Stockwinners Market Radar for October 18, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:47 EDT Deluxe CEO: We are a trusted payments technology company - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Barry McCarthy said Deluxe is well positioned for small business cash management. "We offer a comprehensive solution for small businesses. The market just hasn't caught up to our story yet," he added. McCarthy is most excited about the company's payments business. He expects checks to be around for a long time despite the rise of electronic payments, noting that they offer solid cash flow for Deluxe and its shareholders.

17:51 EDT Five9 CEO Trollope sells $234K in company shares - Five9 CEO Rowan Trollope disclosed in a filing that he had sold 1,460 shares of company stock at $160.01 per share on October 14, for a total transaction amount of $233,615.

17:39 EDT Rush Street Interactive to launch PlaySugarHouse online sportsbook statewide - Rush Street Interactive announced the statewide launch of the PlaySugarHouse online sportsbook in Connecticut. Following a successful soft launch period, the official sportsbook of the Connecticut Lottery will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on all mobile devices, tablets, desktop and laptop computers for unlimited players aged 21 and older beginning tomorrow, October 19. In addition to betting from their home computers and mobile devices, Connecticut players will soon be able to place bets in-person at one of 15 accessible PlaySugarHouse retail sportsbooks across the state, including 10 Sportech Venues locations, subject to regulatory approvals.

17:20 EDT Harmony Biosciences to replace Retail Properties of America in S&P 600 on 10/22

17:18 EDT Kite Realty Group to replace LendingTree in S&P 400 at open on 10/22 - Kite Realty Group (KRG) is acquiring Retail Properties of America (RPAI) in a deal expected to close soon pending final closing conditions. LendingTree (TREE) has a market capitalization that is more representative of the small-cap market space.

17:13 EDT Mimecast CEO sells 50K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Mimecast disclosed that its CEO Peter Bauer sold 50K share of common stock on October 15th in a total transaction size of $3.3M, reducing his stake by about 2%.

17:02 EDT Wave Life Sciences, Takeda amend CNS collaboratyion - Wave Life Sciences (WVE) "announced an amendment to its ongoing collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (TAK), which immediately discontinues the discovery research component of the collaboration that provided Takeda with the right to license multiple preclinical programs for central nervous system indications over a four-year research term. Under terms of the amendment, Takeda will pay Wave $22.5M for collaboration-related research and preclinical expenses. The amendment announced today allows Wave to advance CNS programs independently or enter partnerships in the CNS field outside of the three specified targets, which are part of the ongoing late-stage collaboration between the companies. The late-stage component of the original collaboration led by Wave remains unchanged, including Takeda's option to co-develop and co-commercialize CNS therapies for three targets, C9orf72, HTT and ATXN3, including WVE-004 and WVE-003. WVE-004 and WVE-003 are currently being investigated in the ongoing Phase 1b/2a FOCUS-C9 clinical trial for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia, and the ongoing Phase 1b/2a SELECT-HD clinical trial for the treatment of Huntington's disease, respectively. Should Takeda opt in on any of these programs, Wave would receive an opt-in payment and would lead manufacturing and joint clinical co-development activities. Takeda would lead joint co-commercial activities in the United States and all commercial activities outside of the United States. Global costs and potential profits would be shared 50:50 and Wave would be eligible to receive development and commercial milestone payments."

16:42 EDT Dominion Virginia, SCC staff file rate case settlement agreement - The company states: "Dominion Energy Virginia, the Virginia State Corporation Commission, or SCC, Staff, the Office of the Attorney General, and other parties filed a comprehensive settlement agreement in the Company's pending triennial base rate case. If approved by the SCC, the agreement would resolve the ongoing review of the company's performance over the past four years as well as provide significant additional customer benefits. The settlement agreement provides a balanced, reasonable and cost-effective approach that supports continued capital investments in Virginia in order to meet the Commonwealth's public policy priorities and the needs of our customers. Those investments include the development of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project -- the largest on this side of the Atlantic - as well as growing one of the leading state-regulated utility solar portfolios in the country. These, along with other investments including nuclear relicensing, energy storage and grid modernization, put the company well on its way to reaching 100% clean energy by 2045 in Virginia and net zero emissions by 2050 across Dominion Energy's nationwide footprint. The settlement agreement aligns with the customer-focused, state regulated utility framework in Virginia. That framework has resulted in nationally leading decarbonization goals, customer rates lower than national and regional averages and high levels of reliability for customers, made possible by a state regulatory model that embraces long-term planning and resiliency safeguards. Key components of the settlement, which requires approval from the SCC, would provide significant customer benefits, including the following: A total of $330M in one-time refunds on customer bills made up of $255M over a 6-month period and $75M over three years, resulting in a total proposed refund of approximately $67 for a typical residential customer; Use of $309M in revenue to offset costs of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project, deployment of smart meters and a Customer Information Platform, as part of the Customer Credit Reinvestment Offset ) mechanism defined by Virginia law; A $50M going-forward rate reduction, resulting in a proposed monthly bill reduction of approximately 90 cents for a typical residential customer."

16:37 EDT Entasis Therapeutics jumps over 30% to $4.06 after ATTACK trial met enpoint

16:35 EDT Alaska Air forms Alaska Star Venture to accelerate progress to net zero - Alaska Airlines announced the formation of a new LLC, Alaska Star Ventures, to advance emerging technology that will accelerate the airline's progress toward net zero carbon emissions. For the inaugural investment by Alaska Star Ventures, the company partnered with UP.Partners, an early-stage investor in sustainable, multi-dimensional mobility technologies that are transforming the moving world. The company's commitments to reduce its impact on carbon, waste and water build on a track record of progress in environmental sustainability including industry-leading onboard recycling, eliminating plastic straws and stir sticks, enabling touchless and paper-less guest experiences through technology, advancing the use of sustainable aviation fuels, and partnering with the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program to evaluate and test sustainability-focused technology.

16:34 EDT Entasis Therapeutics to resume trading at 16:35ET

16:33 EDT Tupperware Brands to sell House of Fuller beauty business, terms undisclosed - Tupperware Brands announced the entry into a definitive agreement for the sale of its House of Fuller beauty business in Mexico. Terms of the transaction, including the anticipated closing date, have not been disclosed. The sale of the House of Fuller beauty business follows the company's sale of its Avroy Shlain beauty business in South Africa during Q1.

16:32 EDT Apogee Enterprises to sell Georgia facility - Apogee Enterprises announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Architectural Glass facility located in Statesboro, Georgia to Cardinal Glass Industries. Apogee had previously announced its intent to close the Statesboro location as a part of a broader restructuring plan. Cardinal Glass plans to repurpose the facility to support its residential glass business. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 of FY22, subject to certain closing conditions. Apogee expects to record a pre-tax gain on the sale of between $18M-$20M.

16:23 EDT ACM Research receives order for evaluation tool 'from a major IC manufacturer' - ACM Research announced the receipt of an evaluation tool order for its Ultra ECP map copper plating tool from a major IC manufacturer. The order specifies a delivery in early 2022 and is subject to technical qualification and other commercial terms. "We are thrilled to have another major Asia-based semiconductor manufacturer evaluating the Ultra ECP map tool for its advanced process development," said Dr. David Wang, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACM. "This order is a testament to ACM's technology leadership, regional support team and growing production scale. We believe a successful qualification of this tool can lead to larger business opportunities with this customer and other major customers in the region." ACM's Ultra ECP map builds on ACM's proven electro-chemical-plating, ECP, technology. The tool is configured with ACM's Multi-Anode Partial Plating function, which allows the deposition of the copper metal layer on a dual-damascene structure for its advanced technology nodes. The tool is designed to be compatible with ultra-thin seed layers and to offer high throughput and uptime with a lower cost of consumables and lower cost of ownership.

16:21 EDT ACM Research receives order for SAPS evaluation tool from global chip maker - ACM Research announced the receipt of an evaluation tool order for its Ultra C SAPS frontside cleaning tool from a major global semiconductor manufacturer. The tool is expected to be installed in the prospective customer's China-based development fab in the first quarter of 2022. "This order represents a great opportunity for ACM from a global semiconductor company with operations in China," said Dr. David Wang, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACM Research. "The manufacturer chose to evaluate ACM's SAPS technology to assess its ability to enhance the manufacturer's R&D capability and production processes. We believe a successful evaluation of this tool could lead to larger business opportunities with this customer and other major customers in the region." ACM's proprietary Space Alternated Phase Shift SAPS advanced wafer cleaning technology employs alternating phases of megasonic waves in the gap between a megasonic transducer and the wafer. Unlike the stationary megasonic transducers used in previous generations of megasonic wafer cleaning systems, SAPS technology moves or tilts the transducer while the wafer rotates, enabling megasonic energy to be delivered uniformly across all points on the wafer, even if the wafer is warped. SAPS is a faster process than conventional megasonic cleaning, does not experience material loss or create a rough wafer surface. SAPS achieves more thorough, comprehensive cleaning without damage to device features and has been demonstrated to 10nm and beyond.

16:17 EDT Calithera acquires two Takeda oncology assets for $10M cash upfront plus equity - Calithera Biosciences (CAL) announced an agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) to acquire two clinical-stage compounds, both of which have demonstrated single-agent clinical activity with the greatest potential in biomarker-defined cancer-patient populations. The compounds, sapanisertib, CB-228, formerly TAK-228, and mivavotinib, CB-659, formerly TAK-659, further strengthen Calithera's pipeline of clinical-stage targeted therapies. "Additionally, mivavotinib has the potential to be a best-in-class SYK inhibitor in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as a first-to-market approach for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma whose tumors harbor MyD88 and/or CD79 mutations. We plan to start a clinical trial in squamous NSCLC with sapanisertib and a clinical trial in DLBCL with mivavotinib, both in biomarker specific populations, and generate data in the next 12 to 18 months that will define the clinical development and potential regulatory approval paths for both of these compounds." The terms of the transaction include a total upfront cash payment to Takeda of $10M and $35M issued to Takeda in Calithera Series A preferred stock. Additionally, Takeda will be eligible to receive from Calithera clinical development, regulatory and sales milestone payments across both programs. Calithera will pay tiered royalties of high single-digits to low teens on future net sales should these candidates achieve regulatory approvals and subsequent commercial availability. Sapanisertib is a dual TORC 1/2 inhibitor that targets a key survival mechanism in KEAP1/NRF2-mutated tumor cells. These mutations are found in a considerable sub-population of patients across multiple solid tumor types. Sapanisertib has demonstrated promising single-agent activity in patients with relapsed/refractory NRF2-mutated squamous non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC and exhibits differential anti-tumor activity compared to rapalog inhibitors of TORC1 in NRF2-mutant squamous NSCLC in vivo models. A Phase 2 study planned to begin in the first quarter of 2022 will further evaluate sapanisertib as a monotherapy in patients with squamous NSCLC harboring a NRF2 mutation... Accordingly, Calithera plans to initiate a Phase 2 study of mivavotinib in 2022 for the treatment of patients with DLBCL with and without mutations in MyD88 and CD79. Beyond DLBCL, both preclinical and clinical data support expansion across additional NHL subtypes and other hematologic malignancies as part of long-term plans.

16:13 EDT Paratek Pharmaceuticals announces first patient enrolled in Nuzyra study - Paratek Pharmaceuticals announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the company's Phase 2b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Nuzyra for the treatment for nontuberculous mycobacterial, or NTM, pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium abscessus complex, or MABc, a rare disease for which there is no FDA-approved therapy.

16:10 EDT Celcuity collaborates with Puma to study breast cancer brain metastases - Celcuity (CELC) announced a clinical trial collaboration with the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center and Puma Biotechnology (PBYI) to conduct a Phase 2 clinical trial. This open-label Phase 2 trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Puma's drug, NERLYNX, and Xeloda, a Genentech/Roche (RHHBY) drug, in previously treated patients selected with Celcuity's CELsignia HER2 Activity Test who have metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. Under the agreement, The University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center will serve as the sponsor and Ajay Dhakal, M.D., a medical oncologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will serve as the principal investigator of this study. The University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center is one of the 51 NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the U.S. tasked with developing new approaches to diagnosing and treating cancer. "This clinical trial could play a key role in creating a new treatment paradigm for metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer patients with brain metastases," said Dr. Dhakal. "We are eager to begin working with Celcuity's cutting-edge CELsignia technology to identify a new subset of patients who may respond to NERLYNX."

16:08 EDT Crinetics forms new company for nonpeptide radiopharmaceuticals Radionetics - Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, together with 5AM Ventures and Frazier Healthcare Partners, announced the formation of an independently operated new company, Radionetics Oncology. Radionetics aims to develop a deep pipeline of novel, targeted, nonpeptide radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of a broad range of oncology indications. Radionetics' pipeline is based on a broadly enabling platform and intellectual property that will leverage more than a decade of discovery experience within Crinetics. The platform uses nonpeptides as targeting agents designed to deliver therapeutically active radiopharmaceuticals to tumors expressing unique peptide receptors. Radionetics' initial drug development efforts will center on advancing a collection of 10 potent nonpeptide-targeted radiopharmaceutical candidates and leads, discovered at Crinetics, into clinical imaging and efficacy studies. Radionetics will work independently and with Crinetics to identify additional novel radiopharmaceutical targets and drug candidates for a range of cancer indications. In conjunction with formation of the company, Radionetics will receive an exclusive world-wide license to the radiotherapeutics technology platform and associated intellectual property from Crinetics for use in developing radiotherapeutics and related radio-imaging agents in exchange for equity, milestones in excess of $1B and single-digit royalties on net sales. Radionetics launches with a $30M private financing with 5AM Ventures and Frazier Healthcare Partners as the sole investors. Radionetics and Crinetics will also engage in a research collaboration to identify drug candidates for multiple additional targets.

