-- Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (ARWR) 週二宣布，已與 Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (MDGL) 簽署協議，獲得其 ARO-PNPLA3 項目的獨家授權。該計畫正在評估一種治療代謝功能障礙相關性脂肪性肝炎 (MASH) 的潛在療法。 根據協議，Arrowhead 表示，Madrigal 將獲得 ARO-PNPLA3 的全球許可，負責開發、生產和商業化。 ARO-PNPLA3 利用 TRiM 平台抑制肝細胞含有 patatin 樣磷脂酶結構域 3 (PNPLA3) 的表達，預計將成為 MASH 患者的潛在療法。 Arrowhead 表示，交易完成後，將獲得 2,500 萬美元的首付款，並有資格在達到開發、監管和銷售里程碑後獲得高達 9.75 億美元的額外款項。 Arrowhead 也表示，其有資格獲得商業銷售額的分級特許權使用費，費率從個位數高點到十幾位數不等。
Price: $76.58, Change: $+0.19, Percent Change: +0.25%
Canada's merchandise trade balance moved into a $1.8 billion surplus in March from a $5.1 billion deficit the prior month, said TD.Exports in March surged by 8.5% month over month following February's sturdy gain. Rapidly rising energy prices pushed crude oil exports up 18.9% month over month, while exports of unwrought gold, silver, and platinum rose by a sizeable 37.7% month over month.Meanwhile, exports of motor vehicles and parts (+4.5% month over month) rose again in March as they continued their recovery from January's depressed level. In total, seven of 11 product categories registered a gain.March's trade data showed some firming in headline activity, though all of the positive print in exports came from price impacts of higher oil prices, stated TD.With data up until March in the books, net trade still appears poised to subtract from Q1 2026 real gross domestic product growth, reflecting a broadly stronger quarter for imports.Looking ahead, higher oil prices should "meaningfully" lift nominal export values into Q2, helping to further improve the trade balance, accoridng to the bank.
After a long weekend in the UK, the FTSE 100 closed 1.40% lower on Tuesday as corporate earnings continued to pour in against the backdrop of a fragile US-Iran ceasefire.British banking group HSBC (HSBA.L) dropped 5.86% after reporting first-quarter results that were described as "mixed" by BofA Global Research, with profit after tax attributable to ordinary shareholders of the parent edging up year over year to $6.94 billion from $6.93 billion."HSBC printed an ok set of Q126 numbers," BofA said. "[Pretax profit] ex notable items was in line with consensus, with income beat (from fees and other income) offset by higher costs and impairments. Banking [net interest income] was in line. We are encouraged by HSBC's continued balance sheet and Wealth fee income growth, and remain confident in management's ability to manage cost. While [expected credit loss] was noisy in Q1, we are not concerned about the fundamental credit quality of HSBC's loan book."On the upside, Intertek Group (ITRK.L) rose 5.95% to lead the blue-chip index after confirming it had received a third unsolicited, indicative and conditional proposal from Swedish private equity firm EQT, offering 58 pounds sterling per share in cash, up from prior rejected bids of 54 pounds per share and 51.50 pounds per share."We raise ITRK to Outperform and our [price target] by ~30% to GBP58.50 following announcements of a strategic review to potentially split the business in two and of potential private equity interest in the whole group," RBC Capital Markets said. "We think the status quo is the least likely outcome and think key protagonists have their eye on an eventual US listing of the core testing assets to sit alongside highly comparable, highly valued UL Solutions."In the economic corner, the UK's new car registrations surged 24% year over year to 149,247 units in April, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The reading indicated a recovery in the car market from the negative tax change impact in 2025 and marked the best outturn since 2019, SMMT said."The mounting cost of compliance threatens to limit consumer choice, overall decarbonisation and the sector's competitiveness so the need for a rapid review of the transition to align policy with market realities is unchanged, else Britain's attractiveness as a vehicle market and manufacturing hub will be put at risk," said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.
Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic introduced new artificial intelligence agents built for a broader mix of financial services tasks, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.These agents can draft pitch decks for client meetings, review financial statements, and escalate cases for compliance review, the report said, adding that they are designed for professionals in the banking, insurance, asset management and fintech industries.Anthropic is also improving Claude AI's ability to work across third-party software like Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and integrate data from partners in the financial services industry, Bloomberg said.Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment by.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)Price: $276.16, Change: $+4.08, Percent Change: +1.50%