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The Irish data protection agency, which oversees Meta because its European headquarters is located in Dublin, has been given a month to issue a ruling based on the European Data Protection Board's (EDPB) binding decision. The Irish case against Meta was triggered by a complaint by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems in 2018. The 27-country bloc's landmark privacy rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation went into effect in 2018. We have one month to adopt the EDPB's binding decisions and will publish details then," the Irish Data Protection Commission said. Meta may have to change its business model, said Helena Brown, head of data & privacy at London-based law firm Addleshaw Goddard.

☆ Summit Therapeutics in up to $5 bln licensing deal for Akeso's cancer therapy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 6 (Reuters) - Summit Therapeutics Inc (SMMT.O) said on Tuesday it would license China-based Akeso Inc's (9926.HK) experimental cancer therapy in a deal worth up to $5 billion, sending its shares up 57% in premarket trade. The deal involves an upfront payment of $500 million to Akeso, which will also be eligible for regulatory and commercial milestone payments of up to $4.5 billion. Additionally, Akeso will be eligible to receive low double-digit royalties on net sales, Summit said in a statement. Through the deal, Summit will get the rights to develop and commercialize the drug, ivonescimab, in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan, while Akeso will retain the rights for rest of the world, including China. The company also announced a $500 million rights offering and the issuance of $520 million in promissory notes.

☆ Merck to acquire Imago BioSciences for $1.35 bln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) said on Monday it will acquire cancer drug developer Imago BioSciences Inc (IMGO.O) for a total equity value of $1.35 billion to expand its portfolio of blood disorder treatments. The drugmaker's offer of $36 per share in cash for Imago represents a nearly 107% premium to the company's last close. With Merck's blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruda expected to lose key patents in 2028, the company has been trying to expand its drug portfolio. Imago, which develops drugs for the treatment of bone marrow-related diseases, is currently testing its lead drug bomedemstat for treating a chronic cancer known as myeloproliferative neoplasms. The Imago deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, according to the companies.

☆ Canadian mortgage lender Home Capital to go private in C$1.7-billion deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Canada's Home Capital Group Inc (HCG.TO) said on Monday the mortgage lending company would be taken private by Smith Financial Corp in a C$1.7 billion ($1.27 billion) deal. The Toronto-based lender had rebuffed a takeover offer of more than C$28.60 per share from an unnamed buyer, saying it undervalued the company. The deal with Smith Financial includes a "go-shop" period until Dec. 30, during which Home Capital will be allowed to seek other bids. The lender would be delisted after nearly four decades of being a public company when the deal closes, which is expected in the middle of next year. ($1 = 1.3425 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 199.37 points, or 0.59%, to 33,745.69, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 18.78 points, or 0.48%, to 3,965.34 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 1.11 points, or 0.01%, to 11,146.06. For the week, the S&P 500 fell 0.7%, retreating modestly after a strong month-long rally spurred by softer-than-expected inflation data that sparked hopes the central bank could temper its market-punishing rate hikes. "We are not likely to see any real evidence in terms of potentially declining wage pressure or inflation pressure for another couple of weeks.”Defensive groups led the way among S&P 500 sectors, with utilities (.SPLRCU) up 2%, real estate (.SPLRCR) rising 1.3% and healthcare (.SPXHC) 1.2% higher. The S&P 500 posted 8 new 52-week highs and 3 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 62 new highs and 141 new lows. About 9.7 billion shares changed hands in U.S. exchanges, compared with the 12 billion daily average over the last 20 sessions.

The S&P 500 has retreated this week after a month-long rally following softer-than-expected inflation data that sparked hopes the central bank could temper its market-punishing rate hikes. “What is driving all equities of course is Fed policy and the gravitational force that rising interest rates have on the equity complex as a whole," Goodwin said. Energy fell 1.7%, most among S&P 500 sectors, as oil prices dropped, stemming from concern about weakened demand in China and further increases to U.S. interest rates. Gap Inc (GPS.N) shares rose about 5% after the company beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly sales and profit. The S&P 500 posted 7 new 52-week highs and 3 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 49 new highs and 112 new lows.

Traders' bets of a 75-bps rate hike in December have gone up to 24.2% from 19.4% the previous week, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) have lost 17% and nearly 29%, respectively, so far this year on worries that the aggressive rate hikes could push the economy into a recession. Among S&P 500 sectors, defensive stocks advanced on Friday, with utilities (.SPLRCU) and health (.SPXHC) rising 1.5% and 0.9%, respectively, and in the lead. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.19-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 1.01-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded seven new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 45 new highs and 96 new lows.

St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Thursday the U.S. central bank needed to keep raising interest rates given that its tightening so far "had only limited effects on observed inflation". The comments, coming on the heels of strong retail sales data, dampened hopes of the Fed toning down its hawkish approach following softer-than-expected inflation reports. They are getting more comfortable with a generally higher interest rate regime," said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago. ET, Dow e-minis were up 224 points, or 0.67%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 35.5 points, or 0.9%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 118.25 points, or 1.01%. Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O) gained 4.0% after the chip tools maker forecast first-quarter revenue above estimates, on hopes of easing supply chain constraints.