16:06 EDT Dermata Therapeutics announces results from DMT310 trial - Dermata Therapeutics announced topline results from its Phase 1b trial of DMT310 in 30 patients as a once-weekly topical application for the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis. DMT310 is Dermata's lead product candidate, with both mechanical and chemical mechanisms of action, currently being investigated to treat multiple inflammatory skin conditions, including acne, psoriasis, and rosacea. The percentage of treatment responders in Physician's Global Assessment, or PGA, with a score of 0 or 1 was 29.6% at Week 8. The percentage of patients with a score of 0 or 1 in total Psoriasis Area Severity Index, or PASI, was 25.9% at Week 8. Treatment with DMT310 resulted in a change from baseline in pruritis of 19.6% for the target lesion at Week 8. DMT310 appeared to be safe with only three reported adverse events, or AEs, with only two of the three AEs evaluated as being related to treatment, and no reported serious AEs. Dermata intends to submit results from this Phase 1b study at a future medical meeting or in a publication.

16:04 EDT AAR Corp. signs agreement with flydubai to renew support for Boeing 737 fleet - AAR (AIR) announced that it signed an agreement with flydubai to renew its power-by-the-hour, or PBH, component pool and repair support for the airline's next-generation, or NG, Boeing (BA) 737 fleet. The new five-year contract builds on a partnership that started in 2016 to provide comprehensive rotable component support for flydubai's 737NG fleet.

16:02 EDT Entasis Therapeutics Holdings Inc trading halted, news pending

15:16 EDT Tegna says Dish's complaint 'utterly baseless and without merit' - TEGNA (TGNA) issued the following statement: "DISH's (DISH) complaint is utterly baseless and without merit. TEGNA welcomes a chance for the FCC to review DISH's conduct over the course of this negotiation. Perhaps a close examination of DISH's conduct will cause them to come to the table to negotiate free from their consistently unproductive tactics and public misrepresentations. The real issue at hand is the need for DISH to stop short-changing their customers by serially dropping valued stations and instead reach fair, market-based deals with programmers like TEGNA. The unfortunate reality is that DISH dropped more than 230 channels last year alone and is now repeating that pattern by refusing to reach an agreement with TEGNA, depriving its customers nationwide of some of the most valued programming on TV. Through it all, TEGNA has been steadfast in insisting that all we want is to reach a fair deal, and we have worked constructively to achieve that goal by offering DISH terms and conditions that reflect the marketplace and have served as the foundation for deals we have reached with other cable and satellite providers. TEGNA made a comprehensive proposal to DISH months ago and has updated its proposal multiple times, including a reduction in rates. DISH has refused to counter - it has not proposed rates in more than three weeks. Rather than engage in transparent PR stunts, DISH should return to the negotiating table in a serious fashion and get a deal done before their subscribers are forced to endure yet another week without their favorite shows, valued local news, as well as marquee college football and NFL matchups."

15:06 EDT PyroGenesis subsidiary receives $2.5M milestone payment from Tata Steel - PyroGenesis Canada is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Pyro Green-Gas, has received a milestone payment of approximately $2.5M under an existing $9.3M contract with Tata Steel. The balance under this contract, of approximately $3M, is expected to be fully received within the next nine months. Under this contract, Pyro Green-Gas has the mandate to supply a coke oven gas purification and hydrogen production processes that, if successful, will purify coke oven gas and extract a hydrogen of extremely high purity and value, with significant environmental benefits. In addition to the payment received, Pyro Green-Gas has signed an additional contract for $267,000 with Tata Steel. Under this Contract, Pyro Green-Gas will provide supplementary engineering improvements to the dry coke oven gas desulfurization and hydrogen production process already under contract. Pyro Green-Gas will supply filters that will further purify the remaining gas, removing condensed hydrocarbons, naphthalene and dust from the coke oven gas infrastructure. This will allow the purified gas to be used as a fuel for galvanizing and annealing furnaces in steel processing.

14:39 EDT U.S. lawmakers warn Amazon of potential probe over search, product violations - U.S. Representatives on the Committee on the Judiciary, including Jerrold Nadler, David Cicilline, Ken Buck, Pramila Jayapal, and Matt Gaetz, sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy that they are giving the company one more opportunity to set the record on whether it uses seller data to copy popular third party products and manipulate marketplace search results. The letter follows a report from Reuters that the ecommerce giant "ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoffs and manipulating search results to boost its own product lines in India, one of the company's largest growth markets." "We write in response to recent, credible reporting that directly contradicts the sworn testimony and representations of Amazon's top executives-including former CEO Jeffrey Bezos-to the Committee about their company's business practices during our investigation last Congress," the letter reads. "At best, this reporting confirms that Amazon's representatives misled the Committee. At worst, it demonstrates that they may have lied to Congress in possible violation of federal criminal law. In light of the serious nature of this matter, we are providing you with a final opportunity to provide exculpatory evidence to corroborate the prior testimony and statements on behalf of Amazon to the Committee. We strongly encourage you to make use of this opportunity to correct the record and provide the Committee with sworn, truthful, and accurate responses to this request as we consider whether a referral of this matter to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation is appropriate." Reference Link

14:02 EDT DraftKings to expand retail sports betting in New Hampshire with NH Lottery deal - The New Hampshire Lottery, DraftKings and Filotimo Casino & Restaurant are "teaming up again" to expand retail sports betting in New Hampshire, the company announced. "Manchester-based Filotimo Casino & Restaurant, which houses DraftKings Sportsbook at Filotimo, today opened a sister retail sports betting establishment in Dover under the same name located at 887 Central Avenue in Rollinsford. The Filotimo property is shared between the city of Dover and the town of Rollinsford, with the building located in Rollinsford. DraftKings Sportsbook at Filotimo in Dover marks New Hampshire's third retail sportsbook; DraftKings Sportsbook at The Brook in Seabrook opened in August 2020 and DraftKings Sportsbook at Filotimo in Manchester opened in September 2020," DraftKings stated.

13:50 EDT Apple introduces M1 Pro, M1 Max chips - Apple announced M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Apple said in a statement: Scaling up M1's transformational architecture, M1 Pro offers amazing performance with industry-leading power efficiency, while M1 Max takes these capabilities to new heights. The CPU in M1 Pro and M1 Max delivers up to 70 percent faster CPU performance than M1, so tasks like compiling projects in Xcode are faster than ever. The GPU in M1 Pro is up to 2x faster than M1, while M1 Max is up to an astonishing 4x faster than M1, allowing pro users to fly through the most demanding graphics workflows." M1 Pro and M1 Max introduce a system-on-a-chip architecture to pro systems for the first time, Apple added.

13:42 EDT Apple says new Macbook Pro includes 1080p video chat camera - Says macOS takes "full advantage" of added display space on new Macbook Pro. Says displays are now larger on Macbook Pros. Says new Macbook Pro includes 1080p video chat camera, miniLED screen, and computational video. Says new Macbook Pro also has higher noise floor, a six-speaker sound system, and spatial audio.

13:31 EDT Apple says new M1 chips give macOS apps 'huge boost' - Says machine learning models perform 3X faster on new Macbook Pro. Says M1 Pro and M1 Max are "a major leap forward" with hardware-verified secure boot and runtime-anti-exploitation. Says applications on mac get "huge boost" from M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

13:20 EDT Apple unveils new M1 Pro Chip for new MacBook Pro - Says M1 Pro has a two-chip architecture that requires much more power. Says chip support 32GB of total memory and 200gbps of memory bandwidth, three times as much as the M1 chip. Says M1 Pro is 70% faster and has 10 CPU cores.

13:18 EDT Apple unveils revamped MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon chip

13:16 EDT Apple introduces HomePod mini in new colors - Apple introduced HomePod mini in three new colors - yellow, orange, and blue. Apple said: "At just 3.3 inches tall, HomePod mini offers a great music-listening experience, the intelligence of Siri, and smart home capabilities, with privacy and security built in. Its seamless integration across Apple's products and services make HomePod mini the ultimate smart speaker for anyone with an Apple device. HomePod mini will be available in these new colors, along with white and space gray, with color-matched details throughout, including the tinted touch surface, mesh fabric, volume icons, and woven power cable, starting in November for just $99."

13:15 EDT Apple unveils third generation of AirPods - Says new AirPods come with better voice recognition capabilities. Says next-gen AirPods are shake and water resistant. Says comes with new contour design, spatial audio, and adaptive EQ. Says AirPods come with 30 hours of battery time. Says third-gen AirPods start at $179, available next week.

13:09 EDT Spotify off highs after Apple announces $4.99 music subscription service

13:01 EDT IBM down 1% as Jim Chanos discusses short position on CNBC

13:00 EDT Chanos says IBM adjusted earnings per share $5 higher than actual earnings - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:58 EDT Chanos says IBM short position much larger than Tesla - Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates is speaking on CNBC.

12:44 EDT Icahn says made 'close to $2B' investing in Apple - Carl Icahn made the comments about his investment returns in Apple while being interviewed on CNBC.

12:37 EDT Icahn says Southwest Gas 'overpaying' for Questar pipeline to enrich CEO - On October 14, Carl Icahn's Icahn Enterprises L.P. (IEP) previously announced that it intended to initiate a tender offer through one or more affiliated entities for any and all of the outstanding shares of the common stock of Southwest Gas (SWX) at $75.00 per share in cash. Icahn is currently speaking about Southwest Gas in an interview on CNBC.

12:35 EDT Video game spending grew 3% year-over-year in September, says NPD - NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said that September 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content and accessories grew 3% when compared to a year ago, reaching an September record $4.4B. Year-to-date spending reached $42.3B, a 12% increase versus a year ago. Hardware was once again a primary driver of spending gains in September, increasing 49% compared to a year ago. Mobile and Subscription offset declines across other segments to keep content spending flat versus a year ago. September video game hardware dollar sales increased 49% when compared to September 2020, to $412M. Year-to-date hardware spending has also gained 49% when compared to the same period a year ago, totaling $3.4B. PlayStation 5 (SONY) was the best-selling hardware platform of September in both units and dollars. PlayStation 5 is the best-selling hardware platform of 2021 year-to-date in dollars, while Nintendo Switch leads in units. September 2021 snaps the remarkable 33 consecutive month streak that Nintendo Switch (NTDOY) was the market's leading platform in hardware unit sales. November 2018 was the last month a platform other than Nintendo Switch led the market in unit sales, Piscatella said. Microsoft (MSFT) is also a publicly traded company in the gaming console space.

12:00 EDT TDCX falls -7.8% - TDCX is down -7.8%, or -$1.94 to $23.01.

12:00 EDT Benson Hill falls -9.4% - Benson Hill is down -9.4%, or -64c to $6.20.

12:00 EDT DoubleVerify rises 12.2% - DoubleVerify is up 12.2%, or $3.87 to $35.62.

11:50 EDT Amazon hiring for 150,000 seasonal jobs across the U.S. - Amazon announced 150,000 seasonal jobs are now available across the U.S. All Amazon jobs in the U.S., including seasonal roles, have an average starting pay of $18 per hour, sign-on bonuses up to $3,000 and an additional $3 per hour depending on shifts in many locations.

11:05 EDT Associated Banc-Corp raises minimum wage to $17 per hour - Associated Banc-Corp announced plans to raise its minimum hourly wage from $15 to $17 per hour effective November 21, 2021. This investment in the company's workforce will positively impact approximately 35% of its employees. The new minimum wage applies to mostly entry-level positions. The company is also adjusting wages for higher level roles in job families impacted by this change and will work to ensure competitive wages and merit pools in 2022 as part of its talent and growth strategy.

11:03 EDT Dish announces filing 'bad faith complaint' with FCC against Tegna - Dish Network (DISH) announced that it has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against Tegna (TGNA) after it removed its local stations from millions of DISH TV subscribers in 53 markets across the country. "Tegna turned its back on its public interest obligation and failed to engage in good faith retransmission consent negotiations with DISH. Tegna's demands were both unreasonable and inconsistent. This behavior negatively impacts DISH subscribers, and we expect Tegna's bad behavior to only get worse as the programmer looks to sell its stations to the highest bidder. As a result, we have filed a formal complaint with the FCC to address Tegna's blatant disregard of the Commission's rules," said Andy LeCuyer, DISH SVP of Programming.

10:45 EDT EPA announces roadmap to confront PFAS chemical contamination - The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced the agency's roadmap to confront per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination. EPA's roadmap "is centered on three guiding strategies: Increase investments in research, leverage authorities to take action now to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and accelerate the cleanup of PFAS contamination," the agency said in a statement. The EPA also announced a new national testing strategy that requires PFAS manufacturers to provide the agency with toxicity data and information on categories of PFAS chemicals. Companies including 3M (MMM), Chemours (CC) and DuPont (DD) have faced lawsuits over the effects of PFAS chemicals. Reference Link

10:38 EDT EMA starts evaluating Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine use in kids aged 5 to 11 - The EMA announced that it has started evaluating an application to extend the use of BioNTech (BNTX) and Pfizer's (PFE) COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, to children aged 5 to 11. The EMA said its human medicines committee, or CHMP, will review the data on the vaccine, including results from an ongoing clinical study involving children aged 5 to 11, in order to decide whether to recommend extending its use. The CHMP's opinion will then be forwarded to the European Commission, which will issue a final decision. "EMA will communicate on the outcome of its evaluation, which is expected in a couple of months unless supplementary information is needed," the group stated. Reference Link

10:24 EDT State Street sees FY21 tax rate toward lower end of 17%-19% range

10:22 EDT State Street sees FY21 overall fee revenue up 5% y/y - Sees servicing fees up 7.5%-8.5% y/y.

