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BMY | Shire SHPG Gets Favorable CHMP Opinion For Revestive | Shire plc NASDAQ SHPG announced that the European Medicines Agency s EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use CHMP has granted a positive opinion for the label expansion of Revestive teduglutide 5 mg powder for injection in pediatric patients aged 1 to 17 years suffering from short bowel syndrome SBS We note that the European Commission EC generally takes the CHMP s opinion into account while reviewing drug applications but is not bound to abide by the same A final decision from the EC is expected in Aug 2016 We remind investors that Revestive is already approved in Europe for the treatment of adult patients with SBS who have become stable following a period of intestinal adaptation post surgery The drug is approved in the U S as Gattex for injection for the treatment of adult patients with SBS who are dependent on parenteral support We note that Shire acquired NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc in Feb 2015 thereby adding Revestive Gattex and Natpara hypoparathyroidism to its portfolio and providing a major boost to its gastrointestinal franchise A label expansion of Revestive for use in the pediatric population will further boost its sales Shire has a solid presence in the gastrointestinal neuroscience and rare disease markets The impending acquisition of Baxalta NYSE BXLT will diversify its presence in the fields of hematology immunology and oncology Shire currently carries a Zacks Rank 2 Buy A couple of favorably placed stocks in the healthcare sector are Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE and Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY both sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Teva s Huntington Disease Drug Receives CRL From The FDA | Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited NYSE TEVA suffered a regulatory setback with the FDA issuing a complete response letter CRL for the new drug application for SD 809 deutetrabenazine for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington disease HD
In its CRL the FDA has asked Teva to re analyze blood levels of certain metabolites Teva noted that these metabolites are not novel and are also observed in patients taking tetrabenazine or deutetrabenazine Importantly the regulatory agency did not ask the company to conduct additional studies
Teva plans to work closely with the FDA to address the issue A response to the CRL will be submitted in the third quarter of 2016
Although the CRL on SD 809 comes as a disappointment for Teva the most important thing is that the FDA has not asked the company for additional studies to be conducted which would have delayed the candidate from entering the U S markets further
Per the company s press release HD is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately one in 7 000 10 000 people in western countries While chorea is one of the most prominent physical manifestations of this disease it occurs in roughly 90 of patients at some point in the course of their illness
Notably SD 809 is the first deuterated product to be reviewed by the FDA Considering the lack of treatments for HD its approval will be a huge boost for the patient population as well as for the company
We note that SD 809 became a part of Teva s pipeline following the May 2015 acquisition of Auspex Pharmaceuticals
Apart from HD Teva is also evaluating SD 809 for a couple of additional indications including treatment of patients with tardive dyskinesia TD and Tourette syndrome TS Currently a phase III AIM TD efficacy and safety study in patients with moderate to severe TD is in progress with additional data from the study anticipated later in 2016 The company is also planning to evaluate SD 809 for the treatment of tics associated with TS
Teva is a Zacks Rank 3 Hold stock Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY All three stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Nektar NKTR Inks Deal With Daiichi Sankyo For Onzeald | Nektar Therapeutics NASDAQ NKTR announced that it has signed an agreement to grant Daiichi Sankyo Europe the exclusive rights to market Onzeald etirinotecan pegol in Europe EEA Switzerland and Turkey Onzeald formerly NKTR 102 is being developed for the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer who have a history of brain metastases The company has completed a phase III study BEACON in women with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer who were previously treated with anthracycline taxane and Xeloda capecitabine therapies As per the terms of the agreement Nektar will receive an upfront payment of 20 million from Daiichi Sankyo In addition the company is entitled to receive additional milestone payments worth 60 million based upon the achievement of European regulatory milestones and sales of Onzeald in Europe It will also earn double digit royalties on net sales in Europe Nektar retains rights to market Onzeald in the U S and the rest of the world The company intends to submit a Marketing Authorisation Application MAA in the EU this month for a conditional approval of Onzeald for the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer and brain metastases We note that last month the European Medicines Agency s EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use CHMP granted accelerated assessment procedure for the planned regulatory filing In order to support an MAA filling Nektar will conduct a confirmatory study on Onzeald The randomized phase III study will evaluate Onzeald in comparison with a single agent chemotherapy of physician s choice TPC in patients n 350 with advanced breast cancer and brain metastases The primary endpoint of the study is the overall survival Data from the study will also be used for filing for a New Drug Application NDA for Onzeald in the U S It has been found that approximately 10 30 of patients with advanced breast cancer are diagnosed with brain metastases Nektar currently carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
BMY | Glaxo Innoviva Expedite Closed Triple Combination NDA Filing | GlaxoSmithKline plc NYSE GSK with partner Innoviva Inc NASDAQ INVA announced that it has accelerated the timeline for filing a New Drug Application NDA for the once daily closed triple combination therapy FF UMEC VI for the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD The closed triple therapy is a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone furoate FF a long acting muscarinic antagonist umeclidinium UMEC and a long acting beta agonist vilanterol VI Following discussions with the FDA the companies brought the regulatory filing forward to the end of 2016 from the first half of 2018 However the EU regulatory submission is still expected to be made by the end of 2016 The companies stated that the NDA would consist of data currently in hand from the closed triple combination therapy development program and results from studies on FF UMEC and VI either alone or in combination We note that the closed triple combination therapy is currently being evaluated in two phase III studies FULFIL and IMPACT designed to assess the safety and the effectiveness of the combination in comparison with existing COPD treatments Data from the FULFIL study are expected later in 2016 while results from the IMPACT study are anticipated in 2017 Glaxo s acceleration of the NDA filing is a big positive for Theravance Biopharma Inc NASDAQ TBPH as the latter has an economic interest in future payments pursuant to its agreement with Innoviva for certain drug development programs Per the agreement Theravance Biopharma is entitled to receive 85 economic interest in royalties paid by Glaxo in worldwide net sales The royalties are upward tiering from 6 5 to 10 Meanwhile Innoviva retains a 15 economic interest in future payments made by Glaxo Currently both Glaxo and Innoviva carry a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY is a better ranked stock in the health care sector with a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
WMB | RBA Minutes Upbeat But Australian Dollar Weakens On Risk Aversion | Australian Dollar is under broad based selling pressure today RBA minutes reiterated the non urgency for any rate move IMF report pointed out risks are tilted to the downside in Australia But risk aversion is more likely the factor driving Aussie down Major Asian indices are in deep red following the weakness in the US overnight as tech selloff intensified Euro and Dollar are following as the next weakest so far Swiss Franc is the strongest one for today extending yesterday s surprised rally Meanwhile New Zealand Dollar also bucks the trend as it s digesting yesterday s loss
Technically strong resistance at 0 7314 as experienced by AUD USD is also a factor weighing down the Aussie For now there is no confirmation of rejection by 0 7314 yet But break of 0 7164 support which is still far will indicate near term reversal EUR AUD s break of 1 5693 minor resistance yesterday suggests short term topping and we ll likely see some stronger rebound ahead USD CHF s break of 0 9952 support is seen as an indication of bearish reversal But for now EUR USD is holding below 1 1499 resistance So there is no confirmation of broad based weakness in Dollar yet
In other markets NASDAQ led the way down yesterday by dropping 3 03 DOW closed down 1 56 and S P 500 lost 1 66 Treasury yields closed generally lower with 10 year yield down 0 017 at 3 057 30 year yield showed some resilience and was down 0 011 only to 3 316 In Asia all major indices are in red Nikkei is down 1 12 Hong Kong HSI down 1 89 China Shanghai SSE LON SSE LON SSE down 1 51 and Singapore Strait Times down 1 18
RBA cautiously upbeat but nowhere near a rate hike
RBA sounded cautiously upbeat in the minutes of November 6 meeting There it noted that Australian economy had continued to improve and had been a little stronger than expected However outlook for consumption continued to be a source of uncertainty in an environment of slow growth in household incomes Conditions in the labor market had also be stronger than expected and forward looking indicators of labour demand continued to point to ongoing strength in the near term
Nevertheless underlying inflation remained low and stable consistent with previous forecasts Housing market conditions in Sydney and Melbourne had continued to ease Housing credit growth had declined particularly for investors but had continued to be higher than growth in household income
Overall RBA maintained that the next move in the cash rate was more likely to be an increase than a decrease but that there was no strong case for a near term adjustment in monetary policy
There are also two interesting points to note Firstly RBA noted the depreciation in Australian Dollar exchange rate in 2018 And to the board member this had reflected offsetting effects on the exchange rate from higher commodity prices on the one hand and the decline in Australian bond yields relative to those in other major markets on the other hand
Regarding future monetary policy moves board members discussed how different scenarios could affect the decision And the appropriate policy response would depend on the specifics of the situation including the underlying factors driving economic developments RBA also quoted an example in the minutes For example in the event of a marked change in the strength of the global economy the effect on the Australian economy and thus the appropriate monetary policy response would depend on any associated move in the exchange rate of the Australian dollar
IMF Australia s growth to continue but risks tiled to the downside
IMF noted in a report that Australia s recent strong growth is expected to continue in the near term Also further reducing slack in the economy and leading the way to gradual upward pressure on wages and prices In particular private consumption growth is anticipated to remain buoyant supported by strong employment gains Also rebound in non mining private business investment and further growth in public investment is envisaged to offset a softening in dwelling investment
However balance of risks is tilted to the downside with a less favorable global risk picture IMF noted weaker than expected near term outlook in China coupled with further rising global protectionism and trade tensions could delay full closure of the output gap Also sharp tightening of global financial conditions could spill over into domestic financial markets raising funding costs and lowering disposable income of debtors with the impact also depending on the response of the Australian dollar
Also domestic demand may equally turn out weaker if wage growth remained subdued or investment spillovers were smaller Housing market downturn is another source of risk But under the baseline outlook the housing correction remains orderly But negative risk developments could amplify the correction and lower domestic demand
BoJ Kuroda Negative rate still necessary but no need to take extra easing
BoJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda ruled out the need to ramp up stimulus today He said that there s no need to take additional steps What s important is to ensure our policy is sustainable with an eye on balancing its pros and cons
But at the same time he also ruled out an early end to the negative interest rate policy He noted I know there is various debate on the BoJ s negative rate policy but for the time being it s a necessary step that is part of our large scale monetary easing program
Kuroda remained optimistic that wage and price growth will likely accelerate and lift inflation to 2 target eventually But that change of doing that any time during fiscal 2020 is slim
Fed Williams NYSE WMB NYSE WMB Interest rates are still very low and we ll likely raise them somewhat
New York Fed President John Williams said overnight that the US is in a great position where unemployment is very low the economy has got a lot of I think good positive signs and for us it s just keeping a good balance Keeping this economy strong and stable
For now Williams noted interest rates are still very low And We ll be likely raising interest rates somewhat but it s really in the context of a very strong economy Though he also noted that Fed is not on a preset course but we ll adjust how we do monetary policy to do our best to keep this economy going strong with low inflation
For December meeting Williams said what we re going to do over the next FOMC monetary policy meeting we re going to do what we ve been doing as best we can we re going to find a gradual path of the monetary policy back to a more normal level of interest rates
Looking ahead
BoE Governor Mark Carney s inflation report hearing will be a main focus for today On the data front Swiss will release trade balance Germany will release PPI UK will release CBI trends total orders US will release housing starts and building permits later in the day |
WMB | Weekend Update For November 24 2018 | VIX advanced during the short holiday week making a new high and higher low closing above its weekly Cycle Top at 20 63 Note the Head Shoulders formation which may give it more impetus in the next week VIX is also positioned for a triply indicated surge of strength through mid December
Bloomberg An aggressive implied volatility storm has not developed amid the recent declines in global stock market indexes
The relationship between S P 500 and VIX has flattened leaving put spreads on the index outperforming volatility call options SPX realized volatility remains historically elevated 10 day at the 80th percentile of the 5 year range but there s no sign of extreme downside hedging panic on short dated skews
SPX approaching the neckline
SPX resumed its decline during the shortened holiday week nearing the neckline of a proposed Head Shoulders formation that promises further declines The Cycles Model now implies aweek long decline that may test its weekly Cycle Bottom at 2113 32
Bloomberg The nasty sell off in equity markets has raised doubts about the Federal Reserve s willingness to follow through with its plan to boost interest rates again in December It shouldn t
The odds that market participants place on a rate hike had dropped to around 65 percent from a high of more than 80 percent a few weeks ago The decline comes even as central bankers give little reason to doubt that another rate hike is coming New York Federal Reserve President John Williams NYSE WMB a permanent voting member on the Federal Open Markets Committee reiterated this week his expectation that the Fed would be likely raising interest rates somewhat but it s really in the context of a very strong economy
To read the entire report Please click on the pdf File Below |
WMB | Williams Companies Inc The WMB Down 0 7 Since Last Earnings Report Can It Rebound | It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Williams Companies Inc The NYSE WMB Shares have lost about 0 7 in that time frame underperforming the S P 500
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release or is Williams Companies Inc The due for a breakout Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late let s take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers Williams Companies Posts Stronger Q3 ResultsWilliams Companies reported third quarter 2018 adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 24 cents per share outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 18 cents The better than expected results can be attributed to an increase in service revenues on the back of higher volumes in the Northeast and Transco expansion projects Further the bottom line improved from the prior year figure of 15 cents per share For the quarter ended Sep 30 2018 Williams reported revenues of 2 303 million beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 2 164 million Further revenues also increased from the year ago figure of 1 891 million Distributable cash flows came in at 768 million up 27 3 from the year ago quarter Adjusted EBITDA came in at 1 196 million in the quarter under review compared with 1 113 million in the third quarter of 2017 Cash flow from operations totaled 746 million compared with 705 million in the prior year period Higher revenues from Transco projects drove the cash flow in the quarter Other expansionary projects namely Atlantic Sunrise project and Gulf Connector will keep up the cash flow momentum Segmental AnalysisWilliams completed the merger with its midstream arm Williams Partners on Aug 10 following which the company reports results under four segments Atlantic Gulf This segment comprising Williams Transco Pipeline and properties in the Gulf Coast region generated adjusted EBITDA of 480 million compared with 431 million recorded in the year ago quarter Transco s Big 5 expansion projects Gulf Trace Hillabee Phase 1 Dalton New York Bay and Virginia Southside II which became functional in 2017 along with a few others that came online this year drove the results of the company West The segment including Northwest pipeline and operations in various regions such as Colorado Mid Continent Haynesville Shale among others delivered adjusted EBITDA of 424 million nominally lower than 426 million recorded in the year ago quarter Northeast G P This segment engages in natural gas gathering and processing along with NGL fractionation business in Marcellus and Utica shale regions The segment generated adjusted EBITDA of 281 million up 14 2 from the corresponding quarter of last year Higher volumes from Susquehanna and Ohio River systems led to improved results Others The segment posted adjusted EBITDA of 11 million compared with 10 million reported in the third quarter of 2017 Expenses summaryTotal costs and expenses increased 11 4 to 1 802 million in the reported quarter compared with 1 617 million in the prior year quarter The increased costs were primarily driven by higher product costs general administrative expenses and processing commodity charges Capital Expenditure Balance SheetDuring the reported quarter Williams capital expenditure was 769 million As of Sep 30 2018 the company had cash and cash equivalents of 42 million Its long term debt was 21 409 million representing a debt to capitalization ratio of 57 8 OutlookThe company reiterated its guidance for 2018 and 2019 Williams expects its adjusted EBITDA for 2018 within 4 450 4 650 million It expects distributable cash flow in the range of 2 600 2 900 million The coverage ratio is expected between 1 52 and 1 70 in 2018 For 2019 Williams anticipates its adjusted EBITDA in the band of 4 850 5 150 million with distributable cash flow within 2 900 3 300 million The coverage ratio is expected to be around 1 68
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then
In the past month investors have witnessed an upward trend in fresh estimates
VGM Scores
At this time Williams Companies Inc The has an average Growth Score of C though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with a D Following the exact same course the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side putting it in the bottom 40 for this investment strategy
Overall the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D If you aren t focused on one strategy this score is the one you should be interested in
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock and the magnitude of these revisions has been net zero Notably Williams Companies Inc The has a Zacks Rank 3 Hold We expect an in line return from the stock in the next few months |
WMB | Trump Xi Meeting Set Up For Success | Friday November 30 2018Meetings today and tomorrow at the Group of 20 G20 Summit in Buenos Aires Argentina are grabbing the lion s share of headlines this morning as we don t see any new economic data until after today s opening bell Chicago PMI for November and a speech by voting Fed member John Williams NYSE WMB But the focus remains not on a group of 20 but of 2 the U S and China And the mood of U S officials going into the meetings particularly the dinner scheduled between Presidents Trump and Xi Saturday is quite positive especially considering which side of the equation these officials have been on U S Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer known as hawkish on tariffs for imported Chinese goods says this meeting is set up for success In fact he said he d be surprised if it wasn t a successful meeting These comments have led some in the media to speculate that a deal between the U S and China on trade tariffs is already in place setting up the dinner meeting as little more than a formality Yet with the two sides so far apart to this point in time and with a major increase to 25 on Chinese imports scheduled for January 1st of next year it s hard to imagine just what sort of agreement would put this issue to bed Not that it wouldn t be very well received by the market Much of our recent trepidation in market investment can be traced directly to the tariff issue especially regarding all the known unknowns an additional 25 tax would unleash on the indexes Even a temporary truce on tariff policy currently thought of by many analysts as a more likely outcome than a complete long term agreement between Trump and Xi would provide at least a near term boost to market sentiment although it would do little more than kick the can for the issue Should Trump continue to hold Xi s feet to the fire on trade odds of which improve by the presence of trade policy architect Peter Navarro assisting Trump at the G20 there is a smaller possibility that differences between the world s top two economies actually gets inflamed by the meeting But as world leaders tend not to complicate photo ops like the one tomorrow s dinner would provide with the exacerbation of current difficulties they d rather save face in front of the cameras it s more tempting to count on diplomacy winning the day Of course even if a handshake agreement does lead to a bid up in the market indexes today and perhaps Monday there would still be question marks surrounding a final trade deal with January fast approaching Right now pre market activity is decidedly mixed with Dow futures down double digits with the Nasdaq slightly in the green Mark VickerySenior Editor
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WMB | Trump And Xi To Meet What Lies Ahead | Meetings today and tomorrow at the Group of 20 G20 Summit in Buenos Aires Argentina are grabbing the lion s share of headlines this morning as we don t see any new economic data until after today s opening bell Chicago PMI for November and a speech by voting Fed member John Williams NYSE WMB But the focus remains not on a group of 20 but of 2 the U S and China And the mood of U S officials going into the meetings particularly the dinner scheduled between Presidents Trump and Xi Saturday is quite positive especially considering which side of the equation these officials have been on U S Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer known as hawkish on tariffs for imported Chinese goods says this meeting is set up for success In fact he said he d be surprised if it wasn t a successful meeting These comments have led some in the media to speculate that a deal between the U S and China on trade tariffs is already in place setting up the dinner meeting as little more than a formality Yet with the two sides so far apart to this point in time and with a major increase to 25 on Chinese imports scheduled for January 1st of next year it s hard to imagine just what sort of agreement would put this issue to bed Not that it wouldn t be very well received by the market Much of our recent trepidation in market investment can be traced directly to the tariff issue especially regarding all the known unknowns an additional 25 tax would unleash on the indexes Even a temporary truce on tariff policy currently thought of by many analysts as a more likely outcome than a complete long term agreement between Trump and Xi would provide at least a near term boost to market sentiment although it would do little more than kick the can for the issue Should Trump continue to hold Xi s feet to the fire on trade odds of which improve by the presence of trade policy architect Peter Navarro assisting Trump at the G20 there is a smaller possibility that differences between the world s top two economies actually gets inflamed by the meeting But as world leaders tend not to complicate photo ops like the one tomorrow s dinner would provide with the exacerbation of current difficulties they d rather save face in front of the cameras it s more tempting to count on diplomacy winning the day Of course even if a handshake agreement does lead to a bid up in the market indexes today and perhaps Monday there would still be question marks surrounding a final trade deal with January fast approaching Right now pre market activity is decidedly mixed with Dow futures down double digits with the Nasdaq slightly in the green |
WMB | Trump Close To A Deal With China Not Sure He Wants It | Index Futures Net Changes and Settlements
Foreign Markets Fair Value and Volume
In Asia 7 out of 11 markets closed higher Shanghai Comp 0 81 Hang Seng 0 21 Nikkei 0 40
In Europe 12 out of 13 markets are trading lower CAC 0 37 DAX 0 58 FTSE 0 70
Fair Value S P 0 67 NASDAQ 5 06 Dow 17 48
Total Volume 1 48mil ESZ 569 SPZ traded in the pit
As of 8 00 AM EST
Today s Economic Calendar
Today s economic calendar includes a 2 Yr Note Settlement a 5 Yr Note Settlement a 7 Yr Note Settlement a 10 Yr TIPS Settlement John Williams NYSE WMB Speaks at 9 00 AM ET Chicago PMI at 9 45 AM ET and the Baker Hughes Rig Count at 1 00 PM ET
S P 500 Futures ES 2754 50
Chart courtesy of Chicagostock ES F Got 3D pivots Since Monday s close above the 3D pivot to reverse the negative trend along with Tuesday s follow through trend reversed higher putting pressure back up 3D pivot ranges acting as support on new found bull trend that began Monday
After trading lower for much of the overnight session the S P 500 futures opened yesterday s regular session at 2736 25 The benchmark futures chopped around early before turning lower after 9 00 and finding the morning low of 2723 25 heading into the 10 00 hour The late morning saw a rally to a high at 2742 00 after news broke that Trump and China were working for a compromised trade deal
The afternoon saw an early 2737 00 low before chopping higher up to 2744 00 and then buy programs hit pushing the ES up to 2749 50 Then after a 3 25 handle pullback there was another push up to 2754 50 heading into the final hour After 2 00 the futures began to turn a little lower the result of some profit taking into the close finding a late low of 2737 25 The ES went on to print 2738 75 on the 3 00 cash close before settling the day at 2744 00 up 2 50 handles or 0 09
Overall the story of the day was about three sides the early weakness following poor jobless claims and pending home sales then the rally on China Trump rumors followed by late day selling as T 2 for the end of the month created a 1 1 billion MOC sell side imbalance forcing the futures to retrace the day s gains
Disclaimer Trading Futures Options on Futures and retail off exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances knowledge and financial resources Any decision to purchase or sell as a result of the opinions expressed in the forum will be the full responsibility of the person s authorizing such transaction s BE ADVISED TO ALWAYS USE PROTECTIVE STOP LOSSES AND ALLOW FOR SLIPPAGE TO MANAGE YOUR TRADE S AS AN INVESTOR COULD LOSE ALL OR MORE THAN THEIR INITIAL INVESTMENT PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Original post |
WMB | Azarenka and Halep meet in battle of former number ones | Reuters A resurgent Victoria Azarenka runs into her biggest test so far at this year s Wimbledon when she meets fellow former world number one Simona Halep on Centre Court on Friday
The pair have beaten each other twice in their careers and the last time they met was at the same venue in the round of 16 two years ago when Romanian Halep triumphed in straight sets
However seventh seed Halep has been pushed in her first two matches this year stretched to three sets by unseeded compatriot Mihaela Buzarnescu in the previous round as the clay court specialist struggles to adapt to the faster grass surface
It s totally different the game Halep told reporters after her 6 3 4 6 6 2 win over Buzarnescu I cannot slide here as I like on clay court You don t have that much time to think about the shots You have to be very fast
Halep has plummeted from first to seventh in the rankings after a trophy less 2019 but Azarenka is wary of the diminutive counter puncher who prefers to stay behind the baseline and use her shot selection and court coverage to grind down opponents
She s very good from the baseline smart player moves very well brings a lot of balls back the Belarusian said
We had quite a few entertaining matches She s definitely a tough opponent She knows how to play big matches
In other matches 15 year old American sensation Cori Gauff who dispatched both Venus Williams NYSE WMB and 2017 semi finalist Magdalena Rybarikova in straight sets will also get a Centre Court match up against Polona Hercog of Slovenia
Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic continues his quest for a fifth title at the All England Club against Poland s 22 year old Hubert Hurkacz while women s third seed Karolina Pliskova faces Hsieh Su Wei of Taiwan |
WMB | Marc Cohodes Last Stand Part Five The Last Rodeo | This is the final part of the groundbreaking January 2019 interview between Real Vision co founder Grant Williams NYSE WMB and legendary short seller Marc Cohodes In this clip Cohodes finishes the story of his battle to expose the truth about the misbehavior of biotech company MiMedx This clip is excerpted from a video published on Real Vision on February 1 2019 entitled Fraud Intimidation and Truth Marc Cohodes Last Stand |
WMB | Gauff s first coach backs American to become world s best | By Jack Tarrant
TOKYO Reuters Teenage tennis sensation Cori Gauff s first coach Sly Black has backed the American to become the world s best
Gauff 15 beat five times champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB and 2017 semi finalist Magdalena Rybarikova in her first two rounds and will play in the third round at Wimbledon later on Friday
Black who has also worked with fellow American Sloane Stephens remembers the time when Gauff s family brought her to his Florida base as a six year old
