (CHNG). The agreement will expand access to ProFound AI for more hospitals and imaging centers across North America. ProFound AI for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, or 3D mammography, is a high-performing workflow solution featuring the latest in deep-learning artificial intelligence capabilities. Intended to be used by radiologists reviewing mammography or DBT images, ProFound AI rapidly and accurately analyzes each individual image or slice and identifies potentially malignant lesions. Trained with one of the largest available 3D image datasets, it provides radiologists with crucial information, such as Certainty of Finding lesion and Case Scores, which assists in clinical decision-making and prioritizing caseloads.

08:18 EDT Neoleukin Therapeutics appoints Holly Vance as general counsel - Neoleukin announced the appointment of Holly Vance as General Counsel. Vance joins Neoleukin from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she served as Associate General Counsel and provided legal and strategic guidance on investments and transactions to the foundation's Strategic Investment Fund with a focus in the life sciences sector

08:14 EDT FIS secures domestic card scheme acquiring licenses in Argentina - FIS announced the latest expansion of its global footprint in the Latin American market by securing domestic card scheme acquiring licenses in Argentina. With the ability to offer local merchants in-country payment processing, Argentine sellers will have access to a broader set of Worldpay from FIS merchant solutions products and services for online commerce. Worldpay processes billions of transactions annually across 146 countries and more than 300 payments types in 126 currencies and will be the largest global acquirer with a domestic processing capability in Argentina. Previously, to acquire payments locally in Argentina, merchants would have to work with one of two providers, however, recent regulatory changes have prompted an opening up of the market which has allowed new entrants into the country.

08:14 EDT CNS' U.S. manufacturer completes manufacturing process for Berubicin - CNS Pharmaceuticals announced that the Company's U.S. manufacturer, Pharmaceutics International, has completed the manufacturing process for Berubicin Drug Product, its lead drug candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, an aggressive form of brain cancer currently considered incurable. "Completing the manufacturing process for Berubicin in the United States is an essential step in our preparations to file an IND during the Q4 of this year," stated John Climaco, CEO of CNS Pharmaceuticals. "We are extremely pleased to achieve yet another milestone in our preparation efforts and demonstrate our continued ability to execute upon both our operational and clinical strategies in a timely and proficient manner. We remain committed to further progressing our trial preparations, as we look forward to initiating a U.S. Phase 2 trial for Berubicin during the Q1 of 2021."

08:12 EDT Keros Therapeutics doses first participants in Phase 2 trial of KER-050 - Keros Therapeutics announced that it has dosed the first two participants in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating KER-050 for the treatment of anemia and thrombocytopenia in myelodysplastic syndromes. Keros expects to report initial data from Part 1 of this trial in mid-2021. The Phase 2 clinical trial is an open-label, multiple ascending dose trial to evaluate KER-050 in participants with very low-, low-, or intermediate-risk MDS who either have previously received treatment with an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent or have not received such treatment. Keros presented data from its Phase 1 clinical trial of KER-050 in healthy post-menopausal women, which demonstrated a robust, dose-dependent response of multiple hematological parameters, at the 25th Annual Congress of European Hematology Association in June 2020. The Phase 2 clinical trial will be conducted in 2 parts. In Part 1, approximately six participants will be enrolled in each of up to four cohorts of ascending doses of KER-050 to be administered by subcutaneous injection every four weeks for up to four cycles. In Part 2, the dose selected from Part 1 will be evaluated in up to 30 participants. The primary objective of the trial is to confirm the safety and tolerability of KER-050 in MDS participants with ring sideroblasts as well as in participants without ring sideroblasts.

08:10 EDT AstraZeneca's Tagrisso gets FDA acceptance for sNDA for NSCLC treatment - AstraZeneca's TAGRISSO, osimertinib, has received acceptance for its supplemental New Drug Application, sNDA, and has also been granted Priority Review in the US for the adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer after complete tumor resection with curative intent. While up to 30% of all patients with NSCLC may be diagnosed early enough to have potentially curative surgery, disease recurrence is still common in early-stage disease and nearly half of patients diagnosed in Stage IB, and over three quarters of patients diagnosed in Stage IIIA, experience recurrence within five years.1-4 The Food and Drug Administration, FDA, grants Priority Review to applications for medicines that 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 during the first quarter of 2021. Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, said: "Patients with early-stage EGFR-mutated lung cancer are still at considerable risk of recurrence after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, and new targeted treatment options are critical to improving outcomes for these patients. This expedited review underscores the unprecedented disease-free survival benefit TAGRISSO brings to patients in the adjuvant setting, and we will continue working with the FDA to provide this practice-changing treatment to patients as quickly as possible."

08:10 EDT Huami announces strategic cooperation agreement with Xiaomi - Huami announced a 3-year extension of its strategic cooperation agreement with Xiaomi. Through the terms of this extension, Huami continues to receive the most-preferred-partner status to develop Xiaomi wearable products. In addition, under the agreement, the two parties will form a most-preferred strategic partnership on the research and development of AI-chips and algorithms for wearable devices.

