Stockwinners Market Radar for October 04, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:06 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 82K shares of Rocket Lab today

19:43 EDT Karuna Therapeutics CFO sells $3.44M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Karuna Therapeutics disclosed that its CFO Troy Ignelzi sold 15K shares of common stock on September 30th in a total transaction size of $3.44M.

19:07 EDT EmployBridge to acquire IAC's Bluecrew in cash and stock deal - Apollo-backed (APO) EmployBridge and IAC (IAC) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for EmployBridge to acquire IAC's Bluecrew business unit, the first hourly W-2 workforce-as-a-service platform. The transaction will bring together EmployBridge's industry-leading offering and scale with Bluecrew's digital-first model and technology to create a leading national workforce management platform. "The role of our industry has never been more critical as employers continue to face widespread hiring challenges across sectors," said Billy Milam, CEO of EmployBridge. "Our clients and talent increasingly expect a seamless digital experience, and with the addition of Bluecrew, we will immediately accelerate our technological transformation to capture this growing demand, while creating a flywheel to drive growth in the other areas of our business. Bluecrew brings a world-class team and a sophisticated, self-service product that will complement our own distinguished offerings, allowing us to provide an unmatched experience." Upon completion of the acquisition, Bluecrew CEO Stephen Avalone will be named Chief Platform Officer, reporting to EmployBridge CEO Billy Milam. Under the terms of the agreement, IAC will receive consideration in the form of cash and combined company stock, becoming a minority shareholder in the combined company, which, upon completion of the transaction, will generate over $4B of pro forma revenue. Apollo funds will remain the combined company's controlling shareholder. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022.

19:00 EDT Optex Systems announces $1.75M order for M1 Abram Tank Support - Optex Systems "announced it has been awarded a $1.75M order as part of our continuing support to the M1 Abrams Tank Program. The products will be manufactured at the Applied Optics Center Division of Optex Systems, Inc."

18:48 EDT Musk says acquiring Twitter an 'accelerant' to creating 'the everything app' - Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet, "Buying Twitter (TWTR) is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app." The comments come after Musk agreed to proceed with the previous acquisition terms for Twitter, reversing an earlier stance. Reference Link

18:34 EDT Atlassian co-CEO's each sell $1.86M in common stock - In regulatory filings, Atlassian disclosed that its co-CEO's Michael Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar each sold 8.6K shares of common stock on October 3rd in separate transaction of $1.86M.

18:23 EDT Blizzard's 'Overwatch 2' experiencing cyberattack on its servers - Blizzard Entertainment (ATVI) president Mike Ybarra said that the company's new game "Overwatch 2," which launched Tuesday, is experiencing a mass DDoS attack on its servers. "Teams are working hard to mitigate/manage," Ybarra said on Twitter. "This is causing a lot of drop/connection issues." The Fly notes that Activision Blizzard agreed to be acquired by Microsoft (MSFT) earlier this year. Reference Link

17:26 EDT OncoSec announces pipeline prioritization and workforce reduction - OncoSec Medical "announced a corporate restructuring intended to prioritize development of its lead clinical candidate TAVO a plasmid encoding interleukin 12 delivered by intratumoral electroporation, and extend the Company's cash runway. Oncosec is reducing its staff by approximately 45% and prioritizing clinical pipeline activities to reduce operating expenses. The Company and remaining employees will focus clinical activities in melanoma to advance TAVO-EP toward near-term data milestones of the KEYNOTE-695 clinical trial. OncoSec will provide more detail on the financial implications of the restructuring in the Form 10-K due in October. Updated guidance on the pivotal Phase 2b KEYNOTE-695 trial in metastatic melanoma, is as follows: Top-line results of the secondary endpoint, Objective Response Rate by investigator assessment based on RECIST v1.1, is expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2022; Top-line results of the primary endpoint, Overall Response Rate by blinded independent central review based on RECIST v1.1, is expected to be announced in the first quarter of 2023."

17:05 EDT Nevro reports FDA approval of Costa Rica manufacturing operations - Nevro announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA has approved its manufacturing operations in Costa Rica for the production of its proprietary spinal cord stimulation systems for the treatment of chronic pain, including its HFX product platform. This new facility, located in the Coyol Free Trade Zone in Alajuela, Costa Rica, is Nevro's first global manufacturing operation, ensuring greater controls and efficiency in the manufacture of products to patients around the world and augmenting its already strong manufacturing and supply chain partners. We are pleased that the FDA has approved our new global manufacturing operations in Costa Rica," stated D. Keith Grossman, Chairman, CEO and President of Nevro. "As part of our growth plans moving forward, this manufacturing facility will support our pipeline of future products to ensure that we have the most efficient cost structure and flexible capacity, while maintaining the highest level of quality control as we scale. Thank you to our excellent Costa Rica team for delivering this very meaningful milestone for Nevro." The company anticipates it will begin shipping product by the end of October, with a gradual ramp-up of production for the balance of the year and throughout 2023. Beginning in the second half of 2023 the company expects to see gross margin expansion, increasing over the subsequent three to five years from the high 60s% to the mid-70s%. "This investment will allow us to continue to accomplish our mission to deliver comprehensive, life-changing solutions that continue to set the standard for enduring patient outcomes in chronic pain treatment," commented Christofer Christoforou, Vice President of Technical Operations of Nevro. "The capabilities and operations are fully scalable and will allow us to accommodate additional growth and expansion of our product platform." Nevro will have invested approximately $21 million in capital and operating expense by the end of 2022 to support future growth initiatives at this facility to ensure greater controls and efficiency in the manufacture of products to patients around the world. The company currently employs approximately 100 employees at the 41,000-square-foot space.

16:49 EDT Lead Edge Capital discloses 9.3% stake in Yext - Lead Edge Capital disclosed a 9.3% stake in Yext, which represents over 11.47M shares. The filing does allow for activism.

16:34 EDT Golden Ocean board authorizes $100M share buy-back program - The Board of Directors of Golden Ocean Group Limited has on October 4 authorized a share buy-back program of maximum $100M to purchase up to an aggregate of 10,000,000 of the Company's common shares for a period up to 12 months, commencing October 4. The maximum amount to be paid per share is USD 10.0, or equivalent in NOK for shares acquired at Oslo Stock Exchange.

16:32 EDT iSun continues geographic expansion into Maine - iSun announces execution of three contracts totaling $9.3M and 12.1 MW in Maine establishing a relationship with a new customer. The 12.1 MW Portfolio award will add to iSun's already completed 18.4 MW of projects in the Maine market. "These awards are an important milestone for iSun, for several reasons," said Jeffery Peck, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iSun. "For our customers, this growth reflects the progress we've been making to stabilize the labor market, continue our expert craftsmanship and deliver high quality solar assets. For our investors, we continue to expand our customer relationships to provide new revenue streams in execution of our goals. As we previously stated, the transition to clean energy is the most important initiative of our generation. We are proud to lead the transition in the accelerating Maine energy market."

16:31 EDT P3 Health Partners receives Nasdaq delisting notice, intends to appeal - P3 Health Partners announced that on September 28, 2022 it received a Staff Delisting Determination from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC notifying the company that Nasdaq has initiated a process which could result in the delisting of the company's securities from Nasdaq as a result of the company not being in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires listed companies to timely file all required periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Staff Determination has no immediate effect and will not immediately result in the suspension of trading or delisting of the company's securities. The company intends to appeal the Staff Determination before a Nasdaq Hearing Panel and seek a further stay of any suspension or delisting action pending the hearing process in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Staff Determination Letter. The company is working diligently with its current and former auditors to complete the previously disclosed restatement and the audit of the financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The company currently believes it will submit all delinquent periodic reports to the SEC before or during the week of October 17, 2022, which will bring the company back into compliance with the Listing Rule.

16:20 EDT Clipper Realty announces change of auditor - Clipper Realty "announced that its Audit Committee approved the appointment of PKF O'Connor Davies, LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the company's year ending December 31, 2022, replacing BDO USA, LLP. The decision to change the company's independent registered public accounting firm was based primarily on the Audit Committee's efforts to reduce the company's costs for audit services. The company has not had any disagreements with BDO through the date of disengagement, nor any disagreements related to any prior years' audits."

16:18 EDT Gray Television, Telemundo Station Group enter news collaboration - Gray Television and NBCUniversal Local's Telemundo Station Group, announced a news collaboration to expand Telemundo Station Group's "Noticias Telemundo Texas" to Gray's seven Telemundo affiliated Texas stations, beginning October 10 at 5am CT. As a result of this partnership, Spanish-speaking audiences in a total of 13 Texas DMAs will receive live news and updates, and weather forecasts on weekday mornings. As part of the news collaboration, Gray's Telemundo affiliated stations in Texas will provide local news content from their respective markets and will broaden the presentation of "Noticias Telemundo Texas" for Spanish-speaking communities in the state. With this collaboration, Gray's Telemundo affiliated stations in Texas will be providing more news than any other Spanish-language news outlets in its Texas markets. In addition, Gray's Telemundo affiliated stations in Texas will simulcast Telemundo 39 / Dallas or Telemundo 60 / San Antonio's 4:00p weekday newscasts beginning late October. The live news simulcasts will lead into Gray's Telemundo affiliated stations' 4:30p / 5:00p local newscasts.

16:17 EDT NextCure begins NC410 combo Keytruda study for naive solid tumors - NextCure announced the initiation of a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial to evaluate NC410 in combination with KEYTRUDA pembrolizumab, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with immune checkpoint refractory or immune checkpoint naive solid tumors. In addition, NextCure announced it has entered into a supply agreement for KEYTRUDA with Merck .NC410 is a first-in-class immunomedicine designed to block immune suppression mediated by LAIR-1, an immunomodulatory receptor expressed on T cells and dendritic cells. Under the terms of the agreement, NextCure will sponsor the study and Merck will supply KEYTRUDA. The Phase 1b/2 trial will evaluate NC410 in combination with KEYTRUDA in patients with immune checkpoint refractory colorectal, esophageal, endometrial and head and neck cancers or immune checkpoint naive patients with colorectal and ovarian cancers. The company expects to report initial Phase 1b data in mid-2023 followed by the initiation of the Phase 2 component of the study.

16:11 EDT Icosavax initiates Phase 1 Trial of IVX-A12 against RSV and hMPV in older adults - Icosavax announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of IVX-A12, a combination bivalent RSV and hMPV VLP vaccine candidate, in older adults. IVX-A12 is comprised of IVX-121, Icosavax's RSV prefusion F protein VLP vaccine candidate, and IVX-241, Icosavax's hMPV prefusion F protein VLP vaccine candidate. The company previously announced positive topline interim Phase 1/1b results for IVX-121 in June 2022. With this trial initiation, IVX-A12 becomes the first combination bivalent vaccine candidate against both respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus to enter the clinic, and the first candidate from Icosavax's novel VLP platform to receive IND authorization in the U.S. "The initiation of a Phase 1 trial for IVX-A12 is an important step towards our vision for creating pan-respiratory vaccines, and I am pleased with the execution by our team. Not only is IVX-A12 Icosavax's first combination bivalent VLP vaccine candidate, it is also the most advanced vaccine candidate against both RSV and hMPV in older adults, and the only clinical stage VLP in this space," said Adam Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of Icosavax. "The inclusion of a proprietary prefusion hMPV-F component in a combination RSV/hMPV vaccine candidate is differentiating from the current RSV candidates in Phase 3 development, and is intended to address two leading causes of pneumonia in one shot." Simpson continued, "In older adults, RSV is estimated to cause approximately 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone, and data support similar morbidity and mortality for hMPV. As such, we look forward to sharing topline results from this first trial of a combined RSV and hMPV vaccine candidate in mid-2023, and thereafter plan to initiate a Phase 2 trial of IVX-A12 in 2H 2023." IVX-A12 Phase 1 Trial Design.

16:08 EDT Correction: Home Federal Bancorp to acquire Northwest Bancshares Corporation - Home Federal Bancorp of Louisiana (HFBL), the holding company of Home Federal Bank, and Northwest Bancshares Corporation, the holding company of the First National Bank of Benton, announced the signing of a definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which the company will acquire Northwest Bancshares in an all cash acquisition. Under the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of Northwest Bancshares will receive their pro rata portion of aggregate merger consideration equal to $4.25M, plus the sum of 8.0% of total assets of Northwest Bancshares as of the month-end immediately prior to the closing of the merger after giving effect to a special distribution to be paid, less the amount, if any, that Northwest Bancshares' total unaccrued and unpaid transaction expenses exceed $125,000. Based on financial data as of August 31, the parties currently estimate that the aggregate merger consideration will be approximately $10.1M. In addition to the merger consideration, the merger agreement provides that, prior to consummation of the merger, Northwest Bancshares will pay the special distribution in cash to its shareholders in an aggregate amount which will reduce the ratio of Northwest Bancshares' total shareholders' equity to total consolidated assets to 8%. Based on financial data at August 31, the parties currently estimate that the amount of special distribution will be approximately $8.4M. First National currently operates out of one banking location in Benton, Louisiana. As of August 31, Northwest Bancshares had total consolidated assets of $81.7M, $52.1M in total loans, $65M in total deposits and $14.2M in shareholders' equity. Under the terms of the merger agreement, First National will be merged with and into Home Federal Bank promptly following completion of the holding company merger. The merger agreement was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and Northwest Bancshares' shareholder approval. Home Federal Bancorp anticipates the transaction will be over 20% accretive to earnings per share after cost savings are fully realized, and accretive to tangible book value per share in approximately three years of closing. Following the merger, Home Federal Bank's capital position is expected to remain strong with leverage and total risk-based capital ratios of approximately 8.2% and 14.2%, respectively.

