Bayer Secures EUR3 Billion Apollo Investment in Contraceptives Business

Shares in Bayer (BAYN.F) rose on Friday morning after it disclosed a 3 billion-euro deal to sell a minority stake in its long-acting reversible contraceptives business to Apollo Global Management, as part of the German life science company's efforts to improve its capital structure.

Under the terms, Apollo-managed funds and affiliates will acquire a minority, non-controlling stake in a newly established entity holding the contraceptives business.

Bayer will retain a majority stake and operational control of the entity. The deal will not change the business' strategy, and it will continue to form part of the company's pharmaceuticals division's core business.

The company's shares were up 2% in early morning trading in Frankfurt.

Bayer Chief Financial Officer Judith Hartmann said the deal was "a strategic financing solution" that would boost the company's "financial flexibility" as it addresses "increased liquidity requirements this year related to bond maturities and litigation procedures."

For the asset management firm, the deal reflected "the core purpose of Apollo's High Grade Capital Solutions platform - providing large, flexible, and bespoke capital to blue-chip corporations," Apollo Partner Jamshid Ehsani said.

Subject to regulatory clearances, the transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.

SK Hynix Raises $26.5 Billion in Nasdaq IPO, Sets Record For Foreign Listing

SK Hynix (KRX:000660) has set the price of its initial public offering on the Nasdaq at $149 per American depositary share, raising about $26.5 billion, according to a press release on Thursday.At that size, the South Korean semiconductor company now ranks as the largest US stock sale in history by a company based out of the US.SK Hynix sold 177.9 million ADRs, equal to 17.79 million common shares, or about 2.5% of its total issued and outstanding share capital. The Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that the offer was seven times oversubscribed, with more than 500 investment firms looking to buy shares.Situational Awareness, run by a former OpenAI researcher's hedge fund, UK investor Baillie Gifford and US tech-focused investment management firm Coatue, signaled that they could take up to $7 billion worth of the ADSs that SK Hynix plans to sell, the FT reported earlier this week.The ADRs will begin trading on Friday under the symbol SKHYV and are set to shift to regular trading under SKHY on Monday, July 13.Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan are the underwriters.The chipmaker's Nasdaq IPO eclipses Alibaba Group's (HKG:9988) $21.8 billion NYSE listing in 2014.SK Hynix, a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory used in AI processors, said it will use the proceeds from the Nasdaq IPO to fund new production lines at home and purchase extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) scanners, which it expects to cost roughly 11.9 trillion won.The listing follows a wave of capital commitments in South Korea. In June, SK Hynix and rival Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) pledged to lead a 1,350 trillion won government-backed initiative to build new fabrication plants and AI data centers at home.In the first quarter of 2026, SK Hynix reported a fivefold year-over-year increase in net income to 40.35 trillion won, on revenue of 52.58 trillion won, which tripled from 17.64 trillion won a year earlier.The FT said analysts expect SK Hynix's US listing to boost its valuation and narrow its gap against global peers like Micron."There is still considerable upside potential," Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, was quoted by the FT as saying. "The chip rally isn't over yet."In June, SK Hynix topped Samsung to become South Korea's most valuable company. Recently, however, Samsung managed to reclaim its crown. By Thursday's close, SK Hynix held a market capitalization of 1,558 trillion won, falling behind Samsung's valuation of 1,776 trillion won.

KRX:000660

Update: US Equities Rise, Oil Prices Fall as Traders Look Past Middle East Tensions