10:05 EDT State Street: Acquisition of Brown Brothers Harriman unit financially compelling - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

10:00 EDT Atlantic Capital, Self expand partnership to improve financial inclusion - Atlantic Capital Bancshares and Self Financial announced an expanded partnership. Atlantic Capital will combine its size, scale and expertise with Self's credit builder products to expand Self's Visa secured credit card offering, access to credit for U.S. consumers, particularly underserved consumers who have not historically had easy credit access. The card launch is an expansion of the partnership between Self and Atlantic Capital beginning in February 2019 with Self's credit builder loan product.

10:00 EDT Invacare falls -6.0% - Invacare is down -6.0%, or -28c to $4.31.

10:00 EDT Peabody Energy rises 8.9% - Peabody Energy is up 8.9%, or $1.42 to $17.38.

10:00 EDT PHX Minerals rises 10.2% - PHX Minerals is up 10.2%, or 34c to $3.68.

09:47 EDT Medtronic falls -5.0% - Medtronic is down -5.0%, or -$6.41 to $121.34.

09:47 EDT Shapeways rises 8.0% - Shapeways is up 8.0%, or 59c to $8.00.

09:47 EDT Vedanta rises 8.9% - Vedanta is up 8.9%, or $1.60 to $19.50.

09:20 EDT KAR Global, Black Book announce expanded relationship - KAR Global and Black Book announced an expanded relationship aimed at helping franchise and independent car dealers, OEMs, and third-party providers deliver a faster, easier and more digital experience to their retail consumers. By integrating Black Book's industry-leading VIN decoding and pricing algorithms with KAR's digital capabilities, industry-related companies of any size will be able to deliver instant, VIN specific guaranteed trade-in values to consumers via their own website or mobile app. The relationship will also leverage KAR's rapidly growing digital dealer-to-dealer marketplace, BacklotCars, to help dealers wholesale any unwanted trade-in inventory that results from those retail sales.

09:16 EDT DraftKings, Polygon enter strategic blockchain agreement - Polygon announced a blockchain collaboration with DraftKings Marketplace, a digital collectibles ecosystem built by DraftKings for mainstream accessibility to support custom NFT drops along with secondary-market transactions. This deal provides DraftKings Marketplace with a scalable, eco-friendly blockchain solution that enables added throughput and expanded capabilities. Also notably, DraftKings now has the option to potentially contribute to Polygon's governance and help secure the network as a validator node with its own stake pool. With the option of becoming a validator, DraftKings would be able to participate in the proof-of-stake consensus protocol for the Polygon blockchain main network to produce blocks, join Polygon's governance and contribute to network security as a leader in Polygon's future. Since launching in early August, DraftKings Marketplace has already hosted Autograph's Preseason Access Collection NFT drops of iconic athletes featuring Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles and Derek Jeter, all of which sold out almost immediately. DraftKings Marketplace is available to millions of registered DraftKings customers across the U.S. and Canada, and these collectors will eventually have the ability to transfer purchased NFTs to their own wallets on Ethereum Mainnet.

09:13 EDT Vislink, Mobile Viewpoint launch Vislink Connet, service for live broadcast - Vislink announced the launch of Vislink Connect, a bonded cellular service designed to enable robust, reliable and economical transmissions for live video production. The service is available to U.S customers for pre-ordering immediately and is expected to begin rolling out over the next month. "Among the key features of the service are the following: first to provide all-IP based workflows for REMI production; reliable, premium-quality video capabilities; robust, field-proven hardware in a single-box solution; value-focused packaged data plan options to fit different budgets; no up-front hardware charges; real-time usage monitoring using a purpose-built management portal; and 24/7 dedicated worldwide support," the company said. Today's announcement represents the first jointly-developed product offering brought to market by Mobile Viewpoint and Vislink. "We are excited to introduce a class-leading bonded cellular service that addresses the real needs of live news and sports production professionals," said Mickey Miller, CEO of Vislink. "There is a requirement in this market for robust REMI production solutions that are both reliable and cost-effective. Our solution is first and foremost quality-based, while also providing attractive financing and data plan options that fit different budget requirements, from day-to-day ENG productions to occasional use. With the launch of this bonded cellular offering, we are now able to offer an unmatched array of hybrid network options, both private and public, including COFDM, fiber, satellite and public IP. This gives live producers unparalleled flexibility to effectively deliver their content while optimizing their workflows."

09:12 EDT Jack in the Box testing plant-based beef patty in Phoenxix - Jack in the Box has partnered with Impossible Foods to test its plant-based beef patty from October 18, 2021 through December 12, 2021 at participating Phoenix locations. Each restaurant will give guests the option to substitute an Impossible Burger patty for a $1 or $1.50 extra per patty for any Jack in the Box burger on the core menu. The Impossible Burger patty is made with soy protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein and heme.

09:11 EDT Charles River, ATEM in pact to provide clients with cryo-EM capabilities - Charles River Laboratories International and ATEM Structural Discovery announced the formation of a strategic partnership to provide clients access to ATEM's cryo-electron microscopy cryo-EM service solutions. Cryo-EM is a technique that determines the 3D structures of proteins and is utilized to identify how proteins function, how they malfunction in disease and the most effective way to target them with therapies. ATEM's leading platform integrates highly optimized biochemistry, hardware, and software to provide in-depth structural insights about challenging targets at a commercial scale. ATEM's technology directly images vitrified biological macromolecules in single-particle experiments at high resolution. Subsequently, reconstructed coulomb potential maps then allow the precise modeling of 3D atomic coordinates that elucidate the target structure. T By combining ATEM's cryo-EM expertise with Charles River's end-to-end capabilities, the alliance has the potential to significantly accelerate drug discovery efforts from hit design through to lead optimization. With early insights into how lead candidates interact with their intended disease target, clients can interpret actual structural changes, allowing more informed prioritization and optimization of lead candidates. Through the collaboration, Charles River clients will have access to ATEM's platform to support their drug discovery efforts. When utilizing ATEM's cryo-EM platform, clients will be provided with enhanced insights into challenging targets by viewing the 3D structure of full biochemical assemblies, ligand-bound complexes and biologic drugs. This partnership allows Charles River to enhance drug discovery projects by enabling structure-based design for a greater portfolio of targets.

09:09 EDT MarketAxess appoints Sweeney as Head of Index and ETF Solutions - MarketAxess announced the appointment of Kathryn Sweeney as the Head of Index and ETF Solutions. As Head of Index and ETF Solutions, Sweeney will be responsible for the development and execution of the MarketAxess index and ETF business strategy. She will lead business and product development efforts by working with industry partners to leverage MarketAxess' proprietary market data and trading insights to create a suite of indices and portfolio construction solutions. Sweeney joins MarketAxess from State Street Global Advisors, where she was a Senior Managing Director and Head of the Institutional Client Group for North America. Sweeney will begin with MarketAxess on October 18, 2021 and will report to Chris Concannon.

09:08 EDT Marriott says CHRO David Rodriguez to step down, Ty Breland to succeed - Marriott announced that Executive Vice President and Global Chief Human Resources Officer David Rodriguez, Ph.D. will step down from his role at the end of October and retire at the end of 2021 after a distinguished 23-year career with the company. The company also announced that long-time Marriott Human Resources executive, Ty Breland, Ph.D., has been named to succeed Rodriguez. Rodriguez began his career at Marriott in 1998 as a Senior Vice President, Human Resources, where he played a key role in creating the talent and organizational capabilities to fuel Marriott's international expansion.

09:07 EDT WidePoint awarded new contract to issue PIV-I credentials - WidePoint announced a new contract to deliver identity and access management credentials to a District of Columbia government branch. Under this contract, WidePoint Cybersecurity will deliver non-federal issuer interoperable personal identity verification, or PIV-I, credentials, professional services, and hardware to perform the credential issuances on site. WidePoint will issue three-year NFI PIV-I credentials to staff providing identity, encryption, logical and physical access capabilities. WidePoint was awarded this contract on September 29.

09:07 EDT Kulicke & Soffa raises quarterly dividend 21% to 17c from 14c per share - The dividend payment will be made on January 10, 2022 to holders of record as of December 23, 2021.

09:06 EDT Easterly Government acquires 489,316 leased sf facility in Kansas City, MO - Easterly Government Properties announced that it has acquired a 489,316 leased square foot facility primarily leased to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, located in the metropolitan region of Kansas City, Missouri. USCIS - Kansas City, a single-story facility that was substantially renovated-to-suit in 1999, is leased primarily to USCIS along with several smaller private sector tenants. With the majority of the building leased to USCIS through 2042, the total weighted average lease expiration date for the facility is February 2036. Should all in-place tenant renewal options be exercised, the weighted average lease expiration date for the facility could be as late as January 2045.

09:04 EDT Flex to acquire Anord Mardix for $540M in cash - Flex announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Anord Mardix from private equity firm Bertram Capital. The acquisition adds to Flex's portfolio of Power products and expands its offering in the data center market. The $540M all-cash transaction has been unanimously approved by Flex's Board of Directors and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Anord Mardix is on track to generate approximately $360M in revenue in calendar 2021 and is well positioned for continued growth in the coming years. Flex expects the Anord Mardix transaction to be accretive to adjusted EPS and to deliver mid-teens EBITDA margins in fiscal year 2023, which begins April 1, 2022. For reporting purposes, Anord Mardix will be included in the Industrial business unit inside Flex's Reliability Solutions segment.

09:03 EDT PLBY Group to acquire social content platform Dream for up to $30M - PLBY Group announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dream, a social content platform that provides creators with tools to interact directly with their fans. The platform and its development team will serve as the technology foundation for the launch of Playboy's new curated and creator-led site, CENTERFOLD. PLBY Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the equity of the company which owns Dream, for a purchase price of up to approximately $30 million to be paid primarily in PLBY Group stock. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. CENTERFOLD will be a curated, creator-led platform dedicated to creative freedom, artistic expression, and sex positivity, as the next evolution of Playboy's long history at the intersection of culture and sex. The platform will arm creators with tools for multiple formats of content creation and direct fan interaction, and provide access to Playboy's vast audience and differentiated content, digital and merchandise capabilities.

09:02 EDT uCloudlink sign cooperation agreement in Tajikistan to expand broadband products - uCloudlink has further expanded its partnerships in Central Asia, by signing a new cooperation agreement with CJSC Indigo Tajikistan, an internet service provider in Tajikistan. Under the agreement, uCloudlink and CJSC Indigo Tajikistan will bring uCloudlink's mobile broadband products and related services to local users.

08:47 EDT Wyloo Metals, Noront formalize 'superior offer' - Wyloo Metals is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement with Noront Resources and formalized its offer to Noront shareholders as part of a comprehensive strategy to develop the Ring of Fire as a world-class Future Metals Hub. The company said, "Wyloo Metals' superior offer is distinguished by several factors including offering shareholders true optionality alongside a superior cash offer. Pursuant to a statutory Plan of Arrangement under the Business Corporation Act, each Noront shareholder will be given the option of accepting cash consideration of Cdn$0.70 per share for some or all of their shares, and continuing to participate in Noront's unrealized potential by remaining as a shareholder. Wyloo Metals' strategy will also see Noront revitalized under the leadership of a world-class Board of Directors led by Dr. Andrew Forrest AO, who has an unparalleled track record in the development of remote mining projects and a proud and continuing legacy of partnering with Indigenous and local communities." Completion of the Wyloo Offer is expected to occur in December 2021. The Wyloo Offer is subject to BHP's right to match period of 5 business days.

08:44 EDT Waitr Holdings expands Olo partnership with enhanced integration for on-demand - Waitr Holdings (WTRH) announced it has broadened its partnership with Olo (OLO) by joining Olo's Dispatch network. The agreement enables Waitr, Bite Squad and Delivery Dudes to receive delivery requests from restaurant orders generated through their own websites and apps. The solution seamlessly manages each restaurant's delivery options and selects service providers, including a restaurant's own couriers, based on optimal price, timing, availability, and other criteria. As a result, Waitr will have increased accessibility to new restaurant brands, as well as the ability to reach guests. "Teaming with Olo on Dispatch expands our access into new restaurants in multiple markets. It also provides the opportunity to show new customers a better delivery experience," said Carl Grimstad, CEO and Chairman of Waitr.