16:06 EDT Fiesta Restaurant says four of 137 restaurants in Florida remain closed - The company states: "Fiesta Restaurant Group provided an update on its restaurants impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida. The Company owns, operates and franchises 137 Pollo Tropical restaurants across the state. In an effort to ensure the safety of its team members, select Pollo Tropical restaurants in the storm's path were closed early on September 27 and all Pollo Tropical restaurants were closed on September 28. From September 29 through October 3, a total of 38 restaurants in the hardest hit markets of Ft. Myers, Naples, Orlando and Tampa were closed for all or a portion of that time period due to storm conditions and utility outages. Only four restaurants remain closed and all other restaurants are open for business. Thankfully, no serious injuries to Pollo Tropical team members have been reported. In addition, no significant facilities damage occurred to Company-owned restaurants as a result of the storm. There was inventory loss at a number of locations due to power outages, the exact extent of which is still being quantified. Notably, Pollo Tropical restaurants in the south Florida markets were generally unaffected by Hurricane Ian and have been operating under normal conditions since September 30. The Company maintains comprehensive insurance coverage on all of its restaurants including property, flood and business interruption and is working with its insurance providers to assess the overall impact from Hurricane Ian. The Company is in the process of assessing damages and losses and expects to file insurance claims upon completion of the assessment."

15:56 EDT Ledyard Financial announces Peter Sprudzs joins as CFO - Ledyard Financial Group, the holding company for Ledyard National Bank, announced that Peter Sprudzs, FRM, has joined the company as SVP, Chief Financial Officer. Sprudzs succeeds Greg Steverson, who will be retiring from Ledyard in December. Sprudzs most recently was the Chief Finance and Risk Officer for BMG Money.

15:39 EDT Twitter Inc trading resumes

15:16 EDT Musk says Twitter offer pending receipt of proceeds of debt financing - On April 25, Twitter (TWTR) entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Tesla (TSLA) founder Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44B.

14:12 EDT Phones, tablets, cameras sold in EU forced to use USB-C for charging by 2024-end - "By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices. Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they purchase a new device, as they will be able to use one single charger for a whole range of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices. Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port. All devices that support fast charging will now have the same charging speed, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger," said a press release from the European Parliament. The Fly notes that Apple's iPhone uses its proprietary Lightning charger. Reference Link

14:08 EDT DXC Technology up 6%, trims gain after saying no formal offer made by suitor - Shares of DXC Technology are up 6% to $27.58 after resuming trading following the company confirming that management has been approached by a financial sponsor regarding a potential acquisition of the company. ""Management remains focused on the company's transformation journey. Consistent with its fiduciary responsibility to maximize shareholder value, the company is engaged in preliminary discussions and is sharing information. However, to date no formal proposal has been received," DXC stated.

14:02 EDT UBS fined $2.5M by FINRA for Regulation SHO violations - The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority announced today that it has fined UBS Securities $2.5M for "Regulation SHO violations and supervisory failures spanning a period of nine years." FINRA found that, from 2009 to 2018, UBS did not timely close out at least 5,300 failure to deliver positions and routed or executed more than 73,000 short sales in securities with an unsatisfied close-out requirement without first borrowing or arranging to borrow the shares. Reference Link

13:57 EDT Arizona Attorney General announces $85M settlement with Google - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced an $85M settlement with Alphabet's Google "for deceptively obtaining users' location data to make billions of dollars in profit." The settlement directs the bulk of the money to the general fund and it will require legislative appropriation before it can be spent, Brnovich said in a statement. Additionally, $5M is specifically directed for attorney general education programs, he added. Brnovich began an investigation of Google after a 2018 Associated Press article revealed that the company was misleading consumers about the collection and use of their personal location data. Reference Link

13:51 EDT Arizona in $85M settlement with Google for 'deceptively' tracking location data - "Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced a historic $85M settlement with Google for deceptively obtaining users' location data to make billions of dollars in profit. This is one of the biggest consumer fraud lawsuits in Arizona history, and the settlement represents the largest amount per capita the internet giant has paid in a privacy and consumer-fraud lawsuit of this kind. The $85 million settlement directs the bulk of the money to the general fund and it will require legislative appropriation before it can be spent. Additionally, $5M is specifically directed for attorney general education programs. General Brnovich began an investigation of Google after a 2018 Associated Press article revealed that the company was misleading and deceiving consumers about the collection and use of their personal location data by tracking smartphones even when consumers disabled the "Location History" setting. General Brnovich sued Google in May 2020, becoming the first attorney general in the country to hold the tech giant accountable in state court for deceiving consumers through so-called "dark patterns" that were built into its software, including apps and Android phones. Dark patterns are coercive design tactics used to manipulate users' behavior. In his lawsuit, General Brnovich alleged that Google engaged in deceptive and unfair practices toward users by tracking their location data even when the company was told to stop. When users turned off their Location History in settings, Google continued to surreptitiously collect their location through other settings such as Web & App Activity and the company used that information to sell ads. The software is pre-programmed into Android phones purchased by consumers," said the statement from the Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Reference Link

13:47 EDT DXC Technology up 9% after Bloomberg report on private equity approach - Shares of DXC Technology are up $2.40, to 9%, to $28.45 after Bloomberg's Ed Hammond reported, citing sources, that Baring Private Equity Asia has made a takeover approach to the company and that talks have been ongoing.

13:22 EDT Trade Desk sees long-term adjusted EBITDA at 40% - Comments taken from Investor Day presentation slides.

12:29 EDT Tesla pares gains with Musk reportedly ending bid to block Twitter deal - Shares of Tesla (TSLA) moved well off their highs after Bloomberg reported, and CNBC followed, that its CEO Elon Musk is proposing to buy Twitter (TWTR) for the original offer price of $54.20 per share. Shares of Twitter are halted pending news while Tesla shares paired their gains to up about 2% to $247.29.

12:12 EDT Twitter shares now up 17% to $49.85 following Bloomberg report

12:07 EDT Twitter jumps after Bloomberg says Musk to propose proceeding with deal

12:05 EDT Twitter Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:03 EDT Hasbro investing in Brand Insights Platform to enable data-based decisions

12:02 EDT Hasbro sees FY22 adjusted operating profit margin 16% - Now sees FY22 revenue flat to slightly down in constant currency.

12:00 EDT Small Cap Bear 3x falls -10.5% - Small Cap Bear 3x is down -10.5%, or -$4.45 to $37.90.

12:00 EDT Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares falls -12.9% - Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares is down -12.9%, or -$8.12 to $54.59.

12:00 EDT Curo Group rises 19.0% - Curo Group is up 19.0%, or 83c to $5.19.

11:55 EDT Hasbro sees operating profit margin 20%+ by 2027, says CFO

11:51 EDT Hasbro sees generating $1B+ in operating cash flow beginning in 2025

11:48 EDT Hasbro CFO: Goal is to have 1-2 significant new game launches per year

11:45 EDT Hasbro sees most challenging y/y comps in Q3, says CFO

11:36 EDT Hasbro turns negative after lowering 2022 sales outlook - The stock is trading down 2% to $67.75 in late morning trading after rallying earlier.

11:26 EDT Cathie Wood calls Roku, Teladoc, Zoom, Tesla high conviction names - Cathie Wood of ARK Invest is speaking on CNBC.

11:24 EDT Cathie Wood says Zoom, Microsoft bringing enterprise communication into cloud - Cathie Wood of ARK Invest is speaking on CNBC.

11:06 EDT SINTX announces four new patents for antibacterial biomedical implants - SINTX Technologies announced it has been awarded four new international patents for antibacterial biomedical implants. Awarded by the countries of Canada, Australia, and Japan, these patents enhance SINTX's portfolio of intellectual property. Silicon Nitride, one of the premium bioceramics offered by SINTX, has been shown previously to exhibit the bacteriostatic benefits sought after in medical implants. These patent awards and the protection they provide enable SINTX to offer even greater value to medical device partners operating within the protected geographies.

11:02 EDT Perficient renews partnership with RioBotz - Perficient announced the extension of its partnership with the Brazilian-based fighting robot building team, RioBotz, and their BattleBots competitor, "Minotaur." Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Perficient will serve as Minotaur's primary and most visible partner, and the organizations will work collaboratively to bring exposure to STEM industries and associated career opportunities at Perficient.

10:31 EDT ArcelorMittal makes further investment in Form Energy via XCarb Innovation fund - ArcelorMittal announced that it has invested a further $17.5M in Form Energy via its XCarb Innovation fund. The investment, which is part of Form's oversubscribed $450M Series E financing round, is the second investment ArcelorMittal has made in the company, following its initial investment of $25M announced in July 2021.

10:08 EDT Accenture acquires Blackcomb Consultants, terms not disclosed - Accenture has acquired Blackcomb Consultants, a leading independent Guidewire partner in North America. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition enhances Accenture's ability to deliver Guidewire solutions to insurers globally to help them become "cloud-first" businesses. Guidewire's end-to-end technology platform combines digital, core analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities across the underwriting, billing, claims and customer relationship management functions, helping property and casualty insurers reimagine their operations in the cloud. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Blackcomb Consultants is a specialist technology services provider to P&C insurance carriers, helping them improve operational agility and get their products and services to market more quickly. A Guidewire 'Advantage' partner, Blackcomb Consultants' offerings include policy administration system implementations and upgrades, production support, cloud-hosted services, performance-improvement and organizational-change services. Blackcomb Consultants also has specialized capabilities in delivering Guidewire applications and services on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Its 158 employees will join Accenture's Industry & Function Platforms Group, where they will be focused on Guidewire project delivery.

10:00 EDT Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares falls -9.6% - Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares is down -9.6%, or -$6.04 to $56.67.

10:00 EDT Membership Collective falls -22.1% - Membership Collective is down -22.1%, or -97c to $3.41.

10:00 EDT Full Truck Alliance rises 12.8% - Full Truck Alliance is up 12.8%, or 81c to $7.08.

09:50 EDT First Eagle Alternative Capital BDC Inc trading resumes

09:47 EDT Web Street, Inc. falls -9.5% - Web Street, Inc. is down -9.5%, or -$3.84 to $36.69.

09:47 EDT Membership Collective falls -19.4% - Membership Collective is down -19.4%, or -85c to $3.53.

09:47 EDT Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares rises 9.9% - Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares is up 9.9%, or 96c to $10.66.

09:43 EDT FaZe Holdings Inc trading resumes

09:43 EDT Micron to invest up to $100B to build 'megafab' in Clay, New York - Micron Technology announced plans to build what it calls "the largest semiconductor fabrication facility in the history of the United States." The new "megafab" will increase domestic supply of leading-edge memory and create nearly 50,000 New York jobs, including approximately 9,000 high paying Micron jobs, the company said. Micron intends to invest up to $100B over the next 20-plus years to construct a new megafab in Clay, New York, with the first phase investment of $20B planned by the end of this decade. "This represents the largest private investment in New York state history. Micron's investment in Onondaga County, New York, will complement the company's previously announced high-volume manufacturing fab in Boise, Idaho... The $5.5 billion in incentives from the state of New York over the life of the project alongside anticipated federal grants and tax credits from the CHIPS and Science Act are critical to support hiring and capital investment. In addition, the Town of Clay and Onondaga County are providing key infrastructure support for Micron's new leading-edge semiconductor facility," the company stated. "I am grateful to President Biden and his Administration for making the CHIPS and Science Act a priority, to Senator Schumer and a bipartisan coalition in Congress for passing the legislation, and to Governor Hochul and County Executive McMahon for the local and state partnerships that made this investment possible. Micron will leverage the diverse, highly educated and skilled talent in New York as we look to build our workforce in the Empire State. This historic leading-edge memory megafab in Central New York will deliver benefits beyond the semiconductor industry by strengthening U.S. technology leadership as well as economic and national security, driving American innovation and competitiveness for decades to come," said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.

09:38 EDT Hasbro to exit unprofitable products, franchises, says CEO

09:38 EDT Hasbro targeting $8.5B revenue by 2027, says CEO - Sees mid-single digit sales growth, with $8.5B in revenue by 2027.

09:37 EDT Hasbro sees 10% annual sales growth for licensed products, says CEO - Comments taken from Hasbro's Investor Day event.

09:28 EDT BigCommerce announces PeakActivity has become a CIP - PeakActivity announced that it has become a Certified Implementation Partner, CIP, for BigCommerce. "Our partnership with PeakActivity further illustrates our commitment to providing merchants access to the highest-caliber technologies and service providers available in the industry," said Russell Klein, chief commercial officer for BigCommerce. "PeakActivity shares our desire to help merchants sell more and grow faster to maximize success, and we look forward to working together to mutually support customers."

09:26 EDT IBM announces it will add Red Hat storage products to IBM Storage business - IBM announced it will add Red Hat storage products and Red Hat associate teams to the IBM Storage business unit, bringing consistent application and data storage across on-premises infrastructure and cloud. With the move, IBM will integrate the storage technologies from Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation as the foundation for IBM Spectrum Fusion. This combines IBM and Red Hat's container storage technologies for data services and helps accelerate IBM's capabilities in the burgeoning Kubernetes platform market. In addition, IBM intends to offer new Ceph solutions delivering a unified and software defined storage platform that bridges the architectural divide between the data center and cloud providers.

09:24 EDT Cue Health applies with FDA for EUA of its Cue Flu + COVID-19 molecular test - Cue Health announced that on September 30, 2022, it submitted an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, for Emergency Use Authorization, EUA, for its Cue Flu + COVID-19 Molecular Test for at-home and point-of-care, POC, use. The new Cue Flu + COVID-19 Molecular Test can simultaneously detect and differentiate between influenza and COVID-19 in approximately 25 minutes, with results delivered digitally to the Cue Health App on the user's mobile device. If authorized, Cue's Flu + COVID-19 test will be integrated into Cue Care, the company's same-day, test-to-treatment solution within the Cue Health App, which enables individuals to consult with a healthcare professional and get treatment delivered to their home within hours if medically indicated. "An accurate flu and COVID-19 test that can be done anywhere is a powerful tool. Combining this with the capability to treat on the same day enables a paradigm shift in respiratory diseases," said Ayub Khattak, Chairman and CEO of Cue Health. "We hope to enable this paradigm shift across the spectrum of infectious diseases and more with the many additional products in our pipeline."