08:09 EDT Evofem: First patient enrolled in pivotal Phase 3 trial of EVO100 - Evofem Biosciences announced enrollment of the first patient in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of EVO100 for the prevention of urogenital chlamydia and gonorrhea in women.

08:09 EDT ATIF Holdings signs LOI to acquire Xi'an Green Fun Technology - ATIF Holdings announced that on October 11, 2020, the Company has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire 51% equity interest in Xi'an Green Fun Technology Co., a high technology company focused on research, development and manufacturing of illuminated air purifier products. Pursuant to the LOI, the Company will acquire no less than 51% equity interest in Green Fun. The Proposed Transaction is subject to a definitive acquisition agreement to be negotiated between the two parties, following further financial and legal reviews and approval of the Company's Board of Directors, as well as other customary closing conditions.

08:08 EDT ATIF Holdings signs LOI to acquire 51% equity interest in Green Fun - ATIF Holdings announced that on October 11, the company has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire 51% equity interest in Xi'an Green Fun Technology Co., Ltd., a high technology company focused on research, development and manufacturing of illuminated air purifier products. Pursuant to the LOI, the company will acquire no less than 51% equity interest in Green Fun. The Proposed Transaction is subject to a definitive acquisition agreement to be negotiated between the two parties, following further financial and legal reviews and approval of the company's Board of Directors, as well as other customary closing conditions.

08:07 EDT Kohl's announce new private label athleisure brand FLX - Kohl's announced a new private label, specialty athleisure brand, FLX, available in select stores and online at Kohls.com beginning March 2021. With offerings for both men and women, FLX, is an athleisure brand featuring active separates made with performance fabrics and functional details. In addition to a year-round collection of core apparel, the brand assortment will be refreshed seasonally with transitional items, including fleece, jackets and layering pieces. FLX offers pieces for life at home or on-the-go. The assortment is also size-inclusive, available in plus and big & tall sizes, and the entire FLX collection was made using sustainable methods and materials.

08:06 EDT Astellas Pharma receives FDA Fast Track designation for ASP0367/MA-0211 - Astellas Pharma President and CEO, Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track designation for the development of ASP0367/MA-0211 as a potential treatment for primary mitochondrial myopathies.

08:04 EDT Splunk completes acquisition of application performance monitoring firm Plumbr - Splunk announced that it has completed the acquisition of Plumbr, an application performance monitoring, APM, company offering auto-instrumentation, Real User Monitoring and deep application performance insights for enterprise applications. Splunk also announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rigor, a digital experience monitoring, DEM, company offering advanced synthetic monitoring and optimization tools. Rigor's solutions help customers optimize end-user experiences in digital channels. With both acquisitions and product integrations, Splunk will significantly expand its APM and DEM capabilities. The combined power of Splunk's Observability Suite will ultimately give customers a seamless, end-to-end observability experience to help guide them across both cloud and on-premises environments, as well as the software architecture transformations occurring with applications. "The global acceleration to multicloud and hybrid cloud architectures has created an observability revolution. Development, operations and IT teams everywhere require real-time, full-fidelity and ML-driven solutions that can help them quickly and confidently modernize and build cloud-native applications," said Tim Tully, chief technology officer, Splunk. "Together, Plumbr and Rigor accelerate Splunk's vision to deliver a comprehensive Observability Suite with best-in-class DEM and APM for all applications. Splunk is the industry's leading enterprise-grade Observability Suite providing customers with a complete, full-fidelity view into their data." Plumbr offers advanced instrumentation, profiling and Real User Monitoring (RUM) capabilities, which are critical to monitoring Java, PHP, Python and .Net applications. The addition of Plumbr's technology to Splunk's Observability Suite gives customers unprecedented monitoring and troubleshooting of existing applications, as well as RUM, database monitoring and code profiling capabilities.

07:53 EDT Embraer delivers seven commercial, 21 executive jets in Q3 - Embraer delivered a total of 28 jets in the third quarter, of which seven were commercial aircraft and 21 were executive jets (19 light and 2 large). As of September 30, the firm order backlog totaled $15.1B.

07:40 EDT Lithium Americas provides corporate update on status of projects - Lithium Americas provides a corporate update regarding the status of the Company and its projects. In addition, the Company has established an at-the-market equity program that allows the Company to issue up to $100M of common shares from treasury to the public from time to time, at the Company's discretion. Construction activities at the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium brine project in Jujuy, Argentina are underway with enhanced COVID-19 protocols. Progress continues at site with focus on the carbonate plant civil works and the lime plant construction. All critical equipment remains on track to be delivered by the end of 2020. The Company continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the construction schedule. Based on the current remobilization plan, which follows health and safety guidelines requiring a significantly reduced workforce at site, the Company expects construction to be complete by the end of 2021 with production in early 2022. Capital costs remain unchanged at $565M, on a 100% basis, including the contingency. As of September 30, 2020, over 60% of the capital costs have been spent with over 80% committed. In addition, the Company recently completed a detailed review to confirm operating cost assumptions based on the 2019 feasibility study estimates remain less than $3,600/t of battery-quality lithium carbonate. Permitting continues to advance as planned at the Thacker Pass lithium clay project in Nevada, USA with all major permits expected to be received by the end of Q1 2021. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently completed the 45-day public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement as published by the BLM in Q3 2020. The BLM is in the process of incorporating public comments into the Final EIS which will form the basis of the Record of Decision . In September, the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development unanimously approved tax abatements for Thacker Pass which are expected for the first phase construction period. The tax abatements total $9less than, including partial sales, property and payroll tax abatements. The Company continues to explore financing options for the construction of Thacker Pass, including the possibility of a joint venture partner. Based on discussions with potential customers and joint venture partners, the Company is assessing changes to the parameters of its feasibility study to target a higher production capacity than the 20,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate equivalent and a revised product mix than previously considered. As a result, the scheduled timing for completion of the feasibility study will be adjusted once the Company has determined the targeted initial capacity and product mix that more accurately reflects market needs. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had $54M in cash in addition to $202less than in capital available from credit and loan facilities to fund the Company's share of Cauchari-Olaroz. The Company remains fully-funded to advance Cauchari-Olaroz to production and expects to have excess liquidity available under its credit facilities.