08:41 EDT Better Choice Company appoints several new team members - Better Choice announced the appointments of several new team member. "These new team members bring a wealth of diverse sales, marketing, and innovation experience while strengthening the Company's omni-channel infrastructure as it looks to accelerate growth opportunities in 2022 and beyond," the company said. Additions to Better Choice's deeply experienced e-commerce team, include Yvonne Cheng, Aliy Puhalla, and Bryan Allen. Yvonne Cheng joins as a Senior Director, Omni-Channel Experience. Aliy Puhalla enters as a Director, E-Commerce Sales. Bryan Allen joins in a newly created role, E-commerce Manager. As part of its mission to become the most innovative premium pet food company in the world, Better Choice has also added three new key marketing and innovation team members, Nancy Blair, Cory Cain, and Cecily Koss, to execute innovative marketing initiatives, including the launch of Halo Elevate in 2022. Nancy Blair joins as a Director, Innovation. Cory Cain enters as a Director Omni-Channel Growth. Cecily Koss joins as a Brand Manager. "This cohort of new key hires is critical to Better Choice's success in achieving our near-term growth initiatives and will help us strategically build and develop our direct-to-consumer and e-commerce business segments as integrated elements of a rapidly expanding premium pet food brand," said Scott Lerner, CEO of Better Choice. "As we prepare for growth in 2022, it is an important priority to create an innovative and efficient omni-channel marketing strategy with an experienced team in place. We extend a warm welcome to our new team members and are excited to have attracted a strong pedigree to add to the highly skilled Better Choice family. In addition, we are confident their combined experience in the e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, and marketing fields will provide meaningful contributions as we continue to simultaneously develop our online and brick and mortar presence."

08:40 EDT DigitalBridge, Columbia to buy 'select' assets from Superloop for A$140M - DigitalBridge Group and Columbia Capital announced that DigitalBridge Investment Management the investment management arm of DigitalBridge Group and funds affiliated with Columbia Capital, have agreed to acquire certain select assets from Superloop Singapore and Superloop Hong Kong Limited for A$140M. Under the terms of the agreement, DigitalBridge and Columbia Capital will become strategic partners of Superloop. John Siegel, Partner at Columbia Capital, said, "Increasing regional demand from businesses and consumers for end-to-end connectivity is creating meaningful opportunities for long-term growth. We look forward to partnering with DigitalBridge, who bring more than 25 years of experience in digital infrastructure, on the acquisition of these high-quality assets, and to continue carrying traffic and providing connectivity services in the Singapore and Hong Kong markets." The transaction is expected to close in early 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

08:38 EDT Solarwindow appoints Kyle Ballarta as Senior Strategist of Corporate Innovation - SolarWindow Technologies announced the appointment of Kyle Ballarta, Senior Strategist of Corporate Innovation. Ballarta is Founder and CEO of Falkon Ventures. At SolarWindow, Ballarta will support the Executive Leadership Team in its introduction of the Company's clean-energy technologies and products to key customers, strategic partners, and select funders. At Falkon Ventures, Ballarta continues to serve full-time in his role as CEO. At SolarWindow, he supports the Company's Executive Leadership Team as Senior Strategist, Corporate Innovation, devoting up to 30% of his time.

08:37 EDT Adracare, Levitee enter agreement for addiction, mental health conditions - Levitee Labs is pleased to announce a partnership with Adracare. WELL will provide Levitee Labs Inc. access to WELL's comprehensive end-to-end practice management tools, including, but not limited to, a telemedicine platform. Levitee Labs is excited to be joining the WELL Health network for the opportunity to further bolster its healthcare and wellness assets. Through this agreement with Adracare, Levitee Labs seeks to leverage Adracare's technology tools to provide a state-of-the art digital technology platform for mental healthcare delivery. This model will integrate ethical considerations of digital technologies into a platform that includes clinical workflows, evidence-based care, and shared decision making in a sustainable and scalable manner. This platform will also serve as an opportunity for Levitee Labs to scale psychedelic therapies to various communities across Canada, where there is critical shortage of in person care providers. The agreement with Adracare will further enhance Levitee Labs' ability to engage with its patients that carry the burden of addiction and mental health conditions by enhancing workflows and interactions with them as well as their providers of care. As Levitee Labs continues to grow its portfolio of assets through an accretive M&A strategy, its growing number of patients with addiction and mental health conditions will likely have multiple associated conditions that need to be addressed. By partnering with Adracare, Levitee Labs is now equipped with a telehealth strategy and platform to provide care to more patients and cover a gamut of multidisciplinary addiction and mental health services, including one-on-one counseling, group therapy, consultations, and psychedelic treatments.

08:36 EDT Datasea enters into $4.67M procurement contract to provide services - Datasea announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary company named Shuhai Zhangxun Information Technology had signed a $4.67M procurement contract for Short Message and 5G Multimedia Message Services with Jiangxi Zhouwang Network Technology. Pursuant to the Contract, Shuhai Zhangxun will help Jiangxi Zhouwang reach its clients and provide value-added telecommunication Messaging Services. The Messaging Services include but are not limited to granting Jiangxi Zhouwang 1) access to Shuhai Zhangxun's Short Message and 5G Multimedia Message platforms; 2) an access code issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to adopt the above services, and 3) the telecommunication gateways of the three major Chinese mobile operators to allow data to flow from one discrete network to another. Jiangxi Zhouwang undertakes the total purchase value of this engagement would be no less than approximately $4.67M. The term of the Contract is one year. The service fees under the Contract shall commence when Jiangxi Zhouwang starts to adopt Shuhai Zhangxun's Short Message and 5G Multimedia Message services. The billing cycle under the Contract is one calendar month, and Jiangxi Zhouwang will be invoiced monthly. "Our 5G messaging business strategy and the work that we have done in the past year have led to phenomenal business results, strengthened our core business, and positioned Datasea for long-term sustainable growth," said Zhixin Liu, CEO of Datasea. "Datasea team is incredibly excited to be working with Jiangxi Zhouwang and helping them in taking hands-on messaging technology to new heights with our solutions."

08:34 EDT Homology Medicines initiates Phase 1 trial for HMI-203 - Homology Medicines announced that it has initiated the Phase 1 trial for HMI-203, a one-time, in vivo gene therapy candidate for the treatment of adults with mucopolysaccharidosis type II, or Hunter syndrome. The juMPStart trial is an open-label, dose-escalation study evaluating the safety and efficacy of a single intravenous administration of HMI-203. Hunter syndrome is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the iduronate 2-sulfatase gene leading to absent or deficient I2S enzymatic activity, which causes toxic lysosomal accumulation of glycosaminoglycans. There are no treatments currently available that address both the peripheral organ and cognitive manifestations of the disease, and there remains a high unmet medical need for patients despite the availability of enzyme replacement therapy. The juMPStart trial is expected to enroll up to 9 male patients ages 18-30 years old who have been diagnosed with Hunter syndrome and are currently receiving ERT. In addition to safety endpoints, the trial plans to measure plasma I2S activity, urinary GAG levels and other peripheral disease manifestations. The Phase 1 dose-escalation portion of the trial is designed to evaluate three doses of HMI-203 to potentially determine the optimal dose for a future trial. In October 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the Investigational New Drug application for HMI-203 for the treatment of Hunter syndrome to proceed.

08:31 EDT Lazydays to open Omaha dealership - Lazydays will greenfield a dealership in Council Bluffs, Iowa to serve the Omaha, NE metropolitan area. The company expects the new dealership to open for business in 4Q22. The dealership will be branded Lazydays RV of Omaha.

08:30 EDT Evolving Systems trading resumes

08:27 EDT Amplify Energy releases statement on Southern California response to oil spill - Amplify Energy, parent company to Beta Operating Company, issued the following statement regarding the ongoing environmental remediation efforts in Southern California: "Over the course of the past two weeks, the Amplify Energy team has worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response as part of the Unified Command, and also with many other federal, state and local agencies on the remediation efforts in response to this event. We are grateful for the efforts of all parties involved, and we will continue to collaborate closely as cleanup and restoration progresses. On October 15, 2021, Unified Command reported that trained oil observers and beach cleanup contractors witnessed significant progress in cleanup operations and are assessing the beaches to determine whether any further treatment is needed. We are fully committed to supporting the Unified Command and complying with all regulatory requirements and investigations. These investigations take time, given their complexity, and Amplify Energy remains committed to cooperating with the federal and state agencies looking into this matter... On October 14, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that it has a high degree of confidence the size of the release was approximately 588 barrels, which is below the previously reported maximum estimate of 3,134 barrels... Offshore energy development and maritime traffic can and have coexisted in this region for decades and we are committed to working with maritime stakeholders to investigate this incident and ensure something like this does not happen again."

08:22 EDT Athenex, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy announce allowance of first US patent - Athenex and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has allowed patent claims around its NKT cellular immunotherapy platform. While similar claims had already been granted in the European Union, these claims are the first allowed on this technology in the U.S. Dan Lang, M.D., President, Athenex Cell Therapy, Vice President, Corporate Development/Communication commented, "We are very pleased to have received allowance of claims on one of our foundational patent families on NKT cells. These claims are important for our platform technology because we believe CD62L+ NKT cells have a high rate of in vitro expansion, enhanced in vivo persistence, and potent anti-tumor activity. We look forward to further studying these important attributes in our KUR-501 and KUR-502 clinical development programs, both of which use this technology. We have over 100 patent applications pending and issued around the world, and we believe this first U.S. patent allowance firmly establishes Athenex as one of the leaders in NKT cell therapy."

08:21 EDT Enphase Energy launches Encharge Battery Storage Systems in Belgium - Enphase Energy announced that it has started shipping its Encharge battery storage systems to customers in Belgium, further expanding the product's availability in the European market. Encharge battery storage systems are also currently available to customers in Germany and North America. "We are pleased to offer battery storage systems to residential customers in Belgium, a fast-growing solar market in Europe," said Peter van Berkel, general manager of Enphase Energy Europe. "Encharge battery storage systems, along with IQ 7 family of microinverters, offer an all-in-one solution, which allows homeowners to optimize their energy usage and reduce their energy bills. With a strong adoption rate for solar energy among Flemish homeowners, we anticipate a warm reception for the product and its capabilities." The Encharge battery storage system offers storage configurations ranging from 3.5kWh to an aggregate 42kWh, along with the ability to upgrade through the lifetime of the system. Enphase delivers a safe solar-plus-storage solution designed to not expose installers or homeowners to high-voltage DC. The batteries feature Lithium Iron Phosphate battery chemistry, which provides a long cycle life and safe operation through excellent thermal stability. Homeowners have insight into their systems through the Enphase Envoy communications gateway, which connects Enphase systems to the Enphase Enlighten mobile app. Encharge batteries offer over-the-air software upgrades and come with a 10-year limited warranty.

08:19 EDT Reservoir Media announces global publishing deal with Emeli Sande - Reservoir Media announced a new publishing deal with Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sande. The deal includes her upcoming album, plus future works. "Next To Me" was off Sande's debut album, Our Version of Events, which reached #28 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The album also spent 10 weeks at #1 on the U.K. album charts and became the best-selling U.K. album of the year. In 2016, she released Long Live the Angels, which reached #2 on the U.K. album chart, and her last album, Real Life, went Top 10 in 2019. Last month, Sande dropped her newest single, "Family" an uplifting, spiritual track off her upcoming album, expected in 2022. Across her career, Sande has collaborated with a wide range of artists. Annette Barrett, Reservoir U.K. Managing Director and Global Strategic Liaison added, "I am beyond thrilled to be able to sign Emeli Sande, who is such a great addition to our roster. She is an amazing talent; I have admired her songwriting and artist career over the years and am so excited for the release of her new work."

08:17 EDT Inari Medical announces randomized controlled trial of FlowTriever System - Inari Medical announced planned enrollment of the PEERLESS trial. PEERLESS is a new randomized controlled trial comparing the clinical outcomes of patients with intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism treated with the FlowTriever System versus catheter-directed thrombolysis. The trial design was presented at the 7th Annual Pulmonary Embolism Symposium, sponsored by the PERT Consortium. PEERLESS is a prospective, multi-center trial that will include up to 700 patients and 60 centers in the United States and Europe. The study consists of a primary randomization cohort of 550 patients, and for patients who cannot be randomized due to an absolute contraindication to thrombolytics, a secondary non-randomized cohort of up to 150 patients.

08:14 EDT Digital Ally receives multiple orders for FirstVu II, QuickVu - Digital Ally announces it has received multiple orders for its next generation body-worn camera, FirstVu II, and QuickVu docking station. These orders come immediately after the Company announced the body camera and docking station were readily available. "We are very proud to see the immediate interest and acceptance in the marketplace surrounding the FirstVu II and QuickVu," said Stan Ross, CEO of Digital Ally, adding: "Our team has worked extremely hard to develop new technology that officers desperately need to keep them and their communities safe. We look forward to releasing additional innovations soon that will continue our commitment to true safety for all concerned." Notable orders for the FirstVu II body-worn camera and QuickVu docking station purchased via the Company's subscription payment plan include: Hardin County Sheriff's Department; Flemington Borough Police Department; Aliquippa Police Department; Elm Springs Police Department; and Cuba Police Department.

08:14 EDT Bioventus, Misonix announces election deadline for Misonix stockholders - Bioventus Inc. (BVS) and Misonix, Inc. (MSON) announced an election deadline of 5:00 p.m., New York City Time, on October 25, 2021 for stockholders of Misonix to elect the form of consideration they wish to receive for their shares of Misonix common stock in connection with the proposed merger of Oyster Merger Sub I, Inc., a newly-formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Bioventus, with and into Misonix, immediately followed by the merger of Misonix with and into Oyster Merger Sub II, LLC, another newly-formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Bioventus pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 29, 2021, by and among Bioventus, Merger Sub I, Merger Sub II and Misonix. If the Election Deadline is delayed or extended for any reason, Bioventus and Misonix will promptly announce the delay and, when determined, the rescheduled Election Deadline. As previously announced, as a result of the Mergers, each share of Misonix common stock outstanding at the effective time of the Mergers will be converted into the right to receive 1.6839 shares of Bioventus class A common stock or $28.00 in cash, subject to proration and reallocation as described in the Merger Agreement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Misonix stockholders are entitled to elect whether they wish to receive the stock consideration for all of their shares of Misonix common stock, the cash consideration for all of their shares of Misonix common stock, the cash consideration for some shares of Misonix common stock and the stock consideration for the other shares of Misonix common stock or make no election with respect to all of the shares of Misonix common stock held, subject in each case, to proration and reallocation as described in the Merger Agreement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Record holders of Misonix common stock should have already received a Letter of Election and Transmittal, which permits the stockholder to make an election as to the type of merger consideration. Record holders are reminded that if they wish to make an effective election, they must complete and return their Letter of Election and Transmittal, along with their stock certificate and any other documents noted in the instructions to the Letter of Election and Transmittal, to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, the Exchange Agent, no later than the Election Deadline, which is 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on October 25, 2021.