09:23 EDT MoneyGram announces strategic partnership, minority investment in Jingle Pay - MoneyGram International and Jingle Pay announced a partnership to enable convenient and fast global money transfers through the Jingle Pay app. Consumers in the UAE can use the Jingle Pay app to send money to over 200 countries and territories around the world. MoneyGram has also announced the completion of a minority investment in Jingle Pay, giving MoneyGram an approximate 12% equity stake in Jingle Pay. Alex Holmes, MoneyGram Chairman and CEO, has joined the Jingle Pay Board of Directors as Chairman to help guide Jingle Pay's strategic path forward. "As consumer preference increasingly shifts online, investing in digital startups around the world is a critical component of our strategy," said Holmes. "We're excited to partner with Jingle Pay, as we believe in their strategic vision to improve the key elements of traditional banking through its suite of innovative digital offerings. As the startup continues to grow, MoneyGram's direct ownership in the company will strengthen our leading position in the Middle East and further accelerate our strategic goals to lead the evolution of digital payments."

09:22 EDT Ford says demand for 2023 vehicle retail orders is strong - The company said, "Demand is strong with retail orders for '23MY vehicles up 244 percent over '22MY vehicles - totaling 197,000 retail vehicle orders. Ford continues to see strong demand growth and record turn rates on dealer lots. For the sixth straight month, more than 50 percent of Ford retail sales came from previously placed orders. Ford electric vehicles sales continue to outpace the segment, with sales up 197.3 percent. Ford share of the electric vehicle segment was up in September 3.1 percentage points over last year with 7.0 percent share. In September, F-150 Lightning continues as America's best-selling electric pickup; E-Transit was also America's best-selling electric van in September."

09:21 EDT CEA Industries signs contract with Merida Capital Holdings client - CEA Industries subsidiary Surna Cultivation Technologies has signed a contract with a client of its previously announced partner, Merida Capital Holdings. The contract is incremental to Surna's announced backlog of $9.7M as of August 11. In June, the company entered into an agreement with Merida in which Merida agreed to use the company as its sole provider of certain products and services for Merida's indoor cultivation facilities. Surna will be providing a suite of HVAC systems for the Connecticut-based client. The systems include Surna's EnviroPro air handlers, as well as heat recovery fan coils, dehumidifiers, humidifiers and circulating fans. Surna has previously provided mechanical engineering services for the client.

09:20 EDT Honeywell selected by Mangata Networks to provide control systems - Honeywell announced that Mangata Networks selected Honeywell's space integrated attitude control system in support of its new constellations comprising 32 satellites. Mangata's new highly elliptical orbit, HEO, and medium Earth orbit, MEO, satellite constellations provide communications and weather monitoring in areas that typically lack in quality internet connectivity. Ricky Freeman, president, defense, and space at Honeywell Aerospace said, "Honeywell has extensive experience and a strong pedigree in navigation, data handling and momentum control products. Each of these is well suited to support these HEO and MEO satellite constellations, and our IACS platform will provide Mangata Networks with the precision and reliability it needs to operate its network of telecommunications satellites."

09:19 EDT Ford reports September U.S. vehicle sales 142,644, down 8.9% - Reports September truck sales 68,299, down 18.3%. Reports September SUV sales 70,887, down 0.9%. Reports September EV sales 4,691, up 197.3%. "Ford continued to see high-demand vehicles turning at record rates in September, while developing electric truck and van leadership and extending our overall truck leadership. Demand remains strong with new retail orders rapidly expanding. We are very pleased with the work from our dealers, employees and the area's first responders, as they are working tirelessly to recover in Florida from Hurricane Ian." - Andrew Frick, vice president, sales, distribution and trucks, Ford Blue

09:18 EDT Caterpillar expands construction portfolio with four battery electric machines - Caterpillar will display four electric machine prototypes, including battery prototypes, at bauma 2022 Oct. 24-30 in Munich, Germany. "Caterpillar is well positioned to help customers reach their sustainability goals, including lowering emissions on the jobsite," said Construction Industries Group President Tony Fassino. "It's important we meet customers on their sustainability journey today with a variety of solutions including machines that run on renewable fuels or technology that increases fuel efficiency, as well as supporting them into the future as we power our next generation of machines."

09:17 EDT Qualys announces it acquired assets of Blue Hexagon - Qualys announced it acquired the assets of Blue Hexagon. This brings AI/machine learning to the Qualys Cloud Platform to help convert petabytes of highly integrated data into meaningful insights for customers. This acquisition will enable Qualys to leverage its powerful Cloud Platform and its more than 10 trillion data points to uncover behavior patterns including active vulnerability exploitation, identification of advanced network threats, and adaptive risk mitigation across all assets and applications. "It is a pleasure to welcome the brightest minds in AI/ML and cybersecurity to the Qualys team," said Sumedh Thakar, president and CEO of Qualys. "Qualys' mission is helping organizations identify and reduce cyber risks, and the blue hexagon platform will enable us to provide powerful context-aware insights that will enhance our customers' cyber resilience."

09:17 EDT Ford reports September U.S. vehicle sales 142,644, down 8.9%

09:16 EDT Proterra appoints Sara Dadyar as Chief People Officer - Proterra appointed Sara Dadyar as Chief People Officer effective October 17. She most recently served as Executive HR Leader within General Electric's Gas Power business. Previously, she held various HR leadership roles across GE's financial services and power businesses.

09:14 EDT LivePerson appoints Zive as Chief Marketing Officer - LivePerson announced the appointment of Chief Marketing Officer Ruth Zive, who will be introduced to customers as the host of the company's next Executive Community event in San Francisco on October 20. Zive will oversee LivePerson's global marketing organization, including digital and demand generation, field marketing and sales development, vertical and product marketing, branding, and internal and external communications. Her priority is to grow scalable, measurable, and predictable world-class demand generation while driving operational rigor.

09:13 EDT Personalis enters gastroesophageal cancer research pact with Duke, Olink - Personalis has joined with Duke University and Olink Proteomics AB to form a research collaboration to study the effects of immunotherapy on advanced gastroesophageal cancer. Specifically, the collaboration will focus on identifying composite biomarkers-those that integrate multiple biological entities into a single readout-to help guide therapeutic decision making.

09:13 EDT Crescent Capital BDC to acquire First Eagle Alternative Capital BDC - Crescent Capital BDC and First Eagle Alternative Capital BDC announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Crescent BDC will acquire First Eagle BDC. The combined company, which will remain externally managed by Crescent Cap Advisors, LLC, a subsidiary of Crescent Capital Group is expected to have approximately $1.6 billion of investments on a pro forma basis. The boards of directors of both companies, the independent directors of First Eagle BDC and the independent directors of Crescent BDC have approved the Transaction, which is expected to close as early as the fourth quarter of 2022. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, First Eagle BDC stockholders are expected to receive a combination of Crescent BDC shares valued at 100% of Crescent BDC's net asset value per share at the time of closing of the transaction in an aggregate number equal to First Eagle BDC's net asset value at closing, up to a maximum of 19.99% of outstanding Crescent BDC shares at the time of the closing; cash from Crescent BDC for any amounts not paid in Crescent BDC shares due to the Share Issuance Cap; and an additional cash payment from Crescent Cap Advisors, LLC of $35 million in aggregate, or approximately $1.17 per share of First Eagle BDC stock. The exchange ratio for the stock component of the merger consideration and the amount of cash from Crescent BDC pursuant to clauses and in the foregoing sentence will be determined by the respective net asset values of Crescent BDC and First Eagle BDC at the time of closing. In addition, First Eagle BDC stockholders may make an election to receive the portion of the merger consideration paid by Crescent BDC pursuant to such clauses and in either Crescent BDC shares or in cash, subject to pro rata cut backs such that the aggregate amount of shared issued and cash paid by Crescent BDC are equal to the amounts described in such clauses. Assuming a transaction based on respective June 30, 2022 net asset values for Crescent BDC and First Eagle BDC taking into account certain estimated transaction expenses and post-closing adjustments and subject to the election mechanics described in the foregoing paragraph, First Eagle BDC stockholders would have received $0.62 per share in cash from Crescent BDC; 0.2063x shares of Crescent BDC common stock for each share of First Eagle BDC common stock, resulting in approximately 6.2 million newly issued Crescent BDC shares; and $1.17 per share in cash from Crescent Cap Advisors, LLC. In aggregate, total consideration based on respective June 30, 2022 net asset values of Crescent BDC and First Eagle BDC represents approximately $180.1 million or $6.02 per First Eagle BDC share, representing a premium of 14% to First Eagle BDC's net asset value per share of $5.30. On a market value basis, based on the closing stock price of Crescent BDC common stock on October 3, 2022 the Transaction represents total consideration for First Eagle BDC stockholders of approximately $145.6 million or $4.86 per share, representing a 66% premium to the closing stock price of First Eagle BDC common stock on October 3, 2022. Following the Transaction, and assuming June 30, 2022 net asset values, Crescent BDC's pro forma equity base is expected to be approximately $758 million and Crescent BDC stockholders and First Eagle BDC stockholders are expected to own approximately 83% and 17%, respectively, of the combined company. In addition, Sun Life, which owns a majority interest in Crescent, has committed to provide secondary-market support and will purchase $20 million of the combined company's common stock via a share purchase program over time following the consummation of the Transaction. In connection with the closing of the proposed Transaction, First Eagle BDC's 5.00% senior unsecured notes due May 25, 2026 are expected to remain outstanding and will be assumed by a subsidiary of Crescent BDC.First Eagle Investment Management LLC, which accounts for an approximately 17% ownership interest in First Eagle BDC, has entered into a voting agreement that requires it to vote its First Eagle BDC shares in favor of the Transaction subject to the terms of such agreement. Consummation of the Transaction is subject to First Eagle BDC stockholder approval, customary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

09:12 EDT Dell Technologies to open Zero Trust Center with CyberPoint, MISI - Dell Technologies will open a Zero Trust Center of Excellence in collaboration with CyberPoint International and the Maryland Innovation Security Institute, MISI, in Spring 2023 at DreamPort, the U.S. Cyber Command's premier cybersecurity innovation facility. Dell also unveils new cybersecurity services that allow organizations to assess their Zero Trust and cyber resilience maturity, endpoint security solutions to support hybrid work, and ransomware protection for object storage data. "In a multicloud world, an organization's cybersecurity strategy must transcend its infrastructure and extend to its applications and data," said John Roese, global chief technology officer, Dell Technologies. "We believe a Zero Trust strategy is the best path forward. Dell has the proven IT and security foundation, technology integration experience, and extensive global partner ecosystem to help simplify customers' cybersecurity transformations."

09:09 EDT Datasea launches Ultrasonic Sound Air Disinfection with $5M sales agreement - Datasea announced that Shuhai Jingwei - Shenzhen - Information Technology, a subsidiary of the Chinese operating company contractually controlled by the company, has entered into a one-year sales agreement with Yusheng Technology to supply Ultrasonic Sound Air Disinfection Equipment, which incorporates acoustic intelligence powered disinfection. Pursuant to the agreement, Yusheng agrees to purchase no less than 10,000 units of the Ultrasonic Sound Air Disinfection Equipment by September 2023 and the total purchase value under the Agreement would be no less than $5M. Yusheng has placed the order of the first batch and the 1,000 units of the Model KJ600F-T01 and Model KJ750F-T02 will be delivered on or about November 15th.

09:09 EDT Volvo, Universal Technical Institute expand manufacturer-paid training program - Universal Technical Institute and Volvo Car USA are offering a new opportunity for UTI students on the East Coast. The Volvo TEKNIKER Apprentice Program, a 12-week, manufacturer-paid apprentice program, is expanding, and is now offered at Volvo's training facility in Ridgeville, S.C., north of Charleston, in addition to the current location at UTI's Avondale, Ariz. campus. These are the only two locations in the country offering the program.

09:07 EDT Sprout Social launches Employee Advocacy solution - Sprout Social announced the launch of its rebranded advocacy solution, Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social. With this solution, users can create and publish their employee-driven amplification efforts from Sprout's comprehensive social suite. Today's social media climate comes with a new set of challenges to solve, from algorithmic shifts to increasingly crowded feeds. To overcome those challenges, brands are leveraging the social media influence of their own employees-more than two-thirds of marketers report that their organizations have an advocacy program for social. Marketers note using these programs to increase brand awareness and garner more qualified leads, underscoring the incredible opportunity advocacy presents for businesses to reach new audiences and drive sales.

09:05 EDT CPS Technologies announces follow-on $8.8M order for HybridTech Armor - CPS Technologies has received an additional follow-on purchase order valued at $8.8M for HybridTech Armor panels from Kinetic Protection, the Navy's prime contractor. The panels are an integrated component of advanced ballistic shields developed in support of ballistic protection system upgrades on U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers and other surface ships. This recent purchase order will equip additional Navy ships with enhanced ballistic protection for crew-served weapons stations. This order by Kinetic Protection represents the largest single order in the company's 38-year history.

09:04 EDT CleanSpark releases September 2022 Bitcoin mining update - CleanSpark (CLSK) released its unaudited Bitcoin (BTC) mining and operations update for the calendar year-to-date ending September 30, 2022. The company increased hashrate by 21% in a single month. Bitcoin balance has increased by 13% month-over-month. Bitcoin mined in September: 448, up 13% from August 2022. Calendar year-to-date bitcoin mined: 3,090. Total BTC holdings as of September 30: 594, a 13% increase in HODL balance. Total BTC converted for operations and growth in September: 380, or 2% less than August 2022. Currently deployed fleet hashrate of 4.16 EH/s, up 21% from August 2022 and 316% from September 2021. The company funded growth and operations through the sale of 380 bitcoins in September 2022 at an average of approximately $19,783 per BTC. Sales of BTC equated to proceeds of approximately $7.5M. September daily BTC mined reached a high of 16.74.

