• Natera (NTRA) is soaring higher once again, setting fresh record highs with shares now up 32% since the beginning of September, as strong commercial execution and expanding clinical evidence bolster its oncology growth outlook.
• Q2 revenue (reported on August 6) increased 37.7% yr/yr to $752.8 mln, supported by higher testing volumes and improved average selling prices, while oncology tests processed surged 57.2% and management raised its FY26 revenue outlook by $100 mln at the midpoint to $2.85--$2.91 bln.
• September findings in lymphoma and a lung-cancer dataset encompassing more than 1,100 patients further strengthen Signatera's clinical credentials, supporting the opportunity for broader adoption of molecular residual disease testing across cancer types.
• Signatera's recent regulatory approvals, expanded Medicare coverage for the Prospera transplant test, and enhancements to Panorama prenatal screening provide additional growth avenues while diversifying the business beyond oncology.
• Although NTRA remains unprofitable, its Q2 operating loss narrowed to $75.8 mln from $110.4 mln as revenue outpaced expense growth, and its positive FY26 cash-flow outlook supports the view that rising testing scale and laboratory efficiencies can translate into improving financial returns.

• CL00-USA Crude Oil futures settled today's session $1.28 higher (+1.4%) at $90.54/barrel
• NG00-USA Nat Gas settled today's session $0.03 higher (+1.0%) at $3.03/MMBtu
• RB00-USA RBOB Gasoline settled today's session $0.13 higher (+4.1%) at $3.26/gallon
• HO00-USA Heating oil futures settled today's session $0.19 higher (+4.2%) at $4.70/gallon

The following are some of today's most notable large cap movers of interest ($10 bln -- $200 bln market cap), ranked by % change (all stocks over 100K average daily volume).

Large Cap Gainers

• UTHR (544.02, +62.54, +12.99%) A Delaware district court ruled claims 1 and 14 of UTHR's '327 patent valid and infringed by Liquidia's YUTREPIA, while finding four other asserted claims invalid.
• FORM (146.86, +10.61, +7.79%) initiated with a Buy at Deutsche Bank.
• GEN (22.28, +1.42, +6.84%) CEO Vincent Pilette outlined a disciplined M&A approach and said Q2 and full-year results are tracking toward the high end of guidance.
• HPE (64.81, +3.32, +5.40%) Sharply higher today and reached a new all-time high after raising its Networking outlook and outlining priorities for long-term growth ahead of its Networking Investor Day. Notably, HPE raised its FY27 Networking outlook again, just weeks after lifting it with its Q3 (Jul) results, while also increasing its expected Juniper cost synergies.
• MDB (352.91, +15.71%) The Company authorizes additional $1.0 bln for share repurchases -- 8-K filing.

Large Cap Losers

• JBL (287.01, -31.83, -9.98%) Shares fell despite a sizable Q4 beat and Q1 and FY27 guidance above FactSet consensus, as elevated expectations had already reflected a strong AI-driven outlook.
• CBRS (179.25, -15.70, -8.05%) Semianalysis says "OpenAI's latest GPT6.1 Sol Ultrafast is NOT running on Cerebras (CBRS) but is instead running at a low batch size on NVIDIA (NVDA) GPUs."
• MRNA (191.78, -11.68, -5.74%) downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Citigroup. The Company announced the addition of a Chief Operating Officer role to support the increasing scale and diversification of the Company.
• CEG (253.61, -10.97, -4.15%) FERC accepts PJM data center plan, but with a pause until February 28.
• FICO (595.40, -22.47, -3.64%) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA Securities.

• Franco-Nevada said partner First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF) disclosed that Panama's Ministerial Commission recommended formally opening negotiations on a new agreement for Cobre Panama.
• The recommendation contemplates ending pending international arbitrations and setting conditions for the project to be put into operation to achieve an orderly closure, with no cost to the nation and no possibility of extension.
• The commission said any agreement should prioritize Panama's environmental, social and economic interests, include full transparency, and comply with the Supreme Court ruling.
• Franco-Nevada cautioned there is no assurance on the future status of the mine or any potential restart.

• Synopsys and OpenAI signed a multi-year agreement to jointly develop GPT-Synopsys, a specialized model built to use Synopsys EDA tools in semiconductor design workflows.
• The deal makes the companies preferred partners, with a shared revenue framework and joint go-to-market plan to offer GPT-Synopsys to customers worldwide.
• OpenAI will license Synopsys electronic design automation tools for model development; the offering is expected to bundle compute, model access and software licenses.
• Synopsys said early technology engagements are already underway with leading semiconductor customers, and customer design data will not be used to train the model.

• GC00-USA gold settled today's session $4.40 higher (+0.1%) at $4,184.80/ozt
• SI00-USA silver settled today's session $0.61 lower (-1.0%) at $60.54/ozt
• HG00 copper settled today's session unch (0.0%) at $6.61/lb

The co confirms the submission of the studies, analysis and comprehensive audit report of Cobre Panam and its recommendations by the Ministerial Commission to the President of Panama. The report includes seventeen recommendations.

• The first recommendation is for: The authorising of formal opening of negotiations with Cobre Panam / First Quantum to assess the feasibility of a new agreement that would allow the pending international arbitrations to be brought to an end and establish the conditions for a project to be put into operation that can achieve an orderly closure, at no cost to the Nation and with no possibility of extension, while giving absolute priority to the Nation's environmental, social and economic interests, ensuring full transparency , and complying with the Supreme Court of Justice ruling and seeking the benefit of all Panamanians.
• The report also recommends that any future framework:  Requires that the resources generated by the site be administered transparently and translated into tangible, identifiable benefits for citizens (Recommendation 8). Creates a mechanism that allocates resources to an environmental plan with a fixed, automatic, and irrevocable allocation from the State's share of site revenue (Recommendation 9). Instructs the adoption of an institutional framework with genuine autonomy that incorporates good governance practices, professional management, transparency and long-term planning (Recommendation 10). Requires the instruments to ensure that technical management remains insulated from short-term political cycles (Recommendation 11). Requires the final termination of the pending international arbitrations as a mandatory condition for the implementation of any agreement (Recommendation 17).
• The Company is committed to working with the Government to ensure robust environmental safeguards, effective oversight and transparent monitoring of the Cobre Panam mine.  The Company believes that a sustainable path forward for Cobre Panam must provide long-term stability for all stakeholders, including tangible economic benefits for the people and country of Panama through employment, workforce development, procurement with local businesses and suppliers, community investment and broader economic contributions.
• The Company awaits guidance from the Government of Panama on the next steps for engagement following the announcement of the recommendations today.

• Accelevation Holdings (ACCV) is stumbling out of the gate after its 30.0 mln share IPO priced at $18, below the expected $20--$24 range, and opened at $17.55, suggesting investors wanted a steeper discount despite its exposure to AI infrastructure spending.
• The company designs, manufactures, and installs power distribution and data-center infrastructure for hyperscale, colocation, cloud, and AI customers, with offerings including its SkyBridge prefabricated modular platform, remote power panels, power distribution units, and liquid-cooling-ready systems that simplify deployment of increasingly power-intensive computing environments.
• Its growth strategy centers on expanding modular deployments, capturing more infrastructure spending per customer, adding manufacturing capacity, and selectively acquiring complementary capabilities, positioning it to benefit from customers' need to accelerate construction while reducing coordination across suppliers.
• For the six months ended June 30, 2026, revenue surged 175.8% yr/yr to $437.5 mln and operating income increased to $35.3 mln from $3.5 mln, although gross margin contracted approximately 3.9 percentage points as losses on certain contracts highlighted the execution risks accompanying rapid expansion. Backlog reached $1.11 bln, versus $347.2 mln a year earlier, providing substantial revenue visibility, but outstanding debt principal totaled $647.8 mln and free cash flow was negative $15.8 mln, underscoring that strong accounting growth has yet to translate into positive cash generation.
• Muted IPO interest likely reflects that combination of leverage, cash consumption, and project risk, compounded by borrowings used primarily to fund a nearly $300 mln distribution to existing owners and a proposed offering dominated by selling stockholders, leaving investors weighing an attractive growth market against a less appealing balance sheet and ownership structure.

• Solana Company entered a securities purchase agreement with a single institutional investor for 4,369,356 Class A shares and accompanying warrants for up to 4,369,356 shares.
• Warrants carry an exercise price of $3.776/share; gross proceeds are expected to be about $15 mln before fees and expenses.
• The company said the share price was set at a 5% premium to NAV and the warrant exercise price at a 10% premium to NAV.
• Closing is expected on or about Oct. 1, subject to customary conditions; proceeds may be used for stock buybacks, SOL treasury purchases, working capital and strategic initiatives.

The following options are exhibiting notable trading, potentially indicating changing sentiment toward the underlying stocks, and/or potentially representing positioning for increased volatility.

Bullish Call Activity:

• RKLB Weekly Oct 2 76.0 calls (volume: 2.6K, open int: 1.7K, implied vol: ~69%, prev day implied vol: 60%). Co is expected to report earnings mid-November.
• NFLX Weekly Oct 23 70.0 calls (volume: 1.8K, open int: 600, implied vol: ~44%, prev day implied vol: 41%). Co is confirmed to report earnings Oct 20, after market close.
• FRMI Weekly Oct 2 4.5 calls (volume: 16.2K, open int: 760, implied vol: ~98%, prev day implied vol: 82%). Co is expected to report earnings mid-November.

Bearish Put Activity:

• EQT Nov 52.5 puts (volume: 14.7K, open int: 220, implied vol: ~32%, prev day implied vol: 29%). Co is expected to report earnings late-October.
• AGNC Weekly Oct 9 9.0 puts (volume: 7.8K, open int: 780, implied vol: ~27%, prev day implied vol: 25%).
• F Weekly Nov 6 11.5 puts (volume: 4.9K, open int: 120, implied vol: ~40%, prev day implied vol: 38%). Co is expected to report earnings late-October.

Sentiment: The CBOE Put/Call ratio is currently: 0.81, VIX: (16.01, -0.03, -0.19%).
October 16 is options expiration -- the last day to trade October equity options.
*Please use the Talk to Us link at the top of the page to provide feedback on this comment as well as the OPTNX comments. Data provided by LiveVol.com.

• Delaware district court ruled claims 1 and 14 of United Therapeutics' (UTHR) '327 patent are valid and infringed by Liquidia's YUTREPIA; the other four asserted claims were found invalid.
• The parties were directed to submit a proposed form of judgment, including remedies, within one week.
• Liquidia said it disagrees with the ruling, plans to pursue appellate options, and intends to submit an FDA NDA supplement to remove the PH-ILD indication from YUTREPIA's label.
• The company said potential remedies remain uncertain and could range from removing the PH-ILD label indication to broader restrictions on YUTREPIA availability; UTHR has sought injunctive relief.

• Gen Digital (GEN) is nicely higher today and among the top performers in the S&P 500, in a move that appears to reflect a bounce following positive commentary from CEO Vincent Pilette on Monday night. Shares came under significant pressure last week after GEN was linked to a potential acquisition of GoDaddy (GDDY), which would represent a sizable transaction for the company.
• Pilette did not directly address whether GEN is pursuing GoDaddy, but outlined the company's disciplined approach to M&A, evaluating whether a deal fits its strategy, is appropriately priced, can generate efficiencies, is accretive and offers a better return than repurchasing its own shares, while maintaining a strong balance sheet. That framework appears to be helping ease investor concerns around a potential transaction.
• Importantly, Pilette also highlighted improving business momentum, noting that GEN's Q2 and full-year outlook are both tracking toward the high end of guidance. GEN guided to Q2 revenue of $1.325-$1.350 bln and EPS of $0.71-$0.73. Its FY27 outlook, which was raised in August, calls for revenue of $5.375-$5.475 bln and EPS of $2.87-$2.97.
• Software stocks are also broadly higher today.

• New 48,585-square-foot Crestview store adds 166 jobs and marks Walmart's seventh new Florida store opening since September 2025.
• Store offers groceries, pharmacy services, fuel, pickup, delivery and Express Delivery in as little as 30 minutes.
• Walmart said it has invested more than $1.5 bln in Florida stores over the past five years and plans 58 store remodels in the state in 2026.

The following are some of today's most notable mid cap movers of interest ($2 bln -- $10 bln market cap), ranked by % change (all stocks over 100K average daily volume).

Mid Cap Gainers

• ROG (152.70, +14.54, +10.52%) Sees EPS of ~$3.80, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $3.65 FactSet Consensus and FY26 (Dec) revs of ~$870 mln vs. $872.35 mln FactSet Consensus.
• ACMR (79.93, +4.32, +5.71%) ACM Research unit reports backlog up 88.2% yr/yr to RMB17.1 bln.
• ETSY (72.74, +3.51, +5.07%) Payoneer (PAYO) extended its strategic payout partnership with Etsy (ETSY) under a three-year agreement running through 2029.
• DK (72.18, +3.44, +5.01%) President Trump evaluating all options for diesel exports, according to FT.
• SOUN (6.11, +0.27, +4.59%) SoundHound AI's real-time generative voice technology has been deployed in the Kia Sorento in India, marking the global debut of the Kia AI Assistant with Real-Time Generative AI in the Sorento lineup.

Mid Cap Losers

• LQDA (53.22, -17.47, -24.71%) Judge upholds UTHR '327 patent claims, finds LQDA infringement.
• KEN (60.14, -5.03, -7.72%) An entity owned by Kenon and funds managed by Harrison Street Asset Management agreed to acquire a majority interest in Vicinity, with up to $1.4 billion of committed non-recourse debt financing.
• SECZ (15.07, -0.77, -4.86%) The Company integrates with ADI Chain to expand tokenized asset infrastructure.
• MAT (12.60, -0.63, -4.73%) The Company names Roger Lynch chairman and CEO, succeeding Ynon Kreiz.
• ALK (38.62, -1.31, -3.28%) American Airlines (AAL) and Alaska Airlines (ALK) announce their intent for Alaska Airlines to join American's Atlantic and Pacific Joint Businesses, expanding international travel opportunities for customers and strengthening access to premium global travel experiences.

According to IQVIA, the Fluvoxamine Maleate Extended-Release market had U.S. sales of approximately $44.6 mln.

• WTW entered an agreement with privately held Sapien Software to provide HR and deal-intelligence software and services for global mid-market divestitures, mergers and acquisitions.
• The offering is part of WTW's Human Capital Divestitures in a Box solution, which supports buyers and sellers with due diligence, deal planning, workforce integration and employee communications.
• Sapien's platform adds HRMS/HCM, payroll and international benefits administration, managed services, and post-close HRIS capabilities aimed at reducing reliance on transition services agreements.

CRMLS Letter

The following are some of today's most notable small cap movers of interest ($300 mln -- $2 bln market cap), ranked by % change (all stocks over 100K average daily volume).

Small Cap Gainers

• CBNK (39.89, +4.24, +11.89%): Peoples and Capital signed a merger agreement expected to close during the first half of 2027.
• ELMT (21.25, +2.10, +10.97%) The Company's unit, Elmet Technologies, wins $36 mln DLA contract for molybdenum and tungsten aerospace materials.
• COUR (5.08, +0.41, +8.67%) Reporting owner bought 2,332,742 shares at a weighted average price of $4.8677 (range $4.6062 to $5.0639) worth approximately $11.36 mln (transaction dates 2026-09-29, 2026-09-25; Filing).
• EPRX (8.91, +0.61, +7.28%) The Company reports 52-week data from the highest dose cohort of EP-104GI in its ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE trial for the treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
• SGMT (9.88, +0.55, +5.89%) The Company reports 52-week Phase 3 extension data for denifanstat in acne; U.S. Phase 3 screening set for October.

Small Cap Losers

• PEBO (36.48, -2.39, -6.16%) The Company to acquire Capital Bancorp (CBNK) in all-stock deal valued at about $728.1 mln.
• PRTA (8.63, -0.15, -1.71%) The Company's 10% owner bought 103,500 Ordinary Shares at $8.1582 - $8.85 worth approximately $890K (transaction date 9/28).
• SRPT (18.37, -0.27, -1.45%) The Company presents ELEVIDYS data showing 2-year functional benefit in older ambulatory Duchenne patients.
• MRVI (7.58, -0.07, -0.92%) TriLink BioTechnologies, LLC, a Maravai LifeSciences company company, announces it has been granted a new patent from the China National Intellectual Property Administration named "Compositions and Methods for Synthesizing 5'-Capped RNAs."
• CADL (10.85, -0.03, -0.27%) The Company presents phase 3 prostate cancer biomarker data at ASTRO showing durable immune remodeling with aglatimagene. As well as says prostate cancer data support durable local and systemic immune activation for aglatimagene.

• Sun Life U.S. introduced Disability with Health Navigator, combining disability coverage with personalized care navigation for employees facing serious conditions or seeking health support.
• The service offers access to second opinions, specialty providers, centers of excellence and alternative sites of care, along with help coordinating records, paperwork and appointments.
• Sun Life said enrolled employees can use the service year-round even without filing a disability claim, with the aim of improving care, reducing leave duration and potentially avoiding leave altogether.

• The Elmet Group (ELMT) is surging after wholly owned Elmet Technologies secured an approximately $36 mln, five-year Defense Logistics Agency contract to supply high-performance molybdenum and tungsten alloys and precision wire to the U.S. National Defense Stockpile.
• The award covers titanium-zirconium-molybdenum billets, bar stock and ingots, along with specialized wire used in jet-engine components and other aerospace systems that must withstand extreme heat and stress.
• Fundamentally, the contract provides multiyear revenue visibility, validates ELMT's advanced manufacturing capabilities, and expands its exposure to higher-value finished materials rather than only upstream tungsten supply.
• The bullish reaction also reflects how the award complements ELMT's separate $2 bln-ceiling DLA tungsten contract and $450 mln Department of War investment, strengthening its effort to build an integrated domestic supply chain from raw material through finished component, although the financial benefit will depend on production timing, capacity execution, and contract margins.

The S&P 500 (+0.6%) and Nasdaq Composite (+1.0%) hold solid gains just before midday as mega-cap tech stocks provide firm leadership. Mixed action across the broader market has kept the DJIA (+0.1%) in close proximity to its flat line throughout the session.

Equity futures moved higher this morning following slightly cooler-than-expected inflation readings in the August Personal Income and Spending report. The PCE Price Index increased 0.3% month-over-month (Briefing.com consensus: 0.4%), while the core PCE Price Index, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2% (Briefing.com consensus: 0.3%).

Breadth figures have tightened since the open, with advancers holding just a slim advantage over decliners on the NYSE while advancers outpace decliners by a roughly 3-to-2 ratio on the Nasdaq.