08:12 EDT AutoNation opens second AutoNation USA in Denver market - AutoNation announced the opening of AutoNation USA Denver Broadway, the third of five new AutoNation USA stores that the company will open this year. The company expects to open 12 additional AutoNation USA stores in 2022. AutoNation is projecting to have over 130 AutoNation USA stores in operation from coast-to-coast by the end of 2026. The AutoNation USA stores will continue to leverage the AutoNation brand, scale, and proven Customer-centric processes to capture a larger share of the used vehicle market.

08:12 EDT Candente Copper, Gold Fields agree to commercial terms on Arikepay propert - Candente Copper is pleased to announce that Candente Copper and Gold Fields La Cima S.A., a subsidiary of Gold Fields Limited, have conditionally agreed to commercial terms for Gold Fields to option the Arikepay copper-gold porphyry property in Southern Peru. Terms: Cash Payments totalling up to 1,790,000 over 10 years: $100,000 on signing of Definitive Agreement; $40,000 upon receiving drilling permits; $100,000 on first and second anniversaries; $150,000 per year until Year 5; $200,000 per year for the next 5 years. Exploration commitments are: $3.5M over 3 years to reach 51% interest; An additional $3.5M over another 2 years to reach 70% interest; Complete Feasibility and make a payment of $10M within 10 yrs to reach 100% interest, subject to a 2.5% Net Smelter Return; The 2.5% NSR has an option to buyout 1.5% Interest for $6M. The proposed terms are subject to the execution and completion of a Definitive Agreement by both parties which will layout further details currently still under discussion. The Arikepay property, held by Cobriza Metals Peru, subsidiary of the Company, is located about 110 kilometres south of the city of Arequipa in southern Peru and 45 km south of the +3 billion tonne Cerro Verde copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, owned by Freeport, SMM Cerro Verde Netherlands and Buenaventura. Two altered and mineralized bodies have been found on the property. Alteration comprises propylitic, phyllic, silicic and potassic altered volcanic and intrusive rocks. Mineralization consists dominantly of pyrite ranging from less than1% to greater than10% in disseminations and veinlets with lesser amounts of chalcopyrite, bornite and magnetite. Two drilling programs have been completed on the property to date. Cobriza completed a reverse circulation drill program in June 2012 totalling 3,630 metres in 14 holes and a third party, Compania Minera Zahena S.A.C. drilled 8,908m in 14 drill holes between Dec 2013 and March 2017. Cobriza and Zahena both initially focused on the copper potential but since 2017, Cobriza recognized a stronger potential for gold mineralization at Arikepay.

08:10 EDT LogicBio Therapeutics reports clinical trial results of LB-001 in children - LogicBio Therapeutics announced clinical trial results demonstrating the first-ever in vivo genome editing in children. Early data from the company's Phase 1/2 SUNRISE clinical trial showed measurable levels of albumin-2A, a technology-related biomarker indicating site-specific gene insertion and protein expression. The SUNRISE trial is evaluating the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of LB-001, the company's investigational, single-administration genome editing therapy, in pediatric patients with methylmalonic acidemia. These results follow a recommendation from the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board overseeing the SUNRISE trial to continue the study without modification. The DSMB's recommendation was based on an evaluation of the safety data from the first two patients enrolled in the trial. Per the FDA-cleared protocol, albumin-2A detection together with the DSMB continuation recommendation enables LogicBio to begin enrolling two patients in the higher dose cohort with ages ranging three to twelve years old and two patients in the lower age, six months to two years old, cohort at the lower dose of LB-001. SUNRISE is a first-in-human, open-label, multi-center, Phase 1/2 clinical trial designed to assess the safety and tolerability of a single intravenous infusion of LB-001 in pediatric patients with MMA. LB-001 is based on the company's proprietary GeneRide technology. The company remains on track to present additional interim data by the end of 2021.

08:09 EDT Corporacion America Airport reports September traffic up 227.8% - Corporacion America Airport reported a 227.8% year-over-year increase in passenger traffic in September and a 47.7% decline when compared to the same period of 2019. Total passenger traffic in September grew 2.3x compared to the same period of last year, driven by increases across all countries of operations, particularly in Argentina, reflecting easier comparisons due to tougher travel restrictions in the year ago period. When compared to 2019, overall passenger traffic declined 47.7%, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, though consistently improving from the decline of 75.7% recorded in April. International and domestic passenger traffic dropped 62.7% and 41.4%, respectively, from pre-pandemic levels of September 2019.

08:08 EDT Evolving enters definitive agreement to sell activation, marketing businesses - On October 15, 2021, Evolving Systems entered into definitive agreements to sell all of the assets of its Customer Acquisition and Network Services division as well as its CVML and Loyalty Business to PartnerOne Capital for a base purchase price of $40M. The proposed transaction, which has been approved by the Board of Directors of both companies, is subject to various terms and conditions, including approval by Evolving Systems' stockholders. Evolving Systems expects to file a preliminary proxy statement regarding the proposed transaction with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission within 30 days. At the closing, Evolving Systems expects to receive $37.5M of the base purchase price in cash, with the remaining $2.5M placed in escrow as security for Evolving Systems' indemnification obligations. The escrowed funds will be released to Evolving Systems on the first business day following the one-year anniversary of the closing, less any portion used to make indemnification payments to PartnerOne. "At closing, we anticipate that Evolving Systems will have a debt free balance sheet with approximately $37.5 million in cash and cash equivalents," said Matthew Stecker, President & CEO of Evolving Systems. "The Board of Directors has established an investment committee to evaluate options to maximize the value of the Company's assets, including, but not limited to, identifying potential opportunities to invest in or acquire one or more operating businesses that provide opportunities for appreciation in value and/or returning cash to shareholders." Evolving Systems' largest stockholder and holder of approximately 20.8% of Evolving Systems' issued and outstanding common stock has entered into a voting agreement to vote in favor of the proposed transaction, subject to certain terms and conditions contained therein.

08:08 EDT Mesoblast announces publication of results on remestemcel-L - Mesoblast announced that results published in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed journal Bone Marrow Transplantation showed that children with steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease and biomarkers predictive for highest mortality had 64% survival when treated with remestemcel-L compared with only 10% survival when treated with other available therapies, including ruxolitinib or other biologics. These data provide further support for the proposed anti-inflammatory mechanism of action of remestemcel-L and its immunomodulatory activity in patients with SR-aGVHD, resulting in improved survival outcomes. At its upcoming scheduled meeting with FDA's Office of Tissue and Advanced Therapies, Mesoblast will address the appropriateness of potency assays related to remestemcel-L's proposed anti-inflammatory mechanism of action as well as the outstanding chemistry, manufacturing and controls items which could support a resubmission of the current Biologics License Application for remestemcel-L in the treatment of SR-aGVHD in children. The study compared outcomes in 25 children from Mesoblast's Phase 3 trial of remestemcel-L in SR-aGVHD with 27 closely matched children from the Mount Sinai Acute GVHD International Consortium who participated in a prospective natural history study and were matched for the Phase 3 trial entry criteria. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether outcomes differed according to treatment with remestemcel-L vs other therapies in children at highest risk of death, namely those with baseline MAGIC Algorithm Probability biomarker levels greater than or equal to0.291, a level predictive of very high mortality and poor responses to therapy in SR-aGVHD. MAP combines the serum concentrations of two biomarkers, Reg3alpha and ST2, into a single value that predicts long-term outcomes and significant GI tract damage. MAP levels greater than or equal to0.291 were present in 48% of remestemcel-L treated children and 37% of the MAGIC cohort. Treatment with remestemcel-L resulted in 67% Day 28 Overall Response and 64% Day 180 overall survival compared with 10% Day 28 Overall Response and 10% Day 180 survival in the MAGIC cohort when treated with various biologics, including ruxolitinib. These results extend previous observations showing that children who achieved clinically meaningful responses and survival after treatment with remestemcel-L had significant reductions in the ST2 biomarker of inflammation, consistent with healing of the GI tract.

08:07 EDT Tabula Rasa HealthCare partners with PAI to promote MedWise Science - Tabula Rasa HealthCare announced that it signed a Letter of Intent with the Pharmaceutical Association of Israel to promote TRHC's propriety MedWise Science among pharmacists in community, hospital, and academic settings in Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

08:06 EDT I-Mab's Phase 2 trial of antitumor combination approved in China - I-Mab announced that the Center for Drug Evaluation of the China National Medical Products Administration, or NMPA, has approved the IND submission for the initiation of phase 2 clinical trial of efineptakin alfa in combination with PD-1 antibody in patients with advanced solid tumors, including triple-negative breast cancer as well as head and neck cancers. Efineptakin alfa is expected to show therapeutic effect as a combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors due to its inherent properties to increase T-cells that are critical for tumor suppression. Efineptakin alfa has been tested as monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors to treat advanced solid tumors in the U.S., South Korea and China. According to the data from the NIT-110 dose-escalation study presented at ASCO 2021, the combination of efineptakin alfa and pembrolizumab is safe and well-tolerated in patients with advanced solid tumors. It significantly increased T cell numbers in both the tumor microenviroment and the peripheral blood. In addition, interim results from the phase 1 trial in high-grade gliomas unresponsive to chemoradiotherapy showed a 1.3 - 4.1 fold increase in the absolute lymphocyte count with a one-year survival rate of 83.3%. Efineptakin alfa is also being studied in another phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate its efficacy and safety in lymphopenic patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme who have been treated with standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The first patient was dosed in February.

08:05 EDT Codexis, Almelo, RC2 announce tri-party collaboration - Codexis announced a tri-party collaboration agreement with Almelo Private and RC2 Pharma Connect to license and manufacture for internal use a Codexis' proprietary enzyme used in the manufacturing process for sitagliptin, a leading API in the treatment of diabetes. Under the agreement, Almelo will be responsible for the development, scale-up, and establishment of a commercial manufacturing process for sitagliptin incorporating Codexis' proprietary enzyme technology. Upon completion, the enzyme's manufacturing will be established at Almelo's API manufacturing site to enable further cost reduction. RC2's role in the collaboration will be to leverage its relationships with global drug product partners to establish downstream supply channels for the future generic sitagliptin market. "We are delighted Almelo has embraced the opportunity to leverage Codexis' highly optimized enzyme to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency and sustainability of their sitagliptin API manufacturing," said John Nicols, President and CEO of Codexis. He added, "Almelo is a forward looking and innovation-focused company, and we are very pleased that they have committed to install the capability to self-produce the enzyme, allowing them to drive as much cost as possible from their process. Adding the expertise of RC2 enables an integrated low cost supply chain to uniquely position the partnership for success in the coming competitive generic sitagliptin marketplace. "

08:04 EDT Aemetis appoints Timothy Simon to board of directors - Aemetis announced the appointment of Timothy Alan Simon, Esq., former Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission, to the Company's Board of Directors, effective October 14.

08:03 EDT Barrick Gold sets up community development fund for Veladero - Barrick Gold Corporation's president and chief executive Mark Bristow and San Juan governor Sergio Unac signed an agreement for the establishment of a trust fund for community development projects. The fund will be financed by 1.5% of the Veladero gold mine's sales, which is estimated to amount to $138M during the current life of the mine which extends beyond 2030. Development projects will be decided upon jointly by the mine's communities, the government and Barrick. Bristow said the new trust fund represented a transformational opportunity to improve the quality of life for the communities around Veladero and was in line with Barrick's global policy of sharing the economic benefits created by its mines with all its stakeholders, and in particular with the host communities. "We're working to extend Veladero's life beyond its current horizon and a new 10-year production plan is already in place. Following the recent completion of the mine's Phase 6 heap leach facility, construction of Phase 7 will start soon, with an investment in the range of $140M. It is expected that this new facility will create 640 local jobs. Like our other operations, Veladero prioritizes the employment and training of host country nationals and 99% of its workforce are Argentine citizens with 90% from San Juan itself. We're now also focusing on increasing the recruitment of women in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. Fifteen of the 24 participants in Veladero's current technical training program are women and a further 17 are being trained as truck drivers," he said. In the meantime, the project to link Veladero to Chile's national power grid has been scheduled for completion this month. This will help trim the mine's greenhouse gas emissions in line with Barrick's global reduction targets of 30% by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Elsewhere in San Juan province Barrick is intensively exploring for more resources for the Pascua-Lama project, which straddles the border between Argentina and Chile. Bristow said a decision would be made in 2024 on whether Lama, which is in Argentina, met the company's investment criteria for development. Barrick's exploration teams are also evaluating a range of exciting targets along the El Indio Belt, around the Veladero JV and in Quevar in Salta province.