09:03 EDT PainReform on track to commence Phase 3 trial of PRF-110 in November - PainReform provided an update regarding the added benefits in its PRF-110 manufacturing process. This new process is expected to not only aid the manufacturing of clinical stock for the Phase 3 clinical study about to begin, but also deliver benefits into the future. Ilan Hadar, CEO of Pain Reform, stated, "The process improvements we achieved will further enhance efficiency, scalability and other aspects of the manufacturing process. Among these improvements was the addition of terminal filtration for PRF-110, which we believe will help ensure the highest quality batch production, as well as support our planned commercial manufacturing. I'm also pleased to report we remain on track to commence our Phase 3 clinical trial in bunionectomy in November 2022 and look forward to providing further updates."

09:00 EDT DigiMax creates U.S. subsidiary for Spetz - DIGIMAX GLOBAL announced that it has incorporated a wholly-owned Delaware-based subsidiary, Spetz. Spetz US will seek to develop partnerships and take necessary steps to scale prior to officially launching, including attracting early service provider registrations. The entity will own and manage operations throughout the US and will launch on a regional basis within the country. Spetz US will leverage Spetz's international software platforms to replicate Spetz's existing business strategy which it has carried out in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Israel. The incorporation of separate entities for each of Spetz's international subsidiaries helps satisfy the regulatory requirements of each respective market. DigiMax and Spetz would like to invite US-based service providers to join the Spetz platform prior to the official launch. Registration for the Spetz platform for those interested individuals or companies will commence October 15, 2022, at www.spetz.app/us. Spetz will be offering valuable early-adopter incentives for those who register on its US platform in advance. Spetz is seeking to register home services providers, home improvement and repair providers, healthcare providers, legal services providers, accounting/bookkeeping service providers, and automotive services.

08:58 EDT Sun Communities continues to evaluate impact of Hurrican Ian - Sun Communities is providing a preliminary assessment of the impact of Hurricane Ian on the Company's properties in Florida.The Company has access to all its properties and assessments are in the early stages. Restoration and cleanup activities have begun at all affected properties. Convoys of supplies, food, travel trailers, and trucks, all assembled and organized by Sun team members, have been delivered to Sun's Florida properties. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of the storm. Three RV properties in the Fort Myers area, comprising approximately 2,500 sites, sustained significant flooding and wind damage from the hurricane. Additionally, the sea wall and docks at one marina in the area were damaged. At other affected MH and RV properties, most of the damage appears to be limited to trees, roofs, fences, skirting, and carports. At other affected marina properties, docks, buildings, and landscaping sustained limited wind and water damage. The Company maintains property, casualty, flood, and business interruption insurance for its portfolio of communities, subject to customary deductibles and limits. Additionally, through its Sun Unity program, the Company has launched a charitable giving campaign for hurricane relief with a matching corporate contribution

08:50 EDT Immunovant announces pricing of $75M underwritten offering of common stock - Immunovant announced the pricing of an underwritten offering of 12,500,000 shares of its common stock at an offering price of $6.00 per share. Investors who have agreed to purchase shares in the offering include Logos Capital, Deep Track Capital, Frazier Life Sciences, TCGX, BVF Partners L.P., Commodore Capital, and an undisclosed healthcare specialist fund. Before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, the company expects to receive total gross proceeds of $75.0 million. The company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with its existing cash, to accelerate the development of IMVT-1402, including the funding of a proposed pivotal trial. The company expects its existing cash and proceeds from the offering to fund the company into the second half of calendar year 2025. All of the shares are to be sold by the company. The offering is expected to close on or about October 6, 2022, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. SVB Securities and Truist Securities are acting as joint bookrunning managers for the offering. LifeSci Capital LLC and H.C. Wainwright & Co. are acting as co-managers for the offering.

08:48 EDT Biotricity surpasses 2B recorded, analyzed heartbeats for AFib - Biotricity announced a significant milestone of recording and analyzing over 2 billion heartbeats for Atrial Fibrillation, the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia and a leading cause of stroke. Bioflux, Biotricity's high-precision, single-unit mobile cardiac telemetry device that provides real-time monitoring and transmission of the patient's ECG information, has captured billions of heartbeats to date, monitored in real-time by Bioflux's built in algorithms, certified cardiac technicians and benchmarked by Artificial Intelligence. Leveraging the Company's proprietary AI, over 2 billion of the total heartbeats to date have been segmented for AFib analysis. According to Emergen Research, the global recurrent market for AFib is expected to reach USD$26 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 13.2%. This large data set provides further benefits for patients, providers and ultimately clinical research for the future of predictive monitoring. Additionally, it allows Biotricity to scale faster and operate more efficiently, develop better automation, yielding growth and better margins in the future. The consistent focus on R&D and data capture has positioned Biotricity with a significant competitive advantage in key cardiac segments of the market, such as AFib.

08:47 EDT Viveve announces notice of allowance for U.S. method patent for treating SUI - Viveve Medical announced the Company received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent Application 16/454,578 covering Viveve's unique dual-energy treatment to address SUI in women. The pending issuance of the new SUI patent further strengthens the Company's intellectual property portfolio in advance of the planned completion of its U.S. pivotal PURSUIT clinical trial by the end of the year and reporting of topline results in early 2023.

08:45 EDT Sera Prognostics announces collaborations with Sonrava, Cerebrae - Sera Prognostics, Sonrava Health, and Cerebrae are collaborating to provide Sera's PreTRM Test to members of Sonrava Health's employer-sponsored health insurance program. The PreTRM Test is the only broadly clinically validated, commercially available blood test that provides an early, individual risk assessment for spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic, singleton pregnancies. Sonrava Health partners with Cerebrae to evaluate and design their value-based employee healthcare benefits offering. Using the Cerebrae Platform, Sonrava Health was able to forecast the financial return on investment that inclusion of the PreTRM Test is expected to provide its employees and their growing families.

08:44 EDT Solitario receives assay results from Golden Crest Project - Solitario Zinc reports that it has received assay results for an additional 23 surface trench samples for the Downpour prospect at its Golden Crest Project, South Dakota. These new results significantly enhance the previously reported 27 surface trench samples and extend the Downpour Zone mineralization in three directions. The combined trenching highlights include: Trench 1: 33.0 meters @ 17.19 grams per tonne gold. Additional new sampling at the western margin of Trench 1 increased the average grade and added to its length by six meters over the previously reported results. Trench 2: 60.0 meters @ 8.55 gpt gold Trench 2 is oriented roughly north-south and perpendicular to Trench 1. Thirty meters of significant new assay results were added to the southern end of the previously reported 30 meters. Trench 3: 12.0 meters @ 0.56 gpt gold No new assay results are reported for Trench 3. Trench 4: 15.0 meters @ 2.13 gpt gold. Additional new sampling to the east of Trench 4 added three meters to reported mineralization. This trench is situated about 9 meters east of the end of Trench 1. Soil cover is too deep between Trench 1 and 4 to obtain a representative sample. Trench 5: 12.0 meters @ 14.54 gpt gold. Trench 5 is a new trench and all assays are newly reported. Trench 5 is roughly perpendicular to Trenches 1 and 2 and further confirms the high-grade nature of this area of Downpour. Chris Herald, President and CEO of Solitario, stated: "Our exploration team continues to expand exceptional surface gold mineralization at Downpour, and to confirm excellent continuity of mineralization. We are encouraged by recent work further afield at Downpour to gain a better understanding of the scope of this exciting new gold system. The Downpour system appears to be present for several hundred meters in at least two directions and remains open. In addition to our work at Downpour, we have collected approximately 700 rock and trench samples from other newly discovered prospects over a widespread area on Solitario's large and expanding land position. These samples are in-process for gold assays, and we look forward to reporting new results for the remainder of the year."

08:42 EDT QuickLogic partners with ChipMotion for eFPGA implementations in SoC designs - QuickLogic announced that it has signed an agreement with Hefei ChipMotion Microelectronics to provide turnkey eFPGA design support for SoC designs. Through this agreement, ChipMotion will utilize QuickLogic's Australis generated eFPGA IP to make it easy for SoC developers to add post-manufacturing design flexibility to their devices. This will greatly expand ChipMotion's existing role as a distributor of eFPGA IP in China by adding these new design services. "ChipMotion is extremely experienced in SoC design and development," said Mao Wang, senior director of product marketing at QuickLogic. "Now they will be able to add value in a new way for their customers by offering the option of integrating eFPGA technology into their SoCs."

08:41 EDT Vinco Ventures announces Miller as CEO, settlement of litigation - Vinco Ventures announced that a settlement agreement was reached on September 28, 2022, in the Company's litigation in the State of Nevada. Pursuant to the agreement, Ross Miller is named CEO of Vinco, to run the Company under the oversight of the Board of Directors. Also, the Company has appointed Gabe Hunterton as President of Vinco. Lisa King and Rod Vanderbilt remain on Board of Directors. They will be joined by two new independent directors, Brian Hart and Jesse Law, filling two of three vacant director seats following the resignations of John Colucci, Michael Distasio, and Elliot Goldstein. As part of the settlement of the litigation, John Colucci, former Co-CEO and Independent Director, and Philip Jones, former CFO, have resigned from their positions at the Company eliminating all ties with Vinco Ventures, effective immediately. "With the settlement agreement, and litigation behind us, Vinco's leadership team is aggressively working together towards the completion of our quarterly filings as well as working closely with the Zash and ZVV management teams to work towards completion of the combination of these companies as soon as possible," said Ross Miller, CEO of Vinco. "We are laser-focused on providing transparency and creating value for our shareholders, as well as upcoming business initiatives. We have the platforms, technologies, and human capital in place - now, it is time to execute."

08:39 EDT Steel Dynamics completes acquisition of ROCA ACERO - Steel Dynamics announced the completion of its acquisition of ROCA ACERO, S.A. de C.V. as part of its North American raw material procurement strategy. The transaction was funded with available cash. ROCA operates a ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals recycling business comprised of five scrap processing facilities strategically positioned near high-volume industrial scrap sources located throughout Central and Northern Mexico. "We sincerely welcome the ROCA team into the Steel Dynamics and OmniSource Mexico families to further solidify our growth strategy," said Mark D. Millett, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. "Combined with our existing metals recycling facilities in Mexico, the addition of ROCA significantly strengthens our ferrous and nonferrous raw material procurement strategy in the region. We believe our Mexican metals recycling facilities will provide a meaningful advantage to our electric-arc-furnace steel operations and planned aluminum flat rolled products operations, while also providing a high-quality, customer-centric option for our customers in Mexico and the United States. We are very excited to welcome and learn from the entire ROCA team."

08:37 EDT Iteris gets $2.95M task order by Federal Highway Administration - Iteris announced that it has received a fourth task order with funding of $2.95M under its indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, IDIQ, contract from the Federal Highway Administration, FHWA,to provide continued development, evolution and deployment support for the Intelligent Transportation Systems reference architecture program. The new task order agreement, which is part of a five-year IDIQ contract with a contract ceiling of up to $19.5 million, will continue to support the evolution of the Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation content to reflect changes in ITS, and connected and automated vehicle developments. The program supports statewide and regional ITS planning and deployment to encourage interoperability and CAV preparedness through workshops, training and technical assistance. An important aspect of the program is alignment with and support for standards development activities, as well

08:36 EDT Research Solutions announces acquisition of customers from FIZ Karlsruhe - Research Solutions announced that it will acquire selected customer contracts for the AutoDoc service of FIZ Karlsruhe, the only European full-service document delivery supplier with central billing and international delivery. AutoDoc has about 700 global customers, approximately 400 of which are active on a TTM basis. "The acquisition of FIZ Karlsruhe's AutoDoc customers provides us with an increase in transaction revenues and a cross-sell opportunity to upgrade those customers to our full Article Galaxy Platform," said Roy Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Research Solutions. "This transaction serves to expand our customer base, both in size and geography, while we continue to look at larger M&A opportunities that can add recurring revenue and Adjusted EBITDA to the business, while accelerating our product and business strategy." FIZ will be terminating their AutoDoc offering and the transaction provides the opportunity for any customer that has transacted through AutoDoc in the last three years to have their contract assumed by Research Solutions. AutoDoc's customers have been notified they can opt to have Research Solutions assume their contract effective January 1st, 2023.

08:35 EDT Natera announces publication of latest data from Trifecta study - Natera announced the publication of the latest data from the Trifecta study in Transplantation. The investigators found that in predicting antibody mediated rejection, AMR, donor-derived cell-free DNA, dd-cfDNA, testing with the Prospera Kidney test was superior to the current standard of care, donor-specific antibody, DSA, testing. In the study, both components of the Prospera two-threshold algorithm, dd-cfDNA donor fraction and estimated amount of dd-cfDNA, outperformed DSA in identifying AMR. Societal guidelines currently recommend DSA testing as standard practice for monitoring AMR, highlighting a compelling consideration for the broader use of dd-cfDNA in kidney transplantation. This manuscript is the latest out of the Trifecta study, led by principal investigator Phil Halloran, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Alberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre.