Five S&P 500 sectors trade higher, led by the communication services (+1.4%) and information technology (+1.2%) sectors as the "Magnificent Seven" cohort trades mostly higher today with several sturdy gains in the mix. Alphabet (GOOG 347.89, +10.57, +3.13%) and Apple (AAPL 337.46, +8.06, +2.45%) are among the standouts, and the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF is up 1.0%, helping the market-weighted S&P 500 (+0.6%) outperform the S&P 500 Equal Weighted Index (-0.1%).

The energy sector (+0.8%) is another standout as crude oil rises $2.03 (+2.3%) to $91.41 per barrel amid a relatively quiet morning of geopolitical headlines. Losses are relatively modest across the six S&P 500 sectors that trade lower, limited to 0.6% or narrower.

The S&P 500 is currently +0.61% (+46.62) at 7717.46. That gain has been supported by leadership from the information technology sector. The Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) is up 1.2%.

Key factors driving today's performance include:

• Continued sector momentum into month-end. With today's gain, the S&P 500 information technology sector is up 5.0% in September (one of only three sectors higher for the month).
• Leadership from mega-cap components. Apple (AAPL 337.29, +7.89, +2.39%), Microsoft (MSFT 518.68, +9.72, +1.91%), and NVIDIA (NVDA 230.63, +3.42, +1.50%) are all up at least 1.5% today.
• Strength in software stocks. The iShares GS Software ETF (IGV) is up 1.9%.
• HPE provided an encouraging revenue growth outlook for its networking segment.

Top Gainers

• Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE 65.57, +4.08, +6.64%): Raised its FY27 Networking segment revenue growth outlook to between high teens and low 20s percent and increased its Juniper cost-synergy target to $800 million in annual run-rate savings by the end of fiscal 2028.
• MongoDB, Inc. (MDB 359.08, +21.89, +6.49%): BMO Capital Markets reiterated its Outperform rating but lowered its price target to $420 from $450. The stock is back above its 200-day moving average based on the prior close (343.85).
• Snowflake Inc. (SNOW 347.90, +17.59, +5.32%): UiPath expanded its Snowflake partnership with a two-way integration and Snowflake Marketplace listing. The stock is trading above its 50-day moving average based on the prior close (319.34).
• Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW 403.06, +14.64, +3.77%): Climbing to all-time high; stock is trading 63% above its 200-day moving average based on the prior close (247.19).
• ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW 134.70, +4.76, +3.67%): Trading above its 50-day moving average based on the prior close (126.86).

Top Losers

• Jabil Inc. (JBL 298.90, -19.94, -6.25%): Reported EPS of $4.40 versus $4.05 consensus and revenue of $10.62 bln versus $9.69 bln consensus, then guided next-quarter EPS to $3.80-$4.20 and revenue to $10.6-$11.4 bln. Elevated expectations overshadowed the beats and upside guidance.
• Ciena Corporation (CIEN 341.08, -13.84, -3.90%): Bernstein initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and target of $440. The stock is trading below its 50-day moving average based on the prior close (375.79).
• Corning Inc (GLW 153.04, -5.66, -3.57%): Bernstein initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating and target of $140. The stock is slipping to its 50-day moving average based on the prior close (152.83).
• Lumentum Holdings Inc. (LITE 942.22, -31.28, -3.21%): Bernstein initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and target of $1,220. The stock is trading above its 50-day moving average based on the prior close (866.99).
• Coherent, Inc. (COHR 283.23, -8.98, -3.07%): Bernstein initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and target of $350. The stock is falling back below its 200-day moving average based on the prior close (287.08).

• Concentrix (CNXC) is rallying after initially falling as much as 11% before the open, as investors look beyond the quarterly revenue miss and near-term automation headwinds toward improving profitability, cash flow, and AI-related demand.
• Q3 adjusted EPS increased to $2.92 and exceeded the $2.71 FactSet consensus, while revenue declined 1.2% yr/yr to $2.45 bln, slightly below expectations, but non-GAAP operating margin expanded 30 bps to 12.6% as cost reductions and a more profitable business mix lifted operating income above guidance.
• The initial selloff reflected Q4 revenue guidance of $2.41-$2.46 bln, implying a 3-5% constant-currency decline as two hyperscale clients reduce support for certain customer groups and accelerated automation eliminates some traditional labor-based revenue.
• Buyers appear to be focusing instead on record Q3 adjusted free cash flow of $218.3 mln, 98% revenue retention, and management's disclosure that business won and deployed during the past three years now generates 50% of revenue, with new-logo AI sales increasing 63% sequentially.
• CNXC expects FY26 adjusted EPS of $10.97-$11.09 and adjusted free cash flow of $630-$650 mln, but sustaining the rebound will depend on AI-enabled and high-value services growing fast enough to offset automation-related revenue compression, offshoring, and weakness in several traditional verticals.

• Cinemark expanded its CJ 4DPLEX partnership with an agreement for 20 new SCREENX locations, including 17 in the U.S. and three in Latin America.
• Six new U.S. auditoriums are slated to open in 2026, which would bring Cinemark's domestic SCREENX footprint to 30.
• The companies said the rollout extends a partnership that began in 2022 and will add SCREENX to new U.S. states.
• CJ 4DPLEX said it plans to release at least four 'Shot for SCREENX' films with major Hollywood studios in 2027.

• MasterCraft introduced its 2027 lineup across XStar, X, XT and NXT models, adding technology, comfort and convenience updates aimed at towboat owners.
• The lineup adds a built-in inflator across all models, while XStar and X get Progressive AutoLaunch, which automatically manages trim tabs and ballast during acceleration.
• XStar and X also receive updated helm software with reverse-camera overlay and clearer drive cues; XStar, X and XT add enhanced SoundStage audio automation.
• Other changes include a redesigned standard Heritage Bimini on XStar and X, a new available aft sunshade, and storage/convenience updates including a new cooler and under-seat storage net.

• Eni has signed an agreement with Generative Bionics, an Italian deep-tech company specialising in the development of humanoid robots powered by Physical AI, to assess potential areas of technological and industrial collaboration in advanced robotics. The MoU provides for analysis, testing and evaluation activities across several areas of shared interest, to be carried out through dedicated joint workstreams that draw on the two companies' industrial and technological innovation capabilities.
• The agreement also provides for the identification of opportunities to industrialise and commercialise the sensor-equipped footwear developed by Generative Bionics,leveraging Eni's materials, expertise and market channels. Eni will also assess the possible use of its industrial sites to explore future production, assembly and testing activities dedicated to advanced robotics. This may include potential cooperation on the use, disposal and recycling of batteries throughout the production cycle of Generative Bionics' humanoid robots.
• Finally, Eni will assess the possibility of providing Generative Bionics with access to its High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities to support the development, training and validation of Physical AI models for humanoid robots.

• Late-breaking EADV 2026 data from a Phase 2b REZOLVE-AD biomarker sub-study showed significant rezpegaldesleukin-associated molecular changes by Week 2 that correlated with later clinical response.
• The analysis included 100 patients during the 16-week induction period, including 59 treated with the planned Phase 3 dose of 24 µg/kg every two weeks and 41 on placebo.
• Nektar said Treg-associated markers including FOXP3 and IL2RA were significantly upregulated by Week 2, alongside modulation of multiple immune pathways dysregulated in atopic dermatitis.
• In the molecular cohort, mean EASI reduction at Week 16 was 64%, versus 61% in the overall 24 µg/kg Q2W cohort, according to the company.

Taking an early look at the options market, we found the following names that may be worth watching throughout the day for further indication of investor expectations given their options volume and implied volatility movement.

Stocks seeing volatility buying (bullish call buying/bearish put buying):

Calls:

• GOOGL Weekly Sep 30 350.0 calls are seeing interest with 21.1K contracts trading vs. open int of 3.0K, pushing implied vol up around 4 points to ~37%. NIQ (NIQ) expands Google partnership with Meridian integration into Cadence. Co is expected to report earnings late-October.

Puts:

• VST Nov 110.0 puts are seeing interest with 10.2K contracts trading vs. open int of 2.0K, pushing implied vol up around 4 points to ~44%.

Sentiment: The CBOE Put/Call ratio is currently: 0.75, VIX: (15.68, -0.36, -2.24%).
October 16 is options expiration -- the last day to trade October equity options.
*Please use the Talk to Us link at the top of the page to provide feedback on this comment as well as the OPTNX comments. Data provided by LiveVol.com.

• In a 48-week Phase 2b study in 367 adults, all EloraTZP dose combinations met primary and secondary endpoints for weight loss and A1C reduction.
• Participants on EloraTZP lost up to an average 54.1 lbs, or 23.3%, versus 34.4 lbs, or 14.8%, with tirzepatide 15 mg; A1C fell up to 2.9% versus 2.4%.
• Lilly said eloralintide alone reduced body weight by up to 12.3% and A1C by up to 1.4% in the trial.
• Based on the data, Lilly plans to start Phase 3 trials of EloraTZP in Q4 2026.

• CareCredit financing will be integrated directly into Vetspire's AI-enabled veterinary practice platform, allowing real-time payment offers at the point of care.
• The companies said the integration moves financing from external terminals into the core clinical workflow, aiming to simplify checkout and reduce administrative steps for clinic staff.
• Vetspire's cloud-based software is used by more than 1,000 veterinary hospitals and clinics; Synchrony said about 85% are already active CareCredit-enrolled providers.
• The partnership also gives practices access to CareCredit marketing templates, business intelligence support and tools to improve treatment acceptance and financial conversations.

The S&P 500 (+0.5%), Nasdaq Composite (+0.9%), and DJIA (+0.1%) are higher this morning, supported by positive breadth and solid leadership from the market's largest mega-cap stocks.

Five of the "Magnificent Seven" names trade higher, with Alphabet (GOOG 346.39, +9.07, +2.69%) and NVIDIA (NVDA 231.72, +4.51, +1.98%) among the standouts, helping the information technology (+1.3%) and communication services (+1.3%) sectors sit atop the sector standings. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF is up 0.6%, although the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index is flat, reflecting a more subdued showing outside the largest stocks.

Despite the solid gain in NVIDIA, semiconductor stocks are mixed overall, leaving the PHLX Semiconductor Index near its flat line.

The energy sector (+0.7%) is another outperformer as crude oil recoups some of yesterday's losses, currently up $1.38 (+1.5%) to $90.76 per barrel. The materials sector (+0.2%) also holds a modest gain.

Meanwhile, the remaining seven S&P 500 sectors trade lower, although the losses are generally modest. The real estate sector (-0.6%) is the only group down more than 0.5%.

On the data front, the Chicago PMI expanded to 58.8 in September (Briefing.com consensus 53.2), from the prior level of 47.1.

• Huntington Bank Community Foundation is investing $300,000 in Memphis, including a $250,000 three-year commitment to United Housing and a $50,000 grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis.
• The United Housing funding will support down payment and closing-cost assistance, plus homebuyer education and counseling for families earning less than 80% of area median income.
• The Boys & Girls Clubs grant will back workforce-readiness programming at the Juice Plus+ Technical Training Center, including technical and life-skills training for local youth.
• Huntington said the effort builds on its February 2026 Cadence Bank combination and its broader affordable-housing community development strategy.

• Sibanye-Stillwater announces that its workforce has successfully ratified a new collective bargaining agreement at its East Boulder mine in Montana in the United States, effective retroactively from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2029, with the United Steel Workers International Union (USW). The new agreement provides a wage increase of 4.5% in year one and the greater of 3.5% or Consumer Price Index (CPI) in year two and the greater of 3.0% or CPI in year three of the agreement.
• The agreement is an important step in implementing the US PGM operations' plan to fully mechanise its mining, including a move away from a rock-breaking incentive to a team-based incentive and modernising certain legacy benefits that were out-of-scope with the United States market. Strike action by members of the USW at the Stillwater East mine and Columbus metallurgical facility continues. The Company remains committed to constructive engagement to reach an agreement that enables long-term sustainability of the operations.

• Jeep introduced the 2027 Cherokee Trailhawk, positioning it as a hybrid SUV with an estimated 31 MPG combined and Trail Rated off-road capability.
• Stellantis said the model includes a class-exclusive two-speed PTU, Jeep Active Drive II, an electronic locking rear axle, skid plates, off-road suspension and a 1-inch lift.
• The company highlighted best-in-class off-road specs including 28.8-degree approach angle, 31.8-degree departure angle and 21.9-degree breakover angle.
• Jeep also said Cherokee Trailhawk is the only SUV in its class with 24-inch water fording depth and comes with 17-inch all-terrain tires and red front and rear tow hooks.

• MSI extended its embedded insurance platform to manufactured home communities, pairing coverage options with automated compliance tracking through LeaseTrack.
• The offering is available nationwide and is aimed at helping property managers track and enforce resident insurance requirements in a single system.
• MSI said the model builds on its existing renters insurance platform, which it says has reached more than 1 mln residents through proptech platforms.

• InfraBridge completed the previously announced sale of its 50% stake in Invenergy AMPCI Thermal Power to funds of ArcLight Capital Partners.
• The portfolio includes 11 power infrastructure assets with about 5.4 GW of generation capacity across North America.
• Invenergy will retain its 50% ownership stake and continue operating the assets.

• Blackfuel selected Digital Realty's BCN1 facility in Barcelona for a multi-megawatt AI inference deployment tied into ServiceFabric.
• The build uses liquid-cooled Dell Technologies infrastructure and AMD GPUs, combining dedicated AI capacity with private connectivity across Digital Realty's platform.
• Digital Realty said ServiceFabric now spans 800+ Digital Realty and third-party data centers, giving Blackfuel a path to scale AI services beyond Barcelona.

• Corvex Token Factory gives customers access to open-weight AI models through an API without requiring them to deploy or operate GPU clusters.
  • Initial model availability includes GLM 5.3 from Z.ai and DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731.
  • The launch extends Corvex's reach to developers and enterprise technology teams that want to use AI as a service.

• Part B of the SIGNAL-AA study showed clinically meaningful efficacy on the primary and key secondary endpoints at Week 36 in severe or very severe alopecia areata.
• Q32 said responses were durable through a 16-week off-drug period, with maintenance and deepening of response supporting the potential for less frequent chronic maintenance dosing.
• The company said biomarker and biopsy findings supported bempikibart's mechanism, while safety was generally well tolerated with no new safety signals and consistent with prior studies.
• Part B enrolled 33 patients, including prior JAK inhibitor-exposed patients; Q32 intends to advance bempikibart into a registration-directed program in 1H27.

• Kelly launched Kelly Digital Infrastructure, combining Kelly Telecom, NextGen | GTA, and Motion Telco under one specialty brand.
• The new division will target workforce needs across telecom, data centers, AI, and automation, spanning staffing, direct hire, project services, and managed programs.
• Kelly cited its 2026 Data Center Salary Guide showing salary premiums of up to 74% above the national benchmark for critical data center roles amid labor shortages.
• Management said the business is aimed at supporting clients across design, build, operations, and workforce development as AI and cloud deployment drive data center demand.

• Digimarc entered purchase agreements to sell common shares in a registered direct offering expected to raise about $18.2 mln in gross proceeds.
• The deal is led by an existing Digimarc investor and is expected to close on or about September 30, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
• Digimarc said it plans to use net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
• The shares are being offered under an effective Form S-3 shelf registration; Needham & Company is sole placement agent.

Equity futures continue to point to a modestly higher open after this morning's inflation data came in better than feared. 

The August Personal Income and Spending report showed income up 0.2% month-over-month (Briefing.com consensus: 0.4%), spending up 0.9% (Briefing.com consensus: 0.7%), the PCE Price Index up 0.3% (Briefing.com consensus: 0.4%), and the core PCE Price Index up 0.2% (Briefing.com consensus: 0.3%).

On a year-over-year basis, the PCE Price Index was up 3.4%, unchanged from July, which was revised down from 3.7%; and the core PCE Price Index was up 3.0%, also unchanged from July, which was revised down from 3.3%.

The key takeaway, though, is that PCE inflation, no matter how you slice it, is still far above the Fed's 2.0% inflation target, so the idea that the Fed may raise rates again before the end of the year is bound to remain a lively one.

• Intuit extended its NFL sponsorship by four years through 2030, broadening the partnership beyond product branding to highlight its Intuit Intelligence platform.
• The renewal adds official rights in Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and brings Credit Karma into the NFL portfolio alongside TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp.
• Intuit said the expanded deal is aimed at reaching more than 400 mln NFL fans worldwide through season-long marketing tied to the regular season and postseason.

• SoundHound AI's real-time generative voice technology has been deployed in the Kia Sorento in India, marking the global debut of the Kia AI Assistant with Real-Time Generative AI in the Sorento lineup.
• The "Hey Kia" assistant supports multi-turn voice commands for cabin controls, vehicle manual queries, navigation, news, and contextual Q&A.
• SoundHound said the launch expands its automotive footprint in India and other high-volume Asian markets through its OASYS voice AI platform.

• Securitize said it is integrating with ADI Chain, adding the network to Securitize's multichain ecosystem for eligible regulated tokenized financial products.
• The companies said the tie-up is aimed at expanding institutional tokenization and creating infrastructure for regulated assets to move onchain across global markets.
• Use of ADI Chain for Securitize-issued products remains subject to applicable regulatory, product and jurisdictional requirements.
• Securitize said it has about $5 bln in AUM as of September 2026 and provides issuance, management, distribution and trading infrastructure for tokenized securities.

• Chicago Pacific Founders said it exited CoVet following CoVet's acquisition by IDEXX Laboratories.
• CoVet develops an AI-powered clinical scribe and workflow platform for veterinary practices across North America and Europe.
• Chicago Pacific Founders said it was CoVet's sole institutional investor; the deal marks the first realization from its specialist animal health fund.

• Synopsys and Amazon announced a strategic multi-year agreement to support Amazon's custom chips and AWS infrastructure with Synopsys silicon IP and AI-powered engineering tools.
• Synopsys said the $1 bln-plus deal expands its silicon IP business and shifts it toward a license-plus-royalty model tied to production volumes, with Amazon as the lead customer.
• The collaboration also extends to Synopsys EDA, simulation and analysis, and agentic AI technologies, including work to optimize multiphysics solutions on Trainium and Graviton.
• Synopsys will also adopt Amazon EC2, cloud storage and Bedrock to accelerate its own product development and AI application deployment.

• Kroger introduced the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard, a new co-branded credit card tied to its loyalty program and available now.
• The card offers up to 5x points on Kroger.com and app purchases, 4x at participating Kroger fuel pumps, up to 3x in-store, 2x on dining, utilities and travel, and 1x elsewhere.
• Kroger said the card includes no annual fee, no spending caps, points that never expire, a $100 welcome bonus, complimentary Boost Essential membership and a $10 annual birthday reward.
• The program is powered by Imprint's technology and can be applied for and managed through the Kroger app or website.