Even then her talent was obvious
I predicted she was the best 10 year old tennis player in the history of the sport at that moment Black told Reuters through Skype from Vietnam where he is currently coaching
I have seen Martina Hingis I have seen Jennifer Capriati at 12 years old but Cori at 10 years old was in my mind the best 10 year old tennis player to ever play this sport
Gauff also known as Coco has played a fearless brand of tennis at Wimbledon showing a strength of character that belies her age
Mental strength is what sets her apart from the other youngsters Black has worked with down the years
First of all she had the physical ability that s the first thing then her mental toughness was way ahead of her age said Black who continued working with Gauff until 2015
I have coached many girls at the same age at that age between eight and 15 years old and Cori s mental ability was just as good as any top 15 year old girl I have ever seen
At that age she was well ahead of her time
Gauff has won both her Wimbledon matches in straight sets to set up a meeting with Polona Hercog in round three
Despite a slight waver following her win over Williams Gauff has taken the attention in her stride so far at the All England Club
Black has backed her to maintain her focus
I have seen her do things at a young age or win games at a young age that she is not supposed to win said Black who witnessed Gauff at the age 13 become the youngest to reach the U S Open girl s final
If there is anybody who is going to be able to maintain or keep up with the pressure that is happening right now with her is Cori
Back when Gauff was just 10 years old Black predicted she would be a top 10 player by the age of 16 and the world number one at 17
He stood by that prediction and believes the young American might even be ahead of schedule
She has arrived and she has arrived in style and is there with the best said Black Everyone knows who she is and she is on target right now for sure to become the best tennis player in the world |
WMB | Formula E founder ready to take electric racing to extremes | By Alan Baldwin
GOODWOOD England Reuters Formula E founder Alejandro Agag is ready to take electric racing to extremes with the launch on Friday of a rugged SUV prototype that will compete in some of the most remote and ravaged parts of the planet
The Spaniard soon to step aside as Formula E chief executive aims to highlight the impact of climate change while promoting electric vehicles with a new Extreme E series
Former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran gave the Odyssey 21 prototype a first public run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a four day event that bills itself as the world s largest motoring garden party
I think it s an electric beast that we have created here and the perfect character for the championship we want to create Agag told Reuters
This is where the championship becomes real It s really the proof of concept People need to touch something to believe in it
It was very much the same with Formula E No one believed in Formula E but when we showed the first Formula E car people started believing So this is the day where people start believing that Extreme E is going to come
The series is due to launch in 2021 with likely manufacturer involvement
The car built by French company Spark and powered by batteries designed by the Williams NYSE WMB Formula One team is capable of going from 0 62mph in 4 5 seconds and with a range of 200km in non racing conditions The top speed is around 200kph
Manufacturer teams can use their own powertrain and bodywork so it looks more like their road going SUVs
Ultimately the car could use hydrogen fuel cells rather than batteries
Whenever hydrogen is ready we will open the championship to hydrogen said Agag I think this specific championship is very well suited to hydrogen fuel cells
I think it s important to be in every technology we believe in any technology that can power an electric motor or have clean mobility The goal here is clean mobility
Agag said Extreme E had identified three of the five locations needed
I would say we have the altitude location desert location and jungle location identified We still are scouting the world for the ocean location which is dealing with plastic pollution and the polar location
The races in head to head elimination format without spectators will be filmed in areas already suffering from environmental damage or under threat They will then be edited into a 10 part docu sport package
Agag said he had more than 25 letters of intent signed with potential teams and one Monaco based Venturi who also compete in Formula E had been announced
Fox Sports has signed a multi year broadcast deal |
WMB | Teenager Gauff digs deep to reach Wimbledon fourth round | By Clare Lovell LONDON Reuters Fifteen year old Cori Gauff clawed her way back from a set and 5 2 down and saved two match points to beat Slovenia s Polona Hercog 3 6 7 6 7 7 5 on Friday and reach the Wimbledon fourth round The American teenager ranked 313th in the world had earned a match on Centre Court after capturing the public s imagination with her giant killing exploits including ousting former champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB in the first round Gauff who beat former semi finalist Magdalena Rybarikova in the second round was roared on by the crowd but found it hard at first to cope with 28 year old Hercog s heavy groundstrokes and big serve She showed remarkable composure however to fight back against the 60th ranked Slovenian who failed to convert two match points in the second set I always knew I could come back no matter what the score is I just went for my shots Gauff nicknamed Coco said after leaving the court to warm applause The crowd was amazing Even when I was down match point they were still cheering me on Hercog needed treatment on her back after the second set and slumped to 4 1 in the third but she too fought back in the tense duel I m relieved it s over she was playing unbelievably Gauff said Hercog dumped a shot into the net in the final game and another went long under Gauff s pressure before the teenager leapt in the air to celebrate her victory as her proud parents applauded from the players box Gauff is the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the Open era and the youngest to reach the fourth round since American Jennifer Capriati also aged 15 in 1991 She faces seventh seed Simona Halep a former world number one in the last 16 |
WMB | Serena and Murray s Wimbledon mixed doubles match canceled | London Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB and Andy Murray s mixed doubles first round match at Wimbledon was canceled on Friday evening by organizers who rescheduled it to be played on Saturday The two tennis stars had teamed up on Wednesday to play in the event Serena is still competing in the singles while Murray hasn t played singles since the start of the year because of injury but appears to be making a tentative comeback through doubles The celebrity pair had been due to play Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi on Centre Court but moments after the preceding match went to a third set at around 7 15pm local time organizers announced the mixed doubles clash was being canceled
It was later rescheduled for Saturday on a court and at a time to be arranged |
WMB | Azarenka criticizes gender inequality in tournament schedules | By Toby Davis LONDON Reuters Former world number one Victoria Azarenka said there is big inequality in the scheduling of men s and women s matches at tournaments describing this year s French Open as unacceptable Azarenka who was knocked out of Wimbledon by Simona Halep on Friday said the time slots and courts allocated to matches was the next big fight in the battle for gender equality in tennis Gender inequality in prize money has been a longstanding issue in tennis Women get equal prize money at the Grand Slams but often earn less than their male counterparts at other tournaments Prime slots on the major show courts at the biggest tournaments and Grand Slams attract greater exposure and Azarenka said this could be a reason why women players earn less You give 10 years of the same exposure and the same time slots as men s get and then we will look at those numbers prize money and you tell me the difference okay she told reporters at Wimbledon That s what those numbers might be still the same Hey I m not saying that But give the same opportunity and then let s talk about facts She said there had been an example of inequality at this year s French Open where the men s semi finals were played on the main Court Philippe Chatrier while the women s last four matches were not after rain played havoc with the schedule It s very obvious It s not only French Open I think Grand Slams have been more equal in terms of scheduling which is not the case obviously at this year s French Open which was unacceptable I believe And the rest of the scheduling there is a big inequality in that the time slots It has to be fixed Women should be getting the same scheduling same time slots and that s one of the main issues with where we are gonna try to fight for this equality We have been fighting a lot for equality and prize money This is the next step for sure The scheduling at Wimbledon came under the spotlight on Thursday when women s world number one Ash Barty and holder Angelique Kerber played on Court Two while men s eighth seed Kei Nishikori played Britain s unseeded Cameron Norrie on Centre Court Twelve months ago five times Wimbledon champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB contested her first round match on Court 2 In contrast the so called Big Four in men s tennis Roger Federer Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have never been scheduled to play matches outside of Centre and Court One once they had held aloft the Challenge Cup The last time any of the quartet had to venture on to an outside court was in 2009 when Djokovic played his fourth round match against Dudi Sela on Court 3 two years before he won the first of his four titles at the All England Club However over the first five days of this year s championships there have more women s 16 than men s 14 singles matches contested on the two main show courts Azarenka said she had not been paying close attention to the scheduling at Wimbledon this year but that it was a general problem with tennis |
WMB | Weed ban means no Rocky Mountain high for Canada s Calgary Stampede | By Rod Nickel and Nia Williams NYSE WMB CALGARY Alberta Reuters Canada s Calgary Stampede known as the country s biggest and booziest annual party is banning the use of cannabis in the first year that legislators made the drug legal nationwide The Stampede which started on Thursday and runs through July 14 draws tourists from around the world for its rodeo and chuckwagon races but much of the revelry happens away from official venues at parties hosted by oil and gas companies Cannabis consumption will not be allowed in the 230 acre Stampede Park although alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking are permitted in certain areas said Stampede spokeswoman Jennifer Booth With cannabis legalization legislation being so new we re taking the opportunity to learn the impact of having cannabis use at other events Booth said adding that she has received supportive comments about the policy If someone is found using cannabis they re just going to be asked politely to not use it Canada became the first developed country to legalize recreational cannabis last year Several provinces cut their cannabis revenue forecasts because of supply shortages and higher prices compared with the black market Calgary s cannabis bylaw forbids consumption for recreational use in public places with violations incurring fines of C 100 76 30 The law allows public events to provide designated cannabis consumption areas similar to beer gardens The Stampede opted not to license a cannabis area due to the park being a family gathering place Booth said To Gordon Hayes director of events with the Calgary Cannabis Club the Stampede s policy is heavy handed and problematic for people who use cannabis for medical conditions We re supposed to be the wild wild West Hayes said People say they re trying to protect kids but in my mind seeing a guy fall down drunk and puke on himself is a more damaging image than someone consuming cannabis At the Stampede grounds some applauded the weed ban I think it s a good thing because of children said S Levan a mother of one child from Calgary People shouldn t be smoking at all in public Calgary situated near the Rocky Mountains is the corporate heart of Canada s oil industry Despite chilly temperatures crowds lined the parade route downtown many dressed in cowboy hats boots jeans and plaid shirts Stampede attendance was down by 30 on Thursday from the first day a year earlier amid rainy weather organizers said Last year the Stampede drew nearly 1 3 million people |
WMB | Nadal s draw gets tougher with resurgent Tsonga in third round | Reuters After Rafa Nadal won a thrilling four set encounter with Nick Kyrgios the Spaniard repeated his lament that he had got a tough draw at the All England Club ahead of his third round clash against Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga on Saturday
Although Nadal is ranked second in the world his absence from numerous grasscourt tournaments ultimately gave him the third seeding at Wimbledon prompting him to complain before the tournament got underway
It s true that I have been handed a tough draw a tough opponent for a second round Nadal said after his victory over Kyrgios You want to face less in a second round like this especially here
Now I have another tough opponent in Tsonga Every match is tough my draw is a tough one
While Nadal had to dig deep against Kyrgios Tsonga has yet to drop a set
The 34 year old said he had been shown a lack of respect after his first round opponent Bernard Tomic was fined for playing below standards in a match that lasted only 58 minutes the shortest Wimbledon men s match for 15 years
In the third set he played and it was tight Tsonga said And I played well to win this set So I don t know
Tsonga s frustration at his victory being questioned stems from his own struggles to claw his way back up the rankings after falling out of the top 100
He played only 12 matches in 2018 missing three Grand Slams with a knee injury which led to his singles ranking plummeting from 15 to 262
A title win in Montpellier in February helped him to recover some measure of consistency and move up to 72nd 70 places below Nadal
Tsonga has an uncanny ability to get results against top players and he has beaten the Spaniard four times in his career winning their last meeting in 2015
The pair will have to wait for their Centre Court match up though after women s top seed Ash Barty plays British wildcard Harriet Dart
Roger Federer is also in action on Centre Court later on Saturday when he takes on Frenchman Lucas Pouille
American Serena Williams NYSE WMB plays Germany s Julia Goerges on Court One while Czech sixth seed Petra Kvitova takes on Poland s Magda Linette on Court Two |
WMB | The real Serena finally shows up at Wimbledon | By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON Reuters A loud and brash Red Arrows flypast over Wimbledon s Court One provided a timely distraction on Saturday that allowed the real Serena Williams NYSE WMB to finally show up at the All England Club this year
Before the unexpected interruption there definitely seemed to be something amiss
The impostor who had turned up this week looked like Serena and sounded like Serena but she definitely did not play like a champion who owns 23 Grand Slam singles titles
How else would one explain the American dropping a set against a 133rd ranked qualifier in the second round or squandering three break points from 0 40 up against Germany s Julia Goerges on Saturday
But once the plumes of smoke left behind by the Red Arrows had painted the overcast sky a patriotic red white and blue the seven times Wimbledon champion s competitive fires burned brightly and she screamed to a 6 3 6 4 win over Goerges to reach the second week of Wimbledon for the 16th time
It s been an arduous year for me so every match I m hoping to improve Every time I go out there I try said the 37 year old whose build up to the grasscourt major had been hampered by a knee injury
I m getting a really late start in all of my matches here so far but all that matters is that I am still here
And being in the fourth round mix means that it is still game on for that record 24th Grand Slam title that has proved elusive over the past year when final appearances at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows both proved to be lost causes
Life certainly should not have been so difficult for Williams against her first two opponents this week 161st ranked Giulia Gatto Monticone or Slovenia s Kaja Juvan considering they were both little known qualifiers
Against Goerges she should have been confident of victory since the German had failed to take a set off Williams in four previous meetings including last year s semi final here
But when Goerges soaked up everything Williams could throw at her to fight back from 0 40 down to hold her serve in the second game of the opening set it seemed this might be another long day
But Williams could not really afford to dilly dally around court too long on Saturday considering this match was just a dress rehearsal for a more pressing engagement she had later in the day to partner Britain s most famous tennis son Andy Murray in the mixed doubles
As if on cue the Red Arrows shot through the sky just as Goerges was about to begin serving in the sixth game
While the crowd looked skywards Williams only had Goerges in her sights and cut the German down by immediately breaking for a 4 2 lead
The trademark roar was back rocking Court One and it was game over at least for now
There s such a buzz around about me and Andy that I ve gotten nervous now I feel like I might have a bit of performance anxiety I hope I can live up to the hype Williams said
I m ready and I m excited but I am definitely nervous
Next up in singles for the 11th seed is Carla Suarez Navarro |
BMY | Xenoport To Be Acquired By Arbor Pharmaceuticals Stock Up | Xenoport Inc s NASDAQ XNPT shares surged 56 4 after the company announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Arbor Pharmaceuticals LLC under which it will be acquired by the latter for 7 03 per share in cash or a total value of approximately 467 million Under the terms of the agreement Arbor will begin a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of XenoPort Upon the closing of the tender offer the companies will execute a merger through which all shares that were not tendered in the offer will be converted into the right to receive 7 03 per share in cash The transaction is slated to close in the third quarter of 2016 Through the acquisition Arbor will add Xenoport s sole marketed product Horizant to its portfolio Horizant is currently approved in the U S for the treatment of moderate to severe primary restless legs syndrome and postherpetic neuralgia The drug generated sales of 13 7 million in the first quarter of 2016 up a whopping 106 year over year Meanwhile under a clinical trial agreement with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA Horizant is being evaluated as a potential treatment for patients with alcohol use disorder Top line results from the study are anticipated in the first half of 2017 Apart from Horizant the transaction will give Arbor access to a number of candidates in XenoPort s pipeline such as XP23829 and XP21279 Our TakeThe acquisition is expected to provide immediate and substantial value to Xenoport s shareholders With about 500 sales professionals promoting its products Arbor will be able to offer better resources for expanded commercialization efforts related to Horizant Xenoport currently carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
BMY | AbbVie Boehringer Report Crohn s Disease Drug Interim Data | AbbVie Inc NYSE ABBV and Boehringer Ingelheim announced that interim results were presented from a randomized placebo controlled proof of concept phase II study evaluating intravenous risankizumab IL 23 inhibitor 200 mg and 600 mg versus placebo administered at weeks zero four and eight in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn s disease Data were presented at the Digestive Disease Week
Results showed that 24 and 37 of patients achieved clinical remission with 200 mg and 600 mg risankizumab respectively compared with the placebo arm 15 after 12 weeks Additionally endoscopic remission was achieved by 15 and 20 of patients who received 200 mg and 600 mg risankizumab respectively compared with 3 of patients who received placebo Moreover almost twice as many patients achieved a clinical response with risankizumab 37 and 42 in the 200 mg and 600 mg groups respectively compared with the placebo group 21 at week 12
On the safety front risankizumab was found to be well tolerated in the study with numerically fewer severe or serious adverse events being reported in patients when treated with risankizumab compared to placebo
Considering that patients with moderate to severe Crohn s disease who have failed anti TNF therapy have inadequate choices for treatment the interim data are encouraging The study is currently in progress and will evaluate patients up to 52 weeks
In Mar 2016 AbbVie and Boehringer had announced a collaboration agreement under which the former is responsible for the development and commercialization of risankizumab globally Apart from Crohn s disease risankizumab is also being evaluated for a couple of other immunological disorders including psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
Upon successful development and subsequent approval risankizumab will enter a high potential but immensely crowded market given the presence of drugs like Stelara Cosentyx and Enbrel among others
AbbVie is currently a Zacks Rank 5 Strong Sell stock Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | PDL BioPharma Agrees To Equity Investment In Noden Pharma | PDL BioPharma Inc NASDAQ PDLI announced that it has committed to an equity investment in privately held Noden Pharma DAC in a bid to acquire global rights to manufacture market and sell Tekturna and Tekturna HCT Under the terms of the agreement PDL BioPharma will pay equity contributions of approximately 107 million to Noden in the first year and an initial equity investment of 75 million upon the closing of the transaction It will also pay an additional 32 million equity contribution at the end of one year of closing the transaction Moreover Noden expects to obtain debt financing with regard to the equity investment PDL BioPharma may contribute additional amounts of equity depending upon the amount of debt obtained by Noden and requirement for specified milestone payments or other purposes PDL BioPharma s investment will eventually reach 88 equity interest in Noden The company will consolidate Noden s financial statements into its own which will be immediately accretive to earnings We remind investors that Noden Pharma had executed a purchase agreement with Novartis AG NYSE NVS to acquire rights to Tekturna and Tekturna HCT for the treatment of hypertension Tekturna and Tekturna HCT are marketed in ex U S countries as Rasilez and Rasilez HCT respectively We note that the active ingredient of Tekturna and Tekturna HCT aliskiren is indicated for the treatment of hypertension In 2015 Tekturna and Tekturna HCT generated revenues of 154 million PDL BioPharma currently carries a Zacks Rank 4 Sell A couple of better ranked stocks in the health care sector are Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY and Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE both sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
BMY | Glaxo Innoviva Report Positive COPD Data On Relvar Ellipta | GlaxoSmithKline plc NYSE GSK and partner Innoviva Inc NASDAQ INVA announced positive headline results from a phase IIIb study Salford Lung Study on Relvar Ellipta 100 25mcg furoate vilanterol for the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD
The multi center open label randomized controlled study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and safety profile of Relvar Ellipta with existing COPD usual care including long acting muscarinic antagonists long acting beta2 agonists and inhaled corticosteroids administered as monotherapy dual or triple combinations
Results showed that patients when treated with Relvar Ellipta achieved a superior reduction in exacerbations compared to usual care in an everyday clinical practice setting For the primary effectiveness analysis a statistically significant reduction 8 41 in the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations compared with those receiving usual care was found in patients treated with Relvar Ellipta In the intent to treat population the incidence of serious adverse events was found to be similar between the two groups Relvar Ellipta 29 and usual care 27
While analyses will continue a second Salford Lung Study is currently being conducted in asthma patients with data expected in 2017
We note that Relvar Ellipta is approved in Europe for the symptomatic treatment of adults with COPD with FEV1 70 predicted normal post bronchodilator with an exacerbation history despite regular bronchodilator therapy
The drug is marketed as Breo Ellipta in the U S for the long term once daily maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD including chronic bronchitis and or emphysema and to reduce exacerbations of COPD in patients with a history of exacerbations Relvar Breo Ellipta registered sales of 257 million in 2015
Considering that Glaxo s respiratory franchise is under significant pressure with Advair Seretide facing increasing competition Glaxo is currently looking to make up for the loss of revenues in the respiratory segment with the launch of new products like Nucala Anoro Ellipta and Relvar Breo Ellipta and others
Both Glaxo and Innoviva carry a Zacks Rank 3 Hold A couple of better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Sanofi s Diabetes Drug Combination Wins FDA Panel Backing | Positive news flowed in for Sanofi PA SASY NYSE SNY when the FDA s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee EMDAC voted in favor 12 to 2 of an approval of the company s new drug application for the fixed ratio combination of its diabetes drugs Lantus basal insulin glargine 100 units mL and Lyxumia GLP 1 receptor agonist lixisenatide for the treatment of type II diabetes in adults
The recommendation came as a surprise given the concerns raised in the briefing documents released by the FDA ahead of the panel meeting read more Nevertheless the EMDAC s opinion will now be reviewed by the FDA with a final response expected in Aug 2016 With the panel in favor of approving the fixed ratio combination we believe chances of gaining an FDA approval are high
The company submitted a regulatory application for the combination in the EU in Mar 2016 Meanwhile a final decision from the FDA regarding Lyxumia s approval status is expected in Jul 2016 We note that Lyxumia is already approved in the EU
Sanofi s Diabetes segment has been under pressure of late with Lantus facing pricing pressure in the U S and biosimilar competition in the EU and Japan The company expects global Diabetes sales to decline 4 8 annually over the 2015 2018 time frame
Novo Nordisk CO NOVOb A S NYSE NVO is also looking to get an FDA approval for its combination treatment IDegLira for the treatment of adults with type II diabetes The company has received a favorable opinion from the EMDAC IDegLira is a once daily fixed combination of Tresiba insulin degludec and Victoza liraglutide
Update on the Medivation Takeover
Sanofi remains focused on acquiring Medivation Inc NASDAQ MDVN even after the latter rejected an unsolicited offer of 52 50 per share approximately 9 3 billion in cash late last month citing that it significantly undervalued the company
In a recent development Sanofi announced that it has filed preliminary consent solicitation materials with the U S Securities and Exchange Commission SEC seeking approval to remove and replace each member of Medivation s board of directors with candidates who will be open to this transaction
Following the SEC approval Sanofi will make the definitive consent solicitation statement available to Medivation shareholders so that they may begin delivering written consents to Sanofi s proposal
However Medivation has urged its shareholders to thwart Sanofi s efforts to replace the company s entire board of directors and expects to file consent revocation materials with the SEC promptly
While speculations are rife about other companies being interested in acquiring Medivation Sanofi was the only one to make an official proposal
We expect investors focus to remain on further updates on this transaction
Sanofi is a Zacks Rank 2 Buy stock Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY is another favorably ranked stock in the health care sector sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Innocoll Stock Gains On Favorable Phase III Data On Xaracoll | Shares of Innocoll Holdings plc NASDAQ INNL surged 47 8 after the company announced positive data from two phase III studies MATRIX 1 and MATRIX 2 on Xaracoll bupivacaine collagen bioresorbable implant for the treatment of postoperative pain relief The two identical randomized placebo controlled double blinded studies evaluated the safety and efficacy of Xaracoll 300 mg dose in the treatment of acute postoperative pain associated with hernia repair The studies met the primary endpoint thereby demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity over 24 hours after open abdominal hernia repair surgery Xaracoll also showed consistency in treatment effect for both pain and opioid reduction Moreover the candidate was seen to be safe and generally well tolerated in both the studies with no Xaracoll related serious adverse events Full analysis of the MATRIX studies will be presented at future medical conferences and submitted for publication Innocoll plans to submit a New Drug Application NDA for Xaracoll in the U S in the third or early fourth quarter of 2016 and expects to launch the product in 2017 According to Innocoll the postoperative pain relief market presently has significant unmet need with long acting anesthetics comprising only 5 The company believes that Xaracoll has an addressable market worth approximately 6 billion in the U S Meanwhile data from phase III studies on Xaracoll also validated the company s collagen based technology platform Another candidate in Innocoll s pipeline Cogenzia is being evaluated in phase III studies COACT 1 and COACT 2 for the treatment of diabetic foot infections Top line data from the studies are anticipated later in 2016 Currently Innocoll carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