08:34 EDT Vodafone confirms talks with CK Hutchison on possible Three UK deal - On October 3, Vodafone issued the following statement: "Vodafone Group Plc notes the recent press speculation in relation to Vodafone UK and Three UK. Vodafone confirms that it is in discussions with CK Hutchison Holdings Limited in relation to a possible combination of Vodafone UK and Three UK. The envisaged transaction would involve both companies combining their UK businesses, with Vodafone owning 51% and our partner CK Hutchison owning 49% of the combined business. The relative ownership would be achieved through a differential leverage contribution at closing, and no cash consideration will be paid. The UK Government rightly sees 5G as transformational for the economy and society and critical to the UK becoming more competitive in an increasingly digital world. The conditions to ensure thriving competition in the market need to be nurtured, otherwise the UK is at risk of losing the opportunity to be a 5G leader. As Ofcom has identified, some operators in the UK - Vodafone UK and Three UK - lack the necessary scale to earn their cost of capital. By combining our businesses, Vodafone UK and Three UK will gain the necessary scale to be able to accelerate the rollout of full 5G in the UK and expand broadband connectivity to rural communities and small businesses. The merged business would challenge the two already consolidated players for all UK customers and bring benefits through competitively priced access to a third reliable, high quality, and secure 5G network throughout the UK. There can be no certainty that any transaction between the two companies will ultimately be agreed. If required, a further announcement will be made when appropriate." Reference Link

08:34 EDT Save Foods hosts executives from LATAM food, agricultural companies - Save Foods hosted a delegation of approximately 100 senior executives from leading multinational food and agriculture companies at the Company's R&D center in Neve Yarak, Israel. The delegation, organized by the Israel Export Institute and led by PepsiCo is focused on finding new technologies to streamline produce production. The LATAM delegation, which is comprised of industry leading produce exporters and food companies from Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Argentina, and Chili, is scouting technologies to streamline and improve in areas such as: extending shelf life, automation of picking processes, dedicated sorting processes for agricultural produce, technologies for optimizing the supply chain, and the automation of irrigation.

08:33 EDT KULR Technology receives initial $500K deployment order from DoD contractor - KULR Technology has received an initial deployment order totaling over $500K from a Department of Defense contractor, with future considerations up to the multi-million-dollar amount over the next year. KULR's technology will be utilized by the American manufacturer of spacecraft components and instruments for national defense, civil space and commercial space applications to support its Air-to-Air Missile shipping program. This initial deployment order is for immediate delivery with the potential for a multi-million-dollar deployment order to run through 2023.

08:32 EDT Weave appoints Brett White as CEO - Weave announced the appointment of Brett White as CEO. White joined Weave's executive team as president and COO in April after serving on the board of directors since June 2020. White was appointed Interim CEO in August when Roy Banks resigned due to health and family reasons. Prior to his work with Weave, White served as COO and CFO at wellness software provider Mindbody and has a background as a public company executive with a focus in SaaS and Payments. White will continue to serve as a director on Weave's board.

08:30 EDT American Electric shares updates on strategic initiatives, planned investments - American Electric Power plans to invest in its regulated businesses, accelerate its carbon reduction targets and streamline the business to drive value for customers, communities and investors. The company plans to invest $40B in capital from 2023 through 2027 with an emphasis on transmission, distribution and renewable energy. AEP will allocate $26B to transmission and distribution operations to continue building a modern, efficient, reliable and resilient energy grid. During the same period, AEP plans to invest $9 billion in regulated renewable generation. As the company transitions to a clean energy future, AEP is adjusting its near-term carbon dioxide emission reduction target from a 2000 baseline to a 2005 baseline, upgrading its 80% reduction by 2030 target to include full Scope 1 emissions and accelerating its net-zero goal by five years to 2045. "AEP has a proven track record of reducing fleet emissions and repeatedly has reached our goals ahead of schedule," said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chair and chief executive officer. "Raising our carbon reduction targets reflects our progress in reducing our environmental footprint and delivering more low-emissions energy to our customers. We're confident we can continue this momentum to a net-zero future by integrating more clean energy resources, strengthening the energy grid and harnessing the power of emerging technologies. In addition to environmental benefits, renewable resources offer stability for customers from fuel price volatility." AEP announced Sept. 30 that it expects to complete the sale of its Kentucky operations to Liberty in January 2023. Earlier this year, AEP also announced it would sell its portfolio of contracted, unregulated renewable energy assets. The sales process for those renewable resources began in August 2022 and is on track to close during the second quarter of 2023. AEP also will initiate a strategic review of its retail business as part of its ongoing strategy to de-risk and streamline the company.

08:26 EDT Xenetic appoints Allan Tsung to Scientific Advisory Board - Xenetic Biosciences announced the appointment of Allan Tsung, MD to its Scientific Advisory Board. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Director of the Cancer Therapeutics program at the University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center.

08:24 EDT Charlotte's Web announces national distribution partnership with Gopuff - Charlotte's Web announced a national distribution partnership with Gopuff. Charlotte's Web offerings first launched on Gopuff this summer in select markets, including Arizona, Illinois, California and New York and will continue to expand nationwide throughout 2022 and 2023. "In the United States, consumer access to hemp wellness is still in its infancy," said Jacques Tortoroli, Charlotte's Web Chief Executive Officer. "Our mission is to make CBD broadly available, accessible - and convenient. With Gopuff, we are making access more convenient than ever with instant delivery for our consumers. So whether it's a sudden need for Charlotte's Web sleep, stress or recovery gummies, soothing CBD oils or topicals, or even calming pet chews for an overly excited canine, Gopuff can help us answer the call - in minutes. For Charlotte's Web, this is yet another example of our commitment to expand our customer portfolio as the market leader and penetrate new industry verticals."

08:21 EDT MiMedx appoints Matt Notarianni as Head of Investor Relations - MiMedx appointed Matt Notarianni as Head of Investor Relations - IR -, effective immediately. Notarianni most recently served as head of IR for Cerus Corporation. Jack Howarth, MiMedx Senior VP of Investor Relations, will continue to support the MiMedx IR function until his planned retirement at the end of this year. Prior to his role at Cerus, Notarianni was at Immucor from 2012-2021, serving most recently as Senior Director, Corporate Development & External Communications. He began his career as an equity research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. covering the life science tools and diagnostics space.

08:21 EDT Cyclo Therapeutics begins Phase 2b Study Trappsol Cyclo for Alzheimer's - Cyclo Therapeutics announced the commencement of its Phase 2b study of Trappsol Cyclo for the treatment of early Alzheimer's disease , targeting the reduction of amyloid beta and tau. The Phase 2b study has the regulatory and IRB approval required to commence patient enrollment, with site activation now underway. Cynthia A. Lemere, PhD, Senior Advisor for the Company's Alzheimer's disease asset, commented: "I am excited to see the launch of Cyclo Therapeutics' 6-month Phase 2b clinical trial in early Alzheimer's disease. The pathophysiology of AD is complex and the relative contributions of the various pathogenic changes leading to disease progression warrant tailored therapies. Therefore, it is essential that we continue to evaluate novel investigational drugs such as Trappsol(R) Cyclo(TM). This important and well-designed study is expected to provide critical information."

08:19 EDT Atlas Air takes delivery of new Boeing 747-8 freighter - Atlas Air (AAWW) has taken delivery of a Boeing (BA) 747-8 Freighter, the second of four new 747-8 Freighters ordered by Atlas Air in 2021. These are the last 747-8 Freighters ever to be produced by Boeing. This aircraft has been placed under a long-term agreement with an existing customer. The 747-8 is the only factory-built freighter with nose-loading capability in production, which will serve the long-term needs of the airfreight market.

08:19 EDT Decibel Cannabis announces international expansion of Qwest Brand - Decibel Cannabis announces it has secured an on-going supply agreement with Breath of Life International to launch Decibel's Qwest brand and cannabis products in Israel. The supply agreement is for $4.8M of premium cannabis product, with the first shipment expected in the fourth quarter. Key Highlights: On-going arrangement for the expansion of the Qwest brand to first international market; Initial $4.8 million supply agreement with first shipment expected to be delivered in Q4 2022; Partnership with the premier cannabis company in Israel with significant entrenched distribution channels. "The Qwest brand enjoys popularity in the Canadian premium market, and also global awareness as legalized cannabis markets develop." Said Paul Wilson, CEO of Decibel. "As Decibel continues to experience record performance in Revenue, EBITDA, gross margin and market share, the combination of a stable growing Canadian LP with a dominant premium brand attracted international business attention and opportunity. We are thrilled to partner with BOL and look forward to a long relationship."

08:18 EDT Merck KGaA makes $20M commitment to CNote - Merck KGaA announced it made a $ 20M commitment to CNote, a women-led impact investment platform. The investment will focus on communities in the U.S. where Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operates by providing capital to support BIPOC-owned and women-led small businesses and supporting economic growth and opportunity. "Diversity is a leadership responsibility, a social mandate, and a competitive advantage for our company. It is not enough that we achieve our own internal diversity goals. We also accept responsibility for building collaborations that help the communities in which we operate to develop, grow, and thrive," said Belen Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

08:16 EDT ThredUP, RealReal up about 7% each in premarket after acquisition of Poshmark - Shares of internet retail names ThredUP (TDUP) and RealReal (REAL) are up about 7% in pre-market trading after Poshmark (POSH) announced last night that it is being acquired by Naver Corp, Korea's largest internet company, at $17.90 per share.

08:16 EDT Aris Mining appoints de Greiff as member of board of directors - Aris Mining announces that, effective October 1, 2022, Monica de Greiff was appointed as an independent member of the Board of Directors, and as Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the Board. Monica de Greiff was a member of the GCM Mining board of directors from 2018 to 2020, when she left to accept the position of Colombian Ambassador to Kenya.

08:14 EDT Miniso debuts '$2 Plus' concept in Canada in response to inflation - MINISO unveiled a new "$2 Plus" concept at the re-opening of its Vaughan Mills store in the Greater Toronto Area. The concept reflects MINISO's aim to provide shoppers with a "unique in-store experience while offering excellent value, well-designed products in response to the effects of rising inflation on consumer budgets," the company said. The concept sees MINISO take inspiration from the dollar store as a means of offering customers products at low prices, while the brand provides more diverse and higher quality goods than traditional low-cost retailers. As inflationary pressures grow, MINISO's long-standing Chinese supply chain capabilities ensure customers, who are increasingly cost-conscious, can rely on the "$2 Plus" model for quality, affordable, design-led products today and into the future.

08:11 EDT Aridis Pharmaceuticals announces closing of patient enrollment in AR-301 study - Aridis Pharmaceuticals announced that patient enrollment is closed in the AR-301 Phase 3 clinical study. The Company is on track to complete database lock, data analyses, and expects to disclose top-line data in December 2022. The AR-301-002 Phase 3 'ASAP-1' study compares the superiority of adjunctive use of the investigational, targeted immunotherapy candidate AR-301 with standard of care antibiotics versus SOC antibiotics alone, for the treatment of ventilator associated pneumonia caused by Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Patients enrolled will complete their treatment and 28-day follow-up per study protocol. Safety and efficacy of the fully human monoclonal antibody AR-301 are being evaluated using a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, superiority clinical trial design. The study was initiated as a globally harmonized Phase 3 study after the design and primary endpoint of clinical cure of pneumonia were reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. This global study involved 153 clinical sites in 20 countries across U.S., Latin and South Americas, Europe, and Asia.

08:10 EDT Pathfinder Acquisition enters business combination with Movella - Pathfinder Acquisition and Movella announced they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement that, upon closing of the transaction will result in the combined company being publicly listed on Nasdaq. The combined entity, to be known as Movella Holdings, will have a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $537M. The capital raised from the transaction will be primarily invested to further scale and grow the business, which will continue to be led by Movella president and CEO Ben Lee when the transaction is completed. The business combination transaction values Movella at a pro forma enterprise value of $537M. Existing shareholders of Movella, including Kleiner Perkins, GIC and Columbia Threadneedle, will roll 100% of their ownership into the combined company. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to fund organic and inorganic growth, transaction fees and expenses and general corporate purposes. The business combination, which has been approved by the boards of directors of Movella and Pathfinder, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, subject to approval by shareholders of Pathfinder and other customary closing conditions. There is no minimum cash condition in this transaction. The transaction is supported by $75 million of committed financing from affiliates of Francisco Partners ("FP"), a leading technology focused private investment firm with over $45 billion of cumulative committed capital. Under the terms of the investment, up to $75 million of Pathfinder common stock will be purchased by FP prior to closing, which will be executed through a tender offer or direct placement of Pathfinder stock. In exchange for a non-redemption agreement for FP's purchased stock, Movella will issue to FP at closing a 5-year PIK note. Under the terms of the financing, Movella will have the right to direct the sale of FP's purchased stock into the public market at any time following the closing of the transaction until the repayment or prepayment of the note, the proceeds of which will provide material credits against the note balance at a repayment or refinancing event. There are no provisions under which FP will be issued additional shares (whether related to the Company's stock price performance or otherwise) post-closing. This flexible financing is designed to not only ensure the Company has substantial cash resources at closing, but also to allow Movella's current and future shareholders to benefit from the potential ability to reduce the future amounts due under the FP note through share price appreciation.

08:10 EDT Vermilion Energy acquires common shares of Coelacanth Energy - Vermilion Energy announces that it has filed an early warning report in respect of its holdings in Coelacanth Energy. Vermilion has acquired ownership of, or control and direction over, additional common shares of Coelacanth in an amount equal to more than 2% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, thereby triggering the requirement to file an early warning report, as a result of the following transactions: from June 20, 2022 to October 3, 2022, Vermilion acquired an aggregate of 7,057,322 Common Shares through its automatic share purchase plan through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange at prices ranging from $0.54 to $0.85 per Common Share for an aggregate purchase price of $4.8 million; and on June 2, 2022, Vermilion acquired 1,444,804 Common Shares through the exercise of 1,444,804 Common Share purchase warrants of Coelacanth at a price of $0.27 per Common Share for an aggregate exercise price of approximately $0.4 million. Prior to the Transactions, Vermilion had ownership of, or control and direction over, an aggregate of 60,840,468 Common Shares, representing approximately 17.7% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. Following the exercise of all Coelacanth share purchase warrants and the Transactions, Vermilion now has ownership of, or control and direction over, an aggregate of 69,342,595 Common Shares, representing approximately 16.3% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares.