• The U.S. Department of Energy selected Entergy for $13.7 mln in federal funding to improve power delivery and grid reliability across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
• Entergy said the four-year project will deploy dynamic line rating technology and related upgrades across 1,125 miles of existing transmission lines.
• The company expects the work to unlock at least a 25% increase in transfer capability on selected corridors, with early modeling showing 29% to 61% potential capacity gains.
• Entergy said the upgrades could reduce congestion, defer other transmission capital spending and support load growth tied to industrial, manufacturing and data center expansion.

• Medtronic said the latest Affera Prism-2 Mapping Software received FDA clearance and CE Mark, while the PulseSelect ProxBox Adapter with Proximity Indicator software received CE Mark.
• Prism-2 is used with the Affera Mapping and Ablation System to create 3D maps of the heart's electrical activity and support low- or no-fluoroscopy ablation procedures.
• New Prism-2 features include Beat Matching, Pace Tagging and pacing stimulator enhancements for mapping workflow and decision-making during ablation.
• The PulseSelect software adds real-time impedance-based tissue proximity feedback before energy delivery on the company's pulsed field ablation system.

• Caterpillar plans to invest approximately $1 bln in North Carolina to expand manufacturing capacity for its Cat Compact business.
• The project includes a new manufacturing facility in Sanford designed to increase production of compact track loaders and telehandlers to meet demand.
• Caterpillar said the site is expected to use automation, digital production systems and integrated logistics to improve safety, quality and operating performance.
• The company cited rising compact equipment demand and said the expansion builds on its existing Sanford manufacturing presence.

• DuPont introduced an interactive digital tool to help sugar and sweetener producers evaluate chromatographic separation potential and identify candidate AmberLite resins.
• The platform lets users model a feed stream with a target sugar or sweetener plus up to four impurities, then generates a predicted chromatogram from DuPont experimental data.
• DuPont said the tool is built on years of laboratory separation data and is intended to narrow resin choices before customer testing with technical experts.
• The Sugar Separation Advisor is available through DuPont's Resource Center Premium with free registration.

• Mastercard expanded its Agent Pay program with new trust and intelligence services aimed at AI-initiated transactions.
• The first service, rolling out for testing in the U.S., is a probability score that indicates the likelihood a transaction was initiated by an AI agent.
• Mastercard said the services combine identity, intent, behavioral and fraud insights to help issuers and merchants make smarter authorization decisions with less friction.
• The company said it is working with Cloudflare (NET) and Skyfire on privacy-preserving tools and agent identity capabilities for agentic commerce.

• CoreWeave introduced Forge, a development layer that runs training, inference, evaluation and agent development in one connected environment.
• The platform is open across models, frameworks and other clouds and combines Weights & Biases Models, OpenPipe post-training capabilities, marimo notebooks and CoreWeave's own services.
• CoreWeave said Forge is available now, with ARIA and Sandboxes generally available and a new Agent Lens observability tool included.
• MasterClass and Canva are already building on Forge, according to the company.

• CoreWeave said Ennoble Care selected CoreWeave Cloud to run clinical AI inference workloads across its home-based care network.
• Ennoble Care is deploying NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition nodes on CoreWeave Kubernetes Service with hardware-enforced isolation and zero-trust controls.
• CoreWeave said the deployment includes dedicated reserved GPU capacity and a managed Kubernetes environment with container spin-up times eight to 10 times faster than a general-purpose cloud alternative.
• Ennoble Care said the setup will support AI agents in its ONC-certified EMR and help extend capabilities to tens of thousands of additional patients.

• Charles Schwab said Charley, its new generative AI assistant, will begin rolling out in phases in October on Schwab.com and Schwab Mobile for eligible U.S. retail clients.
• The assistant will support voice or text interactions for account questions, market information, select account actions and escalation to a Schwab representative when needed.
• At launch, Charley will handle tasks including watchlist updates, dividend reinvestment enrollment for eligible securities, beneficiary additions, contact updates and alerts management in the mobile app.
• Schwab said the tool is powered by large language models and grounded in Schwab data, security and safeguards.

• DoorDash introduced DashOS, a platform that connects its marketplace, direct ordering, reservations, loyalty, guest management and marketing tools for restaurants.
• The system is designed to link a diner's interactions with the same restaurant across channels so operators can personalize offers and better track repeat business.
• DoorDash said early tests showed AI-powered personalized recommendations increased total reservations by more than 15%, while omnichannel loyalty members order 1.8x as often and spend about 1.75x as much as non-opted-in consumers.
• The company said DashOS works without requiring restaurants to adopt a separate system or overhaul operations.

• CoreWeave said it will expand its compute portfolio with NVIDIA Vera, which it described as the first CPU designed for AI agents.
• The company said Vera will run on bare metal under the same platform, consumption models and economics as the rest of its fleet.
• CoreWeave said a rack-scale Vera system provides 128 CPUs and 11,264 cores in a single rack, supporting more than 11,000 concurrent environments through CoreWeave Sandboxes.
• In testing, CoreWeave said Vera delivered more than 3x faster agent sandbox startup times than an x86 CPU.

• DoorDash is rolling out a new text-to-order experience that lets users place food orders by messaging what they want instead of using the app.
• The service can search local restaurants, suggest carts, personalize repeat orders and complete checkout within the text thread.
• DoorDash said U.S. users can apply starting today to try the beta through a waitlist at doordash.com/text.
• The company also added grocery restock prompts and lower-cost item swap suggestions through Ask DoorDash in the app.

• DoorDash introduced DoorDash Air, an end-to-end drone delivery system combining custom aircraft, ground infrastructure, marketplace integration and automated flight operations.
• Pilot deliveries will begin in Northern California with restaurant partners including Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, a brand of Restaurant Brands (QSR).
• DoorDash said about 80% of typical restaurant orders on its platform are light and small enough for the aircraft to carry safely, with routing also factoring in weather, range and ground traffic.
• The company said the system was designed around merchant handoffs, packaging and doorstep delivery to fit existing restaurant operations.

• Pega introduced an AI Assistant for Launchpad.io that lets teams design, build and update enterprise applications using natural language.
• The tool translates business requirements into application logic, workflows and data models while keeping Launchpad's security, governance and scalability controls.
• Pega said the AI Assistant is available now and will be offered with no LLM fees for a limited time.
• The company said the assistant supports conversational planning, requirements definition and implementation across software teams and business users.

• agilon health said The Jackson Clinic will join one of its Senior Health Connect ACOs, extending the companies' existing value-based care partnership in Tennessee.
• The move is expected to add about 9,000 Traditional Medicare beneficiaries across the clinic's service area to the ACO, on top of roughly 8,000 senior Medicare Advantage patients already supported under the prior arrangement.
• The ACO participates in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and is intended to support more coordinated care, chronic disease management and lower unnecessary healthcare spending.
• agilon said its ACOs have generated more than $510 mln in gross savings since 2021, including $125 mln for the Medicare Trust Fund.

• CoreWeave announced availability of NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 on its cloud, with Cognition running production workloads as the first customer on the system.
• Cognition benchmarked up to a 4.8x increase in total token throughput for SWE-2 inference workloads versus a GB200 NVL72 baseline, plus a 3.8x boost in output token throughput for reinforcement learning workloads.
• CoreWeave said customers can run Vera Rubin NVL72 under the same operating model and tooling as existing GB200 NVL72 and GB300 NVL72 fleets.
• The company said Cognition scaled from bridge capacity to thousands of GPUs for training and inference in less than nine months.

• ServiceTitan is integrating Ramp's AI-powered Bill Pay and Expense Management tools into its platform for contractors.
• The partnership adds payment workflows to ServiceTitan's accounts payable capabilities and ties spending to jobs and projects inside the platform.
• Ramp-powered corporate expense cards will sync transactions into ServiceTitan for receipt capture, job matching and reconciliation.
• Ramp called this its first embedded partnership within a vertical software platform.

• WEX broadened its AI-powered claims adjudication tool beyond Health FSAs to Simple HRAs and Limited Purpose Health FSAs across its web portal and mobile app.
• The company said the tool has automatically approved more than 600,000 Health FSA claims in its first year, processing eligible claims in under two minutes with 95% accuracy.
• WEX said the expansion is live ahead of open enrollment and is aimed at reducing missing-information denials and HR administrative workload.
• The company expects to extend the tool to additional plan types and broader decisioning models through the rest of 2026.

The S&P 500 futures currently trade 27 points above fair value.

Asian markets finished mostly higher on Wednesday, with easing oil prices, stronger Chinese economic data, and renewed technology buying supporting sentiment. Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 2.1%, while the Topix gained 1.7%, led by SoftBank Group (+6.6%) following reports that OpenAI is seeking at least $30 bln in new funding, while Fujikura (+5.9%), Taiyo Yuden (+2.3%), and Kioxia (+1.2%) also advanced. China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%, while the Shenzhen Component slipped 0.1% after Beijing unveiled additional stimulus measures, including mortgage subsidies and expanded central-bank funding support, though investors still want stronger measures to boost domestic demand. China's September manufacturing PMI improved to 50.1 from 49.8, while the non-manufacturing PMI rose to 50.2 from 49.0 and the private RatingDog manufacturing PMI climbed to 52.1. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index reversed early losses to gain 0.4%, supported by Wuxi Biologics (+5.1%), Z.AI (+4.6%), Akeso (+2.1%), and Xiaomi (+0.4%). Mainland Chinese markets will remain closed from October 1 through October 7 for the National Day holiday.

• In economic data:
  • China's September Manufacturing PMI increased to 50.1 (expected 50.1; prior 49.8).
  • China's September Non-Manufacturing PMI increased to 50.2 (expected 49.2; prior 49.0).
  • China's September Composite PMI increased to 50.7 (prior 49.5).
  • China's September RatingDog Manufacturing PMI increased to 52.1 m/m (expected 51.7; prior 51.5).
  • Japan's August Retail Sales increased 2.7% yr/yr (expected 3.3%; prior 3.7%).
  • Japan's August Industrial Production decreased 1.7% m/m (expected 1.4%; prior -0.2%).
  • Japan's August Housing Starts increased 6.1% yr/yr (expected 6.9%; prior 8.2%).
  • Japan's August Construction Orders decreased 3.6% yr/yr (prior -13.4%).
  • South Korea's August Retail Sales decreased 1.8% (prior -2.6%).
  • South Korea's August Industrial Production decreased 4.8% m/m (expected 0.5%; prior 0.5%) and 2.2% yr/yr (expected 4.0%; prior 4.0%).
  • Australia's August Building Approvals decreased 6.1% m/m (expected -1.6%; prior -1.9%).
  • Australia's August Monthly CPI Indicator increased to 4.00% (expected 4.10%; prior 3.50%).

European markets trade mixed, with easing energy-supply concerns providing some relief while fresh inflation data keeps the broader rate outlook in focus. Germany's DAX 40 slips 0.1% after an early gain, with Heidelberg Materials (+1.7%) and MTU Aero Engines (+1.6%) among the leaders while investors await German inflation data. France's CAC 40 falls 0.4% after September consumer inflation accelerates to 3.0%, its highest since February 2024, while household goods consumption declines 0.5% in August. Airbus (+1.4%), Safran (+1.3%), and L'Oral (+0.8%) advance, while TotalEnergies (-2.4%) and Publicis (-1.1%) lag. London's FTSE 100 gains 0.1% after second-quarter UK GDP growth is revised up to 0.5% from 0.4%, with Severn Trent and United Utilities (+3.0%) and Antofagasta (+3.2%) leading strength. Improved Middle East energy flows and another release from US emergency reserves are pressuring crude prices, weighing on BP (-1.7%) and Shell (-1.0%) while providing some relief from the energy-driven inflation pressures hanging over global markets.

• In economic data:
  • Germany's August Retail Sales increased 1.3% m/m (expected 1.6%; prior -3.2%) and decreased 0.4% yr/yr (expected 0.1%; prior -2.2%).
  • Germany's August Import Price Index increased 1.0% m/m (expected 0.6%; prior 0.2%) and 8.3% yr/yr (expected 8.0%; prior 6.8%).
  • Germany's September Unemployment Rate was 6.4% (expected 6.4%; prior 6.4%).
  • Germany's September Unemployment Change was 12K (expected 1K; prior 5K).
  • The U.K.'s Q2 GDP increased 0.5% qtr/qtr (expected 0.4%; prior 0.6%) and 1.4% yr/yr (expected 1.2%; prior 0.9%).
  • The U.K.'s Q2 Business Investment increased 1.8% qtr/qtr (expected 1.7%; prior 3.0%).
  • The U.K.'s Q2 Current Account deficit was GBP19.9 billion (expected GBP25.6 billion; prior GBP21.1 billion).
  • France's September CPI decreased 0.3% m/m (expected -0.5%; prior 0.7%) and increased 3.0% yr/yr (expected 2.8%; prior 2.4%).
  • France's August PPI increased 1.0% m/m (prior 1.3%) and 4.8% yr/yr (prior 3.5%).
  • France's August Consumer Spending decreased 0.5% m/m (expected 0.0%; prior 0.4%).
  • Italy's September Consumer Confidence fell to 91.2 (expected 94.0; prior 94.5).
  • Italy's September Business Confidence increased to 91.9 (expected 90.5; prior 90.2).
  • Italy's September CPI increased 0.7% m/m (expected 0.2%; prior 0.5%) and 4.2% yr/yr (expected 3.8%; prior 3.3%).

Filings:

• Carnival (CCL) filed a mixed securities shelf offering
• Chesapeake Utilities (CPK) filed for a common stock offering; amount undisclosed

Offerings:

• Pyxis Oncology (MRK) launched a registered public offering of common stock or pre-funded warrants, each paired with a common warrant; size and terms undisclosed

Pricings:

• Accelevation Holdings (IPOXX) priced a 30.0M-share IPO at $18.00 per share, below the expected $20-$24 range
• Pyxis Oncology (MRK) priced 36.05M shares and 1.88M pre-funded warrants with common warrants for about $110M in gross proceeds
• Sagimet (SGMT) priced 8.75M Series A shares at $10.00 and pre-funded warrants for 2.75M shares at $9.9999, raising about $115M

• DoorDash introduced a corporate-ordering connector that lets companies link compatible internal AI tools or custom agents to DoorDash for team lunches and office restocking.
• The connector can search DoorDash, build carts, place orders and track delivery; employees sign in with their own DoorDash accounts before an agent can act on their behalf.
• Early beta partners include Vercel, Cognition, Tempo and Mercor; the product uses the Model Context Protocol open standard for connecting AI applications to external services.
• DoorDash said the beta is initially limited to companies ordering for employees, with a broader company waitlist opening September 30.

• The Registration Statement includes a preliminary proxy statement of TMTG, a prospectus of TMTG, and a consent solicitation statement of TAE.
• Upon closing, TAE will continue to address growing demand for reliable, abundant, and affordable electricity, including the power and power management needed to support advancements in artificial intelligence.

• In a year-long functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study - a non-invasive method to measure brain activity during specific tasks - CagriSema changed how the brain reacted to tempting, high-calorie foods in areas linked to cravings, pleasure, and self-control in people living with overweight or obesity. In adults with type 2 diabetes, CagriSema reduced harmful fat around abdominal organs, including the liver and pancreas. Early findings also suggest that bone health was maintained despite substantial weight loss. Together, these findings suggest CagriSema may address underlying factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the brain and multiple organs and tissues, including bones, not only weight and blood sugar levels
• Novo filed a New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2025 for CagriSema for weight management, demonstrating the company's commitment to obesity innovation. A decision is expected in Q4 2026.

The S&P 500 futures now trade 24 points above fair value following this morning's data dump. 

Just released, personal income increased 0.2% month-over-month in August (Briefing.com consensus 0.4%), from a downwardly revised prior increase of 0.3% (from 0.4%).

Personal spending rose 0.9% (Briefing.com consensus 0.7%), from a downwardly revised previous increase of 0.1% (from 0.2%).

The PCE Price Index rose 0.3% in August (Briefing.com consensus 0.4%), from a downwardly revised prior increase of 0.1% (from 0.2%).

The Core PCE Price Index, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2% (Briefing.com consensus 0.3%), from a downwardly revised prior increase of 0.1% (from 0.2%).

The third estimate of Q2 GDP was revised up to 2.2% from the second estimate of 1.5% (Briefing.com consensus 1.5%).

The GDP Chain Deflator was revised down to 6.1% from the second estimate of 6.4% (Briefing.com consensus 6.3%).

Advance Retail Inventories increased by 0.3% in August, from the upwardly revised previous increase of 0.8% (from 0.7%).

Advance international trade in goods showed the deficit widening to $132.6 billion in August, from a prior deficit of $118.8 billion.

Advance wholesale inventories increased by 0.7% in August, from the prior increase of 1.3%.

• Niagen Bioscience entered a Start-Up Agreement with Mass General Brigham investigators to plan a proposed multi-year, randomized, placebo-controlled prevention trial of Niagen in adults age 50 and older.
• The investigator-led study is intended to assess short- and long-term effects across major clinical outcomes, healthy aging measures, and biomarkers including biological aging, inflammation, and NAD+ status.
• Final design details including sample size, dose, duration, endpoints, regulatory review, logistics, budget, and definitive agreements are still being developed.
• The company said the trial is envisioned as its largest Niagen study to date and may add other academic, nonprofit, philanthropic, and industry collaborators.

• BTQ will deploy its QSSN security infrastructure across the Kaia blockchain under a three-year commercial agreement with Kaia DLT Foundation, marking QSSN's first recurring commercial deployment.
• The company will receive a share of transaction fees from QSSN-secured activity and expects first-year revenue in the six figures in USD, with revenue tied to transaction volume over the contract term.
• BTQ said QSSN will protect stablecoins at the account level on Kaia; LINE NEXT's Unifi Wallet is positioned to be among the first consumer applications using the chain-level protection.
• Kaia connects the LINE and Kakao ecosystems, which BTQ said represent a potential user base of more than 250 mln people across Asia.

• Choice Hotels agreed to acquire Harvest Hosts in an all-cash deal valued at about $130 mln enterprise value, expanding into outdoor and RV travel.
• Harvest Hosts operates an asset-light RV travel membership platform with more than 11,200 host locations including wineries, farms, breweries and museums.
• Choice said the deal will be funded with cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facility, and is not expected to have a material impact on 2026 results; Harvest Hosts will continue as a standalone brand.

• SKYX signed an agreement to supply its safe and smart home technologies to the Trump Towers Hyderabad luxury residential development in India.
• The 2.2 mln-square-foot project will include two 65-storey towers and more than 450 residences; SKYX said it expects to supply tens of thousands of units over the course of development.
• The project is being jointly developed by IRA Realty and Tribeca Developers.

• Lantheus said CMS granted Transitional Pass-Through payment status for PYLARIFY TruVu, effective October 1, 2026.
• The designation enables separate reimbursement for the PSMA PET imaging agent in the hospital outpatient setting and comes with a permanent HCPCS code effective the same date.
• Lantheus said the reimbursement milestones support patient access as it prepares a phased geographic rollout of the new formulation.