WMB | Antero Midstream AM Q3 Earnings And Revenues Top Estimates | Antero Midstream Partners L P s NYSE AM third quarter 2018 adjusted earnings per limited partner unit of 44 cents beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 41 cents Also the bottom line improved from earnings of 33 cents in the year ago quarter Revenues in the quarter jumped to 266 million from 194 million in the year ago quarter The top line also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 248 million The growth in gathering compression and fresh water delivery volumes have boosted the partnership s quarterly earnings and revenues Antero Midstream Partners LP Price Consensus and EPS Surprise DistributionAdjusted distributable cash flow was 157 million up almost 52 from the prior year quarter s tally and provided coverage of 1 3x On Oct 17 Antero Midstream Partners declared a quarterly cash distribution of 44 cents per unit or 1 76 per unit on an annualized basis for the quarter ended Sep 30 2018 This represents an increase of 29 and 6 on an annual basis and sequentially respectively The distribution is payable on Nov 16 to unitholders of record at the close of business on Nov 2 Operational PerformanceDuring the third quarter of 2018 compression volumes averaged a record 1 756 MMcf d up 45 from the year ago quarter s level However the figure lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 1 793 MMcf d On a per Mcf basis compression fee was 19 cents in line with the prior year quarter s level and the Zacks Consensus Estimate In the third quarter high pressure gathering volumes averaged 2 173 MMcf d up 13 from the year ago quarter s tally However the figure lagged the Zacks Cosensus Estimate of 2 188 MMcf d On a per Mcf basis average gathering high pressure fee was 19 cents in line with the prior year quarter level and the Zacks Consensus Estimate Low pressure gathering volumes averaged 2 166 MMcf d up 37 from the figure in the third quarter of 2017 The figure lagged the Zacks Cosensus Estimate of 2 225 MMcf d On a per Mcf basis average gathering low pressure fee was 32 cents in line with the year ago quarter s level and the Zacks Consensus Estimate Fresh water delivery volumes averaged 195 MBbl d up 37 from the prior year quarter s level The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 143 MBbl d The upside can be attributed to increased completion activity by Antero Resources During the quarter 38 well completions with its fresh water delivery system were serviced by Antero Midstream up 19 from the year ago quarter s tally On a per barrel basis average fresh water distribution fee was 3 78 in the third quarter in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but up from the prior year quarter s level of 3 71 Operating ExpensesTotal operating expenses during the quarter was 110 5 million down from 140 2 million in the prior year quarter FinancialsDuring the quarter the partnership s capital investments were 150 million An amount of 875 million has been drawn by Antero Midstream from its bank credit facility of 1 5 billion This results in a liquidity of 625 million About Antero Midstream PartnersAntero Midstream Partners is a master limited partnership MLP created to own operate and develop midstream energy infrastructures for its parent company Antero Resources Corporation NYSE AR It is to be noted that Antero Midstream Partners is likely be acquired by Antero Midstream GP LP AMGP through a cash and stock deal to simplify the company s structure and create a corporation Many companies have decided to merge their MLP s within themselves after Federal Energy Regulatory Commission s announcement came in 2018 to alter a tax policy that allowed MLP interstate oil and natural gas pipelines to retain an income tax allowance in cost of service states Some of these companies include Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB and Enbridge Inc NYSE ENB Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars Here s another stock idea to consider Much like petroleum 150 years ago lithium power may soon shake the world creating millionaires and reshaping geo politics Soon electric vehicles EVs may be cheaper than gas guzzlers Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply one company stands out as the 1 stock to buy according to Zacks research It s not the one you think |
WMB | Stock Market Breather | Index Futures Net Changes and Settlements
Foreign Markets Fair Value and Volume
In Asia 10 out of 11 markets closed lower Shanghai Comp 1 39 Hang Seng 2 39 Nikkei 1 05
In Europe 12 out of 13 markets are trading lower CAC 0 87 DAX 0 49 FTSE 0 85
Fair Value S P 0 80 NASDAQ 9 46 Dow 8 43
Total Volume 1 31mil ESZ 373 SPZ traded in the pit
Today s Economic Calendar
Today s economic calendar includes PPI FD 8 30 AM ET John Williams NYSE WMB Speaks 8 30 AM ET Patrick Harker Speaks 8 50 AM ET Randal Quarles Speaks 9 00 AM ET Consumer Sentiment 10 00 AM ET Wholesale Trade 10 00 AM ET and the Baker Hughes Rig Count 1 00 PM ET
S P 500 Futures The Powell Put Works Again
After the quietest overnight session since September the S P 500 futures opened Thursday s regular session at 2804 50 The morning low was made two ticks lower at 2804 00 followed by a chop higher up to the 2813 25 morning high and then a retest of the open before traveling up to the 2815 25 high of day at 11 30
The afternoon saw a move down to the 2804 00 low of day just ahead of the FOMC announcement and then a bounce to the afternoon high of 2812 25 heading into 1 30 From there the ES fell in an orderly fashion making a low of day at 2795 00 but then rallied into the close of the 1 00 hour
The final hour saw a bounce to 2805 50 and then a selloff down to 2796 50 before printing 2803 25 on the 3 00 cash close and settling the day at 2807 25 down 7 00 handles or 0 25 after trading as high as 2810 75 following the cash close
The overall tone of the day was the back and fill that we predicted after a big day up and the fact that every FOMC day since Powell took over has closed in the red The other side of it is that the markets are returning to a normal calm after the October volatility
Disclaimer Trading Futures Options on Futures and retail off exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances knowledge and financial resources Any decision to purchase or sell as a result of the opinions expressed in the forum will be the full responsibility of the person s authorizing such transaction s BE ADVISED TO ALWAYS USE PROTECTIVE STOP LOSSES AND ALLOW FOR SLIPPAGE TO MANAGE YOUR TRADE S AS AN INVESTOR COULD LOSE ALL OR MORE THAN THEIR INITIAL INVESTMENT PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Original post |
WMB | Euro Unchanged As Investors Look For Clues | EUR USD has started the week unchanged In Monday s European session the pair is trading at 1 1424 up 0 04 on the day On the release front there are no major events on the schedule The eurozone s current surplus dropped sharply to EUR 16 9 billion short of the forecast of EUR 24 2 billion This marked the smallest surplus since July 2014 On Tuesday the eurozone releases PPI and the U S publishes building permits and housing starts
Inflation in the eurozone improved in October Eurozone Final CPI edged up to 2 2 and Final Core CPI improved to 1 1 both of which matched their estimates In October 2017 Final CPI gained 1 7 At the same time lower oil prices could mean that In December the ECB will revise downwards its inflation forecasts
In the U S consumer inflation and spending numbers were strong in October On Thursday the U S released retail sales reports Retail sales rebounded with a strong gain of 0 7 in October after a decline of 0 1 a month earlier Core retail sales jumped 0 8 after a gain of 0 1 in September There was good news from the inflation front on Wednesday as U S consumer inflation numbers beat their estimates for October The consumer price index posted a gain of 0 3 its strongest gain since January Core CPI which excludes food and energy prices edged higher to 0 2 marking a 3 month high Both releases were in line with forecasts Core CPI was 2 1 higher than a year ago The solid consumer data means that the Fed remains on track to continue raising interest rates The Federal Reserve holds its next policy meeting in December with the odds of a December rate hike at 69 slightly lower compared to last week
EUR USD Fundamentals
Monday November 19
4 00 Eurozone Current Account Estimate 24 2B Actual 16 9B
All Day Eurogroup Meetings
6 00 German Buba Monthly Report
10 00 US NAHB Housing Market Index Estimate 67
10 45 US FOMC Member Williams NYSE WMB Speaks
Tuesday November 20
2 00 German PPI Estimate 0 3
All Day ECOFIN Meetings
8 30 US Building Permits Estimate 1 26M
8 30 US Housing Starts Estimate 1 23M
10 00 German Buba President Weidmann Speaks
Key events are in bold
EUR USD for Monday November 19 2018
EUR USD for November 19 at 5 50 EST
Open 1 1419 High 1 1429 Low 1 1394 Close 1 1419
EUR USD Technical
EUR USD ticked lower in the Asian session but has recovered in the European session
1 1300 is providing support
1 1434 is a weak resistance line
Current range 1 1300 to 1 1434
Further levels in both directions
Below 1 1300 1 1212 1 1120 and 1 0992
Above 1 1434 1 1553 and 1 1685
Original post |
WMB | Fed Clips Dollar s Wings | At the start of a new week the pound is trading under a mild selling pressure after a steep decline on Friday The American currency feels uncomfortable after the Fed officials expressed concerns about global growth Investors took the recent comments as a signal that the central bank could slow down the process of monetary policy normalization which discouraged dollar bulls
Against this backdrop the December rate hike expectations have declined from over 90 to just 73 while the 2019 rate hike outlook has shifted as well So far the reemerged trade war fears cap the buck s downside potential but should the Federal Reserve officials confirm their softer stance on policy tightening due to global risks the trade factor won t be able to support the USD as its safe haven status could weaken
In this context traders will closely follow comments by New York Fed President John Williams later today As Williams NYSE WMB is considered a centriston monetary policy his statement could both support and pressure the buck depending on his position
In a wider picture the dollar trading ranges could narrow this week due to a Thanksgiving day effect in FX markets followed by Black Friday Amid the heightened uncertainty over the Fed s position the path of least resistance for the dollar is on the downside |
WMB | GBP USD GBP Edges Higher Investors Eye Inflation Report Hearings | GBP USD has edged lower in the Monday session In North American trade the pair is trading at 1 2844 up 0 11 on the day On the release front British Rightmove HPI posted a sharp decline of 1 7 In the U S there are no major events on the schedule On Tuesday the U S releases building permits and housing starts
Brexit jitters hit full force on Thursday and the pound responded with sharp losses The currency plunged 1 65 on Thursday after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned in protest of the draft Brexit agreement between the U K and the European Union It promises to be an uphill battle for May as many Conservative MPs are against the agreement particularly over the proposed customs agreement with the EU On Thursday there were calls from some Conservative MPs for a no confidence vote against May and it s unclear if May will survive the latest crisis With Labor vowing to shoot down the agreement May will have a tough time getting a majority in parliament for the agreement The EU announced that a special summit on Brexit on November 25 but the markets remained concerned that a no deal scenario is a real possibility GBP USD posted its sharpest one day loss of 2018 on Thursday and further tensions over Brexit could push the pound lower
Overshadowed by the political drama in Westminster was a dismal reading from British retail sales on Thursday The indicator came in at 0 5 its second straight decline Consumers are nervous about Brexit and are holding tighter to their purse strings As well the mild autumn weather has put a damper on sales of winter clothes The dismal retail sales release could dampen consumer and investor confidence which could push the wobbly pound even lower
GBP USD Fundamentals
Sunday November 18
19 01 British Rightmove HPI Actual 1 7
Monday November 19
10 00 US NAHB Housing Market Index Estimate 67 Actual 60
10 45 US FOMC Member Williams NYSE WMB Speaks
Tuesday November 20
5 00 British Inflation Report Hearings
6 00 British CBI Industrial Order Expectations Estimate 6
8 30 US Building Permits Estimate 1 26M
8 30 US Housing Starts Estimate 1 23M
All release times are DST
Key events are in bold
GBP USD for Monday November 19 2018
GBP USD November 19 at 11 55 EST
Open 1 2829 High 1 2884 Low 1 2795 Close 1 2844
GBP USD Technical
GBP USD was flat in the Asian session In European trade the pair posted gains but then retracted GBP USD has posted slight gains in North American trade
1 2812 is a weak support line
1 2915 is the next resistance line
Current range 1 2812 to 1 2915
Further levels in both directions
Below 1 2812 1 2706 1 2589 and 1 2488
Above 1 2915 1 3048 and 1 3173
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WMB | Stock Market Posts A Down Week | Index Futures Net Changes and Settlements
Foreign Markets Fair Value and Volume
In Asia 8 out of 11 markets closed higher Shanghai Comp 0 91 Hang Seng 0 72 Nikkei 0 65
In Europe 9 out of 13 markets are trading higher CAC 0 09 DAX 0 03 FTSE 0 70
Fair Value S P 1 04 NASDAQ 9 23 Dow 6 87
Total Volume 1 86mil ESZ 970 SPZ traded in the pit
As of 8 00 AM EST
Today s Economic Calendar
Today s economic calendar includes John Williams NYSE WMB Speaks 9 40 AM ET Housing Market Index 10 00 AM ET E Commerce Retail Sales 10 00 AM ET and John Williams Speaks 10 45 AM ET and 3 15 PM ET
S P 500 Futures Volatility Surge Continues
Chart courtesy of Chicagostock
ES F Rejected its 3D pivot everyday last week except for Friday holding above to force shorts to cover into the weekend Headfake or change in momentum Keep eye for possible headfake as Monday s pivots below where buyers forced to defend Failure opp to retest Thurs trap
With increased volatility stocks posted another losing week After popping up on Thursday afternoon the S P 500 futures gapped lower on Globex and traded down to 2708 75 early Friday morning The first print off the 8 30 futures open was 2720 50 From there the ES rallied a few handles up to 2722 25 sold off down to 2713 00 seven minutes after the open and by 9 40 am had traded up to 2740 50 up 6 00 handles on the day
Like all the recent trading days the ES quickly sold back off below the vwap made two separate lows at 2721 50 and 2721 25 at 11 00 and 18 minutes later made a new high at 2749 00 After the high the ES lost its footing as the Nasdaq weakened and traded down below the vwap at 2724 25 Finally the futures did a little back and fill before trading up to a lower high at 2745 00 and then broke back down to 2735 25 The last move was a pop back up to 2745 00 to close out the week
In the end Friday capped off another very volatile week for the S P 500 futures In terms of the markets overall tone it seemed like things improved In terms of the days overall trade volume was lower but pretty much in line with the recent surge in volatility
Disclaimer Trading Futures Options on Futures and retail off exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances knowledge and financial resources Any decision to purchase or sell as a result of the opinions expressed in the forum will be the full responsibility of the person s authorizing such transaction s BE ADVISED TO ALWAYS USE PROTECTIVE STOP LOSSES AND ALLOW FOR SLIPPAGE TO MANAGE YOUR TRADE S AS AN INVESTOR COULD LOSE ALL OR MORE THAN THEIR INITIAL INVESTMENT PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Original post |
WMB | Sour Risk Sentiment Amid Continuing Brexit Turmoil | Market movers today
In the UK focus remains on Brexit and any news regarding Theresa May s uncertain future as PM and party leader see also Macro Strategy Views Podcast A deal is still likely despite the UK s house of cards 19 November 2018 May is expected to travel to Brussels today to discuss trade Apart from politics markets will also keep an eye on any changes in the BoE s rhetoric when Carney Haldane Cunliffe and Saunders testify before the UK Parliament s Treasury Committee today
In the US housing starts and building permit data for October is due Recently the housing market has looked a bit shaky but numbers for September were probably influenced by the hurricane season Hence we will keep an eye on whether we see a recovery in October and the coming months
Selected market news
Risk sentiment was sour yesterday with equities down across the globe Despite the very weak risk sentiment US treasuries were only able to stage a very modest yield decline last night The market continued to pare back on the Fed pricing and the curve 2s10s steepened further to 27bp ECB pricing also declined marginally yesterday with 5bp now priced in for September 2019 and 12bp for December 2019 The front of the EUR curve continues to be driven by the long end of the curve In the overnight session Asian equities declined more than 1 5
As we argued in Brexit Monitor Decent Brexit is still base case but uncertainty has risen 16 November 2018 the two main things to look out for in the near term are whether there will be a no confidence vote in Theresa May and whether the supporting party Ulster s DUP will pull its support for the government With respect to the former it is proving more difficult for the Brexit hardliners to secure the 48 no confidence letters than they had imagined We still think a leadership challenge is likely but the difficulties support our view that Theresa May is likely to survive it With respect to the latter the DUP chose to abstain from the budget votes last night which is against the confidence and supply deal between May and the DUP which indicates that the DUP will support the government on among other things the budget and finance bills see the GOV UKs Cabinet Office link to the agreement here The big question we need an answer to is whether this is just a warning shot or whether the DUP is indeed about to pull its overall support
In the US the NAHB housing market index dropped to 60 in October from 68 in September The level remains high but the trend is not good Many housing indicators are turning around and while the interpretation is difficult given the extremely high volatility in most of them it seems as though the housing market is cooling perhaps because mortgage rates have hit 5 We think it is increasingly important to look out for how the housing market is doing This market is a very important driver of overall economic activity
Italy was not discussed at yesterday s Eurogroup meeting The DE FR proposal of an EU budget gathered steam and while no size or further guidance was given on the proposal this seems more like a symbolic rather than substantial win to Macron and to some degree Merkel
To read the entire report Please click on the pdf File Below |
WMB | Teenager Gauff backs up Venus win to reach third round | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters American 15 year old Cori Coco Gauff showed her stunning first round defeat of Venus Williams NYSE WMB was no flash in the pan as she outclassed Magdalena Rybarikova 6 3 6 3 to reach the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday Gauff the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon women s singles main draw via qualifying and the youngest to win a round since 1991 gave the 30 year old former semi finalist a torrid time as her fairytale debut continued under the Court One roof Gliding effortlessly across the grass she took charge of the match by breaking her 139th ranked Slovakian s serve to love in the sixth game and was in control thereafter Rybarikova a semi finalist in 2017 might have hoped for Gauff s level to dip but it never looked likely as the teenager remained ice cool and composed to close in on victory Sensational as victory over her idol and five time champion Williams was the way she backed it up was arguably more impressive as she appeared completely impervious to the hullabaloo she has caused at the All England Club In two matches she has made 18 unforced errors and barely put a foot wrong I just still can t believe she is 15 American great John McEnroe said in his summary for the BBC But even Gauff herself told reporters after the match she was the real deal You can kind of fake it till you make it But I m not faking it at least right now Incredibly this time last week Gauff was preparing for a science exam having jetted into London at short notice after being handed a wildcard for the qualifying event After a whirlwind week she now finds herself one win away from becoming the youngest player to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati aged 14 in 1990 After beating Venus Gauff is already receiving the sort of attention that surrounded Capriati as she burst onto the scene I wasn t expecting any of this A lot of celebrities were DM ing posting me I m kind of star struck It s been hard to reset she told reporters There s so much going on I m still shocked that I m even here world number 313 Gauff said after coming off court and being initially told by the reporter she was next to face Caroline Wozniacki when it is actually Slovenian Polona Hercog who beat another former American prodigy Madison Keys KEEP IT SIMPLE The way she has taken to the world s biggest tennis stage suggests she might be here a while longer yet This is not the first time she has had to deal with pressure but she surprises me with some of the fight she comes up with Gauff s father and coach Corey told Reuters My words too her today were just keep it simple and make sure you hit the ball hard and hit it in the corners It took her no time at all to carry out those instructions ripping a crosscourt backhand winner as she held serve Another graceful backhand sealed her next service game and in the she raced forward to an attempted drop shot to whip an angled forehand on to the line offering a Serena Williams like c mon in response Rybarikova who has dropped to 139th in the rankings was already beginning to feel the pace and in the sixth game Gauff turned up the dial her groundstrokes to secure the first break Serving for the set Gauff crunched two backhand winners on her way to holding to love Gauff broke early in the second set and although Rybarikova tried every spin in her armory to try and break the youngster s rhythm resistance proved futile Asked what advice she had been given by her parents Corey and Candi who cheered each winner from the players box she said it was simple
They just told me you have another match The tournament s not over she said My goal is to win it |
WMB | Superdry moves to fill boardroom seats after Dunkerton s bruising battle | Reuters Superdry L SDRY has appointed former finance heads of M S L MKS and New Look to its board months after the UK fashion retailer s founder Julian Dunkerton rejoined after a bruising boardroom battle that saw most of its directors leave
The company said Helen Weir will become senior independent director and Alastair Miller will be the chair of the audit committee
Since becoming Chairman in April it has been a priority of mine to restore the Board to full strength and these appointments are a big step in that direction said Chairman Peter Williams NYSE WMB
Superdry had warned in May of a shortfall in annual profits after Dunkerton began aggressive moves to reform how the British fashion retailer was run
It delayed the publication of annual results to July 10 blaming the complexity of reflecting one time lease and store impairment charges coupled with recent management changes
Superdry is still looking for a permanent chief executive officer and two non executive directors
The company whose trademark jackets hooded tops and jogging bottoms are popular with young people appointed retail industry veteran Nick Gresham as interim chief financial officer in May |
WMB | Dart frustrated as mixed doubles partner Clarke teams up with Gauff | LONDON Reuters British youngster Harriet Dart was left frustrated after she was dumped by her Wimbledon mixed doubles partner Jay Clarke for American teenager Cori Gauff
Dart received a text from Clarke saying he was switching partners ahead of the mixed doubles opening round on Thursday
Essentially due to the timing I wasn t able to find another partner in the time period available Dart who plays singles on Thursday against Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia told the Daily Mail
I did ask a number of people but a lot of them were set up and that s it I think you should ask Jay about his reasons that s all I want to say
The 15 year old Gauff has made waves at Wimbledon after becoming the youngest player in the professional era to qualify for the main draw before beating Venus Williams NYSE WMB and 2017 semi finalist Magdalena Rybarikova to reach the third round
Clarke said Gauff known as Coco had contacted him and asked him if he could partner her
I ve known Cori for a few years now we got in contact and she asked me to play Clarke said That was tough I had to let her know because I saw the pairs that had signed in and I was thinking am I even going to get in
I think it s the worst decision I have had to make especially mid tournament I didn t sleep too well the night before I played Noah Rubin in a first round singles match but hopefully she understands why I did it I m sorry for her it happened
Clarke plays Roger Federer in a second round singles match later on Thursday before teaming up with Gauff to face Robert Lindstedt and Jelena Ostapenko in the mixed doubles first round on Friday |
WMB | Stephens Johnson win on American Independence Day | LONDON Reuters Sloane Stephens and Steve Johnson got American Independence Day underway by booking their places in the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday
Stephens the 2017 U S Open champion was off court in less than an hour after romping to a 6 0 6 2 win over Yafan Wang which took her into round three for the first time since 2016
Johnson however had to toil for almost 3 1 2 hours under a blazing sun before he was able to crawl past Australian 25th seed Alex de Minaur 3 6 7 6 4 6 3 3 6 6 3
Next up for him will be Japan s Kei Nishikori
The duo are among 11 Americans in action on day four of the championships with seven times singles champion Serena Williams NYSE WMB headlining the 4th of July billing |
WMB | Superstar Gauff tipped for top five in five years Wilander | LONDON Reuters American teenager Cori Gauff is destined for the tennis top five in five years time unless someone such as an agent trainer or boyfriend blocks her path seven times Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander said
Downing five times champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB and 2017 semi finalist Magdalena Rybarikova the 15 year old known as Coco has made waves at the All England Club playing a fearless brand of tennis that the Swede says belies her age
It s inexplicable that a 15 year old can get this far without losing a set at this level Wilander now a tennis analyst for Eurosport said
At 15 her movement shouldn t be that good because physically she shouldn t be as strong as she is but she flies She s quick and she covers the court
She is strong in the outer parts of the court so you can t really push her into playing defense Cori is really 18 or 19 years old physically I think she s a super athlete at a very young age
Wilander said Gauff did not get nervous on court against players far more experienced than her because she has nothing to lose at such a young age
You look at players who came on to the scene when they were 15 Steffi Graf Martina Navratilova etc and they are women who went on to win multiple Grand Slams he said
If you ask me my opinion on Cori yes she is a superstar for sure
Unless there is someone who stands in her way and by that I mean it could be a trainer an agent a boyfriend or even a parent It could be someone there who stops her natural growth Otherwise for sure she will be top five in the world in five years
Her parents have been cheering each winner from the players box keeping her feet on the ground with the advice to keep it simple and that the tournament is not yet over
She is due to play her third round match against Slovenia s Polona Hercog on Friday on Centre Court |
WMB | Serena survives Fourth of July test from Slovenian student | By Pritha Sarkar LONDON Reuters For the second time in four days a Wimbledon champion called Williams NYSE WMB found herself being whipped by a high school teenager but in the end it was Serena Williams dishing out the punishment on Thursday Slovenia s Kaja Juvan 18 appeared to have being inspired by fellow qualifier and teenager Cori Gauff s sensational first round win over Williams s elder sister Venus a five times winner at the All England Club as she came out swinging to break Serena twice in the opening set An ugly smash into the net not only handed Juvan the set but also left an angry Williams staring at the ball in disgust and if looks could kill the ball would have turned to dust But if the Court One fans feared that it might be a case of Gone on the Fourth of July for America s most decorated tennis player she stormed back for a 2 6 6 2 6 4 second round win The 37 year old missed easy slam dunk smashes she belted the ball wide while on break point and glared down on the net after yet another of her shots got tangled up at the bottom of the black mesh But despite producing more unforced errors 26 than winners 25 she put on a winning show for her friend Meghan Markle the Duchess of Sussex to seal a place in the third round against Germany s Julia Goerges by firing down her sixth ace I play my best when I am down it brings out the best in me I m just a fighter and I never give up said a relieved Williams who is chasing a record equaling 24th Grand Slam title That was certainly true on Thursday because during the first hour of her contest with Juvan things were not exactly looking rosy Williams had never lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 at the All England Club nor to a qualifier at any of the slams SCHOOL EXAMS She had a 102 13 win loss ratio on grass and a 338 47 record at the slams Taking on a Wimbledon debutante whose Grand Slam record stood at a slightly more modest 1 1 the result appeared to be a foregone conclusion However Juvan who will return to her homeland to finish her high school exams appeared to have done her homework on her more illustrious rival as she belted winners galore to race to a 3 0 lead in the first set She barely put a foot wrong as she converted both of the break points she earned and made only two unforced errors while Williams failed to make a dent in the Slovenian s serve When the American finally broke Juvan in the opening game of the second set it was game on Williams had a chance to grab a double break for a 4 1 lead but Juvan played like a seasoned professional as she refused to get intimidated by her rival s reputation The world number 133 saved break point by luring the 11th seed into the net with a dropshot and then just stood back to watch a screaming Williams wildly belt the ball into the backboards Williams did go on to win the set and eventually the match but she knows that if she wants to hoist the Rosewater Dish for an eighth time she needs to improve in all departments I m just low on matches basically said Williams who has opted to double her Wimbledon workload by joining forces with Andy Murray in the mixed doubles even though her build up was troubled by a knee injury I could feel it but I m getting there Just have to really learn from every single point I m excited to play with a British icon like Andy it s going to be an honor to share the court with him Maybe I can learn a thing or two
Usually when I play doubles it really helps out my singles game I really need it |
WMB | Tennis royalty hands down tips to Britain s Next Gen royals | By Pritha Sarkar LONDON Reuters Almost a century has passed since Prince Albert later crowned King George VI turned up in his pristine white trousers and collared shirt to compete in the men s doubles at Wimbledon Now Roger Federer is playing his part in helping to further the prospects of a Next Gen player from Britain s royal family one who is likely to end up being known as King George VII At the age of five Prince William s son George is a long way off from joining the Next Gen pack a term used for the best 21 and under competitors on the men s tour but he has been lucky enough to have a knockabout with arguably the greatest player to have ever swung a tennis racket So just how good is Prince George Can he follow in the footsteps of his great great grandfather and one day compete on the manicured lawns of the All England Club At that stage it s all about just touch the ball it s already good 37 year old Swiss Federer who happens to be the Prince s favorite player said with a wry smile He s a cute boy I love to see that they re into tennis or into sports His mum has always enjoyed her tennis he added of the Duchess of Cambridge who attended Wimbledon this week If Prince George someday competes at Wimbledon he will at least be assured he can do no worse than his royal predecessor Prince Albert and his partner wing commander Louis Greig were beaten 6 1 6 3 6 2 by H Roper Barrett and AW Gore in the first round of the men s doubles tournament in 1926 Federer who is chasing a 21st major title and ninth at the grasscourt major is not the only competitor at Wimbledon with royal friends Eight times champion Serena Williams NYSE WMB was cheered on to victory in her second round match by Prince George s aunt fellow American Meghan Markle the Duchess of Sussex So did Williams share Federer s enthusiasm in having a knockabout with another royal offspring her friend Meghan s son Archie once he is old enough to grip a racket I don t know I m actually working on Olympia s game she said referring to her one year old daughter Maybe she can give tips to him She ll be like his older sister Williams added with a smile Considering Serena is one of the Duchess of Sussex s closest friends has she been asked to be a godmother when Archie is christened on Saturday