08:09 EDT Ra Medical files method-of-use U.S. patent application for VIVO technology - Catheter Precision announces the filing of a new U.S. patent application for its VIVO technology, as it continues its focus on patent protection for VIVO. On September 12, 2022 privately held Catheter Precision announced a definitive merger agreement with Ra Medical Systems which, if completed, will result in a combined publicly traded company focusing on the cardiac electrophysiology market. The VIVO technology currently has significant intellectual property protection, with both issued patents and pending patent applications. Catheter Precision has 35 issued patents and patent applications covering the VIVO technology, the Amigo robotic system and its new closure device, which is anticipated to be commercialized in the first half of 2023.

08:08 EDT Cidara Therapeutics receives $11.1M milestone payment from Mundipharma - Cidara Therapeutics announced receipt of an $11M milestone payment from Mundipharma under the licensing agreement established between the two companies in September 2019. The payment was made in association with the European Medicines Agency acceptance of the marketing authorization application for rezafungin for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis in adult patients. Cidara retains the rights to rezafungin in Japan and has licensed the commercial rights to Melinta Therapeutics in the U.S. and Mundipharma Medical in all other geographies.

08:07 EDT Inhibrx announce potential to pursue accelerated approval in U.S. for INBRX-101 - Inhibrx announced that, based on discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, there is potential to pursue an accelerated approval in the U.S. for INBRX-101, an optimized recombinant human AAT-Fc fusion protein, in patients with emphysema due to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, AATD, using functional alpha-1 antitrypsin, AAT, serum levels as the surrogate endpoint. Inhibrx also announced the detection of INBRX-101 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, BALF, samples from all AATD patients tested in the Phase 1 study. Inhibrx plans to initiate in the first quarter of 2023 a potential registration-enabling clinical trial using functional AAT as a surrogate endpoint with the intent to submit for regulatory approval under the FDA's Accelerated Approval Program. The FDA expressed support to collaborate and work with Inhibrx to address the regulatory challenges associated with AATD drug development. Based on data from the completed Phase 1 study of INBRX-101, the dosing of INBRX-101 every three or four weeks in patients with AATD is predicted to maintain patients above the lower threshold of the normal range and achieve an average level of functional AAT that approximates that of healthy non-deficient adults. The FDA also requested additional data on the correlation between functional AAT levels and the clinical benefit in AATD to further support serum AAT levels as a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, the prerequisite for accelerated approval. Inhibrx intends to collaborate with experts in the field and the Alpha-1 Foundation to illustrate, based on existing registry, health records and published data, that increased functional AAT levels are reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit in AATD patients. Independent of FDA discussions, Inhibrx also completed analysis and reported BALF data demonstrating the post-dose presence of INBRX-101 in every patient and in all three lobes of the lung collected from each of these patients.

08:06 EDT Vir Biotechnology awarded government contract for pandemic preparedness - Vir Biotechnology announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, has awarded Vir a multi-year contract with the potential for up to $1B to advance the development of a full portfolio of innovative solutions to address influenza and potentially other infectious disease threats. As part of BARDA's ongoing effort to prepare and respond to public health emergencies, the agency will invest approximately $55M initially for the ongoing and rapid development of VIR-2482, an investigational prophylactic monoclonal antibody designed to protect against seasonal and pandemic influenza. This includes a Phase 2 pre-exposure prophylaxis trial expected to begin in the second half of 2022 with initial data anticipated in mid-2023. The balance of the award is subject to BARDA exercising up to 12 options in further support of the development of pre-exposure prophylactic antibodies including and beyond VIR-2482 for the prevention of influenza illness or possibly supporting medical countermeasures for other pathogens of pandemic potential.

08:05 EDT Oyster Point Pharma reports inducement grants under Nasdaq listing rule - Oyster Point Pharma announced that the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors granted inducement non-qualified stock options to purchase an aggregate of 11,300 shares of common stock to three new employees, pursuant to the Oyster Point Pharma, Inc., 2021 Inducement Incentive Plan. Each stock option has an exercise price equal to $5.87 per share, Oyster Point Pharma's closing trading price on the grant date, and will vest over four years, with 1/4th of the underlying shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the applicable vesting commencement date and 1/36th of the remaining underlying shares vesting on each monthly anniversary thereafter, subject to the new employees' continued service relationship with Oyster Point Pharma through the applicable vesting dates. The Compensation Committee of Oyster Point Pharma's Board of Directors approved the awards as an inducement material to the new employees' employment in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

08:04 EDT VirTra opens Orlando, Florida facility - VirTra has leased a facility in Orlando, Florida to support the Company's strategy of capturing military end-market growth opportunities. The facility, which VirTra has a lease-option-to-buy, features offices, a warehouse, conference rooms and simulation demonstration rooms. The new facility continues VirTra's expansion efforts, building on its 2021 purchase of an industrial building in Chandler, Arizona that serves as the Company's new headquarters. The 9,000 square foot facility will serve as an extension of research and development, and as a demonstration site for employees and future customers visiting the Orlando area. The site currently houses V-300 4K and V-ST PRO simulators as well as multiple offices and conference rooms.

08:03 EDT Adient announces strategic partnership with EnterTech Capital - Adient announced a strategic partnership with EnerTech Capital, a venture capital firm focused on emerging technologies and business models in the mobility space. Adient will leverage EnerTech's significant global mobility network, which includes the California Mobility Center, CMC. The CMC can help to identify new opportunities or start-up companies aiming to advance innovation in product, process and systems technologies supporting electrification and other new mobility initiatives. "As a leader in automotive seating, we are always looking for ways to meet the emerging needs of our customers. This strategic partnership will allow us to continue to offer state-of-the art solutions for the vehicles of tomorrow, expanding our expertise and insight into EVs, NEVs and other future mobility trends," said Doug Del Grosso, president and CEO of Adient.

08:03 EDT Quantum-Si appoints Jeff Hawkins as CEO - Quantum-Si announced the appointment of Jeff Hawkins as CEO. Hawkins will succeed Jonathan Rothberg, founder and executive chairman of Quantum-Si, who has also been serving as interim CEO. This appointment is effective October 10. Hawkins brings over 20 years of experience. Prior to Quantum-Si, he was president and CEO of Truvian Sciences.

07:52 EDT KalVista falls 46% to $7.74 after terminating its KVD824 Phase 2 trial

07:46 EDT DocGo says services now available to Cigna customers in New York, New Jersey - DocGo (DCGO) announced its mobile health services are now available to Cigna (CI) commercial customers in New York and New Jersey, beginning October 1. DocGo provides customers with access to quality health care outside of traditional medical facilities with a model designed to help people get access to timely and cost-effective treatments and diagnoses.

07:42 EDT Rekor Systems, COTA kick off $2.5M program to improve traffic, transit services - Rekor Systems, together with the Central Ohio Transit Authority, announced the launch of a new Integrated Mobility Innovation Transit Program to improve roadway safety, traffic management, and transit services across 13 Ohio counties. In March 2020, COTA was awarded the Federal Transit Administration's IMI Demonstration Research grant to improve public safety, regional collaboration, and the customer experience. COTA, together with Rekor, has developed a cloud-based regional technology environment that ingests data from existing infrastructure, now including the City of Columbus Computer Aided Dispatch to provide web-based dashboards for greater visibility of the roadways, transit, and traffic incidents. Funding for the program will total $2,525,000, with $1,725,000 in funding sourced through the U.S. DOT grant and COTA providing the additional $800,000 investment. Rekor will receive $2,150,000 for its services throughout the duration of the program.

07:41 EDT Innovation Pharmaceuticals' Brilacidin shows efficacy in antifungal study - Innovation Pharmaceuticals announced publication of a scientific article on the antifungal activity of Brilacidin, the company's defensin-mimetic drug candidate with antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. Brilacidin showed promising antifungal activity and was subsequently selected for additional pre-clinical evaluation, including in combination with current antifungal treatments. In cell culture, in Aspergillus fumigatus, Brilacidin converted CAS from a fungistatic into a fungicidal drug, enabling it to overcome both drug resistance and biofilm formation. Further in vitro testing showed Brilacidin synergized with CAS in C. albicans, C. auris and C. neoformans. Brilacidin also showed in vitro an additive inhibitory effect when combined with POSA in several species of Mucorales, the main etiological agents of mucormycosis, commonly referred to as black fungus. Brilacidin showed potent in vitro stand-alone efficacy.

07:40 EDT Jushi Holdings appoints Bill Wafford to board of directors - Jushi Holdings announced that it has appointed Bill Wafford to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. In addition to his appointment as Independent Director, Mr. Wafford will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee. Wafford currently serves as CFO of Everlane, a digitally native apparel, footwear and accessories brand.

07:39 EDT Biohaven launches as a new publicly traded company - Biohaven (BHVN) launched as a new publicly traded company. As of today, Biohaven has officially begun operating as a separate independent entity as part of the acquisition agreement with Pfizer (PFE) in May 2022. The company, led by Vlad Coric, M.D. as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, launched with approximately $257.8 million in cash at the distribution and no debt. Biohaven has a history of successful drug development and commercialization. The FDA filed and accepted for review Biohaven's New Drug Application submission for zavegepant nasal spray with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date set for the first quarter of 2023. With the acquisition by Pfizer for a total consideration of approximately $13B including payoff of existing debt, Pfizer will now exclusively commercialize and develop the Biohaven CGRP franchise globally. Pfizer owns approximately 3% of the new spinoff company Biohaven. Advancing a Broad Portfolio of Innovative Candidates: Biohaven plans to advance a broad portfolio of early- and late-stage innovative product candidates targeting neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including rare disorders with unmet medical needs. Therapeutic development will focus on treatments for epilepsy, pain and mood disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, spinocerebellar ataxia and spinal muscular atrophy. Key clinical development programs underway that leverage these proprietary technology platforms, include the following: Glutamate modulation for SCA and OCD; Myostatin inhibition for neuromuscular diseases, and potentially for diabetes and weight loss; Novel immune modulation platform targeting CD-38 for multiple myeloma Team executives: The Biohaven Board of Directors remains the same. Irfan Qureshi, M.D. is promoted to Chief Medical Officer, previously Senior Vice President of Neurology at Biohaven. And Tanya Fischer, M.D., Ph.D. is appointed Chief Development Officer and Head of Translational Medicine, previously at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY). Bruce Car, Ph.D. joins Biohaven as the new Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Car brings more than 28 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry having held numerous scientific leadership positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY).

07:37 EDT KemPharm supports Niemann-Pick Awareness Month - KemPharm announced its support for Niemann-Pick Awareness Month, which is the month of October, and Global Niemann-Pick Awareness Day, which is October 19th. KemPharm recognizes the important role and dedication of patient organizations, such as the National Niemann Pick Disease Foundatio, and the International Niemann Pick Disease Alliance, in not only raising awareness of Niemann-Pick disease type C, but also in providing advice, information and education to those living with NPC, their families, other caregivers, and all involved in the management of this disease. KemPharm supports and unites with these groups in advocating for those affected by NPC and their families and in seeking new therapeutic options for NPC where no satisfactory alternative treatments currently exist.

07:36 EDT iSpecimen launches Marketplace Onsite program - iSpecimen launched its new Marketplace Onsite program to offer additional support to the Company's biospecimen provider partners. The program embeds a coordinator at select partner sites to facilitate fulfillment of incoming sample and data requests from the proprietary iSpecimen Marketplace platform. With this extra layer of support, iSpecimen and its partners will be able to expand and streamline access to biospecimens for research. The Marketplace Onsite coordinator will field all requests and submit proposals on behalf of the provider, streamlining sample-related management and reducing strain on existing staff and product pipelines. The Marketplace Onsite program will also help with building and contracting with a network of researchers, providing remuneration for biospecimens and data, offering IT assistance for data management needs and covering the expenses of the iSpecimen Onsite employee.

07:35 EDT Abeona Therapeutics completes patient follow-up in Phase 3 RDEB study - Abeona Therapeutics announced that the last patient has completed their 6-month follow-up visit in Abeona's pivotal Phase 3 VIITAL study of its investigational autologous, engineered cell therapy, EB-101, in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB. Abeona has been verifying and preparing the data in real time to ensure that an efficient database lock can be completed within two to three weeks from the last patient's final visit. Abeona expects the VIITAL study, if positive, to serve as the basis for seeking approval by the FDA of EB-101 for the treatment of patients with RDEB. RDEB is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by severe skin wounds that cause pain and can lead to systemic complications impacting the length and quality of life. There is currently no approved treatment for RDEB.

07:34 EDT Alithya announces completion of seven Oracle Cloud HCM project go lives - Alithya Group announces the successful completion of seven Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management, HCM, project go lives this year. The seven completed implementations focused on the digital transformation of critical processes including payroll, performance, and other core human resources solutions, laying the foundations for future growth and efficiency. Quote by Mike Feldman, Senior Vice President, Oracle Practice at Alithya: "The completion of seven Oracle Cloud HCM projects so far in this calendar year is a significant achievement, particularly in a challenging economic climate. These implementations, as well as numerous Oracle Cloud ERP and EPM implementations, reflect the level of trust that our clients place in Alithya's unparalleled Oracle expertise in enterprise business application deployment."

07:33 EDT Better Therapeutics announces 90-day results from BT-001 trial - Better Therapeutics announced that the 90-day results from its pivotal trial for BT-001, a potentially first-of-its-kind digital therapeutic platform that is designed to use CBT to treat type 2 diabetes, or T2D, in patients 18 years and older, have been published in the American Diabetes Association, or ADA-produced, peer reviewed journal Diabetes Care. The article published in the latest edition of Diabetes Care details data from the first 90 days of the pivotal trial, which looked at a group of adults with T2D receiving the current standard of care randomized to BT-001 or a control group. This trial was the largest randomized, controlled study conducted to date looking at use of digitally delivered CBT to improve glycemic control in T2D. Patients using BT-001 saw A1c lowered on average by 0.4% compared to the control group after 90 days, with a greater reduction among patients who completed more modules of the therapy. The article concludes that "delivery of a cognitive behavioral intervention via smartphone app can provide a scalable option for improving glycemic control." In addition to publication in Diabetes Care, the pivotal trial results were recently presented on October 1 by Marc Bonaca, Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Executive Director of CPC Clinical Research as part of the Society for Vascular Medicine's Annual Scientific Sessions.