• ZoomInfo acquired DoubleO.ai, an agentic orchestration platform designed to run multi-agent go-to-market workflows.
• The deal combines DoubleO.ai's orchestration technology with ZoomInfo's B2B data and signal graph to support end-to-end GTM motions such as champion tracking and closed-won pipeline expansion.
• Terms were not disclosed; ZoomInfo said DoubleO.ai's platform already powers workflows at Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing software firms.

• Skyworks (SWKS) said it has received all necessary regulatory clearances for its previously announced combination with Qorvo (QRVO).
• The companies expect to close the cash-and-stock transaction on or about October 5, 2026, subject to remaining customary closing conditions.
• Skyworks said its exchange offers for Qorvo notes remain conditioned on closing of the mergers and are currently set to expire on October 2, with an extension press release expected.

• Candel Therapeutics reported integrated clinical and biomarker data showing durable local and systemic immune activation after aglatimagene besadenovec in intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer.
• In the Phase 3 PrTK03 subgroup, aglatimagene plus EBRT showed a 41% reduction in risk of recurrence or prostate cancer-specific death versus placebo plus EBRT (HR 0.59, p=0.0034).
• The company said biodistribution and shedding data from the Phase 2 PrTK05 trial remain on track for inclusion in a planned Q4 2026 BLA submission to the FDA for localized prostate cancer.

• OSI Systems said its Security division received about $23 mln of orders from a North America customer for cargo inspection programs.
• The awards cover civil works, service and support for the customer's cargo inspection systems.
• OSI said the work includes site engineering, infrastructure and sustainment programs for the installed systems.

• Elmet Technologies, a unit of The Elmet Group, received a Defense Logistics Agency contract worth about $36 mln to supply molybdenum and tungsten alloys and precision wire for the U.S. National Defense Stockpile.
• The materials include TZM alloy billets, bar stock, ingots and specialized molybdenum and tungsten wire used in jet engine components and other aerospace applications.
• The award is separate from the previously announced DLA tungsten stockpile contract with a $2 bln ceiling value.

• Skyward Group said it is bringing ibott's autonomous vehicle underwriting capabilities directly into the U.S. primary market.
• The expansion adds a broader suite of insurance products for vehicle manufacturers, autonomous driving system developers and fleet operators across the AV ecosystem.
• Skyward said the move combines ibott's specialized AV and digital-economy underwriting with the group's wider distribution, technology and market access capabilities.

• Sarepta said new World Muscle Society data showed ELEVIDYS delivered durable, clinically meaningful functional benefits over two years in ambulatory Duchenne patients treated at ages 8 to 12 versus a matched external control.
• In the analysis, patients from EMBARK and ENDEAVOR aged 8-12 at dosing (n=25) were compared with an external control group (n=99), with NSAA improvement of 3.32 points versus control (P=0.0022).
• Separate findings in children treated at ages 2 to under 3 showed robust dystrophin expression and transduction efficiency at 12 weeks, while safety remained consistent with no new signals identified.

• BlackSky was named the first satellite imagery provider for SkyFi's Satellite Intelligence app, which is set to launch in the coming weeks within Robinhood's agent app ecosystem.
• The offering will use BlackSky imagery and SkyFi analytics to monitor facilities tied to major public companies, including vehicle production, fulfillment hubs, data center construction and theme park attendance.
• BlackSky said its Spectra platform can automate tasking, image processing and AI feature extraction in under 90 minutes from collection.

• UiPath expanded its partnership with Snowflake (SNOW), adding a two-way integration that lets customers use Snowflake data in UiPath automations and trigger automations directly from Snowflake without copying data.
• UiPath said the integration includes zero-copy access through Data Fabric, extended Snowflake Cortex connectivity in Integration Service and Cartographer, and access to UiPath agentic skills from Snowflake CoCo.
• UiPath is also now available on Snowflake Marketplace, giving joint customers another route to deploy the automation platform inside existing Snowflake environments.

• DiaMedica will host a virtual KOL event on October 23 at 8:00 a.m. ET covering fetal growth restriction and preliminary interim topline results from the first cohort of an investigator-sponsored Phase 2 early-onset FGR trial.
• The company said the panel will discuss interim safety, tolerability and clinical findings from the first six participants treated with DM199 at the 5 µg/kg dose level.
• Enrollment in cohort 1 is complete, and dosing has begun in cohort 2 at 10 µg/kg; this is the first use of DM199 in early-onset fetal growth restriction patients.

• ICE introduced Residential Whole Loan Evaluations, extending its evaluated pricing process to individual unsecuritized mortgage loans.
• The service covers QM, non-QM and specialty collateral, aiming to add model-driven pricing transparency to a fast-growing market segment.
• Evaluations can be delivered daily or monthly through the ICE Data API and use ICE mortgage datasets including prepayment/credit models, home price data and origination data from 3,000+ lenders.

• Hyatt appointed Amar Lalvani to the newly created Chief Creative Officer role, effective immediately, while he remains President & Creative Director of the Lifestyle Group.
• Lalvani will stay on Hyatt's senior leadership team and report to CEO Mark Hoplamazian.
• He joined Hyatt in 2024 through the Standard International acquisition, which formed the foundation of Hyatt's Lifestyle Group with The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels.

• AIB expects the customer prepayments under the initial 12-year term, together with project-level debt and preferred equity, to fund a substantial portion of the initial development costs for the 50 MW project, significantly reducing AIB's anticipated need for corporate-level common equity and limiting potential dilution to shareholders.

The S&P 500 futures currently tradein-line with fair value.

Just released, the ADP Employment Change Report saw 90K jobs added in September (Briefing.com consensus 58K), from a downwardly revised prior increase of 36K (from 38K).

• Based on regulatory filings reviewed through September 24, 2026, Aterio sees a material risk the site misses Oracle's second-half 2027 delivery guidance, with meaningful load unlikely before mid-2028. Vantage has said it expects full campus buildout by 2028.
• Construction does not appear to be the limiting factor. Permits are in hand, work has run continuously since December 2025, and satellite imagery shows two of the four halls enclosed. The constraint is grid power. The campus can't operate until American Transmission Company (ATC) builds a new high-voltage interconnection, and that work can't begin without approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC).
  
• That approval process has started over. ATC's first application spent ten months under review before the PSC revoked its completeness finding in August and closed the case, citing hundreds of post-filing changes to the project's scope. The Commission was clear it wasn't ruling on the merits. ATC refiled in September, resetting the statutory clock under a new docket.

• Private-sector employment increased by 90,000 jobs in September, according to the ADP National Employment Report produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.
• Base pay for private-sector workers rose 3.2% and gross pay was up 4.7% year over year, according to ADP Pay Insights.
• Base pay for job-stayers rose 3.0% year-over-year; base pay for job-changers increased 4.8%.
• Gross pay for job-stayers rose 4.4% year-over year; gross pay for job-changers increased 7.3%.
• The ADP National Employment Report is an independent measure of the labor market based on the anonymized weekly payroll data of more than 26 million private-sector employees in the United States. ADP Pay Insights uses payroll transaction data to compare the wage growth of individual workers over 12-month intervals, resulting in more than 14.7 million year-over-year pay-change observations each month.

• Phase 2b HS study met the primary endpoint at week 16, with HiSCR50 achieved by 72% of patients on high-dose tulisokibart and 64% on medium dose versus 35% for placebo.
• Non-ranked key secondary measures also numerically favored tulisokibart, including HiSCR75 rates of 41% and 40% in the high- and medium-dose groups versus 15% for placebo.
• Safety was comparable with placebo; adverse-event rates were 42.9%-52.4% across tulisokibart arms versus 40.9% for placebo, and no serious or opportunistic infections were observed.
• Merck said the data support advancing tulisokibart, an anti-TL1A antibody, into Phase 3 in HS; the drug is already in Phase 3 for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

• New analyses from Candel's completed phase 3 trial showed aglatimagene plus EBRT increased intratumoral lymphocyte infiltration and tumor-immune engagement versus placebo plus EBRT more than two years after treatment.
• In paired biopsies from patients with residual tumor (n=108), aglatimagene improved intratumoral lymphocyte fraction (p=0.006), lymphocyte-tumor enrichment (p=0.003), and lymphocyte-tumor mixing (p<0.001).
• Candel said it had previously reported negative prostate biopsies at two years in 80% of evaluable aglatimagene patients versus 63% of controls (p=0.0018).
• The company said the biomarker findings support prior phase 3 disease-free survival and pathologic results as it moves toward a planned BLA submission.

• Co continues to rapidly expand its leading agentic marketing platform by announcing a multiplayer agent harness built for marketing teams.
• The new agent harness creates a shared, context-rich workspace in Scout where corporate teams, field teams, partners, and agents work side by side toward the same goal.

• New compact surface-mount attenuators extend Knowles' RF offering as the company pushes to become a broader one-stop supplier for high-performance RF components.
• A-Series uses thin-film technology and is designed to deliver stable attenuation from DC to 20 GHz, with power handling up to 6.5W CW at 100C.
• Products target radar, phased-array antennas, ESM, T/R modules, wireless infrastructure, SATCOM, and RF test and measurement applications.
• Standard attenuation values range from 0 dB to 20 dB; the parts are pin-compatible with industry-standard chip attenuators to ease upgrades with minimal PCB redesign.

Equity futures point to a flattish opening this morning as investors await a full slate of economic data and some consequential earnings reports after the close. The economic calendar is headlined by the August Personal Income and Spending report, which includes the PCE Price Index (Briefing.com consenus 0.4%), the Fed's preferred inflation gauge.

Stocks are coming off a mostly lower session in which weak breadth and participation overshadowed a solid showing from semiconductor and other AI-infrastructure stocks. The major averages did recover from their session lows following dovish commentary from New York Fed President John Williams, a voting FOMC member, who indicated there was no urgency for another policy adjustment. Those remarks helped temper expectations for another rate hike, with the CME FedWatch Tool now pricing in a 43.7% probability of a hike at the October FOMC meeting, down from 70.9% before his comments.

The semiconductor group will remain in focus today, particularly with Micron (MU 1,067.95, +2.87, +0.3%) scheduled to report earnings after the close. The report should provide another important read on demand trends surrounding the AI infrastructure buildout following yesterday's relative strength in the group.

On the U.S. data front:

• 09/26 MBA Mortgage Applications Index -6.0%; prior -1.5%

Today's remaining economic calendar:

• 8:15 AM ET: September ADP Employment Change; Briefing.com consensus 58K; prior 38K
• 8:30 AM ET: August Personal Income; Briefing.com consensus 0.4%; prior 0.4%
• 8:30 AM ET: August Personal Spending; Briefing.com consensus 0.7%; prior 0.2%
• 8:30 AM ET: August PCE Prices; Briefing.com consensus 0.4%; prior 0.2%
• 8:30 AM ET: August PCE Prices - Core; Briefing.com consensus 0.3%; prior 0.2%
• 8:30 AM ET: Q2 GDP - Third Estimate; Briefing.com consensus 1.5%; prior 1.5%
• 8:30 AM ET: Q2 GDP Deflator - Third Estimate; Briefing.com consensus 6.3%; prior 6.4%
• 8:30 AM ET: August Adv. Retail Inventories; prior 0.7%
• 8:30 AM ET: August Adv. Intl. Trade in Goods; prior -$118.8B
• 8:30 AM ET: August Adv. Wholesale Inventories; prior 1.3%
• 9:45 AM ET: September Chicago PMI; Briefing.com consensus 53.2; prior 47.1
• 10:30 AM ET: 09/26 EIA Crude Oil Inventories; prior +2.97M

In corporate news:

• Boeing (BA 192.12, +4.44, +2.4%) won a U.S. Navy contract worth over $20 billion to design, build and deliver sixth-generation F/A-XX aircraft.
• Jabil (JBL 310.10, -8.74, -2.7%) beat EPS expectations by $0.35, beat on revenues, guided Q1 EPS above consensus with revenues above consensus, and guided FY27 EPS above consensus with revenues above consensus.
• Robinhood Markets (HOOD 119.66, +3.44, +3.0%) is higher after unveiling AI-powered Robinhood Agents and plans for perpetual futures, earnings contracts and 24/7 weekend equities trading.

Reviewing overnight developments:

According to Nikkei, Asian markets finished mostly higher, supported by easing oil prices, stronger Chinese economic data, and renewed technology buying.

In news:

• Beijing announced additional stimulus measures, including mortgage subsidies and expanded central-bank funding support.
• Mainland Chinese markets will be closed from October 1 through October 7 for the National Day holiday.

In economic data:

• China's September Manufacturing PMI 50.1 (expected 50.1; prior 49.8), Non-Manufacturing PMI 50.2 (expected 49.2; prior 49.0), and Composite PMI 50.7 (prior 49.5); September RatingDog Manufacturing PMI 52.1 m/m (expected 51.7; prior 51.5)
• Japan's August Retail Sales 2.7% yr/yr (expected 3.3%; prior 3.7%); August Industrial Production -1.7% m/m (expected 1.4%; prior -0.2%); August Housing Starts 6.1% yr/yr (expected 6.9%; prior 8.2%); August Construction Orders -3.6% yr/yr (prior -13.4%)
• South Korea's August Retail Sales -1.8% (prior -2.6%); August Industrial Production -4.8% m/m (expected 0.5%; prior 0.5%) and -2.2% yr/yr (expected 4.0%; prior 4.0%)
• Australia's August Building Approvals -6.1% m/m (expected -1.6%; prior -1.9%); August Monthly CPI Indicator 4.00% (expected 4.10%; prior 3.50%)

Equity Markets:

• Japan's Nikkei: +2.1%
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng: +0.4%
• China's Shanghai Composite: +0.3%
• India's Sensex: -0.1%
• South Korea's Kospi: -0.5%
• Australia's All Ordinaries: +0.9%

European markets are mixed as easing energy-supply concerns provide some relief while fresh inflation data keeps the rate outlook in focus.

In news:

• Improved Middle East energy flows and another release from U.S. emergency reserves are pressuring crude prices.
• Investors are awaiting Germany's inflation data.

In economic data:

• Germany's August Retail Sales 1.3% m/m (expected 1.6%; prior -3.2%) and -0.4% yr/yr (expected 0.1%; prior -2.2%); August Import Price Index 1.0% m/m (expected 0.6%; prior 0.2%) and 8.3% yr/yr (expected 8.0%; prior 6.8%); September Unemployment Rate 6.4% (expected 6.4%; prior 6.4%); September Unemployment Change 12K (expected 1K; prior 5K)
• U.K.'s Q2 GDP 0.5% qtr/qtr (expected 0.4%; prior 0.6%) and 1.4% yr/yr (expected 1.2%; prior 0.9%); Q2 Business Investment 1.8% qtr/qtr (expected 1.7%; prior 3.0%); Q2 Current Account -GBP19.9B (expected -GBP25.6B; prior -GBP21.1B)
• France's September CPI -0.3% m/m (expected -0.5%; prior 0.7%) and 3.0% yr/yr (expected 2.8%; prior 2.4%); August PPI 1.0% m/m (prior 1.3%) and 4.8% yr/yr (prior 3.5%); August Consumer Spending -0.5% m/m (expected 0.0%; prior 0.4%)
• Italy's September Consumer Confidence 91.2 (expected 94.0; prior 94.5) and Business Confidence 91.9 (expected 90.5; prior 90.2); September CPI 0.7% m/m (expected 0.2%; prior 0.5%) and 4.2% yr/yr (expected 3.8%; prior 3.3%)

Equity Markets:

• STOXX Europe 600 : -0.1%
• Germany's DAX : -0.2%
• U.K.'s FTSE 100 : +0.1%
• France's CAC 40 : -0.6%
• Italy's FTSE MIB : -0.3%
• Spain's IBEX 35 : flat

• EBGLYSS monotherapy showed significant improvements at Week 16 in hand and foot skin clearance, itch and pain in adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe disease.
• More than half of treated patients achieved clear or almost clear skin on hands and feet by Week 16, with significant skin-clearance benefit seen as early as one month.
• Lilly said itch improved significantly as early as two weeks, and nearly 8 in 10 patients reported being satisfied or very satisfied with hand clearance at Week 16.
• Late-breaking Phase 3b data are being presented at the EADV Congress in Vienna from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3.

• Co announced today an update on the Company's Third Quarter delivery of Military Specification (MIL-SPEC) antimony ingot shipments to the Defense Logistics Agency ("DLA") under its existing $245 million sole-source supply contract. USAC is the sole producer of MIL-SPEC (>99.6% pure) antimony ingots in the Western Hemisphere.
• Antimony flake feedstock deliveries to USAC related to the Company's contractual offtake agreements from its joint partner's Bolivian Hydrometallurgical ("Hydromet") facility have occurred and landed at the Thompson Falls smelter(s) during the third quarter. Due to its high purity (~99%), antimony flake will significantly improve the efficiency of our gas-fired furnaces.

• SEI opened a Singapore office as part of its Asia-Pacific growth push, initially offering asset servicing, professional services, and distribution of its UCITS funds.
• The company said it plans to add more locally relevant products and expand enterprise asset management, technology, operations, and professional services in the region as client adoption grows.
• Connall McGuckian was named Managing Director and Head of Singapore; he joins from State Street, where he most recently served as COO for Alternatives Investment Solutions in Asia-Pacific.

• Co announced that construction is underway on Altamaha Green Energy ("AGE"), a 70 MW biomass cogeneration project adjacent to the Company's Jesup, Georgia, manufacturing facility.
  The project is being developed in partnership with Albioma and the Beasley Group and will generate renewable electricity under a long-term power purchase agreement with Georgia Power while providing process steam to RYAM's Jesup facility. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2029.
• Through its land and prior investments in the project, RYAM expects to retain an initial 14% equity interest in AGE. Under pre-established terms, RYAM also has the option to purchase an additional equity interest that would increase its total ownership to as much as 16%. Based on current projections, the Company expects to receive approximately $8 million to $10 million in annual distributions from AGE once the facility is operational. This capital-light structure allows the Company to participate in the project's potential long-term value while preserving capital for its core business.
• AGE is also expected to provide significant strategic benefits to RYAM's Jesup operations by modernizing and strengthening critical utility infrastructure while avoiding approximately $30 million in future capital expenditures that otherwise would have been required to maintain and replace legacy utility assets. The project's use of sustainably sourced regional forestry residues to generate renewable electricity and process steam is also expected to advance RYAM's sustainability objectives and further support the Company's role in promoting a more sustainable world. Together, these benefits are expected to enhance the reliability, environmental performance and long-term competitiveness of Jesup, a core manufacturing site within

• Abbott commercially launched FDA-approved SimpleScreen CRC in the U.S. for average-risk adults age 45 and older, adding a blood-based option to its colorectal cancer screening portfolio.
• The test joins Cologuard Plus and is intended for patients who decline or do not complete preferred screening options such as stool-based tests or direct visual exams.
• Abbott said SimpleScreen CRC was validated in the PREEMPT CRC study of more than 48,000 asymptomatic, average-risk adults scheduled for screening colonoscopy.
• In a prespecified analysis, the test showed 81.1% overall sensitivity for colorectal cancer and 90.4% specificity for advanced colorectal neoplasia; Abbott said it is covered by Medicare for eligible Part B patients.