08:03 EDT CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund announces closing of $300M private placement - CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund announced that on Sept. 30, 2021, it completed the final of two closings of its $300 million private placement of mandatory redeemable preferred stock. The final closing consisted of the sale of 3,600,000 Series B MRPS for gross proceeds of $90 million and 6,000,000 Series C MRPS for gross proceeds of $150 million. The initial closing of the sale of 2,400,000 Series A MRPS for gross proceeds of $60 million was completed on July 30, 2021. Net proceeds from the MRPS have been used to repay existing debt and for investment and general corporate purposes.

07:56 EDT iClick Interactive Asia trading halted, news pending

07:53 EDT Tucows' Ting Internet subsidiary acquires Simply Bits - Tucows has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Simply Bits, a fixed wireless network service company based in Tucson, Arizona. This acquisition will be made through Ting Internet, a fiber internet provider in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Tucows. Ting will assume all of Simply Bits' existing infrastructure and customers, adding approximately 4,500 customers, 1,100 square miles of established fixed wireless network, and a small fiber-to-the-home footprint to Ting's portfolio. Ting will also retain Simply Bits' employees, including senior management. The acquisition is expected to close in Q4.

07:51 EDT Arch Therapeutics launches Experts in Wound Care Program - Arch Therapeutics announced that it has launched its Experts in Wound Care Program, a series of interviews with key opinion leaders dedicated to advancing wound care. The interviews will focus on important wound care topics, such as how evolving best practices can improve patient outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs and how AC5 Advanced Wound System is used during the management of chronic and acute wounds. Each event will be broadcast on the Company's Experts in Wound Care video channel and can be tracked and tweeted by followers using the hashtag: #ExpertsInWoundCare.

07:48 EDT Marathon Gold investing in Newfoundland & Labrador - Marathon Gold is pleased to provide an update on the ongoing project development activities at the Valentine Gold Project in central Newfoundland, with a specific focus on employment and procurement within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Marathon's April 2021 Feasibility Study for the Project demonstrates robust economics for a conventional open pit mining and milling operation with a C$305 million initial capital cost. Over a projected 17 years of construction, operations, and closure, annual direct employment is expected to reach over 400 persons, with substantial economic spin-offs and indirect employment based on estimated operating and sustaining capital expenditures of over C$2 billion. An Environmental Assessment with federal and provincial regulators is ongoing, based on an Environmental Impact Statement filed in September 2020. Two rounds of technical information requests based on the EIS have been completed with the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and responses provided to comments received from the NL Environmental Assessment Committee. An NL Benefits Agreement, containing a Human Resources Plan and a Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan, and establishing commitments for NL employment and procurement, and economic opportunities for under-represented groups, is expected to be finalized shortly. Cooperation Agreements have been concluded with the six central Newfoundland communities located closest to the Project, identifying the interests of each community in employment, business opportunities, community investment, and environmental protection. A Socio-Economic Agreement has been completed with Qalipu First Nation, addressing matters such as access to employment and contracting opportunities, education and training, environmental stewardship and monitoring, and community investment. A Memorandum of Understanding with Miawpukek First Nation has been entered into, providing guidance for ongoing engagement, the completion of a Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Land and Resource Use Study, and the negotiation of an SEA. An assessment of the Project's acceptability, along with any conditions of release from the EA, will be made by each governmental regulator. In the case of the province, conclusion of the EA takes the form of a recommendation made by the Environmental Assessment Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change for the Minister's acceptance, who then issues a request for Cabinet approval. A parallel process occurs at the federal level. Activity-specific construction permits can be obtained from the relevant regulatory departments once the EA process has concluded. The timeline for EA release remains subject to any additional requests for information or extensions of the technical review period. On the basis that EA release will be achieved within the fourth quarter of this year, Marathon is pursuing team development, procurement, and detailed engineering with a view to receiving sufficient permits and commencing site construction activities early in 2022. Highlights of this work are as follows: Employment. 154 persons are currently employed or contracted to Marathon and/or the Project on a full-time basis, of which 86% are residents of NL and 22% are residents of the Project's six closest communities of Millertown, Buchans, Buchans Junction, Badger, Grand Falls-Windsor and Bishop's Falls. Procurement. Construction packages valued at C$118 million have been awarded in the areas of mobile mining equipment, drilling equipment, earthworks, camp accommodations, camp services, bridge repair, security, and tree cutting. Of these packages, Newfoundland and Labrador sourced goods and services comprise 55% of the total by value, or 88% when the value of mobile mining and drilling equipment manufactured outside NL is excluded. Procurement is ongoing in the areas of fuel supply and storage, power supply, tire supply, crushing and screening, operational readiness, medical services, communications, explosive supply, recruitment services, and waste management. Detailed Engineering. A control budget and schedule for baselining project construction progress will be completed by year-end, at which point detailed engineering progress is forecast to reach approximately 40%. Design work is ongoing under the supervision of Marathon's project execution team in the areas of tailings facility design, site water management, site geotechnical investigation, pit geotechnical and hydrogeological investigations, and powerline design. Detailed engineering for the Project's mill and major facilities is being undertaken by Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc. under an MOU for a fixed-price Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract to be finalized later this year. The EPC contract is expected to cover approximately 50% of the scope of the Project. Current Site Activities. In addition to Marathon's ongoing exploration programs, current site activities comprise continuing environmental baseline studies, ongoing geotechnical and hydrological investigation, and seasonal road maintenance. A permanent camp of 420 beds has been acquired and is currently enroute to a staging area in the community of Badger where it will undergo refurbishment prior to delivery to the site once approvals are received. Camp capacity is currently limited to 64 persons.

07:45 EDT Vitalhub says NHSX approves Synopis Blueprint as expample of best practice - VitalHub is pleased to announce that the NHSX Blueprint recording of Synopsis has been approved at the national level and uploaded to the FutureNHS platform as an example of best practices in NHS digital transformation. The NHSX Blueprint, titled "Launching a digital pre-operative pathway to improve efficiency and maximize theatre usage at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust" is now available on the FutureNHS platform.

07:43 EDT FDA approves low dosage of Biktarvy for pediatric patients for HIV-1 treatment - Gilead Sciences announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new low-dose tablet dosage form of Biktarvy or bictegravir 30 mg/emtricitabine 120 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 15 mg tablets for pediatric patients weighing at least 14 kg to less than 25 kg who are virologically suppressed or new to antiretroviral therapy. The approval of this supplemental New Drug Application, sNDA, expands the indication for Biktarvy to include younger children living with HIV-1 infection and will help to close the gap between HIV treatment options available for adults and children. "Children living with HIV are in need of effective and accessible formulations of antiretroviral therapy," said Merdad Parsey, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Gilead Sciences. "To address this unmet need, innovations in pediatric formulations must strive towards expanding treatment options for children. The sNDA approval is an important step in fulfilling Gilead's commitment to a goal of bringing pediatric formulations of Biktarvy to children living with HIV around the world." The approval of Biktarvy for children weighing at least 14 kg is based on data from Cohort 3 of a Phase 2/3 open-label, single-arm study , which found Biktarvy low-dose tablets to be effective and generally well-tolerated through 24 weeks in virologically suppressed children living with HIV-1. Cohort 3 enrolled 22 participants weighing greater than or equal to14 to less than25 kg who continued on treatment for 48 weeks and could then continue to receive study drug through an extension phase. After switching to Biktarvy, 91% of participants remained virologically suppressed at Week 24, and the mean change in CD4 % from baseline was 0.2%. HIV-1 RNA was not collected at Week 24 for two participants because of COVID-19 pandemic-related study disruption. In pediatric studies, no new adverse reactions or laboratory abnormalities were identified compared to those observed in adults. Biktarvy does not cure HIV or AIDS.

07:41 EDT NFI Group receives order for six zero-emission Xcelsior CHARE NG transit buses - NFI Group announced that its subsidiary New Flyer of America has received an order from the Culver City Transportation Department for six zero-emission battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG 40-foot transit buses. Culver CityBus provides public transit in Culver City, California, delivering over 5 million annual passenger trips. The order evolves its fleet toward zero-emission propulsion and pursues fulfillment of the California Air Resources Board's Innovative Clean Transit regulation, which mandates transition to 100% zero-emission bus fleets by 2040. "NFI's leadership of zero-emission vehicles in North America is unrivalled. With this order from Culver CityBus, we continue expanding our EV presence in California," said Paul Soubry, President and Chief Executive Officer, NFI. "Since 1998, NFI has delivered nearly 100 buses to Culver CityBus. With these new electric buses, the agency immediately reduces greenhouse gas emissions while experiencing 13% longer range and up to 90% better energy recovery." New Flyer's Xcelsior CHARGE NG battery-electric buses provide up to 525kWh of power and 250 miles of range on a single charge, and over a 12-year lifespan, can deliver up to $125,000 in maintenance and $400,000 in fuel savings.

07:39 EDT Immunocore, Medison Pharma partner for commercialization of Tebentafusp - Immunocore and Medison Pharma announced an exclusive multi-regional agreement for Medison to help seek regulatory authorization and commercialize Immunocore's tebentafusp, for the treatment of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, in Canada, twenty markets across Central Eastern Europe and Israel. "We are delighted to partner with Immunocore in 22 markets to accelerate the global reach of this breakthrough treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma", said Meir Jakobsohn, Founder and CEO of Medison Pharma. "In our joint commitment to help treat patients suffering from the most challenging diseases, we look forward to leveraging our commercial platform and providing patients in international markets with access to this much needed therapy." Tebentafusp has been granted Priority Review; Real Time Oncology Review; Breakthrough Therapy designation; Fast Track designation; and orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the United States; orphan drug status in the European Union; and Promising Innovative Medicine designation under the UK Early Access to Medicines Scheme for metastatic uveal melanoma. Tebentafusp has also been granted accelerated assessment by the European Medicine Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. Immunocore's biologics license application for approval of tebentafusp for the treatment of HLA-A*02:01-positive adult patients with metastatic uveal melanoma was recently accepted by the FDA. In addition, EMA's CHMP has accepted Immunocore's Marketing Authorisation Application.

07:38 EDT Applied Materials unveils eBeam metrology system - Applied Materials unveiled a unique eBeam metrology system that enables a new playbook for patterning control based on massive on-device, across-wafer and through-layer measurements. The company said, "Advanced chips are built one layer at a time, and each of billions of individual features must be perfectly patterned and aligned to create working transistors and interconnects with optimal electrical characteristics. As the industry increasingly moves from simple 2D designs to more aggressive multipatterning and 3D designs, a commensurate breakthrough in metrology is needed to perfect each critical layer and enable the best performance, power, area-cost and time to market...With the arrival of new eBeam system technology that can directly measure semiconductor device structures across the wafer and through layers at high speed, customers are moving to a new patterning control playbook based on big data. Applied's latest eBeam metrology innovation - the PROVision 3E system - is especially designed for this new playbook."

07:37 EDT Kura Oncology appoints Teresa Blair as Chief Legal Officer - Kura Oncology (KURA) announced the appointment of Teresa Bair as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. Bair joins Kura with more than 25 years of combined in-house and law firm experience, most recently as General Counsel at Athenex (ATNX). She played a role in leading the organization through its evolution from a private, preclinical-stage company to a global, publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, directly contributing to multiple NDA filings and an FDA approval.

07:35 EDT Zai Lab appoints Scott Morrison to board of directors - Zai Lab announced that it has appointed Scott Morrison to its Board of Directors. Morrison will also serve as a member of the Audit Committee.

07:34 EDT Vivos Therapeutics, Candid announce strategic collaboration - Vivos Therapeutics and Candid Care announced a new collaboration that will seek to provide patients with a comprehensive, whole-mouth solution to diagnose and treat OSA in adult patients and provide orthodontic treatment from the same provider network. At the core of this collaboration, Vivos and Candid will market each company's products and areas of expertise to deliver a comprehensive sleep and oral health solution to patients in the United States and Canada. The focus of the collaboration will be Candid's CandidPro clear aligner for straightening teeth and the Vivos System for treating OSA. The two companies will also share educational resources, training, and key opinion leaders to bridge the gap between airway health and orthodontic therapy. "By teaming with Candid, we are aiming to provide patients with access not only to our highly effective Vivos System, but also simultaneous access to CandidPro's novel orthodontic treatment. We believe the Vivos-Candid collaboration will provide for the first solution that seamlessly integrates sleep and orthodontic therapy to create better patient outcomes for treating OSA and enhance overall health and wellness across the board." said Kirk Huntsman, Vivos Chairman and CEO. "We are hopeful that this joint effort will increase market penetration and accelerate revenue growth for both companies as we each attract and expand our respective North American dental and healthcare networks." Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, Vivos and Candid will join forces to explore new research and development opportunities for device development and other alliances related to orthodontics, OSA, and snoring. Candid will also conduct specialized training sessions at the Vivos Institute, the Company's new state-of-the-art international training center in Denver, Colorado, as well as semi-annual seminars for both dentists and medical doctors to provide additional learning opportunities. The parties will act on a non-exclusive basis, although during the term of the agreement, Candid's aligners will become the official clear aligner of Vivos and Vivos' oral devices and proprietary protocols will become the official sleep therapy program of Candid.

07:32 EDT Adamis Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for ZIMHI - Adamis Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Adamis' ZIMHI 5 mg/0.5 mL product. ZIMHI is a high-dose naloxone injection product FDA-approved for use in the treatment of opioid overdose. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist and is generally considered the drug of choice for immediate administration for opioid overdose. Dr. Dennis Carlo, President and CEO of Adamis, stated, "We are very excited by this approval and are working with our commercial partner, US WorldMeds, to make this much-needed, lifesaving product readily available to the market. ZIMHI provides the highest systemic levels of naloxone compared to any of the nasal or intramuscular products currently available."