07:37 EDT CB2 Insights announces debt conversion of $3M held by Merida Capital - CB2 Insights announced that it has completed an early conversion of its promissory note held by Merida Capital Partners II dated June 17, 2020. The principal amount of $3M will be converted in full. Merida will be granted 10,412,250 common shares of CB2 based on the 8-day VWAP of C$0.38. With the shares received from this debt conversion, Merida continues to strengthen its position in CB2 as a reporting insider for with total holding of 25,603,945 common shares. Under the terms of the Note, the principal amount of $3M will become payable on December 24, 2022 and carries an annual interest rate of 8%. Additionally, if at any time prior to the maturity date, the closing price of the Company's common shares on the CSE is equal to or greater than C$0.30 for 20 consecutive trading days, then the outstanding amounts owed under the Note will be converted into that number of common shares based on the 20-day VWAP, less a discount of 10%. Based on early conversion, the Note has been converted at the 8-day VWAP with no discount. Conversion of the Note will save the company approximately $0.5M USD in interest payments over the remainder of the Term. Additionally, the Company has strengthened its balance sheet by eliminating 100% of its long-term debt. The Company also announced a full quarter of profitability in Q2 2020 and expects this to continue for Q3 2020. The Company also recently completed an oversubscribed private placement of C$5.13M bringing the total cash position to C$5.5M. The Company forecasts strong growth organically as it continues to expand its primary care services in the US through its physical clinics and telemedicine offerings. As part of its stated strategy of carefully executing upon an extensive M&A pipeline of medical clinics and services in the US, the Company recently completed the acquisition of Maverick County Medical in Texas with revenues of C$1.6M and EBITDA of C$0.3M for a total purchase price of C$0.98M. The Company is now well positioned to continue working through its deal pipeline and expects strong deal flow in the future. With a strong cash position, no long-term debt and a profitable business operation, the Company is well positioned to execute this strategy.

07:36 EDT Lockheed Martin reports record Q3 backlog of $150.4B

07:34 EDT Fifth Third selects nCino Bank Operating System - nCino (NCNO) announced that Fifth Third Bank (FITB) has selected the nCino Bank Operating System as a foundational technology platform to help the Bank accelerate its digital transformation, streamline its commercial banking business and provide greater transparency, efficiency and convenience to its employees and clients.

07:33 EDT XPO Logistics creates 15,000 jobs in North America in preparation for holidays - XPO Logistics announced a major recruitment effort aimed at filling 15,000 job openings in North America. Applicants are encouraged to search available positions here. XPO is hiring permanent, seasonal, full-time, part-time, hourly and salaried roles in its logistics, transportation and corporate operations. Distribution center jobs - the largest portion of the recruitment program - represent approximately 8,000 opportunities across the US, with jobs available in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California, Georgia, Tennessee and other states. The company's goal is to fill all openings by November 15. XPO is offering a number of substantial hiring incentives, depending on location. Eligible seasonal distribution center workers may receive additional peak incentive pay, premium overtime pay, weekly bonuses or referral bonuses. Drivers may be eligible for sign-on or retention bonuses, and qualifying applicants who are interested in a commercial driving career may be able to train tuition-free for their CDL-A license, while earning income at an XPO less-than-truckload service center.

07:30 EDT Green Thumb Industries to open Rise Monroeville in Pennsylvania - Green Thumb Industries announced it will open Rise Monroeville, its 49th retail location, on October 21. Profits from the first day of sales will be donated to 412 Food Rescue, a non-profit that works with food retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, caterers, universities and other food providers to rescue unsellable but perfectly good food and provide it to nonprofit organizations that serve those experiencing food insecurity.

07:29 EDT Medipharm Labs launches LABS CANNABIS family of products - MediPharm Labs announced the launch of its new "LABS Cannabis" family of health and wellness products. Specially designed and formulated for the Canadian consumers, the innovative and high-quality LABS Cannabis products will be targeted for adult use with distribution planned through government and private retail channels across Canada. The first product will tentatively be launched in early Q4 2020.