• Payoneer extended its strategic payout partnership with Etsy (ETSY) under a three-year agreement running through 2029.
• The renewal keeps Payoneer as a payments partner for Etsy sellers across 16 markets in Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East.
• Payoneer said the companies have supported tens of thousands of sellers since launching together in 2023.
• Eligible Etsy sellers can receive earnings in USD, withdraw to local bank accounts, and manage funds across more than 70 currencies.

• Baldwin's (BWIN) MSI unit is integrating its LeaseTrack platform with Kanguro Insurance's embedded renters insurance offering for multifamily communities.
• The tie-up is designed to automate resident policy tracking and compliance management for property operators, reducing administrative work and liability gaps.
• Residents will get direct access to Kanguro renters insurance through the move-in flow, with bilingual English and Spanish support.

• Harmonic introduced the Recon family of network monitoring and measurement products built in collaboration with Comcast and based initially on Comcast's XMFR fiber monitoring technology.
• The offering is aimed at broadband operators and infrastructure providers, with real-time visibility, fault detection, location pinpointing and faster repair workflows.
• Recon combines in-network monitoring hardware, handheld diagnostic tools and cloud software, and integrates with Harmonic's cOS SensAI intelligence fabric for proactive fault detection and remediation validation.

• Mattel appointed Roger Lynch, currently a board member and independent lead director, as chairman effective Oct. 2 and CEO effective on or before Nov. 2.
• Lynch has served as CEO of Conde Nast since 2019 and previously held CEO roles at Pandora, Sling, Video Networks International, and Chello Broadband.
• Ynon Kreiz will step down as chairman and CEO effective Oct. 2 to take a senior leadership position at another public company.
• Mattel also named current board member Diana Ferguson as independent lead director following the succession process.

• Pottery Barn, a Williams-Sonoma brand, introduced an exclusive home furnishings collaboration with Big Daddy's Antiques.
• The collection includes furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, and entertaining pieces inspired by antique silhouettes and architectural salvage.
• Williams-Sonoma said the assortment is available online and in select stores.

• Integer said the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period was terminated early for KKR's pending acquisition of the company.
• KKR agreed in August to acquire all outstanding Integer shares for $127/share in cash in a deal with about $5.7 bln enterprise value.
• The transaction still requires Integer shareholder approval, other regulatory approvals, and customary closing conditions.
• Integer continues to expect the deal to close by the end of 2026; shareholders are set to vote at a virtual special meeting on Oct. 21.

• CTS launched its first Digital Temperature Sensor platform, adding high-accuracy digital sensing to its temperature sensing portfolio.
• The platform is aimed at industrial, medical, transportation, and electronics applications and is designed for simplified integration into connected systems.
• CTS said the offering supports multiple probe styles and housing configurations, along with traceable temperature measurement capability.

• REVTORPYK is now available in the U.S. for eligible patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer without a detected PIK3CA mutation after at least one line of endocrine therapy in the metastatic setting.
• The FDA approved the drug on July 14 in combination with fulvestrant, with or without palbociclib.
• Celcuity launched REVTORPYK Support Services to provide reimbursement, copay, and patient assistance support.
• The company also said it filed a supplemental NDA in August to expand use into PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer.

• North American riders can now use the Lyft app in Europe without downloading a separate app, with early access beginning in Barcelona and Hamburg.
• Lyft plans to expand through October to cities including London, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Athens, and Warsaw, with coverage across 11 European countries by month-end.
• The company said it built a new backend framework that connects the Lyft rider app to third-party marketplaces, creating a template for further international expansion.
• European riders will continue using Freenow by Lyft and Gett by Lyft apps; Lyft said North American travelers should add demand for drivers on those platforms.

• Starcloud's SC-1L compute payload will fly on Firefly's Elytra spacecraft to demonstrate AI computing capabilities in lunar orbit.
• The payload will ingest data from Firefly's Solux vision system, process it on orbit, and transmit the results back to Earth.
• Firefly said the demo is being onboarded to its third lunar mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028, with Elytra expected to remain in lunar orbit for five years.
• The company also noted a recent collaboration with NVIDIA for onboard processing tied to its Ocula lunar imaging service.

• One-year renewal is valued at more than $20 mln and covers ongoing support plus access to new AI-powered capabilities.
• The customer has used Cognyte's platform for more than a decade across intelligence work including counterterrorism, national security threats, and organized crime.
• Cognyte said the agency has built workflows, integrations, and officer training around the platform, supporting continued operational use.

Time to See PCE

• U.S. Treasuries moved gingerly through the overnight trade after an eventful session on Tuesday that saw the market dislocate its trading from the movement in oil prices. That continues to ring true this morning, only this time oil prices are higher (WTI +1.5% to $90.70/bbl) and Treasury yields are lower. The improvement in Treasuries is mirroring an improvement in expectations for when the Fed might next raise the target range for the fed funds rate. Currently, the probability of a 25-basis-point hike at the October FOMC meeting sits at 43.7%, down markedly from 70.9% seen only a week ago. That shift was preciptated by New York Fed President Williams (FOMC voter), who said yesterday that there is no urgency for the Fed to act after the September rate hike. We'll see soon enough if the market continues to believe that. The PCE Price Index and Core PCE Price Index for August will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, along with a host of other data points.
• Yield Check:
  • 2-yr: -2 bps to 4.87%
  • 3-yr: -3 bps to 4.96%
  • 5-yr: -2 bps to 5.04%
  • 10-yr: -3 bps to 5.23%
  • 30-yr: -3 bps to 5.56%

• News:
  • U.S. and Iran talks yielded little progress. Axios
  • Technology executives signed a constitution on artificial intelligence during a White House event. Politico
  • President Trump evaluating all options for diesel exports. FT
  • OPEC will likely keep targets unchanged at Sunday's meeting. Reuters
  • President Trump to unveil South Korea's $200 bln U.S. investment plan, including $54 bln for Alaska LNG, according to Bloomberg
  • Paramount Skydance (PSKY) bond deal draws over $109 bln in orders to help fund Warner Bros. acquisition, according to Bloomberg
  • MBA Mortgage Applications Index -6.0% wk/wk, with refinance applications down 9% and purchase applications down 4%
  • China's September Manufacturing PMI 50.1 (expected 50.1; prior 49.8), Non-Manufacturing PMI 50.2 (expected 49.2; prior 49.0), and Composite PMI 50.7 (prior 49.5)
  • U.K.'s Q2 GDP 0.5% qtr/qtr (expected 0.4%; prior 0.6%) and 1.4% yr/yr (expected 1.2%; prior 0.9%)
• Commodities:
  • WTI crude: +1.5% to $90.70/bbl
  • Gold: +0.7% to $4,208.80/ozt
  • Copper: +0.2% to $6.61/lb
• Currencies:
  • EUR/USD: +0.1% to 1.1354
  • GBP/USD: +0.5% to 1.3290
  • USD/CNH: flat at 6.7071
  • USD/JPY: -0.2% to 157.03
• The Day Ahead:
  • 07:00 ET: MBA Mortgage Applications Index (prior -1.5%)
  • 08:15 ET: September ADP Employment Change (Briefing.com consensus: 58K; prior 38K)
  • 08:30 ET: August Personal Income (Briefing.com consensus: 0.4%; prior 0.4%), Personal Spending (Briefing.com consensus: 0.7%; prior 0.2%), PCE Price Index (Briefing.com consensus: 0.4%; prior 0.2%), and Core PCE Price Index (Briefing.com consensus: 0.3%; prior 0.2%)
  • 08:30 ET: Q2 GDP - Third Estimate (Briefing.com consensus: 1.5%; prior 1.5%) and Q2 GDP Deflator - Third Estimate (Briefing.com consensus: 6.3%; prior 6.4%)
  • 08:30 ET: August Adv. Intl. Trade in Goods (prior -$118.8B), Adv. Retail Inventories (prior 0.7%), and Adv. Wholesale Inventories (prior 1.3%)
  • 09:45 ET: September Chicago PMI (Briefing.com consensus: 53.2; prior 47.1)
  • 10:30 ET: EIA Crude Oil Inventories (prior +2.97M)
  • 15:25 ET: Fed Governor Cook (FOMC voter) speech on rural economy
  • 17:10 ET: Chicago Fed President Goolsbee (non-FOMC voter)
  • 18:00 ET: Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari (FOMC voter)

• Co today is hosting HPE Networking Investor Day, where Networking business leaders will outline a strategy designed to accelerate profitable growth and long-term shareholder value creation in the AI era. The company will share how HPE plans to capture expansive demand across Data Center Networking, Routing, Campus & Branch, and Security, positioning HPE Networking as a key driver of its growth.
• At HPE Networking Investor Day, HPE will highlight a broad and expanding networking opportunity across its portfolio, which serves enterprise and service provider customers, including hyperscalers and neoclouds.
• HPE expects to outgrow the market growth rates it will outline at the event and gain share over the next three years in Data Center Networking, Routing, and Campus & Branch.
• AI is creating a new wave of routing demand at the edge and across data centers, as customers connect users, devices, branches, and increasingly distributed AI clusters. HPE expects to build on decades of routing innovation, deep cloud and service-provider incumbency, and its MX and PTX platforms powered by Trio and Express silicon.
• HPE expects its Routing revenue to grow at a low-to-high 20s percent CAGR through fiscal 2029.
• Campus & Branch is entering a broad, multi-year modernization cycle tied to a Wi-Fi 7 refresh, positioning HPE to capitalize on the advantages of its combined Aruba and Juniper Mist portfolio, larger installed base, and global go-to-market model.
• HPE expects its Campus & Branch revenue to grow at a high single-digit percent CAGR through fiscal 2029.
• As networking and security converge, HPE is embedding security throughout the network by combining SASE, network access control, firewalls, identity-based policy enforcement, and AI-powered operations.
• HPE expects its Security revenue to grow at a high single-digit percent CAGR through fiscal 2029.
• HPE is raising its target for Juniper Networks related cost synergies over the next several years. The company now expects $800 million in annual run-rate savings by the end of fiscal 2028, up from its previously announced target of at least $600 million.
• HPE is raising its FY27 Networking segment revenue growth outlook to between high teens and low 20s percent. The company expects the networking segment operating margin to be in the mid-to-high 20s percent range. To support strong demand and mitigate supply constraints entering FY27, the company previously announced it doubled its quarter-over-quarter networking supply purchase commitments in the third quarter of FY26.
• The company is raising its projections for Networking segment revenue to grow at a high-teens percent CAGR from FY26 through FY29. It is also disclosing its expectation that the segment will maintain an operating margin target of mid-to-high 20s percent from FY27 through FY29.
  

• HPE said Vultr placed a $1.2 bln order to deploy AMD (AMD) Helios AI Rack by HPE systems at U.S. cloud data centers.
• The order is HPE's first for the new AMD Helios system, which includes HPE Networking scale-up switching and software.
• HPE and AMD said the deployment is aimed at AI model training and inference workloads for service provider and enterprise customers.
• HPE said the deal builds on Vultr's nearly three years of collaboration with Juniper Networks, now part of HPE.

• Conduent outlined its ASCEND 2026-28 framework at Investor Day, centered on simplifying operations, sharpening its portfolio, and scaling go-to-market efforts.
• The company said the plan emphasizes AI, automation, and analytics, along with more standardized operations, shared services, and tighter performance management.
• Conduent is focusing its strategy on Government and Commercial businesses, with particular emphasis on healthcare and financial operations.
• Additional three-year outlook details were filed in an 8-K; the company also referenced expected cost savings, divestiture proceeds from Transit and Tolling, and leverage reduction in forward-looking disclosures.

• FDA cleared the IND for IM-1340, an antibody-drug conjugate for advanced solid tumors and Immunome's fifth clinical-development program.
• IM-1340 targets a transport receptor expressed across solid tumors, including neuroendocrine tumors, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer, and uses Immunome's proprietary HC74 topoisomerase I inhibitor payload.
• Immunome expects to start a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter dose-escalation and expansion study in 4Q26.
• The Phase 1 trial is set to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity in patients with advanced solid tumors.

• Morningstar plans to relocate its global headquarters to the Thompson Center in late 2028, keeping the company in Chicago's Loop.
• The company said the lease is Chicago's largest downtown office transaction in 2026 to date; Morningstar will occupy more than 275,000 square feet and co-anchor the building with Google (GOOG / GOOGL).
• Morningstar also plans to donate $5 mln over five years starting in 2027, including $1 mln to the Commercial Club Foundation and $4 mln in grants through a new fund administered by United Way of Metro Chicago.
• Morningstar said it currently employs more than 1,500 people in Chicago and plans to continue hiring local talent.

• Reports Q4 (Aug) earnings of $4.40 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.35 better than the FactSet Consensus of $4.05; revenues rose 28.6% year/year to $10.62 bln vs the $9.69 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Co issues upside guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $3.80-$4.20, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $3.61 FactSet Consensus; sees Q1 revs of $10.6-$11.4 bln vs. $9.99 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Co issues upside guidance for FY27, sees EPS of $17.55, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $16.78 FactSet Consensus; sees FY27 revs of $44.5 bln vs. $42.7 bln FactSet Consensus.
• "Our fiscal 2027 outlook reflects the strength of Jabil's diversified portfolio, with accelerating AI demand complemented by solid growth in automotive, healthcare, energy infrastructure, defense and aerospace, and warehouse and retail automation," Dastoor continued.

• Based on the preliminary calculation of the Depositary, 65,907,215 Shares were validly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to auction tenders at or below the Purchase Price and pursuant to purchase price tenders.
• Roivant Sciences (ROIV), the beneficial owner of 38,847,462 Shares, approximately 19.5% of Arbutus's issued and outstanding Shares as of September 29, 2026, made a proportionate tender under the Offer and will maintain its proportionate Share ownership at approximately 19.5% percent following completion of the Offer.

• Reports Q1 (Aug) earnings of $0.41 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.13 better than the FactSet Consensus of $0.28; revenues fell 1.4% year/year to $2.6 bln vs the $2.59 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Organic net sales decreased 1.1%.
• Adjusted operating margin was 11.5%.
• Co reaffirms guidance for FY27, sees EPS of $1.40-$1.50, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $1.44 FactSet Consensus. Sees organic net sales change of (3)% to (1)% compared to fiscal 2026 and Adjusted operating margin between 10.0% and 10.5%.

• Dyersburg, Tennessee-based entity holds utility power contracts for 29 MW of aggregate contract demand and a 1-acre land lease
• Location is substation-adjacent with heavy-industrial zoning suitable for bitcoin mining and high-density AI compute deployment
• Served by Dyersburg Electric System, a Tennessee Valley Authority local power company, under standard industrial rate schedules with firm and interruptible service option
• Brings Atlantic's total utility-approved capacity to 127 MW, of which 76 MW is under development, across facilities in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ohio and Tennessee

• Wave Life Sciences said GSK selected a hepatology siRNA candidate from the companies' collaboration to transition into GSK's development pipeline, triggering a $12 mln milestone payment to Wave.
• The selected program uses Wave's proprietary SpiNA design GalNAc-siRNA platform.
• Wave said three additional collaboration programs are advancing toward potential candidate selection.
• Wave remains eligible for up to $330 mln to $375 mln in development, launch, and commercial milestones for each collaboration program, plus tiered royalties on net sales.

• Honeywell Technologies was selected by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals to provide process technologies, licensing, engineering services, catalysts, equipment and digital solutions for a planned 700,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Kenya.
• The companies said the facility is expected to be the world's largest single-train refinery and that use of Honeywell's established designs could shorten development by nearly two years, or about 30% versus typical new builds.
• Honeywell said project scope for the Kenya refinery is expected to be about $300 mln, similar to its earlier work on Dangote's Lekki, Nigeria refinery.
• The refinery is designed to produce gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and polypropylene, with flexibility to process a wide range of crude oils.

• General Mills said the board unanimously elected COO Dana McNabb to succeed Jeff Harmening as CEO, with both leadership changes effective January 1, 2027.
• McNabb currently leads all four operating segments and key functions including North America Retail, Pet, Foodservice, International, Sales, Supply Chain, and Innovation, Technology and Quality.
• McNabb has been with General Mills for 27 years and previously served as Group President of North America Retail, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, and Group President of Europe & Australia.

European markets trade mixed, with easing energy-supply concerns providing some relief while fresh inflation data keeps the broader rate outlook in focus. Germany's DAX 40 slips 0.2% after an early gain, with Heidelberg Materials (+1.7%) and MTU Aero Engines (+1.6%) among the leaders while investors await German inflation data. France's CAC 40 falls 0.6% after September consumer inflation accelerates to 3.0%, its highest since February 2024, while household goods consumption declines 0.5% in August. Airbus (+1.4%), Safran (+1.3%), and L'Oral (+0.8%) advance, while TotalEnergies (-2.4%) and Publicis (-1.1%) lag. London's FTSE 100 gains 0.1% after second-quarter UK GDP growth is revised up to 0.5% from 0.4%, with Severn Trent and United Utilities (+3.0%) and Antofagasta (+3.2%) leading strength. Improved Middle East energy flows and another release from US emergency reserves are pressuring crude prices, weighing on BP (-1.7%) and Shell (-1.0%) while providing some relief from the energy-driven inflation pressures hanging over global markets.

• In economic data:
  • Germany's August Retail Sales 1.3% m/m (expected 1.6%; prior -3.2%) and -0.4% yr/yr (expected 0.1%; prior -2.2%); August Import Price Index 1.0% m/m (expected 0.6%; prior 0.2%) and 8.3% yr/yr (expected 8.0%; prior 6.8%); September Unemployment Rate 6.4% (expected 6.4%; prior 6.4%); September Unemployment Change 12K (expected 1K; prior 5K)
  • U.K.'s Q2 GDP 0.5% qtr/qtr (expected 0.4%; prior 0.6%) and 1.4% yr/yr (expected 1.2%; prior 0.9%); Q2 Business Investment 1.8% qtr/qtr (expected 1.7%; prior 3.0%); Q2 Current Account -GBP19.9B (expected -GBP25.6B; prior -GBP21.1B)
  • France's September CPI -0.3% m/m (expected -0.5%; prior 0.7%) and 3.0% yr/yr (expected 2.8%; prior 2.4%); August PPI 1.0% m/m (prior 1.3%) and 4.8% yr/yr (prior 3.5%); August Consumer Spending -0.5% m/m (expected 0.0%; prior 0.4%)
  • Italy's September Consumer Confidence 91.2 (expected 94.0; prior 94.5) and Business Confidence 91.9 (expected 90.5; prior 90.2); September CPI 0.7% m/m (expected 0.2%; prior 0.5%) and 4.2% yr/yr (expected 3.8%; prior 3.3%)

---Equity Markets---

• STOXX Europe 600: -0.1%
• Germany's DAX: -0.2%
• U.K.'s FTSE 100: +0.1%
• France's CAC 40: -0.6%
• Italy's FTSE MIB: -0.3%
• Spain's IBEX 35: flat

---FX---

• EUR/USD: +0.1% to 1.1357
• GBP/USD: +0.4% to 1.3287
• USD/CHF: flat at 0.8338

• Co announced the launch of Viral Stocks Detector by ChatterFlow as an Agent App within Robinhood Agents, Robinhood's new agentic trading ecosystem. Robinhood customers can add ChatterFlow, a viral stocks detector, to their agent and bring retail investor narratives and sentiment into their own research.
• ChatterFlow monitors retail investor chatter across major social platforms and is designed to work as a leading indicator of potential volatility, signaling to a customer's Robinhood Agents when discussions around a stock are pointing toward an imminent price move. ChatterFlow points the agents to real-time narratives and stories emerging around a stock from influencers and traders on social media, so customers can factor it into their own research.