No I m working on Saturday said Williams who is due to play her third round match on day six of the championships |
WMB | Murray makes winning doubles return as Brits march on | By Toby Davis
LONDON Reuters Andy Murray thought his days of gracing Wimbledon showcourts were behind him after hip surgery but he returned to the All England Club in the men s doubles on Thursday and eased into the second round with French partner Pierre Hugues Herbert
Murray who had a hip resurfacing operation in February having announced his probable retirement from the sport has won 45 singles titles including three Grand Slams but the Scot is a relative novice in the doubles tournaments
Without the hullabaloo that will accompany his mixed doubles partnership with Serena Williams NYSE WMB which is scheduled to get underway on Friday he and Herbert made a solid start to their campaign beating Ugo Humbert and Marius Copil 4 6 6 1 6 4 6 0
Every time I m on the court now it s great said Murray I m just playing tennis again Pain free healthy It s nice It s what I have enjoyed doing since I was a kid At times over the last few years I was not getting any enjoyment out of it
The fun is back Hopefully my hip will feel good for a while added the 32 year old
Murray s win was cheered to the rafters as he celebrated under the new roof on Court One after British fans had earlier enjoyed victories by local favorites Johanna Konta and Harriet Dart in the women s singles and Dan Evans in the men s
The 19th seeded Konta reached the third round with a comfortable 6 3 6 4 win over Czech Katerina Siniakova to set up an encounter with American Sloane Stephens in a repeat of last month s French Open quarter final which the Briton won 6 1 6 4
Dart 22 made the third round for the first time with a 7 6 4 3 6 6 1 win over Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia while Evans in the main draw for the first time since serving a year long drugs ban beat 18th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6 3 6 2 7 6 2 |
WMB | Isner s hopes extinguished on 4th of July as 10 Americans march on | By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON Reuters There were no celebratory 4th of July fireworks from John Isner as Wimbledon s ultra marathon man perished on Thursday and failed to join his 10 fellow Americans who have made it into round three
Isner is likely to forever hold the distinction of contesting Wimbledon s two longest ever matches an 11 hour five minute first round humdinger in 2010 and last year s six hour 36 minute semi final against eventual runner up Kevin Anderson but his 2019 challenge fizzled out in the second round
He belted down 34 aces but that still did not help him over the finishing line as his lack of match practice after being out of action for three months with a foot injury finally caught up with him in a 6 4 6 7 3 4 6 6 1 6 4 defeat by Kazakhstan s Mikhail Kukushkin
It stinks going out early in this event said Isner
The most important thing is my foot s fine as it had been a long time on the shelf My fitness definitely not there there s no doubt
While Isner lost his chance to repeat his run to the semi finals Sam Querrey who made it to the last four in 2017 followed up his win over fifth seed Dominic Thiem with a much more smooth 6 3 6 2 6 3 win over Russian Andrey Rublev
He was joined in the last 32 by Steve Johnson Tennys Sandgren and Reilly Opelka who knocked out Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday
The four who have made it through will be hoping to continue the recent resurgence in American men s tennis
Although there have been American men in the semi finals of the last two editions of the grasscourt major before that there had been a seven year barren run after Andy Roddick finished runner up to Roger Federer in 2009
The country reached its nadir among the men in 2013 when none of the 11 who entered the singles field survived the second round
The success of the Williams NYSE WMB sisters at the All England Club who between them have won 12 singles titles since 2000 means it has not been all doom and gloom for those representing the Stars and Stripes
While Serena Williams is hoping come July 13 that she will be holding aloft the Venus Rosewater Dish for an eighth time she has not exactly been the headline act at Wimbledon this year
That honor goes to her 15 year old compatriot Cori Coco Gauff who has been sucked into a Wimbledon whirlwind after she sent Serena s elder sister Venus spinning out of the tournament on the opening day
The 313th ranked Gauff the youngest ever qualifier to play in the main draw here has not dropped a set over two matches this week and even had John McEnroe proclaiming that he would be shocked if she was not number one in the world by the time she is 20
Serena and Gauff were joined by four more fellow Americans Alison Riske 2017 U S Open champion Sloane Stephens title holder Angelique Kerber s conqueror Lauren Davis and Danielle Collins in the last 32
Wimbledon though is still under the spell of Coco mania
It s a remarkable story For her to play well on this stage is very cool said Isner
To this point she is the story of the tournament so far So it s very cool to see |
BMY | AstraZeneca s Severe Asthma Drug Positive In Phase III | AstraZeneca plc NYSE AZN announced positive data from two pivotal phase III studies SIROCCO and CALIMA on its respiratory disease candidate benralizumab for the treatment of severe asthma These randomized double blind parallel group placebo controlled studies evaluated the safety and efficacy of benralizumab as an add on therapy in the treatment of severe uncontrolled asthma with eosinophilic inflammation in patients aged 12 years and older The study met its primary endpoint Data demonstrated significant reduction in the annual asthma exacerbation rate compared to placebo The candidate was generally well tolerated too Full results from the studies will be presented at a medical conference later AstraZeneca expects to file for regulatory approval in both the U S and the EU in the second half of 2016 Benralizumab is also being evaluated in the phase III VOYAGER program for the treatment of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD We remind investors that AstraZeneca has in licensed the drug from BioWa Inc a subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co Ltd in all countries except Japan and certain other Asian countries In Jul 2015 AstraZeneca inked an agreement with Kyowa Hakko Kirin for an exclusive option to commercialize the candidate in Japan in both asthma and COPD indications Benralizumab is expected to face competition from GlaxoSmithKline plc s NYSE GSK Nucala and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited s NYSE TEVA Cinqair once it hits the market As per the company s press release about 315 million individuals in the world suffer from asthma which will likely increase to 400 million by 2020 AstraZeneca carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY is a better ranked stock in the health care sector with a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Bristol Myers Opdivo Wins FDA Nod For Additional Indication | Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY announced that the FDA has approved Opdivo for the treatment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma cHL in patients who have relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation auto HSCT and post transplantation Adcetris brentuximab vedotin Accelerated approval of Opdivo in the cHL indication was based on the overall response rate This marks the first PD 1 inhibitor to be approved for a hematological malignancy However the drug s label will include a new Warning and Precaution mentioning the risk of complications related to allogeneic HSCT following Opdivo therapy We note that Opdivo is currently approved in the U S for several indications BRAF V600 wild type unresectable or metastatic melanoma BRAF V600 mutation positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma metastatic non small cell lung cancer with progression on or after platinum based chemotherapy and advanced renal cell carcinoma in patients who have received prior anti angiogenic therapy Moreover a combination of Opdivo with Yervoy is approved for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma We remind investors that last week the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy was approved in the EU for the treatment of adults with advanced unresectable or metastatic melanoma Opdivo generated sales of 704 million in the first quarter of 2016 According to the American Cancer Society approximately 8 500 new cases of Hodgkin lymphoma HL will be diagnosed in 2016 As per the Lymphoma Research Foundation cHL accounts for 95 of HL cases Bristol Myers currently sports a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Other top ranked stocks in the health care sector include SurModics Inc NASDAQ SRDX Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP All these stocks carry the same Zacks Rank as Bristol Myers |
BMY | Glaxo Innoviva Unveil SUMMIT Study Data On Breo Ellipta | GlaxoSmithKline plc NYSE GSK and partner Innoviva Inc NASDAQ INVA announced results of two pre specified analyses from the SUMMIT Study to Understand Mortality and MorbidITy study on Breo Ellipta The randomized placebo controlled double blind parallel group study evaluated a once daily dose of Breo Ellipta 100 25mcg on all cause mortality in patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD who had or were at high risk of cardiovascular diseases CVD Data from the first analysis demonstrated that patients with COPD and moderate airflow limitation experienced improvements in exacerbations compared with the placebo arm The second analysis revealed that patients dosed with Breo Ellipta reported similar rates of pneumonia compared with placebo These results were presented at the American Thoracic Society Conference by Glaxo Breo Ellipta is currently approved in the U S as a long term once daily maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD including chronic bronchitis and or emphysema and to reduce exacerbations of COPD in patients with a history of exacerbations The drug is marketed as Relvar Ellipta in the EU Apart from the SUMMIT study Glaxo also presented efficacy data on Anoro Ellipta in patients with moderate COPD who continued to have symptoms while on tiotropium monotherapy The 12 week randomized study evaluated Anoro Ellipta 62 5 25mcg in comparison to tiotropium 18mcg in patients with moderate COPD who continued to have symptoms on tiotropium Data from the study demonstrated statistically significant improvements in lung function at week 12 in patients who were switched from tiotropium to Anoro Ellipta compared to patients who remained on tiotropium Anoro Ellipta is currently approved in the U S for the treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD including chronic bronchitis and or emphysema In the EU the drug is indicated as a once daily maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with COPD In the first quarter of 2016 Breo Ellipta Relvar Ellipta generated sales of 161 9 million while revenues from Anoro Ellipta came in at 48 1 million As per information provided by the company about 329 million people in the world suffer from COPD According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute symptoms for COPD begin in people who are at least 40 years old Both Glaxo and Innoviva carry a Zacks Rank 3 Hold A couple of better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Bristol Myers Reports Two Year Overall Survival Opdivo Data | Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY announced two year overall survival data from two pivotal phase III studies CheckMate 017 and CheckMate 057 evaluating Opdivo versus Sanofi s NYSE SNY Taxotere docetaxel in previously treated metastatic non small cell lung cancer Data showed that Opdivo continued to demonstrate improved overall survival OS the primary endpoint for both studies at the landmark two year time point In CheckMate 017 23 of patients treated with Opdivo were alive at two years versus 8 of those treated with Taxotere Median OS was 9 2 months with Opdivo versus 6 months with Taxotere In CheckMate 057 29 of patients treated with Opdivo were alive at two years compared to 16 of those treated with Taxotere Median OS was 12 2 months with Opdivo versus 9 5 months with Taxotere The safety profile of Opdivo at two years was found to be consistent with previous reports of data from both studies Bristol Myers intends to present these data at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology next month Findings to be presented at the meeting will also include additional research to explore biomarkers that may help predict outcomes with Opdivo We note that Opdivo is approved both in the U S and EU for several cancer indications The drug recorded worldwide revenues of 942 million in 2015 Meanwhile the company is working on expanding the drug s label further Opdivo is being evaluated for the treatment of various tumor types alone or in combination with other approved cancer products such as Yervoy Early this week Bristol Myers announced that Opdivo gained FDA approval for the treatment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma in patients who have relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and post transplantation Adcetris Label expansion should boost the drug s commercial potential significantly Bristol Myers is a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy stock A couple of other top ranked stocks in the health care sector are Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting the same Zacks Rank as Bristol Myers Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
BMY | ImmunoGen Announces Phase I Cohort Ovarian Cancer Data | ImmunoGen Inc NASDAQ IMGN announced data from a 46 patient phase I cohort evaluating the efficacy and safety of mirvetuximab soravtansine as a single agent therapy for platinum resistant folate receptor alpha FR positive ovarian cancer The phase I cohort enrolled patients with platinum resistant ovarian cancer who had received up to five previous treatment regimens Moreover patients were classified as having low medium or high FR expression based on the of tumor cells meeting this criterion 25 49 50 74 and 75 100 respectively Data showed that all 46 patients demonstrated an objective response rate ORR of 26 and a median progression free survival PFS of 4 8 months While among the 16 patients who received up to three prior regimens and had high or medium FR expression the ORR was found to be 44 and median PFS was 6 7 months Moreover 30 patients who had low FR and or who had received four or five prior regimens ORR was 17 while median PFS was 4 2 months On the safety front the candidate was found to be well tolerated with most side effects being Grade 1 or 2 least severe grades ImmunoGen intends to present this data at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology next month Based on full results from the 46 patient ovarian cancer cohort the company has submitted a meeting request to the FDA to discuss about the path forward The company anticipates the meeting to occur in early third quarter 2016 and initiate a phase III study FORWARD I on mirvetuximab soravtansine in the fourth quarter of 2016 following discussions with the regulatory agency The phase III study will evaluate mirvetuximab soravtansine as a single agent therapy for platinum resistant ovarian cancer and enrol patients who previously received up to three treatment regimens and whose cancer has high or medium FR expression The primary endpoint of the study will be PFS We are encouraged by the company s progress with the candidate Per data provided by the American Cancer Society approximately 22 300 new cases of ovarian cancer are likely to be diagnosed in the U S in 2016 resulting in more than 14 200 deaths Meanwhile mirvetuximab soravtansine is also in phase Ib II development in combination with other regimens for the treatment of ovarian cancer Being the company s lead candidate we expect investor focus to remain on updates pertaining to the development of mirvetuximab soravtansine ImmunoGen is a Zacks Rank 3 Hold stock Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY All three stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
BMY | Horizon HZNP To Buy Global Rights To Actimmune Stock Down | Horizon Pharma plc NASDAQ HZNP announced that its affiliate has entered into a definitive agreement under which it will acquire the worldwide rights to interferon gamma 1b from Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH Interferon gamma 1b is commercialized by Boehringer Ingelheim in an estimated 30 countries primarily in Europe and the Middle East under the trade names Imukin Imukine Immukin and Immukine
Per the agreement terms Horizon Pharma paid 5 million to Boehringer Ingelheim upon signing and will pay 20 million upon closing for the rights to interferon gamma 1b in all territories outside the U S Canada and Japan The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2016
We note that Horizon Pharma currently owns the rights to interferon gamma 1b which is marketed by the company in the U S Canada and Japan under the trade name Actimmune
Horizon Pharma said that it will immediately start investing in related manufacturing supply chain regulatory and commercial activities for interferon gamma 1b Owing to this the company now expects a reduction of approximately 10 million from the prior 2016 EBITDA guidance The company had earlier guided 2016 adjusted EBITDA in the range of 505 million to 520 million
Meanwhile Horizon Pharma has licensed the U S European and Canadian intellectual property rights to interferon gamma 1b for the treatment of Friedreich s ataxia under the terms of a separate agreement with an undisclosed third party
We note that Actimmune is the only FDA approved treatment for chronic granulomatous disease and severe malignant osteopetrosis Horizon Pharma is currently working on expanding the drug s label further Earlier this month patient enrolment in a randomized double blind placebo controlled phase III study STEADFAST on Actimmune for the treatment of Friedreich s ataxia was completed Top line data is anticipated by the end of 2016
Actimmune is also being evaluated in combination with a PD 1 checkpoint inhibitor Bristol Myers Squibb Company s NYSE BMY Opdivo in an investigator initiated phase I study for the treatment of both kidney and bladder cancer
Horizon Pharma s shares were down 4 7 following the announcement Nevertheless we are pleased with the company acquiring global rights to Actimmune Moreover label expansion of the drug will boost its commercial potential further
Horizon Pharma is currently a Zacks Rank 3 Hold stock A couple of better ranked stocks in the health care sector are ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Bayer To Buy Monsanto For 62B To Boost Agriculture Portfolio | Bayer AG DE BAYGN OTC BAYRY announced that it will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of the common stock of Monsanto Company NYSE MON at 122 per share in an aggregate all cash offer worth 62 billion The company will use a combination of debt and equity to finance the transaction Equity which represents approximately 25 of the deal value will be raised primarily via a rights offering The combined business is expected to provide accretion to Bayer s core earnings in the mid single digit percentage in the first full year of the closing of the transaction followed by double digit percentage growth thereafter Moreover Bayer expects annual earnings contributions of around 1 5 billion from synergies after three years as well as additional future benefits from integrated offerings The transaction is expected to bring together leading platforms like Seeds Traits Crop Protection Biologics and Digital Farming The combined business will benefit from Monsanto s Seeds Traits and Bayer s Crop Protection products across a comprehensive range of indications and crops The transaction will also create attractive opportunities for the employees of both companies We remind investors that last week Monsanto disclosed that it had received an unsolicited non binding proposal from Bayer for a potential acquisition subject to due diligence regulatory approvals and other conditions Currently both Bayer and Monsanto carry a Zacks Rank 3 Hold A couple of better ranked stock in the health care sector are Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY and Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Pfizer s PFE Trumenba Accepted For Review In The EU | Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted for review the marketing authorization application for Trumenba meningococcal group B vaccine The acceptance marks the initiation of the EMA s review process for the vaccine
Pfizer is looking to get Trumenba approved for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in individuals aged 10 years and older
We note that Trumenba gained accelerated approval in the U S for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in individuals aged 10 through 25 years of age The company is currently looking to convert accelerated approval to traditional approval
Pfizer Spark Therapeutics Report New Hemophilia B Data
Also Pfizer and Spark Therapeutics NASDAQ ONCE announced encouraging new data from initial patients dosed in the phase I II study on SPK 9001 which is being evaluated for the treatment of hemophilia B Spark Therapeutics shares jumped 14 4 on the news Overall the shares gained 23 3 on the news
Data showed that the first three patients enrolled in the study witnessed adeno associated virus mediated factor IX activity levels following one administration of SPK 9001 at the initial low dose level Additionally none of the three patients received regular infusions of factor IX concentrates to prevent bleeding events found over the combined 28 weeks of observation On the safety front SPK 9001 was found to be well tolerated and none of the patients required or received immunosuppression
Both companies intend to present an expanded dataset on the first cohort at the meeting of the European Hematology Association next month
We note that Pfizer and Spark Therapeutics entered into a collaboration in 2014 under which Spark Therapeutics will be responsible for conducting all phase I II studies for any candidate that may be developed under its SPK FIX program On the other hand Pfizer will be accountable for pivotal studies any regulatory activity and global commercialization of any product that may result from the collaboration
Pfizer is a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy stock A couple of other top ranked stocks in the health care sector are Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting the same Zacks Rank as Pfizer |
BMY | Pfizer Champix s Label To Include More Data Warning Lifted | Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE announced that European regulators have lifted a warning on the company s smoking cessation drug Champix known as Chantix in the U S The company said that the European Summary of Product Characteristics SmPC and Package Leaflet for Champix have been updated to include data from the EAGLES study The label update was implemented after the European Medicines Agency s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use CHMP rendered a positive opinion As a result the black triangle symbol indicating the requirement of additional safety monitoring for the drug in the EU has been removed Meanwhile data from the EAGLES study is under review by other regulatory authorities across the world The randomized double blind active and placebo controlled EAGLES study evaluated the neuropsychiatric safety of Chantix Champix and bupropion in comparison to placebo and nicotine replacement therapy patch NRT in patients with and without a history of psychiatric disorder Results from the study were published in The Lancet in Apr 2016 We note that the study was conducted by Pfizer in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline plc NYSE GSK in consultation with FDA as well as the European Medicines Agency Chantix is currently approved in the U S as a prescription medication that along with support helps adults 18 and over to quit smoking We remind investors that Chantix Champix s label includes boxed warning warning regarding serious neuropsychiatric adverse events that were reported in some patients who attempted to quit smoking while taking the drug in post marketing experience In the first quarter of 2016 Chantix Champix generated sales of 220 million up 39 2 year over year Pfizer currently sports a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy Other top ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP Both stocks sport the same Zacks Rank as Pfizer Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research Today you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days |
WMB | Why Williams Companies WMB Might Surprise This Earnings Season | Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB may be one such company The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report That is because Williams Companies is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat After all analysts raising estimates right before earnings with the most up to date information possible is a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for WMB in this report In fact the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at 23 cents per share for WMB compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of 21 cents per share This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for WMB giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of 8 33 heading into earnings season Williams Companies Inc The Price and EPS Surprise Why is this Important A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises and outperforming the market Our recent 10 year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank 3 Hold or better show a positive surprise nearly 70 of the time and have returned over 28 on average in annual returns see more Given that WMB has a Zacks Rank 3 and an ESP in positive territory investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings You can see Clearly recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Williams Companies and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report The Hottest Tech Mega Trend of AllLast year it generated 8 billion in global revenues By 2020 it s predicted to blast through the roof to 47 billion Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce the world s first trillionaires but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early |
WMB | Why You Should Williams Companies Stock Now | We issued an updated research report on The Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB on May 21 The company s proposed acquisition of Williams Partners L P NYSE WPZ units will simplify its corporate structure and improve operational efficiencies However we are worried about the constant regulatory setbacks the Constitution Pipeline is facing
Williams Companies currently carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold implying that the stock will perform in line with the broader U S equity market over the next one to three months
The midstream energy player s offer to absorb the rest of its midstream partnership for 10 5 billion is expected to simplify its organizational structure and improve its credit profile The transaction will also help the company enhance its dividend coverage making its 5 yield payout more sustainable
With an attractive dividend coverage ratio and above average payout growth rate Williams Companies is much favored by investors seeking a steady source of income Moreover the company has a long and consistent dividend paying record It has paid a common stock dividend every quarter since 1974 As such we view Williams Companies dividend as safe and reliable
Growth prospects for energy infrastructure all across North America remain exciting with the requirement to support producers in the growth of shale plays especially in regions where there is a severe lack of facilities This creates exciting opportunities for a pipeline firm like Williams Companies as it looks to capture the economic benefit of this trend
However Williams Companies high profile gas project the Constitution Pipeline is grappling with lawsuits and has been denied a water permit by both FERC and New York DEC for environmental reasons Though the firm plans to seek a rehearing it has crushed possibilities of the pipeline coming online by 2019 This will most likely affect the company s near term earnings outlook
We are concerned about Williams Companies high debt level which leaves it vulnerable to volatile commodity prices As of Mar 31 2018 the company had long term debt of 21 4 billion which represents a debt to capitalization ratio of more than 69 The high leverage restricts the financial flexibility of the firm and limits growth Moreover the stock lost 9 4 over the past year compared with the 11 3 decline
Stocks to Consider
Two better ranked players in the energy sector are BP plc NYSE BP and WildHorse Resource Development Corp NYSE WRD Both the stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy You can see
BP managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters
WildHorse is expected to see year over year earnings growth of 288 4 in 2018
The Hottest Tech Mega Trend of All
Last year it generated 8 billion in global revenues By 2020 it s predicted to blast through the roof to 47 billion Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce the world s first trillionaires but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early |
WMB | Why Is Williams Companies WMB Up 4 Since Its Last Earnings Report | It has been about a month since the last earnings report for The Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB Shares have added about 4 in that time frame
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release or is WMB due for a pullback Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late let s take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers
Recent EarningsWilliams Companies reported first quarter 2018 adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 19 cents per share missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 21 cents The weaker than expected results can be attributed to absence of gains associated with transactions related to JV interests in the Permian basin and Marcellus shale Lower commodity margins due to the sale of Geismar olefins facility also impacted the results However the bottom line improved from the prior year figure of 14 cents per share For the quarter ended Mar 31 2018 Williams Companies reported revenues of 2 088 million beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 2 078 million Further revenues increased significantly from the year ago quarter figure of 1 988 million Segmental AnalysisWilliams Partners L P This segment reported adjusted operating profit of 1 122 million slightly higher than 1 117 million recorded in the year ago quarter Increased fee based revenues driven by the partnership s Transco s expansion and higher gathered volumes drove the results Other The segment posted adjusted operating profit of 13 million below the prior year profit of 28 million Expenses SummaryThe total cost and expenses increased 2 5 to 1 597 million in the reported quarter compared with 1 558 million in the prior year quarter Increased costs were primarily driven by higher product costs and processing commodity expenses Capital Expenditure Balance SheetDuring the reported quarter Williams Companies capital expenditure was 957 million As of Mar 31 2018 the company had cash and cash equivalents of 1 292 million Long term debt of the company was 21 397 million representing a debt to capitalization ratio of 69 3 2018 OutlookThe guidance for 2018 remains unchanged from the prior outlook The company anticipates net income from its major segment Williams Partners to be within the range of 1 5 1 7 billion Williams Companies expects the annual dividend growth rate of 10 15 for 2018 and 2019 with the dividend coverage ratio of 1 35x