07:26 EDT Revive Therapeutics signs supply agreement with Havn Life Sciences - Revive Therapeutics announced it has signed a supply agreement with Havn Life Sciences to source naturally-derived psychedelic compounds, such as psilocybin, for use in future investigational new drug enabling studies and clinical trials under the Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Havn Life Sciences is focused on standardized, quality-controlled extraction of psychoactive compounds from plants and fungi, and the development of natural health care products from non-regulated compounds. Under its sponsored research partnership with the Reed Research Group out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Company is developing its tannin-chitosan composite of orally dissolvable thin films which offers a unique delivery platform for therapeutic doses of psilocybin into the oral cavity. There are a number of advantages and benefits of an orally dissolvable psilocybin thin film such as the rapid dissolving and onset of action to the bloodstream, the ease and convenience for patients to administer without the need of water, chewing or swallowing, the potential of improved therapeutic outcomes and efficacy for underserved diseases and disorders including the flexibility to create accurate dosing and tasteful options. The Company's delivery technology is a natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible composite that combines a tannin material, which is derived from a plant group having antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and wound healing properties, and a chitosan material, which is derived from the crustacean group having blood-clotting and antimicrobial properties. The delivery technology has a rapid onset of action and controlled or sustained release potential capabilities and may allow combining multiple extracts from mushrooms in one formulation. The Company has entered into a Clinical Trial Agreement with the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System to conduct a clinical study entitled "Phase I Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Psilocybin in Adults with Methamphetamine Use Disorder." The Phase I study Principal Investigator is Dr. Christopher R. Nicholas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Program for Research Outreach Therapeutics and Education in the Addictions in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The clinical study will be conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, and School of Pharmacy, which holds a Wisconsin special authorization and DEA license to perform clinical research with psilocybin. The Company will have exclusive access to key intellectual property from this study.

07:19 EDT Baudax Bio says ANJESO launch underway, entered into exchange agreements - Baudax Bio provided an update regarding the initial commercial launch of ANJESO and provided an overview of other corporate initiatives and achievements. The U.S. commercial rollout of ANJESO, Baudax's lead asset indicated for the management of moderate to severe pain, alone or in combination with other non-NSAID analgesics, is progressing well. ANJESO became broadly available through wholesalers in the U.S in June 2020. As of today, over 50 institutions have added ANJESO to their formulary and the average order size has increased by nearly 75% since launch. The ANJESO re-order rate is a robust 50% with a deepening usage pattern. In just over 3 months on the market, ANJESO has been utilized across a wide variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures and is now beginning to be incorporated into surgical protocols and electronic health record order sets, with demand increasing monthly. However, Baudax's ongoing commercial efforts continue to be impacted by COVID-19 pandemic related obstacles, including an absence of hospital formulary meetings where new drugs can be adopted, as well as access within hospitals. Many hospital formularies just recently resumed meetings after a 6-month absence. Despite there being a backlog of agents scheduled to be reviewed, the Company believes it will make steady progress getting ANJESO added to further hospital formularies in the months and quarters ahead. Effective October 1, 2020, ANJESO is reimbursed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, under a unique J code, facilitating reimbursement for use in the hospital outpatient, ambulatory surgery center and physician office settings of care. Effective October 19, 2020, the Company entered into exchange agreements with holders of its short dated Series B Warrants and long dated Series A Warrants providing for the immediate exchange of 0.2 shares of common stock per warrant, for either all Series A Warrants or Series B Warrants held by each holder, at the holders election. As a result of the warrant exchange, the exercise price of the remaining outstanding warrants was adjusted to $0.01 per share. Holders participating in the exchange also agreed to amend their Warrants not so exchanged to remove certain anti-dilution and variable pricing protective provisions. Additionally, following the completion of the warrant exchange, for holders participating in the exchange, to the extent such holder's outstanding warrant is a Series A Warrant, the expiration date for such warrant was amended to April 26, 2021. As a result of the warrant exchange, the exercise and exchange of all of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants is expected to result in the issuance of approximately 9.8 million shares of the Company's common stock in the aggregate. This Warrant restructuring transaction was done to improve the Company's capital structure and remove certain financial overhang, which the Company believes negatively impacted its expected valuation and ability to attract additional capital investments.

07:17 EDT Pluristem announces formation of COVID-19 Steering Committee - Pluristem Therapeutics named medical experts to form the Steering Committee for its clinical program relating to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19. Pluristem is currently conducting Phase II studies of its PLX-PAD cells to treat hospitalized patients suffering from severe COVID-19 complicated by ARDS in the U.S., Europe and Israel. The Company is also conducting an Expanded Access Program in the U.S. and a per-patient Compassionate Use Program in Israel. The Steering Committee announcement follows Pluristem's recent expansion of its Phase II COVID-19 trial to Israel earlier this month. Comprised of five prominent professors and medical doctors in the fields of infectious diseases, critical care, pulmonology and internal medicine, Pluristem's COVID-19 Steering Committee is chaired by Professor Dellinger, MD and includes: R. Phillip Dellinger, MD, MSc, MCCM, Cooper University Health Care, U.S: Professor Dellinger is a Professor of Medicine and Distinguished Scholar at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and Senior Critical Care Attending at Cooper University Hospital. Galia Rahav, MD, PhD Sheba Medical Center, Israel: Professor Rahav is the Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit and Laboratories at the Sheba Medical Center, and a full academic Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. Mitchell Levy, MD, MCCM, FCCP, Brown University, U.S.: Professor Levy is the Chief of the Division of Critical Care, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he also serves as a Professor of Medicine. Christian Putensen, MD, PhD, University Hospital Bonn, Germany: Professor Putensen is a Professor of Intensive Care Medicine and Head of the Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, at the University Hospital Bonn. Tom van der Poll, MD, PhD, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Netherlands: Professor van der Poll is the Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands.