• Co announces "Lead to One" vision to drive durable growth.  "Lead to One" is delivered through the strategic growth framework leaders will outline today:
  • Deliver core growth: Build on the strong foundation of a deliberately shaped portfolio - including Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth's Specialty & Care Services and Pharmacy Benefit Services - to drive growth.
  • Leverage distinct capabilities: Apply industry-leading complex care capabilities, enabled by clinical expertise, data, technology and AI.
  • Execute with discipline: Maintain a clear vision, consistent execution, operational excellence, a culture of innovation and disciplined capital stewardship.
• Co reaffirms guidance for FY26 (Dec), sees EPS of at least $30.45, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $30.51 FactSet Consensus; sees FY26 (Dec) revs of approximately $280 bln vs. $287.17 bln FactSet Consensus. Sees medical care ratio of 83.7% to 84.7%.
• Co provides 2026--2030 financial targets:
  • 10-14% Adjusted EPS CAGR.
  • approximately $50 billion in cumulative operating cash flow.

• Reports Q4 (Aug) earnings of $4.52 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.17 better than the FactSet Consensus of $4.35; revenues rose 6.3% year/year to $634.7 mln vs the $629.83 mln FactSet Consensus.
  • Annual Subscription Value was $2,565.2 million at August 31, 2026.
• Co issues guidance for FY27, sees EPS of $19.25-19.65, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $19.76 FactSet Consensus; sees FY27 revs of $2.60-2.63 bln vs. $2.61 bln FactSet Consensus.

• JADE301 is designed to build on a clinically validated IFN- mechanism with a differentiated profile designed for infrequent subcutaneous dosing.
  
• JADE301 demonstrated high-affinity, selective IFN- binding and greater functional potency than a dazukibart comparator in disease-relevant human cells.
• Following subcutaneous administration in non-human primates, JADE301 was effectively half-life extended with an approximately 25-day half-life and predictable distribution into muscle.
• JADE301 was well tolerated in non-human primates at all evaluated subcutaneous doses.
• Phase 1 healthy volunteer trial expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026; interim data anticipated in the second half of 2027.
  

• The new role comes as Moderna prepares for the potential launch and scale-up of intismeran autogene following positive Phase 3 results and continues to advance a broader oncology portfolio. The Company has also expanded the infectious disease franchise, which now includes five approved vaccines following the recent U.S. FDA approval of Moderna's seasonal flu vaccine and the European Commission marketing authorization of the Company's seasonal flu plus COVID combination vaccine. Juan Andres will return to Moderna as Chief Operating Officer, effective October 5, 2026.
• Moderna also announced that Jerh Collins, Ph.D., Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer, has decided to retire from the Company.

• Co announced that enrollment has been completed for BASECAMP, the company's Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating forazapadin for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in ambulatory boys 7 to 10 years of age. Forazapadin is an orally administered, small molecule drug candidate designed to restore muscle regeneration in people living with DMD, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and potentially other degenerative muscle diseases.
• "We are thrilled to announce that we have met and surpassed our enrollment target in BASECAMP in less than nine months from screening our first participant, reflecting the strong execution of our clinical program," said Frank Gleeson, co-founder and chief executive officer of Satellos. "We believe BASECAMP could support discussions with the FDA regarding a potential accelerated development pathway for forazapadin. Given the significance and proximity of this opportunity, we believe it is important to be thoughtful and transparent in how we develop and communicate the results from the trial. We have therefore decided to take the time necessary to compile the most complete dataset possible. Accordingly, we are adjusting our previous plan for releasing data and now intend to share topline clinical data in the first quarter of 2027."
• "The enthusiasm and commitment of the Duchenne community have enabled us to exceed our enrollment target and build a robust global study," said Wildon Farwell, M.D., chief medical officer of Satellos. "With multiple dose cohorts and a broad range of clinical, functional and biomarker assessments, we believe BASECAMP can generate a substantial body of data that we expect to help us better understand forazapadin, its potential as a novel treatment for Duchenne, and guide us in determining a potential path to approval. We are deeply grateful to the patients and families who have made this research possible."

• Servier is standardizing customer reference data globally with Veeva OpenData, expanding Veeva's commercial data footprint at a large pharma customer.
• The deployment covers more than 80 countries and builds on Servier's existing use of Veeva Link Key People.
• Veeva said the rollout is intended to create a unified, AI-ready data foundation for Servier's commercial and medical teams.
• OpenData is part of Veeva Data Cloud, alongside Veeva Link and Veeva Compass.

• Co announced that it has submitted a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Orphan Drug Designation for intranasal foralumab for the treatment of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).
  MSA is a rare, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects autonomic functions (such as blood pressure and bladder control) and motor control, leading to severe disability and shortened life expectancy. There are currently no FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies for MSA. The disease has a mean incidence in the U.S. of approximately 0.6 per 100,000 person-years, rising to about 3 per 100,000 in those aged 50 and older, with prevalence estimates of roughly 1.9--4.9 per 100,000 worldwide. Median survival is typically 6--9 years. Neuroinflammation and microglial activation are increasingly recognized as key contributors to MSA pathogenesis.
• Orphan Drug Designation is granted by the FDA to drugs or biologics intended to treat rare diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) aims to complete its review of an orphan drug designation (ODD) request within 90 days of receipt. If granted, the designation would provide potential benefits including seven years of market exclusivity upon approval, tax credits for qualified clinical testing, waiver of certain FDA application fees, and eligibility for protocol assistance.

• Lufax plans to change its ADS ratio to 1 ADS for 20 ordinary shares from 1 ADS for 2 ordinary shares, which has the same effect as a 1-for-10 reverse ADS split.
• The company expects the change to take effect on or about Oct. 23, 2026; DRS and DTC holders will be adjusted automatically, while certificated holders must surrender existing ADSs for cancellation.
• No ordinary shares will be issued or canceled, and LU will remain listed on the NYSE under the same ticker; the company said it cannot assure the post-change ADS price will equal or exceed 10x the pre-change price.

• Peoples and Capital signed a merger agreement under which Capital will merge into Peoples, followed by the merger of Capital Bank, N.A. into Peoples Bank.
• The combined company is expected to have about $14 bln in assets, $10 bln in loans and $11 bln in deposits, with more than 150 banking locations across eight states and Washington, D.C. Capital adds commercial banking in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets plus nationwide businesses in digital consumer credit, government-guaranteed lending and servicing, and residential mortgage banking.
• The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Peoples' estimated earnings in 2027 before one-time costs, with a tangible book value earnback period of under three years and a pro forma return on average tangible common equity of approximately 20%.
• Unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies - Expected to close during the first half of 2027.

• NRx Defense Systems, a subsidiary of NRx Pharmaceuticals, received an initial DARPA contract worth $11,177,757.27 for the SPARC-TMS trial in treatment-resistant depression.
• The FDA-approved study will test whether a full course of transcranial magnetic stimulation delivered in a single day can treat major depressive disorder when combined with investigational drug NRX-101.
• The trial will begin enrolling patients at Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital, Arizona State University and HOPE Therapeutics, with several military hospitals also affiliated.
• NRx said the study could serve as an FDA registration trial for NRX-101 used with TMS in treatment-resistant depression if results are replicated.

• Ceribell said the FDA cleared new software for its EEG platform that adds Alpha-Delta Ratio/Relative Alpha trending, Burst Suppression monitoring and amplitude-integrated EEG analysis.
• The update is intended to simplify bedside interpretation of longitudinal brain activity across NICU, emergency department and ICU settings.
• The aEEG clearance carries no age restriction, allowing use from premature newborns through adults.
• Ceribell expects to roll out the new features through an automatic software update in the first half of 2027.

• Kailera completed enrollment across the three-trial global Phase 3 KaiNETIC program evaluating once-weekly ribupatide injection for obesity or overweight.
• Topline data from KaiNETIC-1, KaiNETIC-2 and KaiNETIC-3 are now expected in mid-2028.
• The program enrolled patients at more than 200 sites across 11 countries and includes studies in obesity, obesity with type 2 diabetes, and patients with BMI of 35 kg/m2 or greater.
• KaiNETIC-3 includes an open-label semaglutide 2.4 mg comparator arm, while KaiNETIC-1 and -2 include placebo-controlled dose arms up to 10 mg.

• GDEV announced final results of its self-tender offer, accepting 57,110 ordinary shares at $11.03 per share.
• The aggregate purchase cost was about $629.9 thousand, excluding fees, well below the offer's $20 mln maximum.
• Tendered shares represented about 0.3% of shares outstanding at the start of the offer; the company expects about 18.1 mln shares outstanding after payment.
• Purchased shares will be held as treasury shares and remain available for future issuance.

• Rafael Holdings said pivotal Phase 3 TransportNPC did not reach statistical significance on the primary endpoint of change in 4-domain NPC Clinical Severity Scale at Week 96.
• Trappsol Cyclo showed a directionally favorable effect versus placebo, with LS mean change from baseline of 0.46 vs 1.28 points; p=0.19.
• A prespecified subgroup on background miglustat and/or leucine therapy, about 83% of the study population, showed a statistically significant benefit with p=0.046.
• Company said safety was consistent with prior studies, with no new safety signals, and it remains on track to submit an NDA in 4Q26 following its pre-NDA FDA meeting.

• American Express introduced an updated Amex Corporate offering that combines a new Corporate Cashback Card, expense management software and the Amex Expense app.
• The new card offers 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases up to $10 mln per year, then 1%, with a $2,950 annual program fee waived in the first year.
• The platform adds automated transaction capture, policy controls and submission-ready expense reporting through the mobile app.
• AmEx also said planned enhancements include AI agents and accounts payable workflows to further automate finance operations.

• Aqua Pennsylvania, a unit of Essential Utilities, finalized its $450,000 purchase of the Ulster Municipal Authority water system in Bradford County.
• The system serves about 180 customers; the Pennsylvania PUC approved the sale on Aug. 27, 2026.
• Aqua expects to invest about $2 mln in the system over the next five years for repairs, replacements and other infrastructure upgrades.
• Customer base rates will not change at closing; any future rate changes remain subject to PUC approval.

• The Hartford said President A. Morris "Mo" Tooker will succeed Christopher Swift as CEO on March 1, 2027, while Swift shifts to executive chair.
• Tooker will also join the board on Oct. 1, 2026; he joined The Hartford in 2015 as chief underwriting officer and is currently president.
• Swift has led the company for nearly 13 years as CEO and more than 12 years as chairman.
• Swift intends to step down as executive chair in the second half of 2027 after supporting the transition and board oversight of strategy.

• ACM Shanghai disclosed total backlog of RMB17.1 bln, or about $2.5 bln, as of Sept. 29.
• The figure includes shipped tools not yet recognized as revenue under Chinese GAAP and orders expected to ship later.
• Company cautioned backlog is a non-GAAP/non-Chinese GAAP metric and orders in backlog may not generate the estimated revenue.
• ACM Shanghai plans to report nine-month results on Oct. 28 after the China close; ACMR plans preliminary nine-month results the same day before the U.S. open.

Asian markets finished mostly higher on Wednesday, with easing oil prices, stronger Chinese economic data, and renewed technology buying supporting sentiment. Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 2.1%, while the Topix gained 1.7%, led by SoftBank Group (+6.6%) following reports that OpenAI is seeking at least $30 bln in new funding, while Fujikura (+5.9%), Taiyo Yuden (+2.3%), and Kioxia (+1.2%) also advanced. China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%, while the Shenzhen Component slipped 0.1% after Beijing unveiled additional stimulus measures, including mortgage subsidies and expanded central-bank funding support, though investors still want stronger measures to boost domestic demand. China's September manufacturing PMI improved to 50.1 from 49.8, while the non-manufacturing PMI rose to 50.2 from 49.0 and the private RatingDog manufacturing PMI climbed to 52.1. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index reversed early losses to gain 0.4%, supported by Wuxi Biologics (+5.1%), Z.AI (+4.6%), Akeso (+2.1%), and Xiaomi (+0.4%). Mainland Chinese markets will remain closed from October 1 through October 7 for the National Day holiday.

• In economic data:
  • China's September Manufacturing PMI 50.1 (expected 50.1; prior 49.8), Non-Manufacturing PMI 50.2 (expected 49.2; prior 49.0), and Composite PMI 50.7 (prior 49.5); September RatingDog Manufacturing PMI 52.1 m/m (expected 51.7; prior 51.5)
  • Japan's August Retail Sales 2.7% yr/yr (expected 3.3%; prior 3.7%); August Industrial Production -1.7% m/m (expected 1.4%; prior -0.2%); August Housing Starts 6.1% yr/yr (expected 6.9%; prior 8.2%); August Construction Orders -3.6% yr/yr (prior -13.4%)
  • South Korea's August Retail Sales -1.8% (prior -2.6%); August Industrial Production -4.8% m/m (expected 0.5%; prior 0.5%) and -2.2% yr/yr (expected 4.0%; prior 4.0%)
  • Australia's August Building Approvals -6.1% m/m (expected -1.6%; prior -1.9%); August Monthly CPI Indicator 4.00% (expected 4.10%; prior 3.50%)

---Equity Markets---

• Japan's Nikkei: +2.1%
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng: +0.4%
• China's Shanghai Composite: +0.3%
• India's Sensex: -0.1%
• South Korea's Kospi: -0.5%
• Australia's All Ordinaries: +0.9%

---FX---

• USD/JPY: -0.2% to 156.93
• USD/INR: -0.1% to 95.994
• USD/CNH: flat at 6.7069

• Jacobs won a three-year software-as-a-service agreement to deploy its Data Center Digital Twin at a large-scale NVIDIA AI research and development site in the U.S.
• The platform, built on NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, combines engineering models, operational technology and live facility data to support real-time monitoring and simulation.
• Jacobs said the system will be used for dynamic power load balancing, energy forecasting, liquid coolant leak detection, predictive maintenance and operator training.
• The award extends Jacobs' work with NVIDIA on digital twin technology for AI infrastructure and advanced data center environments.

• The Company's Meridianbet brand operates in Brazil through its subsidiary Meridian Gaming Brasil SPE Ltda, which holds authorisation SPA/MF n 0086/2024, granted by Portaria SPA/MF n 526 of March 14, 2025, for the operation of fixed-odds sports betting and online gaming.
• The Company has been, and continues to be, fully compliant with the Provisional Measure and all applicable regulatory requirements in Brazil. The Company entered the Brazilian market on a conservative basis and did not commit large-scale marketing expenditure in advance of licensing. Its exposure to the measure is limited as a result. The Company's authorization in Brazil was granted until December 31, 2029.
• The Company is reviewing the Provisional Measure and its implications with its Brazilian and United States legal advisers. Under Brazilian law, a Provisional Measure takes effect on publication in the Dirio Oficial da Unio and has immediate force of law. It is valid for 60 days and may be extended once for a further 60 days. The Brazilian Congress must approve it within that period, failing which it ceases to have effect.

• The new generation of PCCM Plus offers, among other things, comprehensive integration of vehicle-specific functions and is available for more than 300,000 future classics from the 911, Cayman and Boxster model lines from model years 2009 to 2016. Two new devices for the 987.2, 997.2, 981 and 991.1 models are available from Porsche Centres.

• Infosys said ABN AMRO extended their strategic collaboration to simplify and modernize the bank's IT landscape and accelerate AI adoption.
• Infosys will provide application development, testing and support services aimed at improving operational efficiency, scalability and digital-service delivery.
• The work will use Infosys Topaz to embed generative and agentic AI more broadly across ABN AMRO's technology estate.
• ABN AMRO said the renewed engagement is intended to reduce complexity and operating costs while supporting responsible AI adoption across the company.

• Hormel Foods entered a definitive agreement to buy privately held Brakebush Brothers for approximately $1.055 bln, expanding its value-added chicken business.
• Brakebush generated about $1.2 bln in net sales over the last 12 months and operates five production facilities and two R&D labs.
• Hormel expects the deal to close in fiscal Q1 2027, subject to customary conditions including regulatory approval.
• Hormel said the acquisition should be accretive to adjusted EPS beginning in fiscal 2028 and will be reported primarily in the Foodservice segment.

• Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati is moving payment processing for its member funding services to ACI Connetic.
• ACI will run the platform as a service, while FHLB Cincinnati teams will manage the payment operations on it.
• The Fedwire Funds Service is the connection in scope for the implementation, with Connetic providing access to major payment networks and clearing systems from a single platform.
• FHLB Cincinnati said the move supports reliable, high-volume payment handling tied to member Advances and repayments.

• Surf Air Mobility said Air Fuga signed a definitive agreement for OperatorOS, marking the third OperatorOS customer added in less than two weeks.
• Barrett Brown, formerly Head of Asia at Palantir (PLTR), became President of SurfOS effective Sept. 30 and will lead commercial deployment and software revenue growth.
• Surf Air said its Palantir partnership is accelerating OperatorOS commercialization and OwnerOS development, with access to Palantir engineering resources and joint go-to-market efforts in Part 135 aviation.
• Palantir will receive 4,644,922 Surf Air common shares as payment for continued access to Palantir software and services.

• NIQ is integrating Google's open-source Meridian marketing mix modeling framework into NIQ Cadence, adding Meridian directly into its marketing measurement and optimization workflow.
• The company said the setup combines NIQ data and marketer inputs with Meridian modeling, then feeds results into scenario planning, optimization, and ongoing performance monitoring.
• NIQ said the integration is designed to speed data preparation and modeling cycles through automated APIs and keep measurement connected to real-time business decisions.
• NIQ has been a certified Meridian partner since 2025; the move extends the Google relationship from MMM implementation into a broader operating workflow.