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then
In the past month investors have witnessed a downward trend in fresh estimates There has been one revision higher for the current quarter compared to two lower Williams Companies Inc The Price and Consensus
VGM Scores
At this time WMB has an average Growth Score of C however its Momentum is doing a bit better with a B The stock was also allocated a grade of C on the value side putting it in the middle 20 for this investment strategy
Overall the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C If you aren t focused on one strategy this score is the one you should be interested in
Based on our scores the stock is more suitable for momentum investors than those looking for value and growth
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift Notably WMB has a Zacks Rank 3 Hold We expect an in line return from the stock in the next few months |
WMB | Williams Companies Inc The WMB Tops Q3 Earnings And Revenue Estimates | Williams Companies Inc The NYSE WMB came out with quarterly earnings of 0 24 per share beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 0 18 per share This compares to earnings of 0 15 per share a year ago These figures are adjusted for non recurring items
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 33 33 A quarter ago it was expected that this pipeline operator would post earnings of 0 16 per share when it actually produced earnings of 0 17 delivering a surprise of 6 25
Over the last four quarters the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times
Williams Companies Inc The which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas Production and Pipelines industry posted revenues of 2 30 billion for the quarter ended September 2018 surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6 43 This compares to year ago revenues of 1 89 billion The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters
The sustainability of the stock s immediate price movement based on the recently released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management s commentary on the earnings call
Williams Companies Inc The shares have lost about 20 6 since the beginning of the year versus the S P 500 s gain of 0 3
What s Next for Williams Companies Inc The
While Williams Companies Inc The has underperformed the market so far this year the question that comes to investors minds is what s next for the stock
There are no easy answers to this key question but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company s earnings outlook Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter s but also how these expectations have changed lately
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried and tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions
Ahead of this earnings release the estimate revisions trend for Williams Companies Inc The was mixed While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company s just released earnings report the current status translates into a Zacks Rank 3 Hold for the stock So the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future You can see the complete list of today s Zacks 1 Rank Strong Buy stocks here
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead The current consensus EPS estimate is 0 23 on 2 35 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and 0 78 on 8 60 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank Oil and Gas Production and Pipelines is currently in the top 34 of the 250 plus Zacks industries Our research shows that the top 50 of the Zacks ranked industries outperform the bottom 50 by a factor of more than 2 to 1 |
WMB | Is The Earnings Bonanza Nearing An End | Index Futures Net Changes and Settlements
Foreign Markets Fair Value and Volume
In Asia 10 out of 11 markets closed lower Shanghai Comp 0 41 Hang Seng 2 08 Nikkei 1 55
In Europe 10 out of 13 markets are trading higher CAC 0 22 DAX 0 12 FTSE 0 44
Fair Value S P 0 53 NASDAQ 5 53 Dow 40 78
Total Volume 2 36mil ESZ 1 104 SPZ traded in the pit
Today s Economic Calendar
Today s economic calendar includes John Williams NYSE WMB Speaks 8 30 AM ET PMI Services Index 9 45 AM ET ISM Non Mfg Index 10 00 AM ET TD Ameritrade IMX 12 30 PM ET and Robert Kaplan Speaks 7 00 PM ET
S P 500 Futures Positive Jobs Number And Trump China Tariff Deal Talk Don t Hold Water
After trading higher in the overnight session the S P 500 futures opened Friday s 8 30 cash session at 2751 25 The first move was down 5 handles lower followed by a rally up to what would be the high of day at 2756 50 just 15 minutes into the session From there sellers had control as the ES broke down to a mid morning low at 2721 75 and then after a rally up to 2734 25 traded down further through the late morning making the low of day just after the noon hour at 2699 50
After that the ES chopped sideways to higher 2717 50 and then after a higher low at 2704 the ES started back up boosted by Trump tweets that helped push the index up to 2728 00 which would be the afternoon high The last hour saw a low of 2711 75 and then a pop up to 2724 75 going into the closing print which was came in at 2721 75 before settling the day at 2724 00 down 14 00 handles or 0 55
Disclaimer Trading Futures Options on Futures and retail off exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances knowledge and financial resources Any decision to purchase or sell as a result of the opinions expressed in the forum will be the full responsibility of the person s authorizing such transaction s BE ADVISED TO ALWAYS USE PROTECTIVE STOP LOSSES AND ALLOW FOR SLIPPAGE TO MANAGE YOUR TRADE S AS AN INVESTOR COULD LOSE ALL OR MORE THAN THEIR INITIAL INVESTMENT PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Original post |
WMB | Will she won t she Murray waiting on Serena decision | By Martyn Herman
LONDON Reuters Andy Murray wants it the British fans are desperate for it and the media are working themselves into a frenzy about it but the big question is will Serena Williams NYSE WMB say yes
Ever since home hero Murray announced he planned to play the mixed as well as men s doubles at his first Wimbledon for two years speculation has grown about who would partner him
American great Williams who is bidding for a record equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title this year said at the weekend that she was available but would see how her troublesome knee was doing before committing
Twice men s singles champion Murray with his trademark sense of understatement said the 37 year old mum would be a solid partner when asked whether it would happen
The deadline for entries to the mixed doubles is Wednesday and Murray left the tantalizing prospect of a dream team lineup with American Williams hanging when asked on Monday whether he had got any closer to confirming his partner
Possibly the 32 year old said when asked if he had got the green light from Williams But I want to make sure before I say anything I will know for sure on Wednesday
Things might become a little clearer after Williams has played her opening singles match on Tuesday against Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto Monticone
Should she suffer no injury niggles Williams might well be tempted to enter the mixed doubles at a Grand Slam for the first time since partnering Bob Bryan at the 2012 French Open
Williams has won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles including the 1998 mixed at Wimbledon with Max Mirnyi She is not playing in the women s doubles however which is potentially good news for those hoping to see her pair up with Murray
The Scot who said he was turned down by world number one Ash Barty is playing with Frenchman Pierre Hugues Herbert in the men s doubles having returned to action last month at Queen s Club to win the doubles title with Feliciano Lopez
He had hip resurfacing surgery shortly after losing in the first round of the Australian Open a defeat that many thought might be the last match of his career
Now back on court and playing pain free Murray said he intended to play singles again although he has spoken of possibly continuing solely as a doubles player
In that case it would be all about picking your partners carefully and they would not come much better than Williams
His opening men s doubles is likely to be on Wednesday |
WMB | No stress Barty embraces number one tag at Wimbledon | By Toby Davis
LONDON Reuters If being world number one brings the burden of pressure and expectation then somebody should tell Ash Barty who began her first Grand Slam at the summit of the women s game at Wimbledon on Tuesday and loved every minute of it
Being at the top of the women s rankings has become something of a poisoned chalice in recent years with the position changing hands 10 times since the start of 2017 between eight different occupants
The most recent holder before Barty Naomi Osaka admitted the pressure of being number one had caused headaches and fatigue while the stress was way more than she could have imagined
The extent to which her game had plummeted from the heights of her two Grand Slam title successes at the U S and Australian Opens was laid bare when she exited Wimbledon meekly in the first round on Monday
It was refreshing therefore to hear Barty embrace the so called burden of being the world s best player with such enthusiasm as she waltzed into the second round at the All England Club with a 6 4 6 2 win over China s Zheng Saisai
I think for me it s a little bit irrelevant she said about being number one
The only pressure I have is what I put on myself making sure I m doing all the right things preparing in the right way Ultimately when we play our matches we go out there and enjoy it just play each match as it comes There s certainly no extra stresses on any match
Her express train run to the top of the women s game certainly showed no sign of slowing on Court One as Zheng was dispatched comfortably
The Australian who followed up her French Open triumph last month by winning in Birmingham sealed a 13th straight win in a brisk hour and 16 minutes battling through the first set before easing through the second
Barty has never been past the third round at Wimbledon but her game is well suited to the slick grass courts and she looks well placed to challenge for a second Grand Slam title
The 23 year old will certainly have to overcome tougher challenges than the 43rd ranked Zheng if she is to lift the trophy next Saturday
She could face defending champion Angelique Kerber or seven times winner Serena Williams NYSE WMB in the quarter finals while twice champion Petra Kvitova is a potential obstacle in the semi final
Zheng however was no match for the Australian who started the 2017 season ranked 271 in singles and whose remarkable career has also included a successful sabbatical playing cricket for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League
Barty and Zheng had played each other three times previously with Barty winning on each occasion and apart from a brief wobble in the first set when she allowed the Chinese to claw back from 3 0 down to 3 3 it was plain sailing
She broke early in the second set and again in the eighth game to wrap up victory volleying the winner before saluting a warmly appreciative crowd |
WMB | Serena scraps through unexpected dogfight to reach second round | By Toby Davis LONDON Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB began her first round clash at Wimbledon in complete comfort but ended it screaming in delight as she finally suppressed Giulia Gatto Monticone having been dragged into an unlikely dogfight by the world number 161 The Italian qualifier who was making only her second Grand Slam appearance at the age of 31 having amassed a relatively modest 300 000 in prize money throughout a pedestrian career was eventually subdued 6 2 7 5 But she put the seven times champion through her paces testing the injuries that have limited the American to seven matches since the Australian Open in January Williams was rusty by her own admission but a series of wayward shots that allowed the Italian to profit despite her obvious limitations did not dampen the American s delight at simply finishing the encounter feeling fit and healthy The knee injury that has plagued her and contributed to a third round exit at Roland Garros did not rear its head giving Williams hope that her form would shortly return too Yet she needs matches and fast to the extent that she is considering playing mixed doubles with Britain s twice Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in an effort to get back to her best I think right now I have to have every match count like 10 matches because I haven t had a ton of matches this year Williams told reporters Gatto Monticone came from the other side of the tennis tracks to the American having only played one previous match against a top 20 player and never beaten someone ranked higher than 102 Yet her staying power against the 23 times Grand Slam singles champion who has amassed nearly 89 million in prize money gave the fans on Centre Court a contest they could not have expected GREAT TALE Gatto Monticone whose career is remarkable only for the late age at which she finally made a breakthrough seemingly enjoyed her moment in the limelight Her story said Williams is a great tale of the value of persistence It s nice because no matter where you are you don t want to give up Doesn t matter what age you are whether you re 15 or in your early 30s you still have a chance to be great at whatever you do the world number 10 said She really took it to me today She s had some really good strong matches in the past few months Honestly it s a good thing to see It did not look like the Italian had much fight in her when Williams took the opening five games but from then on the pair went toe to toe albeit in a scrappy encounter low on quality After taking the first set in 29 minutes Williams had to wait until the eighth game of the second set to break serve only for the resilient Italian to fire straight back and then level at 5 5 After getting her nose in front again Williams brought up match point on Gatto Monticone s serve pumping her fists furiously before wrapping up the encounter following a lengthy rally and rapid exchange at the net Like an ageing heavyweight the 37 year old Williams clearly still packs a punch but looked well below par and desperately short of sharpness
Next up for the former world number one will be a second round clash against Kaja Juvan a highly rated 18 year old prospect from Slovenia who showed off her potential with a 6 4 2 6 6 4 win over Kristyna Pliskova |
WMB | Murray to pair up with Serena for mixed doubles at Wimbledon | By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON Reuters Britain s Andy Murray ended days of speculation about who he will play mixed doubles with at Wimbledon after confirming he would partner Serena Williams NYSE WMB at the grasscourt major
The three times Grand Slam singles champion s management team confirmed the news on Tuesday
The Scot who is playing doubles at the All England Club as he tries to regain full match fitness after hip surgery in January was flooded with offers after he revealed world number one and French Open champion Ash Barty had turned him down
That rejection has now led to the formation of the ultimate Wimbledon super couple as between them Williams and Murray have won 26 singles majors
If you guys really want it all right done teased Williams after she began her pursuit of a record 24th Grand Slam singles title earlier on Tuesday
Murray s metal hip may have to work overtime in the next few days as he will also compete in men s doubles with Frenchman Pierre Hugues Herbert less than a month after returning to action
Murray won the Queen s Club doubles title with Feliciano Lopez in his comeback tournament last month |
WMB | Kyrgios and Nadal set to renew salty rivalry | By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON Reuters It was the super salty blockbuster clash tennis fans around the world wanted to see and Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal duly obliged on Tuesday by setting up a second round showdown at Wimbledon
When last Friday s men s draw set the pair on a collision course the only fear was that Yuichi Sugita and Jordan Thompson might gatecrash a reunion between the duo who are not exactly considered best buddies on the tour
As it was Nadal dispatched the Japanese 6 3 6 1 6 3 while Kyrgios no stranger to hurling chairs across a court when things don t go his way was almost on his best behavior as he secured a 7 6 4 3 6 7 6 10 0 6 6 1 win over his compatriot
Considering Nadal accused Kyrgios of disrespect after losing to him in Acapulco earlier and the Australian hit back by describing the 18 time Grand Slam champion as being super salty in defeat sparks could fly again when they face off for the seventh time with their rivalry deadlocked at 3 3
However on Tuesday both players refused to get dragged into a war of words
Not sure that me and Rafa could go down to the Dog Fox pub and have a beer together we have a mutual respect but that s about it said Kyrgios who beat the Spaniard in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon
He s one of the greatest tennis players of all time I go into that match as an unbelievable underdog
As for Nadal his only words on the subject were I m too old for all that stuff
That might be the case but Nadal and his long time frenemy Roger Federer showed that age was no barrier when it came to winning matches
The Swiss chasing a record ninth Wimbledon title was not exactly at his regal best on a day the Duchess of Cambridge had dropped in to cheer him on but that did not stop Federer handing Wimbledon debutant Lloyd Harris a 3 6 6 1 6 2 6 2 defeat
BRITISH SUCCESS
The Duchess also surprised punters on the Court 14 when she turned up to watch British wildcard Harriet Dart play American Christina McHale
Dart ended up being one of five Britons along with Johanna Konta Dan Evans Cameron Norrie and Jay Clarke to reach the second round on day two of the championships
Victories for Kyle Edmund and Heather Watson on Monday meant seven home players advanced to the second round for the first time since 2006
Reaching the last 64 is unlikely to be much cause for celebration for Serena Williams NYSE WMB though as the American desperately wants to hoist the Venus Rosewater Dish for an eighth time to finally win a record equaling 24th major
But her 6 2 7 5 win over Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto Monticone certainly put her in a good mood
It was later confirmed that Williams will increase her workload after hooking up with Briton s Andy Murray in the mixed doubles to form the ultimate Wimbledon super couple with the pair jointly owning 26 singles Grand Slam titles
If you guys really want it all right done Williams had teased reporters
Murray has limited his participation at Wimbledon to the doubles competitions as he attempts to test his fitness levels after undergoing hip surgery in January
Maria Sharapova s Wimbledon ended in the first round for the second straight year as the 2004 champion retired with an arm injury while trailing France s Pauline Parmentier 4 6 7 6 4 5 0
Another former champion Spaniard Garbine Muguruza was beaten 6 4 6 4 by Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia
A day after Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev lost their chance to end the Nadal Federer Novak Djokovic stranglehold on men s tennis Austria s French Open runner up Dominic Thiem continued the Next Gen exodus as he was humbled 6 7 4 7 6 1 6 3 6 0 by American Sam Querrey |
WMB | Canada aboriginal pipe dream might end Trudeau s Trans Mountain nightmare | By Nia Williams NYSE WMB and Rod Nickel CALGARY Alberta WINNIPEG Manitoba Reuters An indigenous led group plans to offer to buy a majority stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline from the Canadian government this week or next a deal that could help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mitigate election year criticism from environmentalists The group called Project Reconciliation aims to submit the C 6 9 billion 5 26 billion offer as early as Friday managing director Stephen Mason told Reuters and start negotiations with Ottawa two weeks later Project Reconciliation said the investment will alleviate First Nations poverty a watershed for indigenous people who have historically watched Canada s resources enrich others Expansion would triple capacity of the pipeline carrying crude from Alberta to British Columbia s coast helping resuscitate an industry depressed by low prices and congested pipelines Trudeau s government which bought the pipeline last year after its owner Kinder Morgan NYSE KMI Canada gave up on trying to get the expansion approved has already been touting First Nations participation A deal ahead of an October election could ease criticism from voters who have complained of broken promises on the environment and aboriginal rights Still not all First Nations groups are on board Some in British Columbia have pledged to keep fighting expansion of Trans Mountain even with blockades and protests saying ownership makes no difference to the risk of oil leaks The greatest hope the government can have is they neutralize this topic Imagine if a multinational gets ownership of the pipeline or an indigenous consortium The indigenous option is way less provocative said Ken Coates professor of public policy at University of Saskatchewan When Trudeau approved the pipeline in June he said his government would immediately consult indigenous communities on how they can benefit including potentially buying the pipeline Mason declined to say how many communities support Project Reconciliation There is a vocal minority against the project The majority are in favor especially if they have material ownership and a place at the table that allows them to be involved with environmental aspects Mason said If we own it chances are we can quiet down the opposition Project Reconciliation hopes to buy 51 of the pipeline this year for C 2 3 billion and roughly half the expansion project for C 4 6 billion It would finance the deal through bank loans underwritten by commitments from oil shippers The government would retain 49 percent Once expansion is complete it intends to invest C 200 million of annual proceeds into an indigenous sovereign wealth fund We have conversations about climate change But tell me at what level climate change is a discussion when we have a lot of our people who are starving Delbert Wapass Project Reconciliation s executive chairman told a packed crowd at Calgary s Petroleum Club FOR AND AGAINST Indigenous people who support buying Trans Mountain say it offers a rare opportunity to own money making oil infrastructure Before Chief Tony Alexis was born Trans Mountain was built underground on Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation traditional land near Edmonton Alberta where the pipeline starts In the 66 years since the community has received no benefits Chief Alexis said only risk Now it could cash in Our people have been ready to be in business for a long time Alexis said If we do this right this is going to be a template for the future Alexis is part of Iron Coalition another indigenous group seeking to buy between half and 100 of the pipeline once it is built in 2022 It is discussing options with banks and plans to direct future profits to Alberta indigenous groups that join At the other end of the pipeline 1 150 kilometers 715 miles away British Columbia indigenous communities are digging in for a fight Our sacred obligation is that we are stewards of this land this water and our people said Chief Leah George Wilson of Tsleil Waututh First Nation based along Burrard Inlet opposite Westridge Marine Terminal where Trans Mountain ends Tsleil Waututh plans to appeal Trudeau s approval of Trans Mountain s expansion over concerns about spills and tanker traffic George Wilson said Coates the University of Saskatchewan professor said indigenous participation in the pipeline could allow Trudeau s Liberals to retain more urban votes that will be critical to the election s outcome The government is already promoting Trans Mountain as a means to improve aboriginal lives Meaningful economic participation by indigenous peoples is an important way to respect people who are actually impacted along the line Finance Minister Bill Morneau said last month Conservatives have not decided how they would sell the pipeline if they win the election said MP Shannon Stubbs of Alberta who has criticized the government over natural resources issues The Alberta provincial government said it welcomed interest from indigenous communities in becoming partners in the energy sector British Columbia opposes the pipeline expansion however and Environment Minister George Heyman said indigenous ownership would not change its concerns about spills Opponents are planning litigation blockades and protests said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs Who owns the pipeline is not the issue It s what goes through the pipeline he said
1 1 3114 Canadian dollars |
WMB | Marc Cohodes Last Stand Part Three Confronting Pete Petit | This is the third part of the groundbreaking January 2019 interview between Real Vision co founder Grant Williams NYSE WMB and legendary short seller Marc Cohodes In this clip Cohodes continues the story of his battle to expose the truth with pharmaceutical giant MiMedx Specifically he speaks about confronting the former CEO of the company Pete Petit This clip is excerpted from a video published on Real Vision on February 1 2019 entitled Fraud Intimidation and Truth Marc Cohodes Last Stand |
WMB | Murray and Serena to face Chilean German duo | LONDON Reuters Andy Murray and Serena Williams NYSE WMB will launch Wimbledon s new dream team against Chilean Alex Guarachi and Germany s Andreas Mies in the first round of the mixed doubles
Briton Murray and American Williams who have won nine Wimbledon singles titles between them confirmed they would play mixed together on Monday
Williams 37 is bidding for an eighth singles title at the All England Club while the 32 year old Murray is concentrating on doubles as he continues his comeback from hip surgery
One thing is certain their opponents will have never encountered anything like the attention the first round clash will receive with the match almost certain to be played on Centre Court or Court One
Guarachi is ranked 478th in the WTA singles rankings although she is 64th in doubles Mies is ranked 24th in doubles
It is Murray s first foray into mixed doubles at Wimbledon although his brother Jamie has twice won the title
Williams has won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles but has not played mixed doubles at a major since partnering fellow American Bob Bryan at the 2012 French Open
She won the 1998 mixed title at Wimbledon with Max Mirnyi
Murray and Williams are not seeded for the event and will face 14th seeds Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo in the next round if they win |
WMB | Trump is very fond of Palestinian President Abbas willing to engage on peace plan Kushner | By Steve Holland and Dan Williams NYSE WMB WASHINGTON JERUSALEM Reuters White House adviser Jared Kushner said on Wednesday the United States is willing to engage with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas but hinted a new peace plan might call on Palestinian refugees to settle where they are and not return to lands now in Israel At a workshop in Bahrain last week Kushner unveiled a 50 billion economic plan for the Palestinian territories Jordan Egypt and Lebanon On Wednesday he said he would have more to say about the way forward on the economic plan probably next week Sometime later this year he is to outline a 50 to 60 page page plan that will offer proposals on resolving the thorny political issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians Palestinians have harshly criticized the economic plan In a conference call with reporters Kushner said U S President Donald Trump is very fond of Abbas and willing to engage with him at the right time Our door is always open to the Palestinian leadership Kushner said He said he believes Abbas wants peace but certain people around him are very uncomfortable with the way we ve approached this and their natural reaction is to attack and say crazy things that are not constructive But Kushner s comments on Palestinian refugees are likely to raise concerns among Palestinians Whether the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the 1948 war of Israel s founding which with their descendants now number around 5 million will exercise a right of return has been among the thorniest issues in decades of difficult diplomacy Israel has long ruled out any such influx as destabilizing arguing that refugees should stay where they are or in a future Palestinian state But prospects of such a state arising in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are themselves in doubt Asked by a Lebanese reporter whether the United States hoped Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees would accept them permanently in exchange for funding Kushner declined to answer directly saying the matter would be addressed later But he suggested a comparison between Jews displaced from Middle Eastern countries in 1948 many of whom Israel took in Look you have a situation when this whole thing started where you had 800 000 Jewish refugees that came out of all the different Middle Eastern countries and you had 800 000 roughly Palestinian refugees he said And what s happened to the Israeli to the Jewish refugees is they have been absorbed by different places whereas the Arab world has not absorbed a lot of these refugees over time he said I think that the people of Lebanon would love to see a resolution to this issue one that is fair he said And I also think that the refugees the Palestinian refugees who are in Lebanon who are denied a lot of rights and who you know don t have the best conditions right now would also like to see a situation where there is a pathway for them to have more rights and to live a better life Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long suggested a demographic tradeoff between Jewish and Palestinian refugees Nikki Haley the former U S ambassador to the United Nations said during a Jerusalem visit last week that Washington has its own figure for Palestinian refugees
The number of actual Palestinian refugees is classified she told a conference hosted by the conservative Israel Hayom newspaper There are multiple people working to get it unclassified |
