News

Moderna Signs Licensing Deal With Generation Bio in Push Beyond COVID

Moderna Inc has entered a licensing deal with Generation Bio Co to develop treatments targeting the immune system and liver, the latest such transaction by the vaccine maker as it expands beyond its COVID shots. Generation Bio’s shares rose about 13.14% to $4.40 in premarket trading on Thursday. Moderna will pay $40 million in cash […]

Hindenburg Shorts Jack Dorsey’s Payments Firm Block

Hindenburg Research said on Thursday it held short positions in Block Inc, alleging that the Jack Dorsey-led payments firm overstated its user counts and understated its customer acquisition costs. “Our 2-year investigation has concluded that Block has systematically taken advantage of the demographics it claims to be helping,” the short seller said in a note […]

Sanofi, Regeneron Unveil ‘Blow-Out’ Smoker’s Lung Drug Data

Sanofi’s asthma drug Dupixent met all targets in a trial to treat “smoker’s lung”, potentially adding billions to the French drugmaker’s growth prospects, but also underscoring a heavy reliance on its bestseller. In a late stage trial Dupixent, jointly developed with Regeneron, led to a 30% reduction in moderate or severe acute exacerbations of chronic […]

Accenture Cuts Jobs, Trims Forecasts on Worries of Lower It Spending

Accenture Plc on Thursday lowered its annual revenue and profit forecasts and said it would cut about 2.5% of workforce, or 19,000 jobs, the latest sign that the worsening global economic outlook was sapping corporate spending on IT services. More than half of the layoffs will affect staff at its non-billable corporate functions, the company […]

Analysis - Banking Turmoil Takes the Leveraged out of the Buyout

Private equity firms that acquired companies since the banking crisis started on March 8 have funded the deals mostly with their own funds, a departure from traditional leveraged buyouts that reflects their struggle to secure cheap debt. Four acquisitions of companies by private equity firms that were announced in the last two weeks were funded […]

China Says It Has Never Deliberately Pursued Trade Surplus With U.S

China has never deliberately pursued a trade surplus with the United States, Shu Jueting, a commerce ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday, despite signs that China is continuing to reduce its reliance on American exports. Although American export data published on Feb. 7 shows that exports to China increased by $2.4 billion on the year to […]

Huawei Touts Camera on Latest Premium Smartphone Without 5G

Huawei Technologies on Thursday continued to press ahead against U.S. pressure by launching a new smartphone with a price starting at 4,488 yuan ($658), which it promised has a top end camera though it would only be able to use 4G. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer arm, spent almost an hour presenting Huawei’s self-developed […]

EU Leaders Set to Back Steps to Compete with US, China

European Union leaders are expected on Thursday to back a revamp of the single market, simplified regulations and other steps to ensure the bloc can compete with the United States and China as an industrial leader in green and digital technologies. High energy prices and U.S. President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which offers $369 […]

TikTok Creators, Some U.S. Democratic Lawmakers Oppose Ban on App

TikTok creators and three U.S. Democratic Party lawmakers on Wednesday said they opposed any potential ban on the Chinese-owned short video sharing app that is used by more than 150 million Americans. On Thursday TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee amid growing calls for a ban […]

Explainer - The Business of Water: No One-Size-Fits-All Approach

The United Nations wants to get people talking in New York this week about investing in safe water, sanitation and hygiene, which it describes as “the most basic human need for health and wellbeing”. Puzzles remains over how best to count the financial, social and environmental costs and benefits of water, but many investors now […]