• Sagimet priced 8.75 mln Series A common shares at $10.00/share and, in lieu of shares for certain investors, pre-funded warrants for 2.75 mln shares at $9.9999 each.
• Pre-funded warrants carry a $0.0001/share exercise price and are exercisable immediately; the offering is expected to close on or about October 1, subject to customary conditions.
• Gross proceeds are expected to be about $115 mln before fees; Sagimet will use the funds for a Phase 3 trial of denifanstat in acne, pre-launch work for denifanstat, TVB-3567 through Phase 2 topline results, its topical FASN inhibitor program, and general corporate purposes.

• Contents of rumors or media reports: Kim Jae-Chul vies to win the 10 trillion won HMM acquisition battle, which he describes as the crown jewel of his business ambition.
• Company's explanation for rumors or media reports: This disclosure is an official notice of "Kim Jae-Chul vies to win the 10 trillion won HMM acquisition battle, which he describes as the crown jewel of his business ambition" published by Maeil Business Newspaper on December 5, 2025. - As a part of the company's end-to-end localization strategy to seek growth overseas and to expand our presence in the high-profit US market, POSCO HOLDINGS has signed an MOU with Cleveland Cliffs. Discussions are underway regarding the business structure and investment size; however, no decisions have been finalized. - In this regard, we will re-disclose the information when specific matters are decided in the future or within one year.

• FDA Fast Track designation granted for Telix's BiPASS program, which is evaluating 68Ga-PSMA-PET imaging alongside MRI in the pre-biopsy prostate cancer setting.
• The designation recognizes the program's potential to address an important unmet need by enabling an imaging-first approach to initial prostate cancer diagnosis.
• Fast Track facilitates more frequent engagement with the FDA and may enable expedited review of the planned NDA.

• The acquisition is part of a transaction in which the current owner of the Company, an entity related to Antin Infrastructure Partners (the "Seller"), has agreed to sell a majority interest in Vicinity (the "Acquisition") to an entity (the "Buyer") that is owned by Kenon and funds managed by Harrison Street Asset Management (together with such funds, "HSAM").
• A consortium of lenders has committed debt financing, which is non-recourse to Kenon and HSAM, of up to $1.4 billion to fund a portion of the purchase price and a facility for future growth capital expenditures of the Vicinity business.

• SkyFi said its new 'Satellite Intelligence' Robinhood agent app will use BlackSky imagery, with availability expected in the coming weeks.
• The app will offer monthly subscriptions for satellite-based observations tied to Robinhood's top-traded stocks, including factory yard vehicle counts, fulfillment hub truck traffic, data center construction progress, and theme park parking activity.
• SkyFi said observations are point-in-time captures on planned weekly or monthly cadences, with timing dependent on cloud cover and satellite availability.
• Robinhood handles billing and account terms for the app; SkyFi said the service does not provide investment advice or predictions.

• License partner Ascletis presented 52-week open-label extension data in moderate-to-severe acne showing a 56.7% IGA success rate, 71.8% reduction in total lesions and 76.9% reduction in inflammatory lesions.
• Denifanstat was generally well tolerated over up to 52 weeks, with no adverse event-related permanent discontinuations and no drug-related serious adverse events reported.
• The extension enrolled 240 patients from the prior 12-week Phase 3 trial in China, including patients previously on placebo who switched to denifanstat.
• Sagimet said patient screening for the U.S. AURORA Phase 3 trial is expected to begin in October 2026, with first enrollment expected shortly after.

• VisionWave plans multiple demonstrations and technical evaluations across North America, Europe and Asia for prospective defense customers, partners and systems integrators.
• Several demos are scheduled in Q4 2026 and will feature VARAN unmanned ground vehicles, drone technologies, ISR and integrated air-ground capabilities.
• The company said the program is aimed at moving systems from development into direct customer evaluation, but said there is no assurance any demonstration will lead to an order.
• VisionWave noted VARAN has not completed qualification testing and is not in production; the expanded effort follows a previously disclosed conditional order for 200 VARAN vehicles with a $20 mln aggregate base price.

• Wall Street is getting a brief break from the rate-hike trade, but inflation gets the final word this morning. Futures are holding steady after John Williams cooled expectations for an October hike, with PCE now poised to test that newfound relief and Micron waiting in the wings to put the AI trade back under the microscope. The S&P (Dec) is up about eight points, trading around 7740. The market slipped into consolidation mode overnight, carving out a modest range of less than 23 points. The S&P has rotated around the daily pivot at 7744.50, with a high of 7756.50 and a low of 7734.00.
• Asian markets finished mostly higher on Wednesday, with easing oil prices, stronger Chinese economic data, and renewed technology buying supporting sentiment. Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 1.9%, while the Topix gained 1.7%, led by SoftBank Group (+6.6%) following reports that OpenAI is seeking at least $30 bln in new funding, while Fujikura (+5.9%), Taiyo Yuden (+2.3%), and Kioxia (+1.2%) also advanced. China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%, while the Shenzhen Component slipped 0.1% after Beijing unveiled additional stimulus measures, including mortgage subsidies and expanded central-bank funding support, though investors still want stronger measures to boost domestic demand. China's September manufacturing PMI improved to 50.1 from 49.8, while the non-manufacturing PMI rose to 50.2 from 49.0 and the private RatingDog manufacturing PMI climbed to 52.1. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index reversed early losses to gain 0.4%, supported by Wuxi Biologics (+5.1%), Z.AI (+4.6%), Akeso (+2.1%), and Xiaomi (+0.4%). Mainland Chinese markets will remain closed from October 1 through October 7 for the National Day holiday.
• European markets trade mixed, with easing energy-supply concerns providing some relief while fresh inflation data keeps the broader rate outlook in focus. Germany's DAX 40 slips 0.1% after an early gain, with Heidelberg Materials (+1.7%) and MTU Aero Engines (+1.6%) among the leaders while investors await German inflation data. France's CAC 40 falls 0.3% after September consumer inflation accelerates to 3.0%, its highest since February 2024, while household goods consumption declines 0.5% in August. Airbus (+1.4%), Safran (+1.3%), and L'Oral (+0.8%) advance, while TotalEnergies (-2.4%) and Publicis (-1.1%) lag. London's FTSE 100 gains more than 0.3% after second-quarter UK GDP growth is revised up to 0.5% from 0.4%, with Severn Trent and United Utilities (+3.0%) and Antofagasta (+3.2%) leading strength. Improved Middle East energy flows and another release from US emergency reserves are pressuring crude prices, weighing on BP (-1.7%) and Shell (-1.0%) while providing some relief from the energy-driven inflation pressures hanging over global markets.

Market Updates

• S&P Futures: +8.0
• 10 yr Note: 5.232%  -0.017
• USD/JPY:  157.04  -0.25
• EUR/USD: 1.1356 +0.0013
• Europe: FTSE: +0.3% DAX: -0.1% CAC: -0.3%
• Asia: Hang Seng: +0.4%  Shanghai: +0.3%  Nikkei: +1.9%
• Gold (4220.30 +40.60) Silver (61.340 +0.187) Crude (90.38 +1.00)

• Co announced new real-world data from the OCTANE study, an analysis of de-identified data from the Ro telehealth platform. In the study, adults with overweight or obesity who switched from an injectable GLP-1 based medicine for weight management - either tirzepatide or semaglutide - to once-daily oral semaglutide (Wegovy pill) and stayed on treatment for 3 months lost an average of 4.1% or 8.8 lbs based on an average starting weight of 221.6 lbs (p <0.001). OCTANE was presented during a short oral session at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy, on September 30, 2026.
• This analysis represents the first in a previously announced collaboration between Ro and Novo to look at real-world outcomes of weight-loss medication users. It is among the first real-world evidence describing weight loss and other patient experience outcomes in people who switched from injectable weight loss therapy to oral semaglutide. The proportion of patients classified as living with obesity (BMI =30 kg/m) fell from 87.1% at baseline to 65.5% at three months.
• "We innovate to meet people with obesity where they are. Some people may choose to switch from injectable to pill - whether that is because of needle anxiety, lifestyle, or simply personal preference," said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president, head of Research & Development, and chief scientific officer at Novo. "The OCTANE data give us a unique and encouraging early look at what happened in a real-world analysis where patients switched from injectable therapies. After switching, patients experienced significant weight loss and reported treatment satisfaction and lifestyle improvements. That combination of results is promising for future research."
• Real-world evidence gathered from actual patient experiences can complement randomized control trials, which are the gold standard for evaluating the safety and efficacy of a treatment.2 Real-world studies evaluate associations and cannot determine causality.3 Limitations of the OCTANE study include: variable timing and completeness of data being collected during routine telehealth care; self-reported data being subject to bias; requiring treatment persistence could result in selection bias; and results not being generalizable to the broader population.1

• Phase 1 multiple-ascending-dose data showed ABBV-295 had an approximately 10.7- to 12.3-day half-life, dose-proportional exposure, and meaningful body-weight reduction, supporting advancement into Phase 2 for chronic weight management.
• AbbVie said the PK profile supports dosing intervals beyond weekly administration, including every-other-week and monthly regimens.
• In the 60-patient Part 2B/2C cohort, ABBV-295 was tested at 4, 6, or 14 mg weekly, 14 mg every other week, or 8 mg monthly for 12 or 13 weeks.
• GI adverse events were mostly mild and concentrated in the first six weeks; no severe GI adverse events were reported, and discontinuations due to GI events were 4.4% for ABBV-295 vs. 0% for placebo.

• SK hynix presented its next-generation AI memory portfolio at AI Infra Summit 2026, highlighting HBF, Processing-In-Memory (PIM) and SALT-KV technologies designed for increasingly diverse AI inference workloads.
• Company's High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) uses TSV technology to combine high bandwidth with NAND-based storage capacity, targeting a new memory tier between HBM and SSD for long-context and inference-intensive AI workloads.
• SK hynix also demonstrated its AiM chip and AiMX accelerator platform, which move computational functions into memory to reduce data movement, along with SALT-KV, which dynamically places LLM KV-cache data across HBM, DRAM and SSD based on reuse value and storage cost.
• Company said conventional GPU-HBM architectures are increasingly unable to address the full range of emerging AI workloads, positioning HBF, PIM and SALT-KV as complementary hardware and software technologies for agentic AI and next-generation AI infrastructure.

• Glencore welcomed approval from the NSW Independent Planning Commission for the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project, following a six-year regulatory assessment process.
• Hunter Valley Operations is owned 51% by Yancoal and 49% by Glencore and produces thermal and semi-soft steelmaking coal for export.
• Project would extend mine life at HVO North to 2045 from 2026 and HVO South to 2042 from 2030, allowing additional coal resources to be recovered within existing mining tenements.
• Project still requires Federal government environmental approval by the end of December 2026 for operations to continue.

• ORIX Corporation began construction of the Yufu and Yonezawa grid-scale energy storage plants through joint investment with three external investors, marking its first storage projects developed using third-party capital.
• ORIX holds a 23.7% interest, while the three outside investors collectively hold 76.3%; ORIX will provide asset management and its ORIX Renewable Energy Management subsidiary will oversee construction safety and subsequent operations and maintenance.
• Yufu is scheduled to begin operations in 2028 with 70 MW of output and 280 MWh of capacity, while Yonezawa is slated for 2030 with 75 MW of output and 309 MWh of capacity.
• ORIX, which entered the energy storage plant business in 2022, plans to expand storage development across Japan while using third-party capital to improve capital efficiency, grow its asset management business and improve Group ROE.

• SK hynix showcased its next-generation AI memory portfolio at the TSMC OIP Conference, including HBM4, HBM4E and SOCAMM2, with NVIDIA's Vera Rubin superchip displayed using SK hynix's 12-layer 36GB HBM4 and 96GB SOCAMM2. Pasted text
• Company also displayed a 12-layer 48GB HBM4E, 16-layer 48GB HBM4 and 192GB SOCAMM2, alongside next-generation server DRAM products including a 256GB 3DS RDIMM and 128GB MRDIMM. Pasted text Pasted text
• SK hynix received TSMC's Partner of the Year award for a second consecutive year, with this year's recognition tied to the companies' collaboration validating HBM5 using TSMC's CoWoS advanced packaging technology for next-generation AI systems. Pasted text
• Company expects the PCIe-based enterprise SSD market to expand roughly 3.8x to 1,933 EB by 2030 from 509 EB in 2026 and is preparing PCIe 6.0 and 7.0 SSD solutions using chiplet-based architectures.

• Everpure announced new platform capabilities designed to help enterprises move AI workloads from pilot to production by providing governed access to data, improved performance and greater cost predictability.
• New Everpure Data Intelligence features include native Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration, turn-key deployment through the Pure1 console and privacy-focused file intelligence that identifies access and stale data without reading file contents.
• Everpure FlashBlade's new PureKVA accelerator pre-stages context directly into GPU memory, delivering up to 20x faster Time to First Token, while its DeepReduce technology continuously identifies additional opportunities for data compression.
• Company also introduced an open-weight model reference architecture aimed at reducing external API token usage; the newly announced capabilities are expected to become available in October.

• Roche subsidiary TIB MOLBIOL launched the LightMix Newborn TREC/SMN1/HBB kit, an IVDR-approved in vitro diagnostic test that simultaneously screens newborns for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) and sickle cell disease (SCD).
• Test is available in countries accepting the CE mark and is designed as a ready-to-use solution for private and academic hospital laboratories.
• LightMix provides early detection intended to trigger follow-up testing and therapeutic intervention before irreversible symptoms or permanent damage occur, including targeted treatment for SMA and potentially lifesaving interventions for SCID and SCD.
• Test runs on Roche's established LightCycler systems, allowing laboratories to integrate the screening assay into existing workflows.

• Draganfly Inc. closed its previously announced registered direct offering of 1.87 mln common shares at $5.35 per share, generating approximately $10 mln in gross proceeds before fees and expenses.
• Company plans to use the net proceeds to accelerate development of advanced strategic capabilities and provide general working capital to meet product demand in U.S. and international markets.
• Jett Capital Advisors and Northland Capital Markets served as joint-lead placement agents for the offering.
• Securities were offered and sold only in the U.S., with no securities sold to Canadian purchasers; the transaction was conducted under Draganfly's existing U.S. shelf registration and Canadian base shelf prospectus.

• DBV Technologies submitted a BLA to the FDA for VIASKIN Peanut Patch to treat peanut allergy in children aged 4 through 7 years and requested Priority Review.
• Submission is supported by the successful Phase III VITESSE trial, which enrolled 654 children and was the largest immunotherapy clinical trial to date in this population.
• VIASKIN Peanut Patch uses epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) to deliver small amounts of peanut allergen through the skin, providing a non-oral, non-injection approach designed to progressively desensitize patients.
• FDA previously granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to VIASKIN Peanut Patch; DBV said the BLA submission marks a milestone in its transition toward becoming a commercial organization.

• AIIC 2.0 adds MaaS capabilities, letting customers access pre-deployed AI models through an API without deploying or operating the models themselves.
• The service currently supports the GLM-5.3 open-weight model hosted by SuperX at the AI Innovation Centre in Singapore, with additional models subject to internal technical and compliance review.
• SuperX said customer data and model inference for AIIC-hosted models remain within Singapore, with local deployment aimed at lower latency and local technical support.
• Access to AIIC model services is subject to customer onboarding and screening, as well as export control, sanctions and acceptable-use requirements.

• Roche announced the FDA accepted its NDA for fenebrutinib under Priority Review for both relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), making it the first BTK inhibitor to receive U.S. filing acceptance across both forms of MS.
• Phase III FENhance 1 and 2 showed fenebrutinib reduced annualized relapse rates by 51.1% and 58.5%, respectively, versus teriflunomide over 96 weeks, with disability-progression measures showing consistent positive trends favoring fenebrutinib.
• In Phase III FENtrepid, fenebrutinib met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority to Ocrevus in PPMS and numerically reduced the risk of disability progression by 12% versus Ocrevus (HR 0.88; 95% CI: 0.75-1.03).
• If approved, fenebrutinib would become the first BTK inhibitor and first high-efficacy oral treatment for both RMS and PPMS; Roche reported a manageable safety profile across the three pivotal studies, including more than 2,700 participants.

• Logitech introduced Zone Vibe Pro and Zone Vibe Pro for Business, new over-ear headsets aimed at hybrid work and personal use.
• The business version is certified for Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet and can be managed through Logitech Sync for remote monitoring and firmware updates.
• Logitech said battery life is up to 30 hours of listening or 18 hours of call time with ANC enabled, and a five-minute USB-C charge provides up to one hour of call time.
• Zone Vibe Pro launches globally on Sept. 30, 2026 at $259.99, while Zone Vibe Pro for Business with a USB-C receiver is priced at $279.99.

• IFF introduced AQUASCENT, a vegan, water-based carrier for fine fragrance made with biodegradable materials.
• The company said the technology supports fragrance loads from 10% to as much as 25%, versus up to 15% for most comparable systems, while maintaining visual clarity.
• IFF said AQUASCENT is formulated without intentionally added ethanol, preservatives or silicone and has documented skin-hydrating properties.
• The carrier can be supplied as a concentrate for final water addition later in production, which IFF said can reduce shipping volume and CO2 emissions.

• Sellafield Ltd selected an Amentum joint venture as preferred supplier for an asset care and asset creation program valued at up to $2.78 bln, or £2.1B.
• The PACE framework covers engineering and design, procurement, installation and plant modification, project management, commissioning, dismantling and ongoing asset care.
• Lot 1 will be delivered by OneAxIoM, a joint venture between Amentum and Mitie, with support from Assystem and Mott MacDonald.
• Formal award will follow once final contractual arrangements are concluded; the initial contract term is nine years with an optional six-year extension.

• rhode, part of e.l.f. Beauty, is now available at Sephora online and in more than 500 stores across Europe, marking its first physical retail presence in the region.
• The launch expands rhode into 19 new countries and follows its 2025 Sephora rollout in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
• The release said rhode is exclusively available at Sephora in Europe and cited strong prior sales performance in Sephora North America and the U.K.
• Sephora in Europe will carry rhode's core skincare and hybrid makeup assortment, including new Pocket Bronze and Highlight Milk products.

• AbbVie said all three zumilokibart dose regimens met the Phase 2 APEX Part B primary endpoint, showing significantly greater EASI-75 response rates versus placebo at week 16.
• The mid- and high-dose regimens also showed significantly greater improvement than placebo on key secondary endpoints including EASI 90/100 and itch improvement on I-NRS4.
• AbbVie selected the mid-dose regimen for Phase 3 development.
• The most common treatment-emergent adverse events through week 16 were nasopharyngitis, headache, noninfective conjunctivitis, upper respiratory tract infection, atopic dermatitis and urinary tract infection.