07:32 EDT Harpoon Therapeutics appoints Luke Walker as Chief Medical Officer - Harpoon Therapeutics appointed Luke Walker as Chief Medical Officer. Walker will lead the clinical development strategy and its execution for Harpoon Therapeutics and the product candidates derived from the company's multiple technology platforms. Walker's appointment was effective October 3. Walker comes to Harpoon Therapeutics from Seagen, where he most recently served as Vice President of Clinical Development and was responsible for overseeing the global development of multiple early-stage clinical programs.

07:28 EDT Verastem plans opening of RAMP 205 Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of VS-6766 - The Company plans to open the RAMP 205 Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of VS-6766 with defactinib in addition to standard of care chemotherapy in frontline metastatic pancreatic cancer in the fourth quarter of this year. The trial, in partnership with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will evaluate whether a more complete blockade of KRAS signaling, which is mutated in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer tumors, will improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer...Intermittent dosing intellectual property for both VS-6766 alone and in combination with defactinib was recently allowed, extending patent coverage up to 2038 and 2040, respectively. As of August 31 , Verastem Oncology had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $110.4M.

07:21 EDT Nutriband demonstrates abuse-deterrent characteristics for AVERSA Fentanyl - Nutriband with Kindeva Drug Delivery have demonstrated enhanced abuse deterrence kinetics of the Company's patented lead product, Aversa Fentanyl, an abuse-deterrent fentanyl transdermal system, with their development and manufacturing partner, Kindeva Drug Delivery. Studies at Kindeva Drug Delivery have demonstrated that Nutriband's proprietary transdermal aversive coating can be manufactured using standard commercial transdermal manufacturing processes, which is critical to the success of the product development program. The next step is to select the final product configuration and perform technology transfer from Kindeva's R&D facility to their world-class transdermal commercial manufacturing site in Northridge, California, US. AVERSA Fentanyl combines Nutriband's proprietary AVERSA abuse-deterrent transdermal technology and Kindeva's FDA-approved transdermal fentanyl patch and was recently estimated to have the potential to reach peak annual US sales of $80M - $200M roughly five years after launch. Nutriband's AVERSA abuse-deterrent technology can be utilized to incorporate aversive agents into transdermal patches to prevent the abuse, diversion, misuse, and accidental exposure of drugs with abuse potential. The AVERSA abuse-deterrent technology has the potential to improve the safety profile of transdermal drugs susceptible to abuse, such as fentanyl while making sure that these drugs remain accessible to those patients who really need them. The technology is covered by a broad intellectual property portfolio with patents granted in the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.

07:19 EDT G Mining Ventures announcs repurchase of 1% NSR royalty on TZ Gold Project - G Mining Ventures announced that it is exercising its right to buydown 1.0% of the total 2.5% net smelter return royalty held on its Tocantinzinho Gold Project, resulting in a NSR of 1.5%. In consideration for the Second Buydown Right, the Corporation will make a cash payment of $3.5 million to the original royalty holders pursuant to the agreement dating back to 2003, as subsequently amended.The decision to exercise the Second Buydown Right was made within 30 days of the Corporation's Board of Directors' decision to proceed on full construction on TZ, and provides increased exposure to the Project's exploration potential, while reducing the projected operating costs. The permitted Tocantinzinho Project, is located in Para State, Brazil. Tocantinzinho is an open-pittable gold deposit containing 2.0 million ounces of reserves at 1.3 g/t. The Project is fully financed and currently under construction. The deposit is open at depth, and the underexplored 996km2 land package presents additional exploration potential. The technical report entitled "Feasibility Study - NI 43-101 Technical Report, Tocantinzinho Gold Project" dated February 09, 2022 is filed on SEDAR under the GMIN issuer profile.

07:16 EDT Ginkgo Bioworks announces acquisition of Circularis - Ginkgo Bioworks announced the tuck-in acquisition of Circularis, a biotechnology company with a proprietary circular RNA and promoter screening platform. The Circularis platform allows ultra-high-throughput screening of promoters and other enhancers. The Circularis platform strengthens Ginkgo's platform for development of cell and gene therapies, providing the capability to rapidly identify novel promoters with appropriate strength and tissue-specificity designed into customer specific delivery modalities. "Circularis has built an exceptional platform to screen gene expression regulatory elements, a need across the cell and gene therapy space," said Narendra Maheshri, Head of Mammalian Foundry at Ginkgo Bioworks. "We are excited to leverage the strong expertise of the Circularis team to further develop circular RNA methods for therapeutic use, and can't wait to incorporate this technology into existing and upcoming cell programs across therapeutic applications as well as more broadly."

07:15 EDT Veeva announces over 350 companies using Veeva Vault RIM Suite applications - Veeva Systems announced that more than 350 companies are transforming regulatory operations with Veeva Vault RIM Suite applications to "speed execution and keep pace with evolving health authority requirements," the company said. A growing number of emerging biotechs are adopting Veeva regulatory applications, including more than 65 companies over the last year, to scale operations and simplify submission planning, development, publishing, and archiving. "The rate of change across requirements and regulatory environments calls for agile systems that can adapt quickly," said Marc Gabriel, vice president, Veeva Vault RIM. "More companies are relying on Veeva Vault RIM innovations to keep pace with regional and local regulations, and we're proud to support the industry as a trusted partner for advanced regulatory information management."

07:13 EDT Aeglea provides clinical progress, regulatory update on Homocystinuria program - Aeglea BioTherapeutics announced that dosing in the third cohort of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of pegtarviliase for the treatment of Classical Homocystinuria is underway. Patients in this cohort are receiving 1.35 mg/kg of pegtarviliase once weekly administered via subcutaneous injection; patients in cohorts 1 and 2 received doses of 0.15 mg/kg and 0.45 mg/kg, respectively. Additionally, the company received a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, responding to a recently submitted protocol amendment for the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of pegtarviliase for the treatment of Classical Homocystinuria. The protocol amendment, among other things, requested the inclusion of adolescent patients at clinical trial sites in the U.S. The FDA stated the protocol did not provide adequate justification and evidence to support the prospect of direct clinical benefit for pediatric patients and placed the trial on partial clinical hold for the enrollment of patients less than 18 years of age under this Investigational New Drug, IND, at this time. The company intends to address the feedback from the FDA and aims to satisfy the requirements for prospective benefit for future inclusion of pediatric patients under the IND, including in a potential pivotal trial. The company believes that the letter will have no impact on the planned enrollment and dosing of patients aged 18 years and older in the U.S. or patients aged 12 years and older in the UK and Australia. Enrollment in the trial remains on track and Aeglea continues to expect to announce data in the fourth quarter of 2022, including data from cohort 3. The primary endpoint of the Phase 1/2 open-label trial is safety and tolerability. Three to four patients will be enrolled in each cohort and treated with four once weekly doses of pegtarviliase.

07:12 EDT United Natural Foods opens distribution center in New Hampshire - United Natural Foods announced it has opened a 125,000 square foot refrigerated distribution center in Londonderry, New Hampshire, expanding the company's overall capacity and ability to deliver a selection of products to support customer growth across the northeast. The addition of the Londonderry facility will help UNFI expand its refrigerated capacity, relieve pressure at its Chesterfield, New Hampshire and Dayville, Connecticut distribution centers, and help facilitate customer growth across the New England market, including the culinary business of one of its largest customers. UNFI continues to expand and optimize its distribution center network in its efforts to create an optimized, expansive, and high-quality food supply network, delivering for customers a robust national, regional, and local supplier portfolio. The facility completed its first outbound shipments to UNFI customers on Monday, October 3.

07:11 EDT CIBC announces senior executive appointments - CIBC President and CEO Victor Dodig today announced senior leadership appointments to further the bank's client-focused strategy. The following leadership changes are effective November 1, 2022: Mike Capatides, Senior Executive Vice-President and Group Head, US Region, and President & CEO, CIBC Bank USA, will be transitioning to the role of Vice-Chair, CIBC Bank USA, focused on developing and deepening client relationships. Shawn Beber will assume the role of Senior Executive Vice-President and Group Head, US Region, and President & CEO, CIBC Bank USA, and our US bank holding company. Frank Guse will take on the role of Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Risk Officer and join CIBC's Executive Committee. Continuing in their current roles on CIBC's Executive Committee are: Harry Culham, Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Jon Hountalas, Christina Kramer, Kikelomo Lawal, Hratch Panossian and Sandy Sharman.

07:09 EDT OTC Markets Group welcomes Verses Technologies to OTCQX - OTC Markets Group announced VERSES Technologies has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Verses Technologies Inc. upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

07:08 EDT Akoustis announces Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 filter solutions - Akoustis Technologies announced that it has started sampling two new Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 filter solutions, covering the U-NII 1-3 and U-NII 5-8 bands of high-frequency, high-speed Wi-Fi. The filters are expected to ramp into production in the first half of calendar 2023.

07:07 EDT Freeline initiates dosing of second cohort in trial of gene therapy candidate - Freeline announced that the first patient has been dosed in the second dose cohort of the Phase 1/2 MARVEL-1 clinical trial of FLT190 in Fabry disease, a debilitating inherited disorder that leads to progressive organ damage and can result in early death as a result of a harmful build-up of fat in cells due to an enzyme deficiency. Freeline recently reached alignment with the FDA to dose patients in MARVEL-1 in the U.S. Efficacy and safety data from the first dose cohort of MARVEL-1 supported progression to the second, mid-dose cohort. MARVEL-1 is an international, multicenter, adaptive dose-escalation and dose-expansion Phase 1/2 clinical trial in adult men with classic Fabry disease. The trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of one-time treatment with FLT190 in up to four dose cohorts. In the dose-escalation part, patient dosing is staggered to allow for adequate monitoring of both safety and efficacy. Patients will be monitored for nine months after dosing and will be eligible to participate in a long-term follow-up study for at least five years.

07:06 EDT GXO receives UK regulatory clearance for acquisition of Clipper Logistics - GXO Logistics announced that it has received unconditional regulatory clearance from the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority for its acquisition of Clipper Logistics. On May 24, 2022, GXO completed its offer however both companies continued to be run independently pending completion of the regulatory review. Prior to the acquisition, GXO operated more than 900 facilities globally totaling approximately 200 million square feet with 120,000 team members. With Clipper, GXO gains more than 50 sites, 10 million square feet, 10,000 team members and adds geographic presence in Germany and Poland, in the life sciences sector as well as expertise in premium services, including reverse logistics and repairs, which are key growth areas for GXO. GXO expects to realize significant productivity opportunities and cost synergies within two years from transaction close. The integration process will begin promptly and progress through the latter part of the year while ensuring a successful holiday peak season for customers.

07:04 EDT Ucommune International completes digital operation management across locations - Ucommune International has achieved comprehensive digital operation management by the end of the third quarter of 2022 through its in-house developed SaaS management platform for office buildings and industrial parks. Ucommune has continued to deepen its development in the field of digital technology, with its business coverage expanded on the basis of co-working space, achieving diversified service goals. All of the 980,000-square-meter managed coworking area of Ucommune has completed the digital transition through the Platform with 12 modules including asset management, investment management, intelligent hardware management, and coworking community management. In addition, the Platform provides real estate asset management services to hundreds of enterprise customers, including the management of more than 1.8 million square meters of commercial buildings and parks, as well as over 1,200 apartments.

07:03 EDT Cambridge Bancorp announces Zelleke to join board of directors - Cambridge Bancorp and its subsidiary, Cambridge Trust Company announced a new member to its Board of Directors. Joining the board is Andy Zelleke. Zelleke joins Cambridge Trust Board of Directors with two decades of experiencee. He is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and has served on the faculties of the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

06:51 EDT Materion invests $20M in Massachusetts facility - Materion Corporation announced that it is investing more than $20 Million in its recently acquired Newton, Massachusetts facility. The investments will significantly broaden capacity for materials used in semiconductor chip manufacturing and facilitate the continued development of products to support the logic and advanced chips found in today's most powerful electronic devices. The Newton site became part of Materion through the company's acquisition of HCS-Electronic Materials in November 2021. As part of its successful integration of the business, Materion has achieved several significant milestones, including increasing output of high-value tantalum products by more than 20 percent. The Newton facility utilizes proprietary technology and extensive material science know-how to deliver tantalum- and niobium- based premium products and services for the semiconductor, industrial, and aerospace & defense markets. Materion's acquisition of the business has enabled the company to build on its existing portfolio of electronic materials and premium thin film target solutions, significantly enhancing the company's position as a leading global supplier to the high-growth semiconductor industry. Since the acquisition, the company has increased the site workforce by 27 percent and implemented operational excellence initiatives to increase output and meet growing customer demand. These new investments will build on the site's strong foundation of expertise producing extremely pure, texture-controlled tantalum materials that are critical in the production of the most advanced semiconductor chips, which are on track for significant growth over the next decade.