WMB | Mayor Pete turned around South Bend but some black residents feel left behind | By Tim Reid SOUTH BEND Ind Reuters Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg boasts on the campaign trail about the economic transformation of South Bend Indiana during his seven years as mayor A city ravaged by the loss of industry has seen nearly 1 billion of investment A program to tackle 1 000 vacant and abandoned homes has reduced blight and a renovated factory building now houses tech and other companies downtown Yet minutes away in several predominately black neighborhoods of South Bend s West Side deserted houses potholed streets and broken sidewalks are signs the revitalization has been uneven U S Census Bureau data showed that some of the 5 500 people in these areas out of South Bend s total population of 100 000 have become poorer since Buttigieg took over the city in 2012 Two dozen residents local activists and city politicians interviewed in this part of town said they feel ignored by a white mayor who they contended has failed to tackle South Bend s economic and racial inequality They were angry Buttigieg 37 has showcased the city s turnaround in his strengthening 2020 White House bid while they still live in squalid conditions suffer a lack of job opportunities and face harassment by a predominately white police force This area has been totally neglected said Alvin Meridy 59 an African American spot welder who earns about 25 000 a year Meridy did not vote for Buttigieg a gay military veteran and former corporate consultant when he ran for re election in 2015 The welder drives to Michigan for work because he said skilled local workers like him have been passed over on the city s abundant construction projects According to Census data in three neighborhoods just west of downtown the number of families whose annual incomes have fallen below the poverty level in the previous 12 months has risen significantly between 2012 when Buttigieg became mayor and 2017 the most recent available data In one it rose from 38 7 to over 60 in another from 47 1 to more than 59 The third increased from 35 4 to 44 1 The Census Bureau said there is a relatively large margin of error of 13 to 16 because the sample size in each area is small Buttigieg s campaign said the data offers an incomplete picture of the city where unemployment has fallen and poverty dropped overall since he took office from 27 1 of households to 25 last year The campaign noted the poverty rate for black residents across South Bend fell by more than 6 between 2011 and 2017 compared to a 2 3 decrease nationally The unemployment rate for African Americans in South Bend decreased by more than 56 during the same period compared to a 46 drop nationally The city also has seen five consecutive years of population gain after years of decline and median household income has increased since Buttigieg became mayor Buttigieg acknowledged however there is more work to be done both in tackling inequality and earning black voters trust A Reuters Ipsos poll released on Wednesday found no measurable support for the mayor among African Americans nationally On Tuesday he told an audience of African Americans in Chicago he would enact a range of reforms to address systemic racism if elected president It is not just my problem or my city s problem and it is certainly not just a black problem Buttigieg said This is an American problem and it requires nationwide American solutions RACIAL TENSIONS The unhappiness of some black voters in South Bend underscores long simmering racial tensions in the city where 27 are black Those tensions exploded into view at a meeting Buttigieg held with residents on June 23 after the fatal shooting of a black man 54 year old Eric Logan by a white police officer Buttigieg was booed and heckled by some black audience members who complained not just about what they said is a racist police force but about broader racial inequality in the city Buttigieg admitted he had failed to make the police force just 6 black more diverse I couldn t get it done he conceded again on national television during the first Democratic presidential debate last week His contrite debate answer drew praise and on Monday his campaign announced a huge fundraising haul of 24 8 million in the past three months But questions about the struggles in his hometown are likely to dog Buttigieg now firmly in the top tier of a field of more than 20 candidates vying to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election Driving through neighborhoods in the city s West Side Vernado Malone a black activist said he respects Buttigieg and his efforts to turn South Bend around But he lamented the lack of attention paid to this part of town and said he will not vote for Buttigieg in the presidential race The mayor has fixed up downtown but around here nothing Malone said More than 40 percent of African American households live below the poverty line in South Bend almost twice the national average according to a 2017 report entitled Racial Wealth Divide in South Bend by Prosperity Now a national non profit group that seeks to lift communities out of poverty He s like an absentee landlord in a city that s failing said the Reverend Sylvester Williams NYSE WMB Jr a black pastor who broadcasts a daily radio show in South Bend that Buttigieg appeared on in June People in this area feel forgotten Jerry Green an African American who has lived in the West Side since 1978 disagreed with the critical assessments of Buttigieg Green 65 said the mayor has frequently visited the area helped set up a neighborhood watch provided funds for a local clean up committee and sent in more police to make the streets safer He will probably vote for Buttigieg next year It used to be a silent poverty here It s no longer silent Green said I m proud of Pete He s a young man stepping into the arena |
BMY | Puma PBYI Reports Wider Loss In Q1 Neratinib In Focus | Puma Biotechnology Inc NYSE PBYI reported a first quarter 2016 loss of 2 19 per share much wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 1 86 per share and the year ago loss of 1 66 With no approved product in Puma Biotech s portfolio at the moment the company does not generate revenues yet Quarterly DetailsIn the first quarter of 2016 research and development R D expenses were 60 2 million up 34 7 from the year ago quarter The increase was mainly due to higher stock based compensation expense clinical trial expenses internal R D and related expenses and consultants and contractors expenses General and administrative expenses were up 39 2 year over year to 11 million primarily due to higher stock based compensation expense professional fees payroll and related costs and facility and equipment costs Puma Biotech plans to submit a new drug application to the FDA in mid 2016 and a marketing authorization application in the EU during the second quarter of 2016 for neratinib PB272 for the extended adjuvant treatment of HER2 positive early stage breast cancer based on positive ExteNET phase III study results Moreover several phase II combination studies on neratinib are currently in progress for the treatment of patients with HER2 non amplified breast cancer that has a HER2 mutation and metastatic breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain Apart from HER2 positive breast cancer the company is evaluating neratinib for the treatment of patients with HER2 negative breast cancer Puma Biotech expects to report data from its ongoing studies through 2016 Though the company is exploring the possibility of developing an intravenous formulation of neratinib it is currently focused on the development of the oral version of neratinib Meanwhile the company anticipates its net loss to decrease in subsequent quarters due to an expected reduction in clinical trial expenses and the completion of regulatory filings both in the U S and EU for neratinib The company also expects its R D expenses to decrease in subsequent quarters for the same reasons mentioned above Given that Puma Biotech has no approved product in its portfolio at the moment and neratinib is its lead pipeline candidate we expect investor focus to remain on updates pertaining to its development Puma Biotech is a Zacks Rank 2 Buy stock Other favorably ranked stocks in the health care sector include ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY All three stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Synta SNTA Lowers Q1 Loss Y Y Focus On Madrigal Merger | Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp NASDAQ SNTA reported a first quarter 2016 loss of 5 cents per share much narrower than the year ago loss of 19 cents
With no approved product in its portfolio the company does not generate revenues yet In the first quarter of 2016 research and development R D expenses were 3 4 million down almost 79 from the year ago quarter General and administrative G A expenses were down 26 7 year over year to 3 million
The decline in both R D and G A expenses was due to restructuring initiatives undertaken in the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 respectively
Merger in Focus
Last month Synta announced that it will be merging with a privately held company Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc in an all stock transaction This combined company will focus on the development of novel small molecule drugs targeting cardiovascular metabolic diseases and non alcoholic steatohepatitis NASH
MGL 3196 which is Madrigal s lead candidate is a phase II ready candidate that is being evaluated for the treatment of NASH and heterozygous as well as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia Once the proposed merger closes Madrigal shareholders will own 64 of the combined company while Synta shareholders will own 36 The merger is slated to close in the third quarter of 2016
We note that Synta had earlier focused on cancer treatments but the company suffered a setback last year when it decided to terminate a phase III study GALAXY 2 on its lead pipeline candidate ganetespib advanced non small cell lung adenocarcinoma due to futility Thereafter the company discontinued a substantial portion of its R D activities relating to ganetespib and its oncology pipeline
However the company continues to conduct limited activities with respect to ganetespib including providing support for a couple of ongoing investigator sponsored studies in ovarian cancer and sarcoma and drug candidates from its Hsp90 inhibitor drug conjugate HDC program including its lead HDC candidate STA 12 8666
Going ahead we believe investor focus will remain on updates from the Madrigal transaction
Investors looking for well ranked stocks in the health care sector can consider ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY All three stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | AVEO Q1 Loss In Line With Expectation Tivozanib In Focus | AVEO Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ AVEO reported a first quarter 2016 loss of 13 cents per share in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but wider than the year ago loss of 12 cents
AVEO does not have any approved product in its portfolio The company recognizes revenues in the form of collaboration revenues milestone and other payments The company s total collaboration revenue in the first quarter of 2016 was 1 2 million up from 0 1 million in the year ago quarter Revenues were above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 1 million
Higher collaboration revenues were primarily attributable to 1 million in revenue recognized in the reported quarter related to the company s out licensing agreement with CANbridge Life Sciences which was carried out in Mar 2016
Quarterly Details
Research development expenses shot up almost 122 year over year to roughly 6 million mainly due to the preparation of a phase III study on tivozanib
General and administrative expenses decreased 24 3 year over year to 2 5 million The decline was mainly due to a decrease in external legal costs associated with various ongoing legal matters and a decrease in employee compensation consulting facilities and IT costs as a result of reduction in headcount and utilized facility space following the Jan 2015 restructuring
During the quarter AVEO s European partner EUSA Pharma announced that it has submitted and received a validation notice for the marketing authorization application that was filed with the European Medicines Agency for tivozanib for the first line treatment of renal cell carcinoma RCC
AVEO is presently working toward the commencement of patient enrollment in a pivotal phase III study TIVO 3 on tivozanib for the first and third line treatment of patients with RCC which is expected in the current quarter The company also intends to conduct a phase I II study on tivozanib in combination with a PD 1 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with RCC
The company is looking for partnerships to fund the clinical and regulatory development of tivozanib in North America including TIVO 3 and a PD1 combination study
As far as other pipeline candidates are concerned AVEO entered into a collaboration and license agreement in Mar 2016 granting CANbridge the exclusive right to develop manufacture and commercialize AVEO s clinical stage ErbB3 HER3 inhibitory antibody candidate AV 203 CANbridge plans to develop AV 203 first for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell cancer
Meanwhile the company is currently seeking a partner for the global development and commercialization of its potent inhibitory antibody specific to Notch 3 AV 353 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension
AVEO continues to expect its cash resources to fund its current operations into the fourth quarter of 2017
Our Take
AVEO s performance in the first quarter was decent with its loss coming in line with expectation and revenues surpassing it The company s progress with its lead pipeline candidate tivozanib is encouraging Moreover the company s focus on exploring partnerships for the development of tivozanib and AV 353 is also encouraging We expect investor focus to remain on pipeline updates from the company
AVEO is a Zack Rank 3 Hold stock Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY All three stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Bayer Stops Phase II Adempas Study Due To Safety Issues | Bayer AG DE BAYGN OTC BAYRY announced that it has terminated a phase II study on Adempas riociguat a soluble guanylate cyclase sGC stimulator in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias PH IIP with immediate effect The decision followed the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee DMC which observed that patients dosed with Adempas were at a greater risk of death and other serious adverse events than those on the placebo arm However the DMC did not identify any specific cause or common feature among the patients who died except that many of them appeared to have more serious and advanced underlying lung disease than the entire study population The company will continue monitoring patients in the study for safety for a period of at least four months We note that Adempas enjoys Orphan Drug designation in both the U S and the EU and is approved for use in inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension CTEPH or persistent or recurrent CTEPH after surgery as well as pulmonary arterial hypertension PAH In the first quarter of 2016 Adempas generated sales of 61 8 million 56 million up 44 2 year over year Meanwhile the company is evaluating another sGC stimulator in its pipeline vericiguat in a phase IIb study for the treatment of chronic heart failure Currently Bayer has a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc NASDAQ ADAP and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Kite Pharma KITE Upgraded To Hold On Strong Fundamentals | On May 12 Zacks Investment Research upgraded Kite Pharma Inc NASDAQ KITE to a Zacks Rank 3 Hold from a Zacks Rank 4 Sell Why the Upgrade Kite reported results for the first quarter 2016 on May 9 Kite s track record has been satisfactory so far with the company reporting a narrower than expected loss in two of the four trailing quarters with an average positive surprise of 4 80 Last quarter the company reported a positive surprise of 26 23 Moreover revenues surged 78 to 5 1 million Kite s lead pipeline candidate KTE C19 is an anti CD19 CAR based therapy currently in the pivotal phase of a phase I II study ZUMA 1 in patients with refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma DLBCL including primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma PMBCL and transformed follicular lymphoma TFL All these are types of aggressive non Hodgkin s lymphoma NHL In addition KTE C19 is being evaluated in a phase II study ZUMA 2 in patients with relapsed refractory mantle cell lymphoma MCL in a phase I II study ZUMA 3 in adults with relapsed refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia ALL and in a phase I II study ZUMA 4 in pediatric patients with relapsed refractory ALL Earlier this month the FDA granted Orphan Drug designation to KTE C19 for five indications PMBCL MCL follicular lymphoma FL ALL and chronic lymphocytic leukemia CLL Note that Kite has been pursuing strategic collaborations to build its immuno oncology portfolio In Mar 2016 the company inked a collaboration agreement with Roche Holding SIX ROG AG s OTC RHHBY Genentech to evaluate the safety and efficacy of KTE C19 in combination with atezolizumab in patients with refractory aggressive NHL A phase Ib II study in patients with chemorefractory DLBCL is expected to begin in the second half of 2016 However the company s dependence on the successful development and commercialization of KTE C19 is a cause of concern Any kind of development or regulatory hiccup would be a major setback for the company Stocks to ConsiderInvestors interested in the biotech space can consider ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Bristol Myers Squibb Co NYSE BMY both sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Pfizer PFE Reveals Positive Phase III Data On Trumenba | Pfizer Inc NYSE PFE announced positive results from two phase III studies one in adolescents and one in young adults on Trumenba meningococcal group B vaccine for providing protection against serogroup B meningococcal disease The randomized placebo controlled observer blinded studies evaluated the immunogenicity of Trumenba against invasive meningococcal B MnB strains representative of prevalent strains in adolescents aged 10 18 years and in adults aged 10 25 years Secondary data from the studies demonstrated that Trumenba had similar immune responses against 10 additional MnB strains In addition the studies met all primary immunogenicity endpoints These results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases ESPID Results from the phase III studies will support additional upcoming global regulatory submissions on Trumenba and the planned supplemental request in the U S to convert the accelerated approval to traditional approval We remind investors that in Oct 2014 Trumenba was granted accelerated approval in the U S for active immunization to prevent invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in individuals aged between 10 and 25 years According to the press release issued by Pfizer incidence of invasive meningococcal disease ranges from less than 0 5 cases per 100 000 in the U S below 1 case per 100 000 in the EU and up to 10 1 000 cases per 100 000 during the epidemic years in Africa Pfizer has a Zacks Rank 2 Buy Other favorably ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc NASDAQ ADAP and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
BMY | Trevena TRVN Down On Negative Phase IIb Data On TRV027 | Shares of Trevena Inc NASDAQ TRVN dropped 7 3 after the company announced disappointing data from a phase IIb study BLAST AHF on TRV027 which failed to meet either the primary or secondary endpoints TRV027 was being evaluated for the treatment of patients with acute heart failure The randomized double blind standard of care controlled study was evaluating TRV027 plus standard heart failure therapy in comparison to placebo plus standard therapy in patients n 618 with acute heart failure The primary objective of the study was to determine outcomes such as mortality worsening heart failure hospital readmission rate dyspnea and length of hospital stay Results from the study will be presented at the annual congress of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Nevertheless the company intends to continue analyzing data from the study to further understand the outcomes Meanwhile Trevena plans to concentrate on its lead candidate oliceridine and early stage candidates Currently oliceridine is being evaluated in a phase III open label study ATHENA 1 in patients with moderate to severe acute pain caused by medical conditions or surgery The company expects to initiate phase III APOLLO studies APOLLO 1 and APOLLO 2 in the second quarter of 2016 Top line data from the studies are expected in the first quarter of 2017 The company also expects to file a New Drug Application NDA in the U S in the second half of 2017 Earlier this year the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to oliceridine for the management of moderate to severe acute pain Early stage candidates in the company s pipeline include TRV734 phase I for moderate to severe acute and chronic pain and TRV250 preclinical for acute episodic migraine and other central nervous system disorders Currently Trevena has a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Some better ranked stocks in the health care sector include Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX and ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
WMB | Williams Companies WMB Q4 Earnings Will It Disappoint | The Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB is set to release fourth quarter 2017 results after the closing bell on Feb 14
In the preceding quarter the Tulsa OK based company reported a negative earnings surprise of 21 05 owing to higher impairment charges and unfavorable changes in income tax provision
Coming to the earnings surprise history Williams Companies has a dismal record The company missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters with an average miss of 24 47
Let s see how things are shaping up for this announcement Williams Companies Inc The Price and EPS Surprise
Factors at Play
Williams Companies extensive natural gas exposure raises its sensitivity to the commodity s price Natural gas prices ended the quarter at 2 95 MMBtu compared with 3 72 MMBtu in the year ago quarter reflecting a decline of around 20 7 The weakness in the natural gas prices is likely to have an adverse effect in the volumes and revenues of William Partners LP NYSE WPZ the company s largest income generating segment
The analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of 2 157 million for the quarter compared with 2 198 million in the prior year quarter
We believe that the company could benefit from increasing volumes and processing margins from the Transco pipeline expansion projects placed into service in 2017 However the company s overall results could be offset by the higher operating and maintenance costs for making the project functional
While the company is expected to benefit from its Northeast G P operating region on the back of high throughput volumes and acquisition of stakes in two Marcellus Shale gathering systems from Western Gas Partners LP NYSE WES it is likely to suffer from decreased earnings from its West operating area
The company posted weaker year over year earnings from the segment in the third quarter and the trend is likely to continue in the fourth quarter owing to weaker drilling activities in Barnett shale and Eagle Ford shale among others Further the company is also likely to be affected by lower throughput volumes due to its divestments of Geismar Plant and Canadian assets
We are also concerned of Williams Companies high profile gas project the Constitution Pipeline which is suffering from constant regulatory setbacks The pipeline has been denied water permit by both FERC and New York DEC on environmental grounds crushing the hopes of the company to make it online by 2019 thereby diluting the near term earnings outlook
Finally we also remain concerned of the high leverage metrics of the company more than 71 which further restricts the financial flexibility of the firm and limits growth
Earnings Whispers
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Williams Companies is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter This is because a stock needs to have both a positive and a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy 2 Buy or 3 Hold for this to happen You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they re reported with our
That is not the case here as you will see below
Zacks ESP Earnings ESP which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate is 0 00 This is because the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 20 cents
Zacks Rank Williams Companies currently carries a Zacks Rank 4 Sell Note that we caution against a Zacks Ranks 4 or 5 Strong Sell stock going into the earnings announcement especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions
Stock to Consider
While an earnings beat looks uncertain for Williams Companies here is a firm from the same industry that you may want to consider as it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter
Enbridge NYSE ENB has an Earnings ESP of 3 88 and a Zacks Rank 3 The midstream operator is anticipated to release fourth quarter earnings on Feb 16 You can see
The Hottest Tech Mega Trend of All
Last year it generated 8 billion in global revenues By 2020 it s predicted to blast through the roof to 47 billion Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce the world s first trillionaires but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early |
WMB | Why Is Williams Companies WMB Down 11 Since Its Last Earnings Report | It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB Shares have lost about 11 in that time frame
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release or is WMB due for a breakout Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late let s take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts Fourth Quarter 2017 ResultsWilliams Companies reported adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 20 cents per share in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate The bottom line improved from the prior year figure of 17 cents per share Better year over year results can be attributed to absence of impairment charges associated with equity method investments and favorable changes in the income tax provision For the quarter ended Dec 31 2017 Williams Companies reported revenues of 2 228 million surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 2 157 million Further revenues increased from the year ago quarter figure of 2 198 million Segmental AnalysisWilliams Partners L P This segment reported adjusted operating profit of 1 150 million up 3 3 from 1 113 million in the year ago quarter Increased fee based revenues driven by the partnership s Atlantic Gulf and West business drove results Other The segment posted adjusted operating profit of 10 million flat with the year ago figure Expenses SummaryThe total cost and expenses increased 49 to 2 415 million in the reported quarter compared with 1 617 million in the prior year quarter Increased costs were primarily driven by higher product costs and regulatory charges resulting from tax reforms Capital Expenditure Balance SheetDuring the reported quarter Williams Companies capital expenditure was 699 million As of Dec 31 2017 the company had cash and cash equivalents of 899 million compared with 170 million in the year ago quarter Long term debt of the company was 20 434 million representing a debt to capitalization ratio of 67 9 2018 OutlookThe company issued a preliminary guidance for 2018 wherein it anticipates the net income from its major segment Williams Partners to be within the range of 1 5 1 7 billion range Williams Companies expects the annual dividend growth rate of 10 15 for 2018 and 2019 with the dividend coverage ratio of 1 35x
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then
In the past month investors have witnessed a downward trend in fresh estimate There have been two revisions lower for the current quarter
Williams Companies Inc Price and Consensus VGM Scores
At this time WMB has a subpar Growth Score of D though it is lagging a bit on the momentum front with an F However the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side putting it in the middle 20 for this investment strategy
Overall the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D If you aren t focused on one strategy this score is the one you should be interested in
The company s stock is suitable solely for value based on our styles scores
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift Interestingly WMB has a Zacks Rank 3 Hold We expect an in line return from the stock in the next few months |
WMB | Osaka faces tough Wimbledon start against plucky Putintseva | Reuters Second seed Naomi Osaka kicks off her quest for a third Grand Slam title against unseeded Kazakh Yulia Putintseva at Wimbledon on Monday in the Japanese s first tournament since losing her world number one ranking Osaka s early exit from the Birmingham Classic this month allowed Australia s Ash Barty to overtake her as world number one but she has welcomed the easing of pressure on herself as she heads into the year s third Grand Slam tournament Mentally it was way more stress and pressure than I could have imagined Osaka 21 said on Saturday I think it s better for me now to be lower ranked nL8N2400M5 In Putintseva however Osaka faces a tricky opponent who has beaten the Japanese in both of their two previous meetings including at the Birmingham grasscourt warm up event last month Putintseva ranked 39th in the world has never gotten past the second round at Wimbledon but has seven career victories against players in the world s top 10 and won her maiden WTA title at Nuremberg in May In one of the more intriguing matches of the opening day American Venus Williams NYSE WMB 39 a five times champion at the All England Club takes on compatriot Cori Coco Gauff who at the age of 15 is the youngest player to qualify for the main draw Williams had already won four of her seven Grand Slam titles before Gauff was born and the match has caught the eye of none other than Swiss maestro Roger Federer I think that s fascinating that she plays Venus now the eight times Wimbledon champion whose management company Team 8 also looks after Gauff told reporters I think it s a great storyline I think that would be a great wonderful experience for Coco and Venus Coco is a nice girl works really hard I think she s obviously got a wonderful future Elsewhere in women s draw third seed Karolina Pliskova who is fresh off her title win at Eastbourne on Saturday faces China s Zhu Lin Men s world number one Novak Djokovic kicks things off on Center Court against Germany s Philipp Kohlschreiber who beat the Serbian top seed in straight sets at Indian Wells in March
Greece s Stefanos Tsitsipas the seventh seed is in action on Court Two against Italy s Thomas Fabbiano while sixth seed Alexander Zverev begins his campaign against the Czech Republic s Jiri Vesely on Court One |
WMB | Marc Cohodes Last Stand Part One Encountering the Fraud | This is the first part of the groundbreaking January 2019 interview between Real Vision co founder Grant Williams NYSE WMB and legendary short seller Marc Cohodes In this clip from the long conversation the two introduce Cohodes battle to expose the truth about pharmaceutical giant MiMedx This is excerpted from a video published on Real Vision on February 1 2019 entitled Fraud Intimidation and Truth Marc Cohodes Last Stand |
WMB | McIlroy sees no need for superstar caddie | By Andrew Both
Reuters Rory McIlroy has little interest in following Jason Day s example and teaming up with a so called superstar caddie the Northern Irishman said in the wake of Day s decision to hire the sport s best known bagman
Day coaxed Steve Williams NYSE WMB out of retirement starting at the recent U S Open saying he thought the veteran caddie s experience would be an asset as he tried to play his way back to world number one status
Williams caddied for Tiger Woods in 13 of the American s 15 major victories
Day s decision to hire Williams raised the question of whether other top players might follow suit perhaps trying to lure someone such as Jim Bones Mackay who worked for Phil Mickelson for 25 years
McIlroy has been using his lifelong friend Harry Diamond for nearly two years now with the Northern Irishman saying that he no longer needed an old hand on the bag
Maybe back in the day when I wasn t as experienced but I ve been on tour for 12 years McIlroy said in a recent interview with Reuters
Caddies don t hit the shots I want someone out there I m comfortable with first and foremost that s the big thing for me and that s why I have Harry on the bag
EXTRA ASSET
Diamond is expected to work for McIlroy at next week s Scottish Open and the following week s British Open at Royal Portrush where McIlroy shattered the course record with an 11 under par 61 in the 2005 North of Ireland Amateur Championship
McIlroy 30 has not tasted victory in one of golf s four biggest championships since 2014
His previous caddie J P Fitzgerald was on the bag at all four of McIlroy s major victories between 2011 14
But McIlroy speaking in his role as ambassador for GOLFPASS an NBC subscription website which will have live streaming video of every shot by the player at the Scottish Open said Diamond brought an extra asset to the job