• Pyxis Oncology priced a registered public offering of 36.05M common shares and 1.88M pre-funded warrants, each sold with accompanying common warrants, for expected gross proceeds of about $110 mln.
• The combined public offering price is $2.90 per share and warrant, or $2.899 per pre-funded warrant and warrant; the common warrants carry a $3.50 exercise price.
• If all common warrants and pre-funded warrants are exercised in full, the company would receive an additional roughly $172.6 mln in gross proceeds.
• The offering is expected to close on or about Oct. 1, 2026; Pyxis plans to use proceeds to advance MICVO, including its planned Phase 3 Headliner trial in 2L+ R/M HNSCC.

• Takeda said Phase 3 LATITUDE Atlas data showed zasocitinib was statistically superior to deucravacitinib across the primary and all key secondary efficacy endpoints in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
• At week 16, 36.5% of patients on zasocitinib achieved PASI 100 versus 13.9% on deucravacitinib; 62.5% achieved PASI 90 versus 34.0%.
• Clear skin on sPGA 0 was reached by 43.2% of zasocitinib-treated patients versus 18.5% for deucravacitinib, with all cited comparisons at p<0.001.
• Takeda said zasocitinib was generally well tolerated with no new safety signals, and separate Phase 3 analyses showed durable skin clearance through week 52 and itch and quality-of-life improvement as early as week 2.

• Redwire and Sophia Space signed an MOU to explore collaboration on scalable in-orbit computing infrastructure and orbital data center architectures.
• The companies will evaluate near-term demonstration missions and longer-term systems spanning deployable structures, spacecraft integration and edge computing.
• Redwire said the companies intend to jointly pursue select U.S. government and commercial opportunities, including potential programs involving DARPA, AFRL, SDA and NRO.
• The agreement is a memorandum of understanding and outlines potential collaboration rather than a definitive contract award.

• Apollo said its managed funds completed the acquisition of Nippon Sheet Glass and launched a new management structure for the company.
• Apollo said the transaction, alongside key financial institutions, is intended to strengthen the company's financial foundation and support investment in people and technology.
• Nippon Sheet Glass operates in architectural, automotive and solar glass.
• Apollo cited prior investment experience in glass, automotive and manufacturing as it works with management on the next growth phase.

• Funds managed by KKR entered separate agreements to sell Central Tank Terminal in Japan and Central Terminal Korea in Korea to institutional investors.
• CTT operates 12 tank-storage terminals across Japan with more than 450 tanks and 420,000 kiloliters of capacity; CTK operates a tank terminal complex in Ulsan and grain-silo facilities in Korea.
• KKR acquired CTT in 2021 and expanded into Korea through the acquisition of CTK in 2023.
• Financial terms were not disclosed, and closing remains subject to customary conditions.

• HETLIOZ 20 mg shifted sleep onset 37.1 minutes earlier than placebo in the pivotal Phase 3 DSWPD study, meeting the primary endpoint with p=0.022.
• In an exploratory responder analysis, 60% of treated patients advanced sleep onset by at least 30 minutes versus 15% on placebo.
• Safety over the 28-day controlled period was consistent with the established HETLIOZ label, with no new safety signals identified.
• Vanda said it plans to discuss the data with the FDA and submit an sNDA seeking approval in DSWPD.

• HII was awarded a U.S. Navy contract to build 10 ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program.
• The company said the award marks the Navy's move from experimentation toward fleet-scale deployment of autonomous maritime systems.
• ROMULUS uses HII's Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions, an open-architecture autonomy suite for navigation, onboard systems and coordinated missions.
• HII said Navy-monitored testing included a 420-nautical-mile mission over 28 hours that met all established success criteria.

• Northern Trust said CFO Dave Fox plans to retire and intends to remain in the role through the end of 1Q27 to support the transition.
• The company will conduct a comprehensive internal and external search for its next CFO.
• Fox is expected to continue leading Finance and work with CEO Michael O'Grady and the leadership team during the transition.
• Before joining Northern Trust in 2012, Fox spent more than 25 years at JPMorgan (JPM) in leadership roles.

• The U.S. Navy selected Boeing to design, build and deliver its sixth-generation F/A-XX aircraft.
• F/A-XX is intended to replace the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet.
• Boeing said technical and program details remain classified under U.S. national security and export laws.
• The award follows Boeing's 2025 selection for the U.S. Air Force's F-47 program, giving it two sixth-generation fighter programs.

• In TRIUMPH-2, retatrutide 12 mg cut body weight by an average 49.6 lbs, or 20.8%, over 80 weeks in adults with obesity or overweight and type 2 diabetes.
• Participants on 9 mg and 12 mg saw average A1C reductions of 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively; up to 40.0% reached A1C below 5.7%.
• Among patients with baseline BMI of 35 or higher, the 12 mg dose produced average weight loss of 60.8 lbs, or 23.4%.
• Lilly said 59.5% of participants on retatrutide 12 mg no longer met BMI criteria for obesity by week 80.

• Kredittbanken ASA selected FIS Total Issuing PRIME in the Cloud to modernize the core system managing its loans, deposits and credit cards.
• The platform will run on Amazon (AMZN) Web Services and is part of Kredittbanken's broader core modernization program focused on standardization, reduced complexity and scalability.
• FIS said the move builds on Kredittbanken's long-standing relationship with TSYS, now part of FIS.
• Kredittbanken serves as the consumer credit engine for a network of 69 Norwegian savings banks.

• Board approved an additional $1.0 bln under the existing buyback program, lifting total authorization to $2.0 bln.
• MongoDB said $1.3537 bln remained available for future repurchases as of the filing date.
• Repurchases may be made in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions.
• The company said timing and size will depend on market conditions and management discretion, and the program may be suspended, modified, or terminated at any time.
• SEC filing

• American Airlines and Alaska Airlines (ALK) announce their intent for Alaska Airlines to join American's Atlantic and Pacific Joint Businesses, expanding international travel opportunities for customers and strengthening access to premium global travel experiences.
• The carriers anticipate filing for approval and antitrust immunity with the U.S. Department of Transportation and seeking other relevant approvals from international regulators in the coming months. The announcement builds upon the existing relationship between Alaska, American and their oneworld partners across the Atlantic and the Pacific.

• Newport News Shipbuilding was awarded a $5,099,973,132 contract for the refueling and complex overhaul of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).
• The contract includes options that could lift cumulative value to $5,183,380,744 if exercised.
• The RCOH work includes reactor refueling, broad modernization across thousands of compartments and tanks, and major propulsion plant and combat systems upgrades.
• USS Harry S. Truman will be the eighth Nimitz-class carrier to undergo RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding.

• Dave Fox plans to retire as CFO and is expected to remain in the role through the end of 1Q27 to support the transition.
• Northern Trust said it will conduct a comprehensive internal and external search for its next CFO.
• Fox joined Northern Trust in 2012 and previously led Global Family and Private Investment Offices and served as Head of the Americas for Corporate & Institutional Services.
• Before Northern Trust, Fox spent more than 25 years at JPMorgan Chase (JPM) in leadership roles across New York, London and Chicago.

• Bitdeer AI secured off-take commitments for more than 70% of capacity at its 21.7MW A201 data center in Johor Bahru, with expected site revenue of more than $1.7 bln over five years.
• The company said total expected revenue backlog is now about $2.9 bln; active pipeline for AI cloud capacity exceeds $10 bln.
• A201 is designed for liquid-cooled rack-scale NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 deployments, with some rack space built to support NVIDIA's next-generation Vera Rubin platform.
• Bitdeer AI also said it procured more than 100 racks of NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 systems ahead of energization; Johor Bahru capacity including A202 is expected to total 86.8MW.

• Board approved a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.24/share and a one-time special cash dividend of $0.01/share, for a total third-quarter payment of $0.25/share.
• Both dividends are payable October 20, 2026, to shareholders of record on October 9, 2026.
• The company said the regular dividend marks its 32nd consecutive annual dividend increase and a $0.04/share increase in the annual dividend.

• Co announces it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Listen Labs, an AI-powered customer research and human simulation platform. Listen Labs's AI agents design studies, conduct in-depth research, and synthesize insights, automating the lifecycle of connecting with customers and analyzing their feedback.
• Listen Labs streamlines this process from months to days, helping turn qualitative feedback into actionable insights for decision-makers and context for agents at scale. The acquisition will expand Salesforce's customer and user understanding capabilities, complementing Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and our broader AI portfolio.
• With Listen Labs, Salesforce will empower companies worldwide to move beyond static surveys and traditional market research to understand - and even simulate - what customers will do and why, then turn those insights into action.
• The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Salesforce's fiscal year 2027, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory clearance.

• Elme said sales of its last two properties closed on Sept. 28, completing the disposition of all remaining properties; net proceeds from the two sales were about $103.2 mln after prorations and closing costs.
• The board approved an additional special liquidating distribution of $1.74/share, payable Oct. 22 to holders of record Oct. 9; aggregate cash liquidating distributions rise to $16.41/share including the $14.67/share paid in January 2026.
• Elme previously used proceeds from the Sept. 14 sale of Riverside Apartments to repay in full its remaining obligations under the $520 mln term loan, which has been terminated.
• The company notified the NYSE of its intent to delist; it expects to file Form 25 on Oct. 26, with the last day of NYSE trading anticipated on Nov. 5, 2026. Shares will trade with due bills from Oct. 9 through Oct. 22 because the distribution exceeds 25% of the share price.

• Granite said the GO3JV joint venture was awarded a task order valued at about $165 mln under the Guam Multiple Award Construction Contract.
• The work covers key components of Guam Defense System Forward Operating Sites for NAVFAC, including site prep, utilities, facilities, transportation improvements, and related infrastructure.
• Granite said the award will be included in third-quarter CAP.
• Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and finish in late 2029.

• CION repaid in full $114.8 mln of Israel Series A unsecured notes due 2026 and about $200 mln of outstanding advances under its JPMorgan Chase Bank credit facility, which was terminated.
• The company also closed a joint venture with institutional investors, Senior Loan Fund Partners, to invest primarily in senior secured first-lien loans to U.S. middle-market companies.
• The JV was capitalized with $125 mln of senior secured notes and $59.7 mln of membership interests, then bought 20 first-lien loans from CION at fair value for about $180.0 mln, or 99.8% of par.
• CION said pro forma estimated net leverage as of June 30 would have declined to about 1.35x after the transactions.

• Lifecore subsidiary amended its contract manufacturing agreement with Alcon Research to extend the initial term to Dec. 31, 2034 from Dec. 31, 2031.
• The amendment, effective Nov. 1, 2026, also sets Alcon's minimum purchase obligations through 2034 and certain Lifecore supply obligations.
• Lifecore agreed not to enter new agreements to develop, supply, or manufacture certain directly competing products starting Nov. 1, 2026.
• The restriction excludes agreements in place before that date and allows renewals, extensions, amendments, or replacements on substantially similar or more favorable terms.
• SEC filing

• Pyxis Oncology commenced a registered public offering of common stock or pre-funded warrants, each paired with a common warrant to buy one share.
• The common warrants become exercisable only if stockholders approve an increase in authorized common shares and the charter amendment becomes effective.
• Warrants expire on the earlier of the fifth anniversary of the charter amendment effective date or 30 days after the later of that date and public disclosure of overall survival data from the ongoing Phase 1 MICVO monotherapy study, expected in 1H27.
• Net proceeds are slated to support MICVO development, including the planned Headliner Phase 3 trial in 2L+ recurrent/metastatic HNSCC, plus working capital and general corporate purposes; size and terms were not disclosed.

• Co announces that it has reached an agreement in principle with plaintiffs representing individual and putative class members, the City of Metropolis, Ill., and Massac County, Ill., regarding the operations of Solstice's Metropolis Works uranium conversion plant.
• Solstice Advanced Materials issued the following statement:
  • "Solstice and plaintiffs' counsel have reached an agreement in principle on a global settlement of all litigation relating to the Metropolis facility, a critical part of the nuclear fuel supply chain and the only uranium conversion facility in the U.S. A significant portion of the settlement includes investments in programs designed to improve the lives of the citizens of Metropolis. As part of continued negotiations to implement the settlement in principle, these programs will be developed with key partners in the community, including the plaintiffs. The settlement agreement in principle remains subject to the parties formalizing the settlement in a definitive signed written agreement, as well as approval from the court and a variety of governmental entities and other stakeholders.
  • "Solstice continues to deny the allegations in the underlying lawsuits; is not admitting any liability, wrongdoing or violation of the law; and believes that it has strong defenses. Nevertheless, Solstice has determined that resolving the matter at this time is in the best interests of its shareowners and stakeholders, allowing it to avoid the expense, uncertainty and distraction associated with prolonged litigation, which dates back to 2018. Settling the lawsuit will allow us to remain focused on executing our mission of safely producing the uranium hexafluoride that is critical to the needs of our customers and the nation's energy security. Solstice does not expect the settlement to have material impact on the business operations or financial performance of the company."

• PAA / Plains GP Holdings (PAGP) appointed Dean Liollio executive vice president and chief operating officer effective Oct. 2, replacing Chris Chandler.
• Chandler is resigning to pursue other interests and the company said the departure was not due to any disagreement over operations, policies or practices.
• Liollio has served as Plains' senior vice president of special projects since June 2024 and previously led Plains Midstream Canada from 2020 to 2024.
• Before joining Plains in 2008, Liollio held executive roles including CEO of EnergySouth and president and COO of CenterPoint Energy's natural gas distribution operations.

• AMP's board approved an additional $5.5 bln for common-stock repurchases through September 30, 2028.
• The company also had about $1.1 bln remaining under its April 2025 authorization as of June 30, 2026, available through June 30, 2027.
• Ameriprise said buybacks may be funded with working capital, future cash flow and other customary financing methods.
• Repurchases may be made in the open market, privately negotiated transactions or block trades, and can be started or suspended at any time.

• VIK took delivery of the Viking Sekhmet, a new river ship built for the Nile, at Massara shipyard in Cairo.
• The vessel accommodates 82 guests in 41 outside staterooms and will sail Viking's 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary and the new 12-day Total Eclipse on the Nile itinerary in 2027.
• Viking said its committed orderbook calls for 19 additional river ships by 2028, 11 ocean ships by 2032 and two expedition ships by 2031.
• With those deliveries, Viking expects to have 114 river ships in 2028 and 28 ocean and expedition ships in 2032.

• ARDT said The University of Kansas Health System signed a definitive agreement to acquire full ownership of St. Francis Campus and affiliated care locations in Topeka.
• Ardent has managed operations and clinical functions since the partnership began in 2017; those responsibilities will transition to the health system under the new structure.
• Ardent will continue daily operational support for a period to be defined at closing to maintain strategic projects and continuity of care.
• The deal is subject to approvals and customary conditions, with the transition expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

• SEG completed the sale of the eight-story 85 South Street property in Lower Manhattan for $8.25 mln.
• The asset includes 21 multifamily units and 5,500 square feet of ancillary leasable space in the Seaport neighborhood.
• CFO Lenah Elaiwat said the sale is intended to strengthen the balance sheet and keep focus on entertainment and hospitality assets.
• The buyer is an affiliate of MD Squared Property Group and Churchwick Partners.

• The new program evaluates liquid cooling subassemblies used with high-density computing chips for safety, performance, leak integrity and interoperability.
• UL Solutions said the certification is aimed at components such as cold plates, manifolds and quick disconnects before they are deployed in AI data center cooling systems.
• Testing uses UL 4501 and covers coolant compatibility, pressure, durability, liquid flow, production controls and installation requirements.
• The company said earlier evaluation of components can help manufacturers support product claims and reduce integration and repeated testing issues for data center customers.

• TriLink BioTechnologies, LLC, a Maravai LifeSciences company (MRVI) company, announces it has been granted a new patent from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) named "Compositions and Methods for Synthesizing 5'-Capped RNAs."
• The patent marks TriLink's second granted CleanCap patent in China within a matter of months, and expands the scope of intellectual property protection TriLink holds in this region.
• This new patent is distinct from and additive to the previously announced Chinese patent ZL202511246578.X, which covers methods of synthesizing capped RNA molecules. The newly granted patent protects the CleanCap cap analog compounds themselves, together with RNA molecules comprising those compounds, cells containing such RNA molecules, and pharmaceutical compositions, including drug products, that incorporate CleanCap-capped RNA.
• Together, the two patents create a multi-layered intellectual property asset covering both the process of making CleanCap-capped RNA and the fundamental molecular structures at the core of that process.

• First Financial Bank plans to open a full-service Bee Cave, Texas branch in late October, marking its first full-service entry into the greater Austin market.
• The bank has operated a mortgage loan production office in Bee Cave since 2020; the new branch expands that presence into commercial and consumer lending, retail and treasury services, and mortgage products.
• The Bee Cave site at 12101 Bee Caves Rd. will be the company's 81st location and will include a teller lobby, drive-through lanes, and a 24-hour deposit-enabled ATM.
• Management said the branch will be staffed by tenured First Financial employees, including bilingual bankers, under the bank's regional management structure.

• Larimar named John Harlow president and chief operating officer effective Sept. 29, reporting to CEO Carole Ben-Maimon.
• Harlow most recently was chief commercial officer at Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR), where he led commercial operations, business development and global alliance management.
• Larimar said the hire comes as nomlabofusp advances toward potential approval and commercial launch preparation.
• The company also granted Harlow an inducement package of an option for 800,000 shares and RSUs covering 50,000 shares outside its 2020 equity plan.

• Phase 1/2 ACHIEVE pooled-dose data showed functional improvement at 12 months versus baseline, placebo and a matched natural history cohort across multiple measures in DM1.
• At 6 months, video hand opening time improved by 3.2 seconds from an 8.2-second baseline in the pooled dose group, versus a 0.4-second worsening in placebo, for a 3.6-second relative improvement.
• Dyne said the 6-month change in video hand opening time is the primary endpoint for the ACHIEVE registrational expansion cohort, with topline data still expected in Q1 2027.
• The company continues to target a potential U.S. accelerated approval submission in Q3 2027; the registrational cohort's mean baseline video hand opening time is 8.3 seconds.

• Talen appointed President Terry Nutt as CEO effective Jan. 1, 2027, with current CEO Mac McFarland to retire at year-end and remain senior advisor through March 2027.
• The company also announced $1.5 bln of accelerated share repurchase transactions and increased its total share repurchase authorization to $3.0 bln through 2028.
• Nutt has served as Talen president since December 2025 and previously was CFO; before joining Talen, he was CFO and managing director of EDF Trading North America from 2018 to 2023.
• Nutt will join Talen's board upon becoming CEO.

• KIOXIA will join Applied Materials' EPIC Center in Silicon Valley as an innovation partner focused on next-generation memory technology.
• The companies plan to work on advanced memory-cell structures, multi-chip stacking, advanced packaging and materials engineering aimed at higher density, bandwidth and energy efficiency for AI workloads.
• Applied said the EPIC Center represents a planned investment that scales over time to about $5 bln as customer projects commence and is expected to be operationally ready this year.