☆ Provention Bio diabetes drug to cost $13,850/vial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 18 (Reuters) - Provention Bio Inc (PRVB.O) said on Friday its recently approved diabetes drug, teplizumab, would cost $13,850 a vial. A 14-day regimen of the drug would translate to a price of $193,900, the company said on a conference call. In October, Provention signed a co-promotion deal for the drug with Sanofi (SASY.PA), offering the French drugmaker first negotiation for exclusive global rights to commercialize the drug in exchange for an upfront payment of $20 million. As per the deal, the approval also allows Sanofi to purchase up to $35 million of Provention's common shares. Shares of New Jersey-based Provention Bio were down nearly 8% before the bell.

"Initially when that (Bullard commentary) came out, you saw the market sell off and then there was some discussion about was he being over-reactive?" Equities had seen strong gains last week after a softer-than-expected inflation report boosted hopes of smaller rate hikes from the Fed. Most of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors advanced, with defensive utilities (.SPLRCU) and real estate (.SPLRCR) leading gains, up about 1% each. The S&P index recorded six new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 34 new highs and 60 new lows. Reporting by Shubham Batra, Ankika Biswas and Amruta Khandekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indian food delivery firm Zomato's co-founder resigns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BENGALURU, Nov 18 (Reuters) - India's Zomato Ltd (ZOMT.NS) said on Friday its co-founder, Mohit Gupta, had resigned after about five years at the food aggregator. Gupta is credited with building Zomato's food delivery operations from scratch and was the segment's chief executive before being elevated to co-founder in May 2020. His resignation follows that of the company's deputy chief financial officer, Nitin Savara, who stepped down in August. Zomato last week reported a narrow second-quarter loss, as volumes and value of its online orders rose. Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Several other Fed officials in recent days have also stressed the need to continue raising rates, albeit at a slower pace. "The Fed is trying to make sure the market doesn't get too ahead of itself," said Tim Holland, chief investment officer at Orion Advisor Solutions. "They're trying to walk this rhetorical tightrope where in between meetings and big data points, they're reminding the market that they're still tightening." Traders are now pricing in 89% odds of a 50-basis-point rate hike from the Fed in December and see terminal rate at around 5% in June 2023. The S&P index recorded no new 52-week high and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 12 new highs and 101 new lows.

☆ Roku becomes latest firm to reduce staff with 200 job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Roku Inc (ROKU.O) said on Thursday it would cut 200 jobs in the United States, becoming the latest tech company to lay off workers amid an economic slowdown and decades-high inflation. Tech companies including Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) and Snap Inc have reduced staff this year as they grapple with a slowdown in growth and mounting costs. The video-streaming device maker expects to book a charge between $28 million and $31 million in the fourth quarter related to the layoffs, mainly severance payments and associated costs. Shares in Roku, which said layoffs would cut staff expenses by an estimated 5%, fell 2% in trading before the bell. read moreRoku, which blamed "current economic conditions" for the cuts, had 3,000 full-time employees in 13 countries as of Dec. 31 last year.

☆ Chipmaker Astera Labs valued at over $3 bln after latest fundraise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Astera Labs said on Thursday it was valued at $3.15 billion following a late-stage funding round led by Fidelity Management & Research, signaling investors' bullishness on the semiconductor sector. The company raised $150 million in the latest round amid upbeat long-term outlook for chips, especially as growth in artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and machine learning segments booms. Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), which typically stays away from big technology wagers, said earlier this week it had bought more than $4.1 billion in TSMC stock. Existing investors, including Atreides Management, Intel Capital and Sutter Hill Ventures also participated in the funding round. Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. FDA greenlights Provention Bio's diabetes drug
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Provention Bio (PRVB.O) said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved the use of its drug teplizumab in those aged eight years and older, the first treatment aimed at delaying the onset of insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes. In October, Provention signed a co-promotion deal for the drug with Sanofi (SASY.PA), offering the French drugmaker first negotiation for exclusive global rights to commercialize the drug in exchange for an upfront payment of $20 million. As per the deal, the approval will also allow Sanofi to purchase up to $35 million of Provention's common stock. Current standard of care for type 1 diabetes requires patients to monitor and manage symptoms such as low or high blood sugar levels through regular insulin intake. Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is a disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, leaving sufferers reliant on regular insulin injections.

☆ France's Digital Virgo to list in U.S. in $513 mln SPAC deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Joyce Lee | Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Digital Virgo said on Thursday it would list in the United States in a blank-check deal that values the French mobile payments platform at $513 million, including debt. Digital Virgo is among a few companies that have opted to list in the United States at a time of severe market turbulence. read moreGoal Acquisitions Corp (PUCK.O) will acquire Digital Virgo shares at $10 apiece, with the deal providing the latter at least $100 million. A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is a listed company lacking an inherent business model, formed solely to take other firms public via mergers. Goal is led by sports executives including Harvey Schiller, Bill Duffy and basketball star Michael Jordan's former agent, David Falk.