06:49 EDT FDA approves Roche breast cancer detection test eligible for ENHERTU - Roche (RHHBY) "announced that the FDA approved the PATHWAY anti-HER2/neu 4B5 Rabbit Monoclonal Primary Antibody to identify metastatic breast cancer patients with low HER2 expression for whom ENHERTU - fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki - may be considered as a targeted treatment. ENHERTU is a specifically engineered HER2-directed antibody drug conjugate being jointly developed and commercialised by AstraZeneca (AZN) and Daiichi Sankyo (DSNKY)". Reference Link

06:47 EDT Pfizer announces Phase 3 TALAPRO-2 trial meets primary endpoint - Pfizer announced topline results from the Phase 3 TALAPRO-2 study of TALZENNA, an oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor, in combination with XTANDI compared to placebo plus XTANDI in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with or without homologous recombination repair gene mutations. The study met its primary endpoint with a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in radiographic progression-free survival compared with placebo plus XTANDI. The results of the primary endpoint exceeded the pre-specified hazard ratio of 0.696. Results showed a trend toward improved overall survival, a key secondary endpoint, at the time of the analysis, but these data are not yet mature. Benefits were also observed in other secondary endpoints, including investigator assessed rPFS, prostate specific antigen response, time to PSA progression, and overall response rate. Other secondary endpoints are being analyzed. At the time of topline analysis, the safety of TALZENNA plus XTANDI were generally consistent with the known safety profile of each medicine. Detailed results from TALAPRO-2 will be submitted for presentation at a near-term medical congress. These data will also be shared with global regulatory authorities to potentially support a regulatory filing. TALZENNA or the combination of TALZENNA plus XTANDI have not been approved by any regulatory agency for the treatment of mCRPC. In addition to the TALAPRO-2 trial, the combination of TALZENNA plus XTANDI is being investigated in the TALAPRO-3 trial, a global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study in men with HRR-deficient mCSPC.

06:38 EDT Hut 8 Mining increases Bitcoin holdings by 277 in September - Hut 8 Mining increased its Bitcoin holdings by 277 in the period ending September 30, bringing the total of self-mined holdings to 8,388 Bitcoin. Total Bitcoin balance held in reserve as of September 30 is 8,388. Consolidated the most efficient miners at our Medicine Hat site, increasing hashrate efficiency by 11%. Installed ASIC hashrate capacity was 3.07 EH/s at the end of the month, which excludes certain legacy miners that we anticipate will be fully replaced by the end of the year. Hut 8 produced 90.2 BTC/EH in September. "We continue to add to our Bitcoin on balance sheet, which is the largest unencumbered, self-mined stack of any publicly-traded mining company," said Jaime Leverton, CEO. "As we head into the fourth quarter with strong momentum, we are focused on optimizing our Bitcoin mining operations while growing our high performance computing business, which includes potentially leveraging our GPU machines to provide AI, Machine Learning, or VFX rendering services to customers, and mining the next most profitable Proof of Work digital asset during idle time."

06:35 EDT Everi Holdings to acquire certain assets of Venuetize, terms undisclosed - Everi Holdings announced an agreement to acquire certain strategic assets of Venuetize. Venuetize is a privately owned innovator of mobile-first technologies that provide an advanced guest engagement and m-commerce platform for the sports, entertainment and hospitality industries. Venuetize collaborates with its clients and partners with their venue ecosystem to elevate the guest experience and strengthen their mobile channel engagement, leading to incremental revenue opportunities. The transaction is anticipated to close within 30 days, subject to customary conditions. The acquisition will be funded from existing cash on hand. Following the acquisition of these assets, Venuetize's experienced team will join Everi.

06:34 EDT SolarWinds launches new global Transform Partner program - SolarWinds launched the SolarWinds Transform Partner Program to support and drive growth for the company's global channel partners. The new channel program is designed to transform the way SolarWinds partners with technology distributors, value-added resellers, global system integrators, managed service providers and cloud partners around the world. The new program provides SolarWinds partners with financial incentives, performance rebates, enablement and training programs, an enhanced Partner Portal, and new marketing and sales support. Transform provides a new model for partners to offer their clients SolarWinds technology solutions through SaaS and cloud-connected, on-premises deployments. This new partner program follows the launch of SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability as a comprehensive, integrated, and cost-effective solution. Hybrid Cloud Observability helps organizations shift from reactive to proactive IT postures as they meet the challenges of hybrid IT. And with the Transform launch, SolarWinds adds a new partner category to support MSP partners with an engagement mode for MSPs ranging from global scale to regional providers. Transform is the first formal SolarWinds channel program

06:20 EDT Snow Lake Resources hosts LG Energy Solution as part of collaboration - Snow Lake Resources Ltd., d/b/a Snow Lake Lithium hosted LG Energy Solution in Manitoba, Canada on September 13th to explore the potential next step towards building a domestic supply chain for the North American electric vehicle market. The visit by LG Energy Solution advances the collaboration with Snow Lake Lithium which will see the delivery of one of Canada's first lithium hydroxide processing plants in CentrePort, Southern Manitoba. Manitoba Hydro - a hydroelectric power provider in Manitoba - was also included in the discussions regarding the provision of sustainable, clean power to the plant in addition to a site visit to the proposed facility in CentrePort. Meetings held at the Manitoba Legislative Building included participation from Snow Lake Lithium and LGES representatives, as well as Jordan Gaw and Jenny Kang from Invest in Canada and Cliff Cullen, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Economic Development, Industry and Trade. Representatives from the Economic Secretariat of Manitoba, the Department of Economic Development, Industry and Trade, and Manitoba's Chamber of Commerce were also present.

06:17 EDT Centerra Gold announcs intention to make normal course issuer bid - Centerra Gold is pleased to announce that, subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange, it intends to proceed with a normal course issuer bid to purchase for cancellation up to an aggregate of 15,610,813 common shares in the capital of the Company, representing approximately 7.1% of Centerra's total issued and outstanding Common Shares, or 10% of the public float. As of September 30, 2022, Centerra had 220,086,775 issued and outstanding Common Shares. Centerra believes that the Common Shares have been trading in a price range which does not adequately reflect the value of such shares in relation to Centerra's assets and its future prospects. As a result, Centerra believes that the NCIB will provide the Company with a flexible tool to deploy a portion of its cash balance to, depending upon future price movements and other factors, repurchase Common Shares while preserving its strong balance sheet position. Centerra will file a notice of intention to make a NCIB with the TSX and, subject to the approval of the TSX, Centerra may purchase Common Shares under the NCIB over a twelve-month period. Under the NCIB, daily purchases would be limited to 226,201 Common Shares, other than purchases made under block purchase exemptions. Once the NCIB is commenced, the exact timing and amount of any purchases will depend on market conditions and other factors. Centerra will not be obligated to acquire any Common Shares and may suspend or discontinue purchases under the NCIB at any time. Any purchases made under the NCIB will be made at market price at the time of purchase through the facilities of the TSX and/or alternative Canadian trading systems in accordance with applicable securities laws and stock exchange rules. Centerra intends to establish an automatic share purchase plan in connection with its NCIB to facilitate the purchase of Common Shares during times when Centerra would ordinarily not be permitted to purchase Common Shares due to regulatory restrictions or self-imposed black-out periods. Before entering a black-out period, Centerra may, but is not required to, instruct the broker to make purchases under the NCIB based on parameters set by Centerra in accordance with the automatic share purchase plan, applicable securities laws and stock exchange rules.

06:16 EDT Centerra Gold announces highlights of LOM plan for Mount Milligan Mine - Centerra Gold announces highlights from an updated life of mine for the Mount Milligan Mine. Mount Milligan Mine LOM Highlights: Increase in proven and probable gold mineral reserves from the 2021 year-end mineral reserve and resources summary by 1.1 million contained ounces and copper mineral reserves by 260 million contained pounds. The Mount Milligan Mine deposit contains mineral reserves totaling 246.2 million tonnes at 0.37 g/t gold and 0.18% copper. Mine life extended by over four years, extending open pit mining and milling operations to 2033. Increase from the 2020 Mount Milligan Technical Report LOM in total payable gold ounces produced by more than 0.8 million ounces and payable copper pounds produced by 191 million pounds from 2022 onwards. LOM payable gold production of 1.9 million ounces at a production cost of $502/ounce, an all-in sustaining cost on a by-product basisNG of $756/ounce and all-in cost on a by-product basisNG of $770/ounce. Recent inflationary cost pressure will be taken into consideration when the Company updates and discloses the Mount Milligan Mine's 2023-2025 production and cost guidance in early 2023. The Company's 2022 guidance remains on track for year-end. Net cash flow over the LOM is estimated at $640 million using a gold price of $1,500/ounce and copper price of $3.25/pound and over $1.0 billion at prices of $1,700/ounce of gold and $3.50/pound of copper. Mount Milligan's after-tax net present value is estimated at $486 million at a 5% discount rate using a gold price of $1,500/ounce and copper price of $3.25/pound and an estimated $797 million at gold and copper prices of $1,700/ounce and $3.50/pound, respectively. Significant exploration potential exists for new areas of mineralization.

06:13 EDT Matador announces upgrades to corporate credit rating, bond repurchases - Matador Resources Company announced recent upgrades by Fitch Ratings to the Company's corporate credit rating and $105 million in additional purchases of the Company's outstanding senior notes. On September 29, 2022, Fitch upgraded Matador's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating from 'B+' to 'BB-'. In its September 29, 2022 press release, Fitch noted, "The upgrade reflects the company's production growth momentum, Management's continued commitment to a conservative financial policy and significant gross debt reduction, which has materially improved credit metrics. Matador's ratings reflect the company's high margin, oil-weighted Delaware acreage, supportive midstream assets, strong unit economics and cash netbacks, sub-1.0x leverage and clear maturity schedule." Between September 12, 2022 and September 30, 2022, Matador used a portion of its free cash flow to repurchase $105 million of its outstanding senior notes in a series of open market transactions, reducing its outstanding bonds from $862 million at September 12, 2022 to $757 million at the end of the third quarter. Over the past seven quarters, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2020, Matador has reduced its outstanding debt by $768 million or just over half of Matador's then total revolving debt and senior notes outstanding.

06:10 EDT Gravitas Education announces ADS ratio change - Gravitas Education announced that it will change the ratio of its American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, to Class A ordinary shares from one ADS representing one share to one ADS representing 20 shares, effective October 14. For the company's ADS holders, the change in the ADS ratio will have the same effect as a one-for-twenty reverse ADS split. Effective October 14, registered holders of ADS of the company will be required on a mandatory basis to surrender their old ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation and will receive one new ADS in exchange for every twenty old ADSs then-held.

06:07 EDT Global Blue acquires majority stake in Shipup, terms not disclosed - Global Blue announces the acquisition of a majority stake in Shipup, a player in the RetailTech post-purchase market. The transaction is expected to close by the end of October 2022. The company said, "Customer frustration due to delivery incidents is a major challenge for retailers, negatively impacting clients' satisfaction and online reputation while inflating the volume of customer service complaints in an era where standing out from the competition is crucial. With Shipup, merchants drive a simple, fully-controlled, and polished experience from purchase to delivery, protecting their brand and reputation while increasing their repeat purchases. It provides a uniquely crafted & reassuring customer experience and drives growth. Shipup's solution empowers retailers to gain complete control of post-purchase communications, allowing them to create branded, personalized, and proactive, automated messages to their consumers across multiple events, channels, and languages. On the customers' side, they receive live delivery notifications, AI-powered delivery estimates, and access to tracking via the retailer's website. A satisfaction survey is even sent immediately to the customer on delivery of the goods, generating a high response rate and better insight into the customer experience. Retailers get real-time alerts for incident delivery, tracking package data on the customer support interface, and a granular dashboard to monitor their carrier performances.Brands can reduce delivery requests by up to 80% and save up to 50% on refunds. They also increase satisfaction by up to +140% and +19% repeat purchase on average."

05:50 EDT Stewart acquires FNC Title Services, terms undisclosed - Stewart announced the acquisition of FNC Title Services, along with the signing of an agreement to acquire FNC Title of California pending approval of the California Department of Insurance. FNC is a full-service title and settlement company specializing in reverse mortgage closings, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. The company has built a multi-domain national platform, servicing the top 25 reverse mortgage lenders across the country. FNC will continue operating as a standalone company.

05:24 EDT Accenture collaborates with Mars on global manufacturing operations - Accenture is working with Mars to transform and modernize its global manufacturing operations with artificial intelligence, cloud, edge technology and digital twins. Accenture and Mars have been trialing digital twins for Mars' manufacturing operations since late 2020. Digital twins are virtual representations of machines, products, or processes. Fed with real-time data, they can predict and optimize production processes and equipment performance, from reliability to quality to energy efficiency. Applied to its manufacturing plants, digital twins will enable Mars to simulate and validate the results of product and factory adjustments before allocating time and resources in the physical space. The companies tested a digital twin to reduce instances of over-filling packages, a common problem in the food industry. The digital twin gave Mars a bird's-eye view of the production lines at one of its factories in Illinois. The twin fed sensor data from manufacturing machinery into a predictive analytics model, which allowed factory line operators to monitor events in real-time and adjust the filling process. After the successful test, Accenture and Mars introduced the solution across the U.S. and developed similar solutions for its pet care business in Europe and China. Under the new agreement, Accenture and Mars will work together to apply digital twin technology and models to the company's manufacturing facilities globally. This will give Mars factory line operators real-time insights into current and predictive performance. Mars plans to apply them to dozens of use cases over the next three years.

05:18 EDT DexCom announces Dexcom G7 CGM availability in five new countries - DexCom announced the Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring, or CGM, System is now available for people with diabetes age two years and older in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Hong Kong - marking the first major milestone in the availability of the new technology. The company is also working quickly to introduce G7 in New Zealand and South Africa in the weeks ahead, with additional markets planned soon after.

05:14 EDT Hamilton Lane expands footprint across EMEA - Hamilton Lane has expanded its footprint across Europe, hiring a number of senior executives across London and Frankfurt, and adding outposts in Milan, Stockholm and Zug since the beginning of 2021. With the addition of the Milan, Stockholm and Zug offices, Hamilton Lane now has six offices across the EMEA region, double the number than at the end of 2020.

05:03 EDT LyondellBasell starts catalyst production plant at its Germany facility - LyondellBasell announced the start-up of a new catalyst production plant at its Frankfurt, Germany, site. This announcement directly correlates to investments in infrastructure projects, increased demand for polymers by a growing population, particularly in emerging countries and the value of our Hostalen ACP polyethylene technology. This technology supports the increasing demand in high performance PE resins to produce raw materials for pipes to safely transport water and materials to safely store and protect food items.