07:29 EDT Dorel Industries announces equipment investments, acquisition of Notio Living - Dorel Industries announced both an extensive equipment investment at three of its Dorel Home North American factories as well as the purchase of Notio Living, an ecommerce home furnishings firm based in Holstebro, Denmark. The equipment improvements, to facilitate production flexibility, will be at the two ready-to assemble furniture Ameriwood plants in Tiffin, Ohio and Cornwall, Ontario, as well as at Dorel Home Products in Montreal, Quebec. The upgrades which total approximately $10.0 million across Dorel Home's North American manufacturing base will bring back some production from Asia, helping to offset the industry-wide supply chain issues and will better position the segment for growth with value added innovative new products. Dorel Home has long been a major player in the mattress business, known for its lines of futon and baby crib mattresses as well as its award-winning Signature Sleep imported mattresses. The new machinery at the DHP facility in Montreal will permit the expansion into coiled spring mattresses, previously imported from Asia. The new machinery at all facilities should be up and running by the first quarter of 2022. Dorel Home is also buying Danish-based Notio Living for approximately US$19.0 million. The company, which markets thousands of products sourced from around the world, has been in the home furnishings business for 25 years and operates throughout Europe with a strong presence in the ecommerce market. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close later this year.

07:27 EDT Albertsons increases quarterly dividend 20% to 12c per share - Albertsons announced that its board of directors has declared a 20% increase in the quarterly dividend on its common stock, from 10c per share to 12c per share. At the new rate, the dividend on an annualized basis will be 48c per share compared to the previous rate of 40c per share. The next quarterly dividend of 12c per share of common stock will be paid on November 12 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on October 29.

07:26 EDT Gilat Satellite expands 4G network with Tier-1 mobile operator in North America - Gilat Satellite Networks announced expansion of the 4G network of a Tier-1 Mobile Network Operator in North America for disaster recovery and ongoing operational business needs. The satellite-based solutions for disaster recovery are widely needed to mitigate the breakdown of terrestrial infrastructure and restore 4G connectivity. The Tier-1 MNO successfully deployed these solutions during the recent weather and climate disastrous events including hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and floods. In addition, Gilat provides solutions for managed satellite capacity and deployment services. "With the increased natural disasters worldwide, Gilat developed multiple solutions for disaster recovery that provide communication for emergency response at times when it is needed most," said Michal Aharonov, Chief Commercial Officer at Gilat. "Gilat is proud to support Mobile Network Operators in the US and worldwide in their mission to deal with critical situations when they happen, as well as to provide them with an assortment of additional services."

07:25 EDT Aslan announces KOL event to discuss atopic dermatitis, ASLAN004 - ASLAN Pharmaceuticals announced it will host the first in a series of Key Opinion Leader events on the emerging atopic dermatitis treatment landscape, and a review of the recently announced, topline data from its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week, multiple-ascending-dose Phase 1 study of ASLAN004 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. ASLAN004 is a potential first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets the IL-13 receptor that has the potential for a differentiated profile in terms of convenience, safety and efficacy. Dr Jonathan Silverberg, MD PhD MPH, will be the first to speak at the series on Monday, October 25, 2021, at 10:00am ET. ASLAN's A4 Series: Aspects of Atopic Dermatitis and ASLAN004 will feature additional thought leaders in the subsequent months to discuss the evolving atopic dermatitis landscape.

07:24 EDT Aaon releases 2020 Sustainability ESG report - AAON released its 2020 Sustainability ESG Report. In the report, the company highlights sustainability practices, achievements, as well as long-term targets. Highlights for the year 2020 include: led the industry in offering of virus mitigating equipment and solutions; expedited equipment for emergency pandemic-related temporary hospitals; invested 3.4% of sales in research and development, to help maintain its leadership in high-performance, energy efficient HVAC equipment; decreased the company's energy intensity and water consumption by 4% and 2.7%, respectively; recycled 19% more metals and diverted 16% more waste to a waste-to-energy facility; set environmental long-term targets, including a goal of 80% of equipment sales made up of non-fossil fuel consuming units by 2030; improved workplace health and safety, achieving a 30% decrease in Total Recordable Incident Rate; and continued to work on advancing a workplace culture of inclusion and diversity. "I am extremely proud of how our company performed in 2020, a truly unprecedented year with many challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Gary Fields, President and CEO. "I am most proud of how we adapted quickly to help communities by providing virus mitigating HVAC solutions as well as equipment for temporary hospitals, all while managing a safe manufacturing environment to help protect our employees. In the midst of all the challenges, we continued to advance our leadership in sustainability. We invested aggressively in R&D to help advance our industry-leading position as the manufacturer of the most energy efficient packaged rooftop units in North America. We also continue to focus on other products and technologies such as heat pumps to help our customers reduce carbon emissions. In addition, we took measures to help reduce our own carbon footprint. Finally, we continue to strive for gender parity and a diverse workforce reflective of our communities."

07:20 EDT Calibre Mining appoints Tom Gallo as SVP, growth - Calibre Mining announced the appointment of Thomas Gallo as Senior Vice President, Growth effective immediately. Most recently Mr. Gallo was Vice President Equity Research at Canaccord Genuity where he covered high quality mining companies in the precious metal sector.

07:19 EDT Stereotaxis announces installation of Genesis Robotic technology in South Europe - Stereotaxis announced installation of its Genesis Robotic Magnetic Navigation system at Princess Grace Hospital Center in Monaco, a center of research and training for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Robotic Magnetic Navigation introduces the benefits of robotic precision and safety to cardiac ablation, a common, minimally invasive procedure to treat arrhythmias. Tens of millions of individuals worldwide suffer from arrhythmias - abnormal heart rhythms that result when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular pattern. When left untreated, certain arrhythmias can significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, and sudden cardiac arrest. "We look forward to continuing to support Princess Grace Hospital's mission to advance the future of electrophysiology and appreciate their partnership in establishing the Genesis robotic system as a central technology for the future of the field," said David Fischel, Chairman and CEO of Stereotaxis.

07:18 EDT Quest Diagnostics to provide companion diagnostic for Eli Lilly's Verzenio - Quest Diagnostics (DGX) will provide clinical laboratory testing using the Ki-67 IHC MIB-1 pharmDx - Dako Omnis - immunohistochemistry companion diagnostic. On October 13, the FDA approved Eli Lilly's (LLY) Verzenio, in combination with endocrine therapy, for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative - HER2- , node-positive, early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence and a Ki-67 score of greater than or equal to20% as determined by an FDA-approved test. Verzenio is the first and only CDK4/6 inhibitor approved for this patient population. In aligned actions, the FDA also granted pre-market approval to Ki-67 IHC MIB-1 pharmDx from Agilent Technologies (A), as a companion diagnostic for Verzenio. Quest is the first laboratory to have validated the test in conjunction with Agilent. Quest is committed to providing the test as soon as possible, with plans to make it nationally available by the end of the month.

07:16 EDT Blue Owl Capital to acquire Oak Street Real Estate Capital for $950M - Blue Owl Capital announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Oak Street Real Estate Capital and its investment advisory business. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions. The closing purchase price of $950M will be funded through a combination of cash and Blue Owl common units (up to an aggregate of approximately 39M Blue Owl common units issuable at closing). In addition, upon the achievement of certain performance thresholds, Oak Street equity holders will be entitled to earnouts up to a total of approximately $650M, payable in cash at future dates or in Blue Owl common units (up to an aggregate of approximately 39M Blue Owl common units subject to vesting). The transaction is anticipated to be approximately 5%- 7% accretive to Distributable Earnings per Share starting in 2022. Oak Street is a Chicago-based firm, founded in 2009 with over 35 employees and with $10.8B of assets under management as of June 30. The firm focuses on two primary strategies: structuring sale-leasebacks, which includes triple net leases, as well as providing seed and strategic capital. Upon closing of the transaction, key members of the Oak Street leadership team will remain in place leading the Oak Street business, and Oak Street's Chicago office will become an additional office for Blue Owl. In addition, Marc Zahr will join Blue Owl's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

07:15 EDT ADMA Biologics appoints Young Kwon to board of directors - ADMA Biologics announced the appointment of Young Kwon, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Kwon is presently an operating partner at Lightstone Ventures, assisting the LSV biopharmaceutical team with deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management.

07:13 EDT LiveOne sees Gramophone Media acquisition immediately accretive to earnings - LiveOne announced that it has completed the acquisition of Gramophone Media. Gramophone will operate as a stand-alone wholly-owned subsidiary of LiveOne. The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to LiveOne's earnings and strengthen LiveOne's balance sheet. As part of the acquisition, Gramophone's President, founder and sole shareholder, Eshy Gazit, as well as its co-founder and COO Patrick Ermlich, will remain as the company's senior leadership team.

07:12 EDT RedHill Biopharma says insiders purchased 180,000 shares of company stock - RedHill Biopharma announced that members of its board of directors and senior management, including the Company's Chairman & CEO, CFO, Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Business Officer and Chief Corporate & Business Development Officer, collectively purchased approximately 180,000 American Depositary Shares of RedHill between mid-September and October 15 in open-market transactions.

07:10 EDT Clarivate names Tiffani Shaw as Chief of Staff - Clarivate announced the appointment of Tiffani Shaw as Chief of Staff reporting to Jerre Stead, Executive Chairman and CEO at Clarivate. In this newly created role, Shaw will plan and direct administrative activities for the office of the CEO and be a member of the Executive Leadership Team. She will join Clarivate on November 1. Shaw joins Clarivate from The University of Iowa Center for Advancement where she was Executive Vice President and COO.

07:09 EDT Innovative Industrial properties buys property in California for $51M - Innovative Industrial Properties, announced that it closed on the acquisition of a 201,000 square foot industrial property in Desert Hot Springs, California, and entered into a long-term lease with Gold Flora. The purchase price for the property was $51M. Gold Flora is expected to complete additional tenant improvements for the property as a regulated cannabis cultivation and processing facility, for which IIP has agreed to provide reimbursement of up to $9M. Assuming full reimbursement for the tenant improvements, IIP's total investment in the property is expected to be $60M. As the pioneering real estate investment trust for the regulated cannabis industry, IIP partners with experienced, regulated cannabis operators and serves as a source of capital by acquiring and leasing back their real estate assets, in addition to offering other creative real estate-based capital solutions. "We are excited to welcome Laurie and the Gold Flora team as our newest tenant partner," said Paul Smithers, President and Chief Executive Officer of IIP. "Gold Flora has established a strong reputation and presence in the largest regulated cannabis market in the world, California, and we look forward to supporting them as a long-term real estate capital partner for many years to come, as they continue to expand the breadth of their operations and reach throughout the state."

07:09 EDT HEXO CEO Sebastien St-Louis departs, COO Donald Courtney resigns - HEXO announced the departure of Sebastien St-Louis, Co-Founder and CEO, effective immediately, as the Company completes a strategic reorganization. The company said, "The Company's next leader will be well-positioned to integrate HEXO's recent transformative acquisitions and leverage the Company's lean production capabilities, solid brands and robust product offering to lead HEXO through its next phase of strategic evolution. The Special Committee of the Board for Succession is in advanced discussions with a preferred CEO candidate and expects to make an announcement in the coming days." HEXO also announced the resignation of the Company's COO Donald Courtney. Don will remain as COO until a suitable replacement is identified.

07:08 EDT Yext announces launch of Financial Services Cloud - Yext announced the launch of its Financial Services Cloud, a set of AI search solutions optimized for banks and other financial institutions. Incorporating classic Yext capabilities like advanced AI-powered site search, accurate third-party listings, and search-optimized landing pages, the Financial Services Cloud also introduces a completely new solution: Guided Search. The solution leads consumers through a series of questions on a financial institution's website in order to match them with the product, service, or financial professional aligned to their unique needs. With hyper-personalization emerging as a top trend in the financial services industry, it's never been more important for institutions to bypass a one-size-fits-all approach, and instead offer customizable online experiences to their customers.

07:07 EDT Esperion announces plan for long-term growth - Esperion announced its plan to align operational and expense structure to better enable future growth for its two first-in-class oral medicines, NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET and prioritize its investment in CLEAR Outcomes. "In-person access to health care providers has been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We are adapting to meet their needs in a more effective way that grows awareness of our products at the same time," said Sheldon Koenig, president and CEO of Esperion. "Cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in the world. ESPERION is fortunate to have two well-received first-in-class medicines approved and available, providing us the opportunity to become a leader in the cardiovascular market. Today's decision will help to further grow NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET while conserving resources to support our critically important and differentiated CLEAR Outcomes trial, which we believe has the potential to dramatically increase adoption of our innovative cholesterol-lowering agents." After a systematic review of our organization and the challenges associated with launching NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has implemented changes to align the business with the realities of the current market environment. The Company will be reducing operational expense across the organization through a 40% corporate workforce reduction and through targeted program savings. The Company will focus its commercialization efforts on an optimized blend of focused outreach including a streamlined sales force, directed to targeted cardiologists and primary care physicians, and a suite of digital initiatives designed to increase awareness and utilization of its medicines in appropriate patients.