07:16 EDT AMC Entertainment down 2% in pre-market after offering 15M shares of stock

07:14 EDT Gold Standard announces drill results for Pinion Phase 4 Development Program - Gold Standard Ventures announced drill results from 24 of 75 holes in the 2020 Pinion deposit development program on its 100%-owned/controlled Railroad-Pinion Project in Nevada's Carlin Trend. The planned total of 16,206m of drilling in 60 reverse-circulation holes and 15 metallurgical core holes has been completed. Results contained in this release are from 24 RC holes; all other RC and core results are pending. Oxide results include 42.7m of 0.92 g Au/t, including 7.6m of 2.69 g Au/t in hole PR20-14; 38.1m of 0.97 g Au/t in PR20-15; 64.0m of 0.81 g Au/t, including 22.9m of 1.20 g Au/t in hole PR20-19; and 29.0m of 0.77 g Au/t, including 12.2m of 1.28 g Au/t in PR20-23. The data to date suggests that targeted inferred resources are likely to be successfully upgraded for inclusion in reserves. Objectives of the drilling included: decreasing drill spacing on the Pinion Phase 4 inferred oxide resource for potential conversion to Measured and Indicated; provide material for metallurgical testing; and tighten the drill spacings near historic Cameco holes SB-136, an RC hole that intersected 102.1m of 1.38 g Au/t, and SB-162-99, a core hole that twinned and verified the SB-136 results with an intercept of 112.0m of 1.24 g Au/t. Key Highlights for Pinion include: Four holes from the southern portion of the drill program intersected vertically-continuous zones of oxide mineralization that are thicker- and higher-grade than modeled from existing drilling. These intercepts occur along an approximate 450m strike length oriented at N60W - an orientation that is parallel to the Pinion Main and South gold zones to the north. Results include: 42.7m of 0.92 g Au/t, including 7.6m of 2.69 g Au/t in hole PR20-14; 38.1m of 0.97 g Au/t in PR20-15; 64.0m of 0.81 g Au/t, including 22.9m of 1.20 g Au/t in hole PR20-19; and 29.0m of 0.77 g Au/t, including 12.2m of 1.28 g Au/t in PR20-23. Drill holes PR20-19, -20, and -27 intersected thick zones of oxide mineralization and all three ended in altered multilithic breccia with oxide gold values ranging from 0.7 g Au/t to 1.37 g Au/t. Additional drilling is planned to further evaluate the depth and strike extent of this open-ended mineralization. Three holes intersected shallow oxide mineralization in the southeast portion of the drill pattern. Oxide mineralization in this area begins approximately 40m to 55m below the current topographic surface and remains open to east and south for additional drill testing. Infill drilling and Anaconda-style mapping of new drill site excavations continues to confirm and enhance favorable geologic patterns in the Phase 4 area, including: repetition of fault and anticlinal fold orientations, an increase in igneous dikes and sills, and the strength of the gold system in the multilithic breccia host unit. Surface mapping has identified the SB Target, which appears to connect with the N60W trend identified above and has 300m of untested strike length to southeast. Cyanide soluble gold assays confirm the consistently oxidized nature of gold mineralization within the multilithic breccia host at Pinion Phase 4. Excellent correlation exists between the visual logging of oxidized zones containing limonite and/or hematite in drill samples and the cyanide soluble gold assays.

07:14 EDT PPG: COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacting demand for coatings products - PPG said in prepared remarks ahead of its Q3 earnings call that the pandemic is still significantly impacting demand for coatings products in certain sectors, most notably the global commercial aerospace, marine, and protective coatings products that support the energy markets.

07:11 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics doses first patient in Phase 2a trial of ATI-1777 - Aclaris Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been dosed in Aclaris' Phase 2a clinical trial of ATI-1777, an investigational topical "soft" Janus kinase 1/3 inhibitor, for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. ATI-1777 was developed internally utilizing Aclaris' proprietary KINect drug discovery platform. The Phase 2a trial is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, parallel-group trial to determine the efficacy, safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of ATI-1777 in subjects with moderate or severe AD. Subjects will apply ATI-1777 or vehicle twice daily for 28 days. Aclaris' planned enrollment for this trial is approximately 42 subjects and the trial will be conducted in the U.S. The primary endpoint is the percentage change from baseline in the Eczema Area and Severity Index score at week 4.