Having someone by your side that actually knows the game and knows how to play the game and can sort of see different shots and have a feeling of what way a ball s going to come out of a certain lie in the rough all of that stuff is an asset he said of Diamond who was a top level amateur player
Harry s my best friend We were best man at both of our weddings I m comfortable out there with him and feel like he does a better job
I don t envision a day where I go to a superstar caddie or a well known caddie I just don t think it s in my approach |
WMB | Israeli spymaster says one time chance for peace with Arabs sharing Iran worries | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB HERZLIYA Israel Reuters Israel and U S aligned Arab countries have a unique chance to forge a regional peace deal given their shared worries about Iran the chief of Israel s Mossad spy service said on Monday In a rare public appearance Joseph Yossi Cohen said his agency had formed a task force designed to spot peacemaking opportunities in a region where only two Arab states Egypt and Jordan have full diplomatic relations with Israel The Mossad today espies a rare opportunity perhaps for the first time in Middle East history to arrive at a regional understanding that would lead to a comprehensive peace accord he told the Herzliya Conference an annual international security forum near Tel Aviv Common interests the fight against rivals such as Iran and jihadist terrorism the close relations with the White House and channels of communication with the Kremlin all combine to create what might be a one time window of opportunity he said The United States convened Arab and other dignitaries in Bahrain last week to encourage investment in the Palestinian economy that might help renew peace talks with Israel The Palestinians seeing a pro Israel bias in the Trump administration and a ruse to deny them their goal of full statehood boycotted the Manama meeting Israel which sent only a non official delegation saw in the event a chance to bolster its wider ties to the Arab world Cohen whose speech alluded to the Palestinians only in the context of threats against Israel from the armed factions said many Arab countries cannot stand Iran s thuggish behavior He cited Iran s nuclear program assistance for guerrillas in Lebanon Syria Yemen and elsewhere and alleged responsibility for a recent spate of sabotage strikes on oil tankers in the Gulf Iran denies any role in those incidents RAPPROCHEMENT PUSH Cohen said Israel s warming of relations with Oman which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited last October followed a lengthy covert effort by the Mossad to seek out closer ties He pointed to what he termed an expanding group of responsible serious countries which he did not name in the region that have channels of communication with Israel despite no formal relations and cooperate with it in various ways Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz made a rare visit to Abu Dhabi which does not have officials ties with Israel for a two day U N climate meeting on Sunday and Monday While there he met with an unnamed Emirati official to discuss bilateral ties as well as the Iranian threat his office said Iran announced on Monday it had amassed more low enriched uranium than permitted under its 2015 deal with major powers its first major step in violation of the deal since the United States pulled out of it more than a year ago Cohen reaffirmed Israel s policy that it would not allow its arch foe to get a bomb The Mossad or the State of Israel did not sign the nuclear deal and will do everything to ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weaponry he said Iran denies ever seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb Currently it s about uranium enrichment at a relatively low percentage and in amounts that are not large The threat is to step up enrichment and increase the amounts Cohen said speaking before news of the enrichment breach
Just imagine what will happen if the material stockpiled by the Iranians becomes fissionable at military enrichment grade and then an actual bomb The Middle East and then the entire world will be a different place Therefore the world must not allow this to happen |
WMB | School girl Gauff turfs Venus out of Wimbledon | By Pritha Sarkar LONDON Reuters Cori Gauff served up the perfect excuse for playing hooky from school on Monday as the 15 year old American student caused one of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history by jettisoning her idol Venus Williams NYSE WMB in the first round The 39 year old Williams is considered Wimbledon royalty as she has been part of the All England Club family for over two decades having won the singles title five times including twice before Gauff was even born But her opponent the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the professional era was in no mood to play lady in waiting as she made a mockery of the 24 year age difference and 269 ranking places that separate her from Williams Playing a fearless brand of tennis that belied her age she bullied Williams into submission with a showstopping 6 4 6 4 display that will long live in the memory I don t even know how to explain how I feel Gauff who wiped away a tear as she walked off Court One said moments after her remarkable win had condemned Williams to only her third opening round defeat at Wimbledon in 22 appearances I definitely had to tell myself to stay calm I have never played on a court so big but I had to remind myself that the lines on the court are the same size Everything around it might be bigger but the lines are the same and after every point I was just telling myself to stay calm I never thought this would happen I am literally living my dream right now and not many get to say that So I am just happy that Wimbledon gave me the opportunity to play and I obviously never thought it would be this far added Gauff who got a wildcard into the qualifying tournament COCO CRAZY WIMBLEDON Before the match the teenager known as Coco had told her Instagram followers Two of my teachers found out I played tennis after I made the main draw here If her Florida based teachers needed any proof of exactly what she was up to they only needed to tune into their TVs to see just why Wimbledon was going Coco crazy on Monday The high school student completed a science test during the qualifying tournament and on Monday she aced the ultimate Wimbledon test by beating a player she described as one of the greatest of all time in front of a captivated Court One audience Williams could have been forgiven for thinking she had come unstuck against her younger self as Gauff turned up for her Wimbledon debut with a build and playing style that looked strikingly familiar A break in the fifth game of the opening set which included a delectable lob over the statuesque Williams that left the crowd roaring their approval was enough to win Gauff the first set and her nerveless display continued in the second set Two successive double faults from Williams handed Gauff a 3 2 advantage and even when the teen fluffed her lines by handing back that advantage in the eighth game she did not lose her composure Some thunderbolt shots saw her regain the break for a 5 4 lead Williams hung on by saving three match points in the next game but she finally fell through the trap door as a forehand error handed Gauff the biggest victory of her young life While a magnanimous Williams declared that the sky s the limit for Gauff the teenager also paid tribute to her hero After the match I told her just thank you for everything she did I wouldn t be here if it wasn t for her she said
I was just telling her that she is so inspiring and that I always wanted to tell her that I met her before but I didn t really have the guts to say anything |
WMB | Gauff eclipses Venus to steal day one limelight | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters American 15 year old Cori Gauff stole the show on the opening day of Wimbledon with a debut victory over five time champion and her inspiration Venus Williams NYSE WMB Gauff the youngest woman ever to survive the qualifying tournament played like a seasoned performer as she clinically beat the 39 year old great 6 4 6 4 to earn a standing ovation from an enchanted Court One crowd I wouldn t say I didn t expect to win the match I knew that I was going to go out there and play the way I play Gauff who claimed victory on her fourth match point told reporters I wasn t surprised that I won I mean I was just overwhelmed at the end Her victory put everything else in the shade on an opening day full of shocks in both draws World number two and second seed Naomi Osaka lost 7 6 4 6 2 to dangerous Kazakh Yulia Putintseva who had also got the better of her in their recent match in Birmingham a defeat that effectively cost Osaka the number one ranking U S Open and Australian Open champion Osaka appeared close to tears when she spoke to the media later Can I leave I feel like I m about to cry the Japanese 21 year old said French Open runner up Marketa Vondrousova the 16th seed also bowed out but former world number ones Karolina Pliskova Caroline Wozniacki Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka all made it safely through to the second round DJOKOVIC UNTROUBLED Men s defending champion Novak Djokovic was untroubled as he began his quest for a fifth Wimbledon crown that would take him level on the all time list with Swedish great Bjorn Borg The Serb with former champion Goran Ivanisevic in his box beat Germany s Philipp Kohlschreiber 6 3 7 5 6 3 It was a bad day for two of the young guns expected to lead the new generation into a brave new era however Sixth seed Alexander Zverev lost 4 6 6 3 6 2 7 5 to Czech Jiri Vesely while Greek 20 year old Stefanos Tsitsipas went down in five sets to Italian journeyman Thomas Fabbiano Tsitsipas in particular was highly fancied to have a long run at the All England Club having reached the Australian Open semi final this year but lost 6 4 3 6 6 4 6 7 8 6 3 He was just better than me today I think the way I played it should have been in three not five I don t know how I got to five I guess with my fighting spirit somehow I managed to win those two sets he said Croatia s 40 year old Ivo Karlovic one of 47 men aged 30 or over in the men s singles became the oldest man to play a first round match in the Wimbledon singles since Ken Rosewall in 1975 The giant Croat served 20 aces as he beat Andrea Arnaboldi in straight sets and will meet Fabbiano next Last year s runner up Kevin Anderson cruised through in straight sets against Pierre Hugues Herbert
Eight time champion Roger Federer and women s defending champion Angelique Kerber as well as 23 time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams start their campaigns on Tuesday |
WMB | Late bloomer Gatto Monticone faces Serena in dream Wimbledon debut | LONDON Reuters As Italian Giulia Gatto Monticone prepares for her Wimbledon debut at the age of 31 after 17 years on the women s tour she need look no further than her first round opponent Serena Williams NYSE WMB for inspiration
The World number 161 who at this year s Roland Garros became the oldest Grand Slam debutant since 43 year old Renee Richards at the 1977 U S Open meets a player six years her senior and pushing for a record equalling 24th major title
It s a dream come true Gatto Monticone said after coming through the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon to set up a meeting with the seven times winner
Williams is chasing her own dream of equaling Margaret Court s all time Slam record and has been stuck on 23 major titles for over two years with poor form putting a question mark over her chances of achieving the feat at Wimbledon
The American has not enjoyed the best preparation for the tournament with a niggling knee injury limiting her time on court since the Australian Open in January but Williams will expect to see off Gatto Monticone in their first meeting
Obviously I haven t had the best time and preparation that I normally would have 11th seeded Williams said
I ve had a good week and a half but I have been really just mentally training physically training for that time here I m just going to do the best that I can now that I m here
Holder Angelique Kerber begins proceedings on Center Court against German counterpart Tatjana Maria
Roger Federer fresh from his 10th title at Halle launches his quest for a ninth Wimbledon crown against Lloyd Harris of South Africa while Rafa Nadal meets Japan s Yuichi Sugita
French Open winner and Wimbledon top seed Ash Barty of Australia takes on China s Zheng Saisai |
WMB | MLB roundup Pirates Bell hits three homers | All Star Josh Bell homered three times and drove in seven runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates pounded out 23 hits Monday and pummeled the visiting Chicago Cubs 18 5 Jung Ho Kang and Jose Osuna also homered Adam Frazier had four doubles among his five hits and Colin Moran also had five hits for Pittsburgh which has won eight of 11 Javier Baez homered for Chicago which lost for the fifth time in seven games and fell out of first place in the National League Central The Milwaukee Brewers who beat the Cincinnati Reds 8 6 moved one game above Chicago Pirates starter Trevor Williams NYSE WMB 3 2 gave up five runs and nine hits in 5 2 3 innings with four strikeouts and three walks Brewers 8 Reds 6 Christian Yelich belted his majors leading 30th homer and drove in three runs as Milwaukee won at Cincinnati Keston Hiura and Lorenzo Cain each launched a solo homer and Ben Gamel Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal drove in one run apiece for the Brewers who have won three in a row overall and seven of 10 games against Cincinnati this season Eugenio Suarez belted a pair of two run homers and Jesse Winker also went deep for the Reds who have lost six of their past eight on the heels of a season high six game winning streak Blue Jays 11 Royals 4 Freddy Galvis homered twice Cavan Biggio and Randal Grichuk each had four RBIs and Clayton Richard won for the first time in more than a year as Toronto defeated visiting Kansas City Richard 1 4 allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings on Canada Day to earn his first win since June 22 2018 when he was with the San Diego Padres He was 0 9 with a 7 10 ERA in 18 starts between wins Teoscar Hernandez also hit a home run for the Blue Jays who took three of four games in the series with the Royals Kansas City s Glenn Sparkman 2 4 allowed eight runs on nine hits including three home runs in three innings Rays 6 Orioles 3 Kevin Kiermaier slugged a go ahead three run homer in the sixth inning leading Tampa Bay to a win over Baltimore in St Petersburg Fla Kiermaier launched the decisive shot off reliever Branden Kline 1 4 who entered in the bottom of the sixth with the Orioles up 3 2 Ji Man Choi recorded two hits and two RBIs for Tampa Bay and Avisail Garcia had two hits an RBI and a run Adam Kolarek 3 2 earned the win in relief and Jose Alvarado notched his seventh save with a scoreless ninth Giants 13 Padres 2 Jeff Samardzija allowed two runs over eight innings and Kevin Pillar Evan Longoria and Austin Slater homered to lead a 14 hit attack as San Francisco opened a three game series in San Diego with a blowout victory Pillar s three run homer off reliever Robert Stock capped the Giants scoring Longoria Slater Tyler Austin and Buster Posey all drove in two runs for the Giants while Donovan Solano Posey Longoria Slater and Joe Panik had two hits apiece Samardzija 5 7 didn t allow a hit until Franmil Reyes singled with two outs in the fourth and the Giants were leading 7 0 when the Padres finally scored in the sixth Samardzija gave up five hits and two walks while striking out six Padres rookie Logan Allen allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in four plus innings Angels at Rangers ppd Los Angeles scheduled game at Arlington Texas was postponed in the wake of the sudden death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs 27 The left hander was found unconscious in his hotel room in Southlake Texas and was pronounced dead on the scene according to police A cause of death was unknown
A makeup date for the game was not announced Field Level Media |
WMB | Defending champion Kerber outclasses tricky compatriot at Wimbledon | By Clare Lovell
LONDON Reuters Defending champion Angelique Kerber needed to call upon all her cunning and experience to navigate her way 6 4 6 3 through an awkward first round encounter with German compatriot Tatjana Maria on Tuesday
The three times Grand Slam champion has enjoyed mixed fortunes since beating Serena Williams NYSE WMB in the final last year dropping to fifth in the standings and went out in the first round of the French Open last month
It was with some nervous tension that she stepped out on Centre Court opening the action on the second day of the tournament in traditional fashion as the women s champion
Maria s combination of slice and guile rare on a circuit dominated by big hitting power players frustrated Kerber especially in the first set
She s playing tricky on grass Kerber said straight after leaving the court I was hoping to stay in the match because you never know what s going to happen with her She really plays tricky with the slice on both sides
The players exchanged breaks throughout the match and Kerber thumped shots long and into the net as she came to terms with her 65th ranked opponent s subtler delivery producing 12 unforced errors in the first set and 19 overall
But the left hander was able to match Maria s all court game when it mattered winning the first set with an perfectly judged lob off balance and on the run
The pair served up skilled and entertaining tennis in the second set Maria drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd for speed and deftness at the net
Not to be left out Kerber produced a running shot through her legs and to earn match point a smash from the baseline
She finished the match with a thumping forehand that Maria could not handle
The pair at 31 of the same generation of German tennis players embraced warmly at the net
Kerber with 29 has won more grasscourt matches than any other woman on the circuit over the last four years and last week reached the final of the Eastbourne tournament where she lost to powerful hitter Karolina Pliskova
She will play 96th ranked Lauren Davis of the United States in the second round |
WMB | F1 says Kubica s Driver of the Day award was an error | LONDON Reuters A technical error led to Williams NYSE WMB back marker Robert Kubica being declared Driver of the Day at the Austrian Grand Prix instead of race winner Max Verstappen Formula One said on Tuesday
Polish veteran Kubica who has a big fan following but has yet to score a point in his comeback season finished last and three laps behind the 21 year old Red Bull driver in Sunday s race at Spielberg
Despite that he was declared winner of the fan vote
The official Formula One website said Kubica had been incorrectly allocated a number of votes and Verstappen had really won 74 of the total
The Dutch youngster started on the front row made a poor getaway and then fought back from eighth to win his team s home race for the second year in a row and in front of thousands of his traveling fans
Verstappen s wheel banging overtake of Ferrari s Charles Leclerc for the lead with two laps to go led to a stewards enquiry before the race result was upheld
Leclerc received 11 of the vote and McLaren s Carlos Sainz seven after the Spaniard went from 19th on the grid to eighth
Formula One introduced the Driver of the Day award in 2016 to increase fan engagement with the winner announced immediately after the race finish
Fears that voting would reflect drivers popularity on social media more than race day performances were countered with an assurance that multiple votes from the same source would be weeded out |
BMY | Celldex CLDX What s Ahead For The Stock In Q1 Earnings | Celldex Therapeutics Inc NASDAQ CLDX is expected to report first quarter 2016 results on May 4 In the last reported quarter Celldex posted a positive earnings surprise of 2 94 Let s see how things are shaping up for this announcement Factors at PlayCelldex a development stage biopharmaceutical company is focused on the development and commercialization of immunotherapies targeting cancer and other difficult to treat diseases The company earns revenues entirely on product development and licensing agreements and contracts and grants It has partnership agreements with quite a few companies for varlilumab including Bristol Myers Squibb Company NYSE BMY We believe the company will continue to receive revenues from these sources in the first quarter of 2016 as well In the to be reported quarter Celldex s most advanced candidate Rintega also known as rindopepimut and CDX 110 suffered a huge setback when an independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board DSMB recommended the company to discontinue the evaluation of Rintega in the phase III ACT IV study for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed EGFRvIII positive glioblastoma Meanwhile Celldex has several early and mid stage candidates in its pipeline Some promising candidates include glembatumumab vedotin for the treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer phase IIb metastatic melanoma phase II and advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma phase I II of the lung and varlilumab for the treatment of solid tumors phase I II among others Varlilumab is being evaluated in combination with Bristol Myers Yervoy as well as Opdivo and in several phase I II combination studies across multiple types of cancer With no approved product in its portfolio investor focus will remain on pipeline related updates Surprise HistoryCelldex has a pretty good track record with the company beating estimates in all the four trailing quarters with an average positive earnings surprise of 5 70 Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Celldex is likely to beat estimates this quarter That is because a stock needs to have both a positive and a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy 2 Buy or 3 Hold to be able to beat earnings That is not the case here as you will see below Zacks ESP The Earnings ESP which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate is 0 00 since the Most Accurate estimate is in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 34 cents per share Zacks Rank Celldex s Zacks Rank 3 when combined with an ESP of 0 00 makes surprise prediction difficult Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank 4 and 5 Sell rated stocks going into the earnings announcement especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions Stocks to ConsiderHere are a couple of health care stocks that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter The Earnings ESP for Zoetis Inc NYSE ZTS is 2 44 and it carries a Zacks Rank 3 The company is scheduled to release results on May 4 The Earnings ESP for Genocea Biosciences Inc NASDAQ GNCA is 2 50 and it carries a Zacks Rank 3 The company is scheduled to release results on May 5 |
BMY | Horizon HZNP Stock Up Despite Earnings Revenue Miss | Horizon Pharma plc s NASDAQ HZNP first quarter 2016 earnings including share based compensation expense of 17 cents per share increased from 13 cents per share reported in the year ago quarter but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 38 cents
Total revenues in the reported quarter soared 81 year over year to 204 7 million driven by strong growth across all three of its business units Primary Care Orphan and Rheumatology Reported revenues were however below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 226 9 million Horizon Pharma s shares were up 13 9 following the release of first quarter results Quarterly DetailsPrimary Care revenues increased 39 to 111 million driven by a 94 year over year improvement in total prescriptions due to strong performance of Pennsaid 2 up a substantial 201 to 55 million However both Duexis and Vimovo declined almost 51 and 45 7 sequentially to 29 6 million and 25 5 million respectively The decline was due to seasonality and increased control by certain pharmacy benefit managers and payors Migergot recorded sales of 0 9 million in the reported quarter The Orphan unit recorded revenues of 66 3 million The unit includes sales of Ravicti Actimmune and Buphenyl Actimmune sales in the first quarter were 25 5 million up 3 year over year While Ravicti generated sales of 37 1 million up 7 5 sequentially Buphenyl contributed 3 7 million to total revenues down almost 34 sequentially We note that both Ravicti and Buphenyl became a part of company s portfolio as a result of the May 2015 Hyperion Therapeutics acquisition The Rheumatology unit comprising Krystexxa Rayos and Lodotra generated sales of 27 4 million up 232 from the year ago period Krystexxa sales in the first quarter came in at 16 2 million While Rayos revenues shot up 46 to 10 5 million Lodotra revenues plummeted 33 to 0 7 million We note that both Migergot and Krystexxa became part of the company s portfolio as a result of the Jan 2016 Crealta Holdings acquisition Adjusted research development expenses increased 53 6 year over year to 8 6 million Adjusted general and administrative expenses increased 76 3 to 34 9 million Adjusted sales and marketing expenses increased 58 to 69 7 million
2016 Guidance Maintained
Horizon Pharma reiterated its net sales and adjusted EBITDA expectations for the second quarter and full year 2016 The company continues to expect net sales in the range of 1 025 billion to 1 050 billion representing year over year growth of 37 at the midpoint It still expects adjusted EBITDA in the range of 505 million to 520 million representing year over year growth of 41 at the midpoint The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is 1 03 billion
While 22 23 of net sales are still expected to come in the second quarter of 2016 the company projects 57 59 of net sales in the second half of 2016
As far as adjusted EBITDA is concerned the company continues to expect 21 22 to come in the second quarter of 2016 It expects to pick up pace in the second half of 2016 by reporting adjusted EBITDA of 64 66
The company s board of directors has also authorized a 5 million share repurchase program
Pipeline Update
Patient enrolment in a phase III study STEADFAST on Actimmune for the treatment of Friedreich s ataxia was completed this month Data is anticipated by the end of 2016 Positive results from the study would allow the company to file a supplemental biologics license application in the first quarter of 2017
Actimmune is also being evaluated in combination with a PD 1 checkpoint inhibitor Bristol Myers Squibb Company s NYSE BMY Opdivo in a investigator initiated phase I study for the treatment of both kidney and bladder cancer
Meanwhile the company expects to submit a supplemental new drug application to the FDA for Ravicti for the treatment of urea cycle disorders in children aged two months to two years in the current quarter
Our Take
Horizon Pharma missed both top and bottom line estimates in the first quarter Nevertheless the performance of the company s business units was impressive during the quarter The company is working on label expansion of Actimmune and Ravicti which is encouraging Horizon Pharma has been actively pursuing acquisitions to expand and diversify its portfolio and following management s hints we could see some merger acquisition activities at the company
Horizon Pharma is currently a Zacks Rank 4 Sell stock A couple of better ranked stocks in the health care sector are ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc NASDAQ ANIP and Retrophin Inc NASDAQ RTRX each sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy |
WMB | NFL notebook Lawson to pay for funeral of slain girl | Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson will pay for the funeral of an 11 year old girl who was killed this week when gunshots hit her home in Anderson S C It could have been my little sister Lawson told the Greenville News late Wednesday I ve got a little sister around that age and it could have been one of my family members Ja Naiya Scott was killed after someone fired more than 35 gunshots at her home at about 1 30 a m on Sunday the Greenville News reported A bullet entered through her shoulder severing her subclavian artery the county coroner s office reported Lawson who played at Clemson was raised about 20 miles north of Anderson in Central S C He said he contacted the child s mother Marshella Rice Baltimore Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst said he has recovered from the foot fracture that slowed him last year has gained weight and is ready for the start of his second season Kind of felt it all last year was never really at 100 percent Hurst said during an interview with 105 7 The Fan in Baltimore Obviously you kind of have the aches and pains of a screw being in my foot But I m good to go now all healthy don t feel it and feel 100 percent Hurst a South Carolina product was the No 25 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft but his season never gained traction He suffered a Jones fracture in his left foot in training camp that cost him the first four games of the season and he wound up catching just 13 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown in 12 games The New York Jets signed third round tackle Chuma Edoga to his four year rookie contract Edoga was drafted 92nd overall in April out of USC where he started 25 games and blocked for Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in 2016 and 2017 His signing leaves the Jets with only one unsigned draftee third overall pick Quinnen Williams NYSE WMB The Cincinnati Bengals completed the signing of their 10 man draft class by inking third round linebacker Germaine Pratt to his four year rookie deal Pratt drafted 72nd overall out of NC State led the Wolfpack with 104 tackles last season and is expected to compete for a starting role as a rookie in Cincinnati
His signing leaves just 13 of 254 total 2019 draft picks without a contract Of the 13 six are first rounders including top six picks Nick Bosa second Williams third Devin White fifth and Daniel Jones sixth Field Level Media |
WMB | Tough Wimbledon draw for Nadal as Kyrgios looms in second round | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters Already riled by Wimbledon s seedings policy twice champion Rafael Nadal s mood would not have improved after falling foul of Friday s draw which handed him a potential second round clash with controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios The 33 year old bidding for his first title at the All England Club since 2010 is ranked two in the world but seeded three because of Wimbledon s seedings formula which tweaks the order to take into account form on grass He was placed in the same half as eight time champion Federer his potential semi final opponent but first he must negotiate a potentially tricky first week which could also include a third round clash against youngster Canadian Denis Shapovalov Nadal opens against Japan s Yuichi Sugita with Kyrgios who he accused of disrespect earlier this year after losing to him in Acapulco up against compatriot Jordan Thompson Defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Germany s Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round while Swiss Federer appears to have been given a relatively comfortable opening week and will play South African Lloyd Harris first up Women s defending champion Angelique Kerber begins her defense against fellow German Tatjana Maria while new world number one and top seed Ash Barty plays Saisai Zheng Serena Williams NYSE WMB seeking an eight Wimbledon title and a 24th Grand Slam crown plays Giulia Gatto Monticone of Italy The most intriguing women s first round sees five time champion Venus Williams up against 15 year old American qualifier Cori Gauff Williams 39 had already won Wimbledon crowns before Gauff the youngest player to get through the qualifying tournament in the professional era was born The clash everyone will want to see if it happens is Nadal against Kyrgios in the second round Kyrgios then 19 famously beat Nadal in the fourth round in 2014 but rather than go on to win the Grand Slams that were predicted at the time the Australian maverick has made headlines more for his behavior Still only 24 his career is littered with fines and penalties particularly for tanking not trying which he often does when anything gets under his skin At Queen s Club last week he was fined 17 500 after accusing a line official of rigging his matches and swearing at an umpire fans and a cameraman smashing balls out of bounds and hurling his racket over a stand For all his antics however he has won three of his clashes against Nadal including a stormy encounter in Acapulco this year when he wound up Nadal by serving underarm near the Nadal later called him disrespectful while in a recent social media video post Kyrgios accused the 33 year old Mallorcan of being a bad loser calling him super salty Barty faces a potential third round clash against former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza and is also in the same quarter as Serena Williams and Kerber Japan s Naomi Osaka who was dislodged from top spot this week by Barty faces a tricky opening round test against Kazakhstan s Yulia Putinseva who beat her in Birmingham last week