07:06 EDT Akoustis acquires majority ownership in RFM Integrated Device for $8.5M - Akoustis Technologies announced that it is acquiring a 51% majority ownership position of RFM Integrated Device, with the right to purchase the remaining 49% in 2022. Akoustis will host an investor call to provide a business update and outlook, followed by a Q & A session this morning at 8:30 a.m. ET. The company said, "In terms of rationale for this opportunistic acquisition, RFMi offers Akoustis: a comprehensive SAW resonator & RF filter, crystal resonator & oscillator and ceramic catalog product portfolio which complements Akoustis XBAW RF products; new, synergistic sales channels and numerous market-leading customers providing significant cross-selling opportunities for Akoustis XBAW; access to new strategic markets including Automotive/ADAS, medical monitoring and implant, energy and smart home, satellite communications and industrial/IoT; access to new wafer-level-package products that are currently manufactured in factories certified to stringent automotive IATF16949 standards; the ability to develop multi-chip-modules incorporating multiple technologies for each of the end markets including 4G/5G mobile; access to complementary SAW resonator, Xtal resonator & oscillator products to enhance Akoustis' XBAW RF timing product portfolio announced last week; a low-capex, fabless product business with synergistic supply chain operations along with a proven technical, marketing and engineering team, and; a bolt-on RF filter business which is immediately accretive to Akoustis financials from a cash flow perspective." Akoustis intends to leverage its leadership in high-frequency BAW with RFMi's growing portfolio of RF filter products to expand its reach into multiple markets and grow its portfolio of multi-chip-modules. Akoustis also intends to leverage RFMi's wafer-level-package products which are currently made in factories certified to the IATF16949 automotive quality standard. Additionally, RFMi's timing control product portfolio will greatly expand Akoustis' new timing and frequency reference capabilities, introduced last week, with a growing portfolio of crystal resonator and oscillator products and RF SAW resonators designed to operate at lower frequencies than Akoustis' XBAW resonators. RFMi also offers ceramic dielectric resonator filters and low temperature co-fired ceramic filters and diplexers for products that have significant power handling requirements, such as 5G network infrastructure, that exceed the capabilities of micro acoustic filter technology. Akoustis is paying $6.0 million in cash and approximately $2.5 million in stock to Tai-Saw Technologies for the acquisition of 51% of RFMi's outstanding stock and has the option to acquire the remaining 49% from TST on or before June 30, 2022, for an additional $3.5 million in cash and approximately $4.0 million in stock. Additionally, earn-out payments aggregating up to $3.0 million of cash and/or stock may be payable to TST based on the future operating results of RFMi. The business is accretive, with positive cash flow, and is expected to contribute between $500k and $1 million in revenue in the December quarter. Given the growing sales funnel activity as well as ongoing interaction with customers regarding expected ramps in both 5G mobile, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E in calendar 2022, the Company is increasing the annual production capacity at its New York fab, expected to reach a capacity of approximately 500 million filters per year by the end of calendar 2021.

07:05 EDT The Very Good Food Company increases North American footprint to 1,060 stores - The Very Good Food Company announced that it has increased its North American retail footprint to 1,060 stores; increasing U.S. retail by 126% in just four weeks since its last retail distribution update. Starting in November, VERY GOOD's original The Very Good Butchers line of plant-based meat products, including its limited-edition Stuffed Beast, can be found in 396 US locations in 20 cities across 15 states; and across North America, the company's products will soon be available in 1,060 outlets.

07:03 EDT CDW to acquire Sirius Computer Solutions for $2.5B in cash - CDW announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sirius Computer Solutions from an affiliate of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice for $2.5B in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments. The transaction is expected to significantly accelerate CDW's services. The combined company would have had 2020 net sales of $20.5B and the acquisition is expected to deliver gross margin, non-GAAP operating income margin, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share accretion. Founded in 1980, Sirius is a provider of secure, mission-critical technology-based solutions for approximately 3,900 large and mid-sized customers. Combining with Sirius is expected to expand CDW's Services portfolio by approximately 45%, from approximately $900M annual net sales in 2020 to approximately $1.3B in combined annual net sales. The transaction is expected to close in December 2021, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. CDW has committed financing for the transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, CDW expects to have an initial net leverage ratio of approximately 3.3x. The company will target deleveraging to approximately 2.5x to 3.0x by the end of 2022 in alignment with its capital allocation priorities.

07:01 EDT Sempra Energy subsidiary SDG&E sets sustainability goals - Sempra Energy's subsidiary, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, or SDG&E, released its annual sustainability strategy update, outlining new and accelerated goals to help meet its pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. SDG&E's new sustainability goals include: operating a zero emissions fleet by 2035; recognizing the transportation sector as the single largest source of GHG emissions, SDG&E seeks to operate a 100% zero emissions vehicle fleet by 2035 - five years ahead of the company's original goal -; achieving zero net energy facilities by 2030. The company set a new goal to achieve zero net energy for all company-owned facilities in San Diego and southern Orange County. SDG&E will accelerate its timeline to deliver a virtual power plant by 2022, instead of 2025 as originally planned. SDG&E released a comprehensive sustainability strategy in October 2020.

06:48 EDT TopBuild sees DI acquisition accretive to GAAP EPS in first year after close - TopBuild has successfully completed its previously announced acquisition of Distribution International from Advent International, in an all cash transaction valued at $1B. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to GAAP EPS in the first full year after close. The company anticipates $35M-$40M of run-rate cost synergies.

06:37 EDT Sierra Metals reports Q3 production results - Results are from Sierra Metals' three underground mines in Latin America: The Yauricocha polymetallic mine in Peru, and the Bolivar copper and Cusi silver Mines in Mexico. Reports Q3 copper production of 8.3 million pounds, a 32% decrease from Q3 2020; zinc production of 19.1 million pounds; a 23% decrease from Q3 2020; silver production of 0.8 million ounces; a 21% decrease from Q3 2020; lead production of 7.8 million pounds a 20% decrease from Q3 2020; gold production of 2,261 ounces, a 43% decrease from Q3 2020; copper equivalent production of 21.9 million pounds; a 38% decrease from Q3 2020. CEO Luis Marchese commented: "Q3 has been particularly difficult for the company. It has presented us with tough challenges arising from sequencing issues due to the COVID-19 limitations over the last year, as well as unexpected equipment availability issues that impacted throughput, head grades and recoveries, particularly at the Bolivar Mine. Additionally, during the quarter, Cusi presented operational limitations caused by high temperatures at the available mineable areas. However, these issues are temporary in nature, and we expect to meet the lower end of the revised annual production guidance". Results are from Sierra Metals' three underground mines in Latin America: The Yauricocha polymetallic mine in Peru, and the Bolivar copper and Cusi silver mines in Mexico. Silver production of 1M ounces; a 1% increase from Q1 2020. Copper production of 7.9M pounds; a 33% decrease from Q1 2020; mainly due to a temporary shift from copper-rich zones to lower grade polymetallic areas at Yauricocha caused by temporary operational challenges. Lead production of 9M; a 1% decrease from Q1 2020. Zinc production of 24.1M pounds; an 11% increase from Q1 2020. Gold production of 2,636 ounces; a 28% decrease from Q1 2020. Copper equivalent production of 25.5M pounds; an 18% decrease from Q1 2020. Record quarterly throughput of 3,728 tpd at the Yauricocha Mine.

06:32 EDT Babcock & Wilcox to develop clean energy project in Australia - Babcock & Wilcox's Renewable segment has entered into an agreement with Port Anthony Renewables Limited to jointly develop a biomass-to-hydrogen clean energy project in Port Anthony, Victoria, Australia utilizing B&W's BrightLoop technology. When completed, the plant is expected to be part of the largest green hydrogen hub in southeastern Australia. BrightLoop technology is part of B&W's ClimateBright suite of decarbonization technologies. It utilizes a proprietary regenerable oxide particle to generate hydrogen from a variety of fuels, including biomass, for waste-to-energy and syngas while creating a concentrated stream of carbon dioxide for sequestration or utilization.

06:12 EDT Toyota to invest $3.4B in batteries through 2030, build new battery plant - Toyota announced that it will invest approximately $3.4B in automotive batteries in the United States through 2030. Specifically, the investment is for developing and localizing automotive battery production, including those for battery electric vehicles, and is part of the global total of approx. $13.5B set aside for investment in battery development and production announced last month by Toyota Motor. To drive battery production localization, Toyota Motor North America also announced that it will establish a new company and build an automotive battery plant together with Toyota Tsusho in the U.S. Aiming to start production in 2025, the project includes an investment of approximately $1.29B until 2031, which includes funds that will be used to develop land and build facilities, resulting in the creation of 1,750 new American jobs. Part of the new company's activities will include helping Toyota to further develop and expand its local supply chain and production knowledge related to Lithium-ion automotive batteries. The venture will first focus on producing batteries for hybrid electric vehicles. Further details of the project, including details on a site, production capacity, business structure, etc. will be shared at a future time.

06:07 EDT KBR awarded $126.7M recompete contract by DOT - KBR has been awarded a $126.7M recompete by the U.S. Department of Transportation, or DOT, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center for Mission Information Technology Support Services in Cambridge, Massachusetts to modernize technical, logistical, and safety-related transportation systems. This award builds on KBR's 11 years of work at the Volpe Center. Under the terms of the hybrid cost-plus, time-and-materials contract, KBR will deliver technical support to the Volpe Center, which provides solutions to meet 21st century challenges, such as modernization efforts in physical safety, cybersecurity, environmental impacts, and traffic management. This work is expected to be performed over four years with KBR providing information technology, software and systems engineering for all modes of transportation for several government entities, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Defense and Department of Interior

06:05 EDT MannKind provides progress update on Tyvaso DPI New Drug Application - MannKind (MNKD) has learned that the FDA issued a complete response to United Therapeutics (UTHR) regarding the New Drug Application for Tyvaso DPI for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease. The FDA declined to approve the NDA at this time, noting only one deficiency related to an open inspection issue at a third-party analytical testing center for treprostinil drug substance, the active ingredient of Tyvaso DPI. The complete response did not pertain to MannKind, and no issues were cited by the FDA as it relates to MannKind's facility in Connecticut for manufacturing, testing and packaging of finished Tyvaso DPI, including its associated device.

06:04 EDT Facebook disputes report AI can't detect hate speech or violence consistently - Facebook VP of integrity Guy Rosen wrote in blog post Sunday that the prevalence of hate speech on the platform had dropped by 50% over the past three years, and that "a narrative that the technology we use to fight hate speech is inadequate and that we deliberately misrepresent our progress" was false. "We don't want to see hate on our platform, nor do our users or advertisers, and we are transparent about our work to remove it," Rosen wrote. "What these documents demonstrate is that our integrity work is a multi-year journey. While we will never be perfect, our teams continually work to develop our systems, identify issues and build solutions." A Wall Street Journal article on Sunday said the Facebook employees tasked with keeping offensive content off the platform don't believe the company is able to reliably screen for it. Reference Link

06:02 EDT Brunswick unit acquires Connecticut franchise operation - Freedom Boat Club, a division of Brunswick, announced that it has acquired its Freedom Boat Club of Connecticut franchise operation and territory from the current owners. The acquisition includes all current Connecticut-based locations, as well as the rights to expand and build new club locations in the territory. Currently, there are seven Freedom Boat Club locations across the Connecticut coastline from Stamford to Mystic, with plans for continued expansion ahead of the 2022 boating season.

05:24 EDT Walmart+ members to receive early access to online Black Friday events - Walmart's second annual "Black Friday Deals for Days" events will deliver a little something extra for Walmart+ members. New this year, paying Walmart+ members will receive early access to online Black Friday events throughout November - an opportunity to shop all the same deals four hours earlier than the scheduled start times for all three events. Like last year, Walmart will spread out its Black Friday savings to three events throughout November. Each savings event will begin online at Walmart.com and continue with the same deals in Walmart stores.

05:15 EDT Dynavax announces Valneva reported VLA2001 trial met co-primary endpoints - Dynavax announced that Valneva reported topline results from the Phase 3 pivotal trial of VLA2001, their inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate using Dynavax's CpG 1018 adjuvant. Valneva reported the following data from their Phase 3 COV-COMPARE trial in a press release issued October 18. The trial met its co-primary endpoints: VLA2001 demonstrated superiority against AZD1222, in terms of geometric mean titer for neutralization antibodies, as well as non-inferiority in terms of seroconversion rates at two weeks after the second vaccination in adults aged 30 years and older. VLA2001 was generally well-tolerated. The tolerability profile of VLA2001 was significantly more favorable compared to the active comparator vaccine. Participants 30 years and older reported significantly fewer solicited adverse events up to seven days after vaccination, both with regards to injection site reactions and systemic reactions. No unsolicited treatment-related serious adverse events have been reported. Less than 1% reported an adverse event of special interest in both treatment groups. Participants in the younger age group vaccinated with VLA2001 showed an overall safety profile comparable to the older age group.

05:08 EDT Nokia selected by T2 to supply equipment from AirScale 5G portfolio - Nokia announced that it has been selected as the sole vendor by Slovenia's T-2 in a five-year deal to supply equipment from its AirScale 5G portfolio. The new deal will see Nokia upgrade T-2's existing Single RAN radio footprint as well as introduce enhanced 5G new radio, or NR, services. The project is expected to deliver 5G connectivity delivering coverage to businesses and consumers alike. Nokia will provide equipment from its latest AirScale radio portfolio, all powered by Nokia's ReefShark System-on-Chip technology. This includes 5G RAN, AirScale base stations, and Nokia AirScale radio access products including its Single RAN portfolio for both indoor and outdoor coverage.