07:10 EDT Microbix Biosystems announces further COVID-19 quality assessment products - Microbix Biosystems announces its creation, external verification, initial sales, and first shipments of a new class of quality assessment products to help implement or ensure workflow accuracy of antigen-based tests for the virus causing COVID-19 disease. Antigen-based tests look for intact or fragmented virus within a patient sample, which can be taken and analyzed at the same point-of-care. Such tests are proving to be a faster and less expensive option for screening for COVID-19 disease, although they will likely not replace lab-based nucleic-acid testing for definitive diagnosis. An initial group of antigen-based tests have been authorized for emergency use by authorities such as the United States FDA, which has made six such tests available. Microbix created its antigen-test QAPs to support laboratory proficiency testing and accreditation, test development or lab training, and support of clinical lab workflows. External validation of these products has been completed with multiple test makers and is one of the catalysts for the current disclosure. Furthermore, Microbix shipped over a thousand units of a prototype of these QAPs - purchased by international proficiency-testing and accreditation agencies for widespread clinical lab confirmations of their reliability across the COVID-19 antigen-tests now coming into use. Upon receipt of such widespread validation, Microbix will complete assembly of the detailed technical file necessary to register/license its COVID-19 antigen-test QAPs for clinical lab use. With regulatory work completed, they will become available for lab testing workflow support - as "REDx FLOQ SARS-CoV-2 Ag" positive and negative samples that are room-temperature stable and formatted on COPAN FLOQSwabs.

07:08 EDT XPO Logistics expands fleet of mega-trucks, semi-trailers in Spain - XPO Logistics has invested in purchasing 10 additional mega-trucks and 280 semi-trailers in Spain, strengthening its eco-friendly fleet capacity. Mega-trucks have the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 20% compared with traditional trucks, as each 25.25-metre vehicle is able to transport 65% more freight per trip. XPO will use its 25 mega-trucks to cover routes in its less-than-truckload network, expanding service between Valencia and Malaga, Barcelona and Madrid, and Seville and Granada. The company is a leader in LTL pallet transport in Spain, with over five million pallets delivered in 2019. The new semi-trailers will be used for full truckload and LTL service across the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. Each 13.6-metre unit has the capacity to transport up to 25 tonnes of freight using best-in-class transport technology for safety and efficiency. The expansion increases XPO's semi-trailer fleet to approximately 2,400 units.

07:05 EDT Iridium sees FY20 operational EBITDA $355M - Commenting on the full-year outlook, the company added, "In light of continued momentum, Iridium is raising its full-year guidance for 2020. We now expect to generate approximately $355M in operational EBITDA and finish the year with net leverage of approximately 4.0 times operational EBITDA. With nearly a full turn of deleveraging in 2020, we are well on our way to achieving our targeted leverage range and undertaking material returns of capital to shareholders." Sees FY20 total service revenue growth of approximately 3%. Previous outlook was for total service revenue growth between 1% and 2%; total service revenue for 2019 was $447.2M. Expects negligible cash taxes in 2020. Cash taxes are expected to be negligible through approximately 2023. Sees net leverage of approximately 4.0 times OEBITDA at the end of 2020. Previous outlook was for net leverage of approximately 4.3 times OEBITDA. Net leverage was 4.8 times OEBITDA at December 31, 2019.

07:02 EDT FactSet to acquire Truvalue Lans, terms not disclosed - FactSet announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Truvalue Labs. The transaction is expected to close later this year and is not expected to have a material impact on FactSet's fiscal 2021 results. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, Truvalue Labs applies AI-driven technology to over 100,000 unstructured text sources in 13 languages, including news, trade journals, and nongovernmental organizations and industry reports, to provide daily signals that identify positive and negative ESG behavior. Its coverage spans over 19,000 public and private companies and generates short-term, long-term, and momentum scores derived from hundreds of signals. These signals are mapped against the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board standards and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, allowing investors to evaluate ESG risk factors and real-world actions and impacts for quantitative analysis and back-testing. The company also works with its well-established Academic Research Network, which helps academic researchers use its data to study ESG trends and market-related behavior. Truvalue Labs joined the Open:FactSet Marketplace in 2018 and its data is already successfully integrated for use with current FactSet content and products, including the FactSet workstation

07:00 EDT Computer Task Group not providing guidance - CTG Executive Vice President and CFO John M. Laubacker commented, "Given the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CTG's end markets, the Company will continue to not provide guidance for the Q4 and FY20. We are, however, very encouraged by the success of our Solutions initiatives, which resulted in a significant increase in the Company's gross profit margins in the third quarter of 2020. We remain committed to our strategy of making appropriate, focused investments in Solutions for the remainder of 2020 that will enhance the long-term value of CTG."

06:59 EDT Danone conducting full strategic review of brands, assets - Danone said it is conducting a full strategic review of the portfolio of brands, SKUs and assets to shape it for its 3-5% profitable growth agenda, starting with an immediate review of its strategic options for Argentina, for Vega brand, and possibly further assets.

06:58 EDT Travelers reports Q3 return on equity of 12.1%, core return on equity 13.5%

06:56 EDT UBS expects to propose cash dividend at AGM in April 2021 - Through September 30, UBS said it has so far accrued $1B toward the cash dividend that UBS expects to propose at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders in April 2021. The company expects to be allowed to resume repurchasing shares in 2021.