Other standout first round draws in the men s singles include fifth seed Dominic Thiem against big serving American Sam Querrey who reached the semi finals in 2017 |
WMB | Teenager Gauff handed dream Wimbledon debut against Venus | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters Fifteen year old American Cori Coco Gauff s dream came true on Friday when she was drawn to play idol and five time champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB in the Wimbledon first round The day before a few miles away at the sprawling Roehampton complex Gauff had become the youngest player to survive three rounds of qualifying in the professional era After her 6 1 6 1 win over Greet Minnen she told reporters that watching Serena and Venus Williams on television were her first memories of tennis and why she was inspired to play Now she will get to face 39 year old Venus a fellow former teenage prodigy who had already won two of her Wimbledon titles before Gauff was even born At the Miami Open I lost in the second round and I was more disappointed because I would have played Venus next Gauff who has been revising for school science exams in between her matches this week had said on Thursday To play either Serena or Venus it would be a dream come true Former French Open junior champion Gauff will become the first 15 year old to play in the main draw of the women s singles since Laura Robson did as a wildcard in 2009 She is not the youngest though Fellow American Jennifer Capriati was 14 when she debuted in 1990 and reached the fourth round on the back of a semi final run in Paris Gauff who has played at the All England Club in the juniors event last year is taking it all in her stride and says there is no pressure I believe that I can put anything I put my mind to Gauff said I just will try to stay calm I can treat it just as a tennis match My dad said to enjoy it and these matches might be a tale you can tell when you re older So I m just going to enjoy it |
WMB | Obstacles galore await Wimbledon favorite Barty | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters The angle of Ash Barty s climb to the top of women s tennis has been so steep the rise so fast that the sight of her name perched on top of the Wimbledon draw as top seed and favorite still requires a second glance A month ago when the French Open began the 23 year old Australian was just another name in a wide open women s field being spoken about as a title contender When she walks on court on Monday she will do so as the newest member of the Grand Slam winners club and as world number one just three years after returning to the sport she quit at the end of 2014 for cricket In her own words the last few weeks have been a whirlwind and while the tranquillity of the All England Club in the days leading up to the Championships offers a chance to catch breath she knows it is only a temporary lull Reaching the summit is one thing but setting up camp there is an entirely different proposition especially at Wimbledon where Barty is joined by 14 other Grand Slam champions and four finalists in a draw fraught with danger Barty could face Spain s 2017 Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the third round and awaiting in the quarter finals could be defending champion Angelique Kerber or seven times winner Serena Williams NYSE WMB with twice champion Petra Kvitova a potential obstacle in the semi final Predicting the outcome of women s Grand Slams has been a fool s game since Serena Williams earned her 23rd title at the 2017 Australian Open before breaking off to have a baby Eight different players have won the nine Grand Slams since then with only Japan s Naomi Osaka winning two ALL TIME RECORD The name missing from that list is Williams who remains tantalizingly one short of Margaret Court s all time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles She lost to Kerber in last year s Wimbledon final and Osaka in a stormy U S Open title match and while logic suggests time might be running out for the 37 year old American only the foolhardy would dismiss her chances of claiming an eighth Wimbledon title She has that intangible championship quality that not a lot of players have three times Wimbledon champion Chris Evert said as she previewed the tournament for ESPN There s so many things that may be going against Serena but she thrives on that she loves that that s when she comes through If there was any Grand Slam she was going to win it would probably be Wimbledon If her serve is on she s going to be tough to beat Apart from Williams Barty s game looks most naturally suited to grass which is why her making her Grand Slam breakthrough on clay was such an extraordinary achievement Only six women Court Billie Jean King Evert Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have won Wimbledon straight after the French however and it would take a Herculean effort for Barty to join that group says Evert At some point it s got to be overwhelming and she s a human being Evert said She has the game She has the athleticism the variety I just kind of wonder when the tank is going to start to get a little bit empty With so many names in the frame it is easy to overlook defending champion Kerber who appears to be finding her A game at the perfect time having struggled with injuries on clay
The 31 year old left hander is bidding to become the first woman to defend a Grand Slam title since Serena at Wimbledon in 2016 and the sixth at the All England Club in the last 50 years |
WMB | Teens behind octogenarian Gravel s long shot 2020 campaign tweet from debate sidelines | By Elizabeth Culliford SAN FRANCISCO Reuters After former Senator Mike Gravel failed to make the Democratic debate stage this week the two teens running the 89 year old s long shot U S presidential campaign used their spot on the sidelines trying to attract new supporters through social media David Oks and Henry Williams NYSE WMB both 18 spent Wednesday firing tweets from their seats in the debate s Miami audience attacking the candidates speaking on stage Under the MikeGravel Twitter handle which shows Gravel sporting sunglasses and making a peace sign the teens mocked former congressman Beto O Rourke and Senator Cory Booker s use of Spanish They blasted former Vice President Joe Biden on his civil rights record Senator Kirsten Gillibrand over immigration and California congressman Eric Swalwell for looking like the demonic representation of blandness Welcome to the second DemDebate Joe Biden goes off the rails edition they tweeted Thursday now back at home in suburban New York The teens aim to get Gravel on the debate stage to steer the Democratic conversation to the left particularly on foreign policy issues The former Alaska senator wants to slash military spending and bring all troops home The acerbic campaign has struck a chord The MikeGravel account saw a bump of some 9 000 Twitter followers since Wednesday jumping to about 109 000 and the campaign says they are nearing 50 000 unique donors They need 65 000 to make the next debate Gravel does not generally approve social media posts but prefers to have a veto role He s told us a few times to stop cursing said Oks They convinced Gravel known for reading the Pentagon Papers into the congressional record in 1971 to make a run for the November 2020 election reprising his 2008 effort One of his first steps was handing over his dormant Twitter handle to them The digital campaign which has spawned the hashtag Gravelanche posts content ranging from anti war messages to memes of Gravel dabbing against a background of fire or shooting lasers from his eyes at the 1 percent There s a whole language to the internet that people haven t tapped into said Jonathan Suhr a 26 year old ad designer who runs the campaign s Instagram account contrasting the campaign s sharp attacks and memes aimed at younger voters with candidates who have played it safer online The team also is beefing up their online ads It has spent 48 516 in total paid Facebook NASDAQ FB ads about half what Democratic candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren spent in the last week but aims to spend at least 100 000 by the debate in late July |
WMB | Serena available for mixed doubles as Murray seeks partner | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB fueled talk of a dream team partnership with home favorite Andy Murray after declaring her availability for the Wimbledon mixed doubles on Saturday Murray returned from a five month injury lay off last week to win the men s doubles title at Queen s Club with Feliciano Lopez and is entered with Pierre Hugues Herbert at Wimbledon The 32 year old twice a men s singles winner at Wimbledon also plans to play mixed as he continues his recovery from hip resurfacing surgery in February He is not playing singles Murray was turned down by new women s world number one Ash Barty but the 37 year old Williams who will be aiming for a record equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title here left the door open for a possible approach I m available I m feeling better now so I m definitely available Williams whose playing time this year has been restricted to five tournaments because of knee issues told reporters when asked whether would like to play with Murray Pushed on the subject Williams added a word of caution though suggesting it would depend on her fitness I mean we just have to wait and see I like to be tongue in cheek Let s see how my knee s going I m finally doing good I don t want to like go back Murray said he had spoken to several players but understood that singles was their priority Asked about Serena he said If I m going to play mixed which is the plan you obviously want to be playing with someone who s going to be there for the whole event and they re in it to try to win matches and win the event I appreciate with singles players that s not always going to be the case But she s arguably the best player ever It would be a pretty solid partner smiled Murray Williams who won the Wimbledon mixed doubles with Max Mirnyi in 1998 has not played a competitive match since losing in the French Open third round to Sofia Kenin Seeded 11th she begins her quest for an eighth Wimbledon singles crown against Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto Monticone Despite not playing any grasscourt warm up tournaments she is optimistic about her fitness I was dealing with some bad injuries all year I just haven t had enough match play quite frankly she said Finally feel like I found some good results in Paris I stayed there I saw some good doctors Yeah I m feeling better
I have been really just mentally training physically training for that time here I m just going to do the best that I can now that I m here I know how to play tennis |
WMB | Tough draw I ve not looked at it says Barty | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters New world No 1 and Wimbledon top seed Ash Barty says she has not even glanced at the All England Club draw which considering the obstacles in her quarter is just as well The 23 year old who this week became the first Australian woman to reach the top of the rankings since 1976 must survive a rough looking path if she is to claim back to back Grand Slams having won her first at this month s French Open If she gets past China s Zheng Saisai on Tuesday she could face Russian twice Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova then 2017 Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza and then potentially 13th seed Belinda Bencic After that it could be a quarter final against either seven times champion Serena Williams NYSE WMB or 2018 winner Angelique Kerber Whoever is placed in front of her Barty who says she has recovered from the arm ache that forced her to pull out of the Eastbourne event this week will just stick to the process that has worked wonders in a stunning year I haven t looked at the draw she said I mean I ve seen my first round opponent Flicking through on social media you see people that are in certain quarters I couldn t tell you where they are in any kind of direct way I don t know if I m the favorite for Wimbledon I think I need to try and get through this first round first and foremost Obviously the process that we ve been going through has been working There s no need for me to change that Barty followed up her French Open victory by winning the Birmingham title and moving to the top of the WTA rankings exactly three years after returning to the sport after quitting for a year and playing Big Bash cricket in Brisbane She pulled out of Eastbourne too because of a bone stress injury she has managed since she was 16 but that gave her the opportunity to watch Australia beat England in the Cricket World Cup at Lord s It s always good when Aussies beat the English isn t it she joked At Lord s it was incredible The Australian cricket team were nice enough to invite us into the dressing rooms as well which was a bucket list item Standing on the balcony at Lord s was pretty incredible Of the injury scare she added It s been good It s been a really good couple of days It was nice to stay off the court for a few days started hitting again on Thursday
Everything has kind of worked out well So feeling good |
WMB | Focused Kerber not fazed by tough Wimbledon draw | Reuters Defending champion Angelique Kerber said she was in good spirits ahead of her Wimbledon title defense and was not thinking too far ahead despite being placed in arguably the tougher half of the draw The German fifth seed kicks off her campaign against compatriot Tatjana Maria on Tuesday but could potentially face three former champions in Serena Williams NYSE WMB Garbine Muguruza and Maria Sharapova if she goes deep into the tournament With world number one Ash Barty also in the same half of the draw three times Grand Slam champion Kerber might have her work cut out if she is to defend a major title for the first time but said she would take things one match at a time It s nothing new for me to be honest the 31 year old told reporters at the All England Club on Sunday It s right now the first round that s important What s in the second third fourth whatever it doesn t matter right now For me it s the most important thing to play the first round then look ahead day by day I mean anything can happen especially in the Grand Slams We will see Of course there are always tough opponents You have to beat everyone if you would like to win a Grand Slam Kerber who was eliminated in the French Open first round last month said she had managed to rebuild her confidence with a strong showing during the short grasscourt season The German reached the semi finals of the Mallorca grasscourt warm up and went one better at Eastbourne last week where she reached the final but was beaten in straight sets by Karolina Pliskova I m feeling good Kerber added That was the goal to have a lot of matches especially after Paris coming to the grasscourt season to feel the grass again I played good matches against good opponents I got my rhythm back the match rhythm That s important for me to have the confidence when I played the matches It s a completely new year Everything starts from zero It is great to being back but for me right now it s again to focus on my first round on the tournament
Story corrects to three times Grand Slam champion in third paragraph |
WMB | Teenager Gauff set for dream debut against idol Venus | By Martyn Herman LONDON Reuters Of all the matches spread across the All England Club when Wimbledon begins on Monday none is more intriguing than the one scheduled for late afternoon on Court One between five times champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB and Cori Gauff Williams at 39 is the oldest woman in the singles while fellow American Gauff at 15 is the youngest ever to come through the qualifying tournament Gauff describes the draw as a dream and she might well wake up on Monday morning pinching herself as this time last week she had no idea she would receive a wildcard into the qualifying tournament and was preoccupied with schoolwork After winning her third qualifying match to book her place in the draw she revealed that her first memory of watching tennis on television was of Serena and Venus Williams who had won 10 Grand Slam titles before she was born Now Coco as she is known will play against her idol in front of a packed showcourt crowd in a clash of the generations The level headed teenager was taking it all in her stride though and if there were nerves as she practised at the weekend she was hiding them well I kind of felt like I was going to play one of them Gauff said Many people have been like do you like your draw I love my draw Playing one of the greatest players of all time is a dream I m excited to see how I do Even 23 time Grand Slam champion Serena who usually gets too nervous watching sister Venus is intrigued She s so cool She s a great girl I love her dad They re just really cool people Williams said on Saturday It s a great moment for her and for Venus She s playing against a player that actually reminds me of Venus I think I might might watch I always get nervous watching Venus Swiss great Roger Federer whose management company Team 8 also looks after Gauff is excited I m super happy for her I saw the last couple of games when she qualified Obviously everybody was waiting to see what the draw was going to be like I think that s fascinating that she plays Venus now he said It s a great story Coco is a nice girl works really hard I think she s got a wonderful future ahead of her Gauff who won the French Open junior title aged 14 is coached by her father Corey who once played college basketball for Georgia State Her mother Candi was a college gymnast I feel blessed because my parents never put limitations on my goals Gauff said at Roehampton this week My parents always told me to shoot as high as I wanted to Venus could be excused for feeling her age a little as she walks out to face a player 24 years her junior but Gauff does not regard her as old
I don t think of Venus as old she s still killing the game right now she said |
BMY | Top Trade Ideas Week Of August 10 2015 | Here is your Bonus Idea with links to the full Top Ten
Bristol Myers Squibb NYSE BMY is headquartered in the heart of midtown on Park Avenue in New York City Not exactly where you would expect to see a company that discovers develops licenses manufactures markets distributes and sells biopharmaceuticals world wide Or maybe it is with a market cap of over 100 billion
Over the last 9 months since the stock price up off of its moving averages it has found rising trend support moving the range higher That is until last week Thursday it broke down below that trend line and Friday continued It comes into the week sitting on its 200 day SMA where it has not been since that move up began in October
It also printed a Hammer candlestick Friday though This can be a sign of a reversal when it is confirmed by a higher close the next day in this case Monday The RSI is now in the bearish zone and the MACD is falling These support more downside price action
Which way will it go a continuation lower or a reversal higher I do not know but there is resistance above at 64 25 and 66 followed by 69 25 and 70 50 Support lower may show up at 62 50 and 60 75 followed by 58 85 and 57 50
The options chains show weekly contracts out to September 25th and then monthly contracts The open interest on the weekly options is sizable at the 63 Put Strike near the current price But it is twice as big at the 71 5 Call Strike The August monthly Expiry sees enormous open interest at the 70 Call Strike The company is expected to report earnings next October 22nd and the short interest is low under 2
Trade Idea 1 Buy the stock on a move over 64 with a stop at 62 A straight stock trade
Trade Idea 2 Buy the August 64 Calls offered at 1 00 late Friday A defined risk method of participating in the stock price move
Trade Idea 3 Buy the August 63 64 bullish Risk Reversal 4 cents Adds leverage to the options trade
After reviewing over 1 000 charts I have found some good setups for the week These were selected and should be viewed in the context of the broad market macro picture reviewed Friday which heading into next week sees the news and earnings dry up and Equities could use some quiet time to steady
Elsewhere look for a possible bounce out of gold in its downtrend while crude oil continues lower The US Dollar Index looks to continue to consolidate with an upward bias while US Treasuries continue higher The Shanghai Composite remains in broad consolidation in the pullback while Emerging Markets look like they may break a 4 year range to the downside
Volatility looks to remain subdued keeping the bias higher for the equity index ETF s SPY IWM and QQQ despite the moves lower Their charts show further short term weakness possible but the Hammer candles could confirm a short term bottom On the longer timeframe The IWM remains weakest with the SPY consolidating and the QQQ looking strong Use this information as you prepare for the coming week and trad em well
Disclaimer The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer |
WMB | Williams Partners Issues Redemption Of 4 875 Senior Notes | Williams Partners L P NYSE WPZ along with ACMP Finance Corp has announced the issuance of a notice of redemption to holders of the issuers 4 875 Senior Notes due 2023 The redemption notice states that issuers will redeem all of the outstanding notes for cash on Jul 3 2017 at a redemption price equal to the sum of the principal amount of the notes plus the excess if any of a present value at such time of i the redemption price of such note at Dec 15 2017 plus ii any required interest payments due on such note through Dec 15 2017 except for currently accrued and unpaid interest which is calculated using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate as defined in the indenture governing the Notes the Indenture plus 50 basis points discounted to the redemption date on a semi annual basis assuming a 360 day year consisting of twelve 30 day months over b the principal amount of such note plus accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date The issuers will compute the Treasury Rate no later than the second Business Day as defined in the Indenture preceding the Redemption Date Williams Partners is a master limited partnership MLP formed by Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB to acquire own and operate a portion of WMB s midstream assets The partnership is involved in gathering transporting and processing natural gas as well as fractionating and storing NGL The partnership restructured its reportable segments from two to four In 2012 Williams Partners reported in two segments Gas Pipeline and Midstream Gas and Liquids Since 2Q13 the partnership reports under Northeast Gathering and Processing Atlantic Gulf West and NGL and Petchem Services which are more along the geographic lines Williams Partners stock however shows weakness in its price chart Units of the partnership have lost 5 4 in the last three months while the Zacks categorized industry registered a decrease of 3 4 Williams Partners currently has a Zacks Rank 4 Sell Some better ranked stocks from the same space include SunCoke Energy Inc NYSE SXC Enbridge Energy L P NYSE EEP and Canadian Natural Resources Limited Ltd TO CNQ All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy You can see SunCoke Energy posted a positive earnings surprise of 120 0 in the preceding quarter The company beat estimates in two of the four trailing quarters with an average negative earnings surprise of 35 78 Enbridge Energy posted a positive earnings surprise of 128 57 in the preceding quarter The company beat estimates in three of the four trailing quarters with an average positive earnings surprise of 38 22 Canadian Natural Resources posted a positive earnings surprise of 30 77 in the preceding quarter It surpassed estimates in two of the four trailing quarters with an average negative earnings surprise of 275 46 Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana Ignited by new referendums and legislation this industry is expected to blast from an already robust 6 7 billion to 20 2 billion in 2021 Early investors stand to make a killing but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look |
WMB | Is Newfield NFX Stock Likely To Disappoint In Q2 Earnings | Upstream energy player Newfield Exploration Company NYSE NFX is expected to report second quarter 2017 earnings on Aug 1 before the market opens The company s earnings surprise history is impressive Newfield beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the prior four quarters with an average positive earnings surprise of 41 24 Let s see how things are shaping up for this announcement Newfield Exploration Company Price Consensus and EPS Surprise
Factors Likely to Influence EarningsThough we remain positive on Newfield s emerging resource play development program we believe that a lower natural gas price environment as compared withmid 2014 level could weigh on the stock since most of its reserves are tied up in the commodity Since oil and gas prices have been increasingly volatile in recent years it tends to effect the sector s stock performance Additionally Newfield s high leverage and its Rockies and Gulf Coast centered asset portfolio along with its lack of meaningful exposure to the emerging shale plays is a competitive disadvantage However horizontal drilling in Wasatch and high pressure Uteland Butte are likely tohelp the company enhance its shareholders value Q2 Stock Price PerformancePricing chart for the first three months of this year reveals that Newfield s shares have outperformed the During the aforesaid period the company s shares have lost 8 3 compared with a 9 4 decrease for the broader industry Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively show that Newfield will beat estimates this quarter That is because a stock needs to have both a positive and a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy 2 Buy or 3 Hold for this to happen That is not the case here as you will see below Zacks ESP Earnings ESP which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate is 0 00 This is because both the Most Accurate estimate stands and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 44 cents You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they re reported with our Zacks Rank Newfield currently carries a Zacks Rank 4 Sell Note that the Sell rated stocks Zacks Rank 4 or5 should never be considered going into an earnings announcement Stocks to ConsiderThough earnings beat looks uncertain for Newfield here are some firms that you can consider on the basis of our model These have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter TransCanada Corporation TO TRP has an Earnings ESP of 6 00 and sports a Zacks Rank 1 You can see Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP NYSE BWP has an Earnings ESP of 6 90 and carriesa Zacks Rank 1 The Williams Companies Inc NYSE WMB has an Earnings ESP of 50 00 and carries a Zacks Rank 3 The Hottest Tech Mega Trend of AllLast year it generated 8 billion in global revenues By 2020 it s predicted to blast through the roof to 47 billion Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce the world s first trillionaires but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early |
GLW | Better Buy Universal Display vs Corning | Just as there are many ways to scalp a feline there are plenty of ways to invest in the digital display market Two popular choices involve glass and ceramics materials specialist Corning NYSE GLW and organic light emitting diode OLED technology researcher Universal Display NASDAQ OLED
Both of these companies have deep connections to digital displays and the screen on your current smartphone may contain products and technologies from both of them The same goes for your large screen OLED television set though those are still a bit too pricey to be found in every living room
Universal Display and Corning actually don t have much in common apart from that shared reliance on some key markets at least not from an investor s perspective So which one should you buy today
Life in the fast lane
Universal Display s revenue depends directly on the total area of OLED screens being produced under license to the company s patents What started as an almost exclusive focus on smartphone and tablet computer screens is now a near perfect split between small screen mobile devices and big screen OLED TV sets Screen manufacturers are currently ramping up their production lines to handle larger volumes of TV sized screens paving the way toward economies of scale and lower street prices in due time
The amount of produced screen area varies from quarter to quarter driving Universal Display s revenue higher and lower at the whims of consumers and device builders around the world As the top line goes Universal Display s earnings and share prices typically follow suit
OLED data by YCharts
Sales have doubled over the past five years while adjusted earnings tripled Universal Display s shares rose 720 over the same period
This is a growth investment not a value stock Universal Display s 10 billion market value is largely built on expectations of further hypergrowth The stock trades at 78 times trailing earnings and 86 times free cash flow today way up in Wall Street s nosebleed section
Steady as she goes
Corning runs a diverse business where no single market accounts for more than one third of the company s total sales This broad collection of unrelated target markets makes the company less vulnerable to sudden shifts in any particular area For example Corning s third quarter report saw a 7 lower display technology top line haul and a 10 drop in optical communications revenue on a year over year basis But life sciences posted an 11 gain while automotive orders came in 38 higher All in all Corning s third quarter sales fell just 2 despite turbulent markets and macroeconomic headwinds
So Corning may be a less exciting stock to own than Universal Display but it also lets you sleep at night Over the past five years sales and earnings rose by 20 each and the stock gained 29 This stock trades at 22 times trailing earnings and 19 times free cash flow a fair valuation for a mature and generally slow growing business
Different strokes for different folks
Universal Display is by far the more exciting growth investment in this matchup I own it myself and it s one of the most profitable holdings in my real money portfolio I also believe that Universal Display s high octane growth story has only just begun If you can tolerate the wild swings this stock tends to make sometimes on the flimsiest of news I highly recommend that you grab a few shares and hang on for dear life You will probably thank me later
That being said there s nothing wrong with owning Corning either It s a much safer and slower investment paired with a generous 2 7 dividend yield compared to 0 2 for Universal Display and a fine choice for income generating portfolios In this era of commission free stock trades there s nothing stopping you from picking up Corning shares alongside a spicy little bet on Universal Display |
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