☆ Lyft, Motional to launch robotaxi service in Los Angeles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tough regulatory scrutiny and delayed commercial adoption of autonomous vehicle technology have delayed deployment of robotaxi services, worrying investors. Los Angeles will become the second city where the companies will offer the driverless taxi service after Las Vegas. Motional which uses Hyundai Motor Co's (005380.KS) IONIQ5 electric car for the robotaxi service is a joint venture between the South Korean manufacturer and automotive technology company Aptiv (APTV.N). The autonomous vehicle technology company also has a 10-year agreement with Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) for supplying driverless vehicles. Competitor Waymo started its autonomous ride-hailing service in Phoenix, Arizona last week.

☆ G20's criticism of Russia reflects the rise of new Asian power: India
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“Today’s era must not be of war,” it said, echoing what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a face-to-face meeting in September. “How India united G20 on PM Modi’s idea of peace,” ran a headline in the Times of India, the country’s largest English-language paper. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo hold hands during the handover ceremony at the G20 leaders' summit, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 16, 2022. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a bilateral meeting on November 16, 2022 in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. And while this year’s G20 was looked at through the lens of the war, India could bring its own agenda to the table next year.

☆ Software firm PTC to buy peer ServiceMax for about $1.5 bln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Software firm PTC (PTC.O) said on Thursday it will buy cloud-based provider of software ServiceMax for $1.46 billion in cash as it looks to expand its portfolio of product lifecycle management offerings. The deal will be funded in two stages, with $808 million paid at closing expected in early January and $650 million paid in October next year. PTC and ServiceMax both help manufacturers of complex, highly configured products such as industrial products and aerospace to track and monitor products throughout their lifecycle. "PTC is poised to be the only company that will be able to offer manufacturers this comprehensive view of their products at each stage of the lifecycle," said PTC Chief Executive Jim Heppelmann. Reporting by Eva Mathews and Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Novartis weighs sale of ophthalmology, respiratory units - Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG (NOVN.S) is considering to sell its ophthalmology and respiratory units, a Bloomberg report said on Wednesday citing people familiar with the matter. Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada's Bitvo ends acquisition deal with bankrupt crypto exchange FTX
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 15 (Reuters) - Canadian crypto exchange Bitvo said on Tuesday it had terminated its deal to be bought by FTX, which filed for bankruptcy last week. Bitvo also said it had no material exposure to FTX or any of its affiliates. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India plans changes to capital gains tax structure in next budget - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Nikunj Rajesh Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (Reuters) - India is planning changes to its capital gains tax structure in the next budget, seeking to bring parity among tax rates and holding periods for investments across equity, debt and immovable property. Currently, asset classes are not taxed uniformly and have different holding periods for levying capital gains tax, which needs to be aligned, an official involved in the process said on condition of anonymity. The government has received several proposals from the industry to simplify the capital gains tax structure, and changes are expected in the Budget for 2023/24, the official said without disclosing more details as discussions are confidential. Investments in equity or equity-linked mutual funds for more than one year are considered as long-term, and attract a 10% tax on gains of more than 100,000 rupees. Investments in equity held up to one year are considered short-term and attract a 15% tax.

☆ EV startup Faraday Future signs deal to raise up to $350 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Faraday Future Intelligent Electric (FFIE.O) said on Monday it had signed a deal to raise up to $350 million as the electric-vehicle startup looks to roll out its FF 91 luxury car. The company said that financing from an affiliate of Yorkville Advisors Global at an initial commitment of $200 million gives it financial flexibility to help start production and deliver its car to customers. Faraday Future settled a governance dispute in September and raised $100 million after it said a "misinformation campaign" and threats against some board members had affected its fundraising efforts. Shareholders last week approved a reverse stock split proposal after the company received a notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market on failing to maintain a minimum bid price of at least $1 per share for 30 consecutive sessions. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cummins, Tata Motors team up for hydrogen-powered engines
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BENGALURU, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S.-listed Cummins Inc (CMI.N) said on Monday it has signed an agreement with Indian automaker Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) to develop hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines, fuel cells and battery electric vehicle systems for commercial automobiles in India. Several automakers, including Tata Motors, are aggressively shifting towards greener forms of energy for their vehicles as they try to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, with India targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. India will be one of the first markets to receive Cummins' hydrogen engines, the company said. Tata, one of India's largest electric-vehicle makers launched the country' first sub-$10,000 electric car in September. Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX buys ad campaign on Twitter for Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - SpaceX has bought an advertising package on Twitter for its satellite internet service Starlink, said Elon Musk, who owns both the rocket company and the social media platform, in a tweet on Monday. loading"SpaceX Starlink bought a tiny – not large – ad package to test effectiveness of Twitter advertising in Australia & Spain. The chief executive of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and SpaceX had last week told advertisers that he aimed to turn the social media platform to pursue truth and put an end to fake accounts. He also raised the possibility of Twitter going bankrupt days after he said the platform saw a "massive" drop in revenue and blamed activist groups pressuring advertisers. Reporting by Akriti Sharma and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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