06:51 EDT Trimble, Boston Dynamics announce strategic alliance for robots in construction - Trimble and Boston Dynamics announced a strategic alliance to integrate a variety of construction data collection technologies with Boston Dynamics' Spot robot platform. The jointly-developed solution will combine the Spot robot's autonomous mobility with Trimble's data collection sensors and field control software to enable automation of repetitive tasks such as site scans, surveying and progress monitoring, while taking advantage of the robot's capabilities to navigate dynamic and potentially unsafe environments. The relationship gives Trimble exclusivity to sell and support the Spot robot with integrated scanning, total station and GNSS technologies for the construction market. This solution will streamline operation of the robot and provide quality control for missions, enabling construction project managers to easily get a clear picture of jobsite progress on an ongoing basis. Trimble technologies integrated with the robot enable accurate, scalable and rapid data acquisition while Trimble's construction collaboration platforms provide a continuous flow of information between field and office. In addition, customers will benefit from local support and service from Trimble and its distribution partners. Mortenson, a U.S. builder, developer and engineering services provider headquartered in Minneapolis, is one of the first customers to leverage the competitive advantages of this new technology combination.

06:48 EDT Ocwen sees Q3 net loss $9.4M compared to $42.8M loss last year - Ocwen Financial provided preliminary information regarding its Q3 results and progress on the Company's key business priorities. The Company reported a net loss of $9.4M and a pre-tax loss of $11.4M for the three months ended September 30, compared to a net loss of $42.8M and a pre-tax loss of $38.3M for the three months ended September 30, 2019. Adjusted pre-tax income was $13.5M for the quarter compared to a $42.0M adjusted pre-tax loss excluding NRZ lump-sum amortization in the prior year period. Glen A. Messina, President and CEO, said, "Our performance across the business is progressing consistent with our expectations. The execution of our strategy to drive balance, diversification, cost leadership and operational excellence is delivering improved profitability, originations growth across all channels, and continued strong operating performance in our servicing business. Our total liquidity position has improved from last quarter and we are making good progress on our plans to implement an MSR asset vehicle to support our continued growth and diversification efforts."

06:46 EDT Merck reports 'positive' results from two additional Phase 3 studies of V114 - Merck announced findings from two additional Phase 3 studies evaluating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of V114, the company's investigational 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. In the PNEU-PATH (V114-016) study, healthy adults 50 years of age or older received V114 or PCV13 followed by PNEUMOVAX 23 one year later. Immune responses following vaccination with PNEUMOVAX 23 (month 13) were comparable in both vaccination groups for the 15 serotypes in V114. Results also showed that at 30 days post vaccination with either V114 or PCV13 (day 30), immune responses were comparable for both groups across the 13 serotypes shared by the conjugate vaccines and higher in the V114 group for serotypes 22F and 33F, the two serotypes not included in PCV13. In PNEU-DAY (V114-017), a Phase 3 study in immunocompetent adults 18 to 49 years of age with underlying medical conditions associated with increased risk for pneumococcal disease, V114 generated immune responses generally comparable to PCV13 for the 13 shared serotypes and higher immune responses for serotypes 22F and 33F at 30 days post-vaccination. Results from both studies are based on opsonophagocytic activity responses - a measure of vaccine-induced functional antibodies. V114 was generally well tolerated in both studies, with a safety profile consistent with that observed for V114 in previously reported studies.

06:09 EDT Farmmi receives extension to regain compliance with Nasdaq - Farmmi announced that on October 19, it received notification from Nasdaq confirming the company has been granted an additional 180 calendar day period for compliance under its minimum bid price requirement through April 13, 2021. To regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement, the closing bid price of the company's ordinary shares needs to be at least $1.00 per share or greater for at least ten consecutive business days by April 13, 2021.

06:08 EDT TuanChe announces ADS ratio change - TuanChe announced that it will change the ratio of its American depositary shares, or ADSs, to Class A ordinary shares from one ADS representing four Class A ordinary shares to one ADS representing 16 Class A ordinary shares. For TuanChe's ADS holders, this ratio change will have the same effect as a 1-for-4 reverse ADS split. There will be no change to TuanChe's Class A ordinary shares. Furthermore, no physical action by ADS holders will be required to effect the ratio change, as the change will be effected on the books of the depositary. The effect of the ratio change on the ADS trading price on the Nasdaq Capital Market is expected to take place at the open of business on October 22. Any fractional ADSs will be sold and the net proceeds from the sale of fractional ADSs will be distributed to the holders entitled thereto. As a result of the change in the ADS ratio, the ADS price is expected to increase proportionally, although TuanChe can give no assurance that the ADS price after the change in the ADS ratio will be equal to or greater than four times the ADS price before the change.