(Updates with market moves at the end of the day.)Wall Street's equity benchmarks rose Thursday and oil prices pulled back, apparently shrugging off concerns over renewed tensions in the Middle East.The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed 1.3% higher at 26,206.9, rising for the second consecutive day. The S&P 500 gained 0.8% to 7,543.6 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.3% to 52,487.4, both rebounding following a two-day decline.Among sectors, tech led gainers with a 1.7% advance, while consumer staples saw the steepest decline.Micron Technology's shares (MU) jumped 4.5%. The company announced an increase in its planned US investment to more than $250 billion through 2035 and outlined intentions to invest up to $3 billion to bolster domestic semiconductor supply chain.Other chip-related stocks also moved higher, including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), ON Semiconductor (ON), Marvell Technology (MRVL), Applied Materials (AMAT), and Intel (INTC).West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 2.2% at $71.87 per barrel in Thursday late-afternoon trade, while Brent dropped 2.5% to $76.05.Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired 10 ballistic missiles at a US base in Jordan Thursday in retaliation to Washington's aggression, CNN reported.The US Central Command said its forces hit Iran for the second day in a row on Wednesday after Tehran attacked three tankers that crossed the Strait of Hormuz.US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was no longer interested in negotiating with Iran, saying he believed the recent memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries was over.The renewed tensions between the two sides could be "relatively short-lived" given constraints faced by both countries, according to Macquarie Group."The US is constrained by the risk that higher oil prices could return with fewer mitigation sources available as time goes on and the risk that Iran could materially damage (Middle East) oil infrastructure," Vikas Dwivedi, global energy strategist at Macquarie, said in a report e-mailed to. "Likewise, Iran has come through the negotiations with (arguably) a great deal. We would be surprised if they overplay a good hand and test (President) Trump's patience and restraint for minimal remaining gain."US Treasury yields were lower, with the two-year rate down 2.9 basis points at 4.17% and the 10-year rate falling 2.2 basis points to 4.55%.PepsiCo (PEP) reported fiscal second-quarter results above Wall Street's estimates on Thursday, although soft consumer spending in the US weighed on its North American performance. The stock slid 3.3%.Simply Good Foods (SMPL) lifted its full-year sales outlook as the nutritional snacking company recorded better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results. The stock gained 1.3%.In economic news, applications for unemployment insurance in the US unexpectedly declined last week as labor market conditions appeared to hold steady, government data showed Thursday.Existing home sales in the US unexpectedly decreased in June as the median price reached an all-time high, data from the National Association of Realtors showed.Gold was up 1.2% at $4,131.80 per troy ounce, while silver gained 3% to $60.32 per ounce.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMAT$AMD$INTC$MRVL$MU$ON$PEP$SMPL

McDonald's US Sales Likely Hit New Low in Second Quarter, Deutsche Bank Says

McDonald's (MCD) US comparable sales likely reached a new low during the second quarter amid a weak macro backdrop, Deutsche Bank said in a note emailed Thursday.Crude and gasoline prices soared in the aftermath of the Iran war, weighing on consumer sentiment. Energy prices have come down as the US and Iran engaged in talks and agreed to a memorandum of understanding in June.Inflation-adjusted sales at eating and drinking places fell in May year on year, the National Restaurant Association said last month.The fast-food giant's US same-store sales are expected to have troughed in the second quarter, Deutsche Bank said."Sentiment on (McDonald's) leans largely negative given concerns on underlying US momentum, unit growth and free cash flow as (McDonald's) approaches a new remodel cycle," Deutsche Bank analyst Lauren Silberman said.Comparable sales in the US will rebound as the economic environment improves, particularly for low-income consumers, and other corporate actions around marketing and value offerings pay off, Silberman said.McDonald's stock is down about 9.6% year to date.The brokerage sees relatively stable trends at McDonald's international operations that could drive potential upside for second-quarter International Operated Markets same-store sales, Silberman wrote."We believe a lot of negativity is priced into this powerful global company and defensive business model, and any signs of improving (same-store sales) should support sentiment (and valuation)," Silberman added.Earlier this year, McDonald's reported better-than-expected first-quarter results despite a challenging environment, with comparable sales growing ahead of Wall Street estimates.Deutsche Bank has a buy rating on McDonald's shares and a $325 price target.Price: $276.52, Change: $-1.73, Percent Change: -0.62%

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SK Hynix Raises $26.5 Billion in Nasdaq IPO, Sets Record For Foreign Listing

Update: US Equities Rise, Oil Prices Fall as Traders Look Past Middle East Tensions

McDonald's US Sales Likely Hit New Low in Second Quarter, Deutsche Bank Says