06:05 EDT Regions Financial reports Q3 net interest margin 3.13% vs. 3.44% a year ago

05:56 EDT Exxon Mobil says 'hypothetical call' between CEO, Trump 'never happened' - Exxon Mobil said via Twitter: "We are aware of the President's statement regarding a hypothetical call with our CEO...and just so we're all clear, it never happened." The statement came after Trump said "I'll use a company," and then suggested that he could call the "head of Exxon" and ask for campaign donations in exchange for a "couple of permits." Reference Link

05:50 EDT Veon acquires stake in ShopUp - Veon has joined Sequoia Capital India and Flourish Ventures as investors in ShopUp, Bangladesh's full-stack B2B commerce platform for small businesses, becoming ShopUp's first strategic corporate investor. The investment enables Veon Ventures to support ShopUp's digital ecosystem for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, or MSMEs, which form a vital backbone of Bangladesh's economy, as well as providing significant opportunities for developing mobile financial services for ShopUp's users. ShopUp provides B2B sourcing, logistics and financial services to MSMEs through its mobile-first digital platform and last mile logistics service, RedX. ShopUp is already used by a large portion of Bangladeshi local businesses, helping neighborhood shops and online sellers. Veon's investment in ShopUp was made alongside Flourish Ventures and Sequoia Capital India. Both investment firms co-led the current investment round for ShopUp, with additional participation from Speedinvest and Lonsdale in what is the largest Series A round of its kind for a Bangladeshi start-up.

05:44 EDT Magna CEO Don Walker to retire, Seetarama Kotagiri to succeed - Magna announced that its board has appointed Seetarama Kotagiri as CEO, effective January 1, 2021. Don Walker, who served as CEO between 1994 and 2001, and since 2005, will retire at the end of 2020. In his 33-year career at Magna, Walker served in various leadership roles including VP product development and engineering, COO and president, in addition to CEO of former Magna "spinco," Intier Automotive between 2001 and 2005. Kotagiri has more than 25 years of automotive industry experience, 21 of which have been with Magna. In his previous role as Magna's CTO, the company formed partnerships in areas including autonomy, electrification, electronics and connectivity. Kotagiri was responsible for managing the company's innovation and new product strategy and development both at a corporate level and in conjunction with Magna's product groups. While CTO, he also served in various leadership positions including president of Magna Electronics, Magna Powertrain and the company's Power and Vision segment.

05:38 EDT Xpeng completes production of 10,000 P7 smart EV sedans - XPeng completed the production of 10,000 units of the P7 smart EV sedan. The 10,000th P7 rolled off the production line from Xpeng's self-built wholly-owned factory in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province.

05:34 EDT Dr. Reddy's announces re-launch of OTC Famotidine Tablets - Dr. Reddy's announced the re-launch of over-the-counter, or OTC, Famotidine Tablets USP, 10 mg and 20 mg, the store-brand equivalents of original strength and maximum strength Pepcid AC, in the U.S. market, as approved by the FDA. Dr. Reddy's OTC Famotidine Tablets USP, 10 mg and 20 mg, are acid reducers that prevent and relieve heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach brought on by eating or drinking certain food and beverages.

05:27 EDT Skanska awarded $112M contract to renovate, expand Charlottesville library - Skanska has signed an additional contract with University of Virginia to renovate and expand the historical Alderman library in Charlottesville, Virginia. The contract is worth $112M which will be included in the U.S. order bookings for Q4. The work will include a complete demolition of a 1967 addition, replacing it with a six-story concrete framed addition of approximately 11,600 square meters. The existing 9,300-square-meter library will also be renovated, which will include the renewal of building systems with all new infrastructure and better utilization of space to improve wayfinding. The overall goal of the renovation is to adapt the building to meet the current and future needs of its users, and create more open spaces and a stable environment that will be more conducive to the long-term preservation of library collections. Construction began January and completion is scheduled for December 2022.

05:18 EDT SK hynix to acquire Intel NAND memory, storage business for $9B - SK hynix and Intel announced that they have signed an agreement under which SK hynix would acquire Intel's NAND memory and storage business for $9B. The transaction includes the NAND SSD business, the NAND component and wafer business, and the Dalian NAND memory manufacturing facility in China. Intel will retain its Intel Optane business. SK hynix and Intel will endeavor to obtain required governmental approvals expected in late 2021. Following receipt of these approvals, SK hynix will acquire from Intel the NAND SSD business, including NAND SSD-associated IP and employees, as well as the Dalian facility, with the first payment of $7B. SK hynix will acquire from Intel the remaining assets, including IP related to the manufacture and design of NAND flash wafers, R&D employees, and the Dalian fab workforce, upon a final closing, expected to occur in March 2025 with the remaining payment of $2B. Per the agreement, Intel will continue to manufacture NAND wafers at the Dalian memory manufacturing facility and retain all IP related to the manufacture and design of NAND flash wafers until the final closing. SK hynix expects that the transaction would enable SK hynix to grow the memory ecosystem to the benefit of customers, partners, employees and shareholders. For the first six months ended June 27, the NAND businesses represented approximately $2.8B of the revenue for Intel's non-volatile memory solutions group, or NSG, and contributed approximately $600M to NSG operating income. SK hynix will combine Intel's solutions technology and manufacturing capability in order to establish a 3D NAND solutions portfolio including enterprise SSDs. Intel intends to invest transaction proceeds to deliver products and advance its long-term growth priorities, including artificial intelligence, 5G networking and the intelligent, autonomous edge. Intel and SK hynix will work together to ensure a transition for customers, suppliers and employees. The two companies will work collaboratively as they did recently with DDR5.