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Moderna Shares Skyrocket Up to 90% as Its mRNA Cancer Vaccine With Merck Succeeds in Late-Stage Trial

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Moderna Shares Skyrocket Up to 90% as Its mRNA Cancer

Shares of Moderna soared as much as 90% in premarket trading Wednesday, pacing what would become the biotech company’s best trading session on record, after the company and partner Merck announced that their experimental personalized mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in a large, late-stage clinical trial for melanoma.

The Phase 3 trial, known as INTerpath-001, evaluated the treatment, called intismeran autogene, in combination with Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, compared with Keytruda alone, in patients with completely surgically removed stage IIB-IV melanoma. The study enrolled 1,137 high-risk patients who received up to nine doses of the combination therapy over roughly one year. The trial met its primary goal of significantly extending the time patients lived without their melanoma returning, compared with Keytruda alone, and also achieved a key secondary goal of reducing the risk of the cancer spreading to distant parts of the body.

According to CNBC, the trial marked the first Phase 3 study to demonstrate clinically significant benefits over Keytruda monotherapy in the adjuvant treatment setting for surgically resected melanoma patients who had not previously received systemic cancer treatment. The companies said the study was stopped early at its first interim analysis after the positive results became apparent, and that no new safety signals had emerged during the trial. Side effects associated with the vaccine were described as similar to those typically experienced with other common vaccines.

Merck’s Dr. Jane Healy, the company’s head of oncology early development, described the significance of the results in comments to CNBC. Melanoma patients are “stuck having to deal with the new gravity of that diagnosis and then undergo uncomfortable treatments like surgery, and after that, they’re worried about their cancer coming back,” Healy said. She called the trial’s outcome “very exciting,” noting the therapy delivered a “clinically meaningful improvement” over Keytruda, which currently represents the standard of care for melanoma treatment. Healy added that the results also validate a personalized cancer treatment approach that Merck and Moderna have been developing for decades.

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The intismeran vaccine represents a significant departure from Moderna’s earlier, pandemic-driven business, built instead on individualized cancer therapeutics tailored to each patient’s specific tumor. The treatment is manufactured for each patient based on mutations identified in that individual’s own tumor tissue, encoding as many as 34 distinct neoantigens designed to train the patient’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells bearing those same mutations. Moderna has said it has successfully automated the personalized manufacturing process required to produce each patient-specific dose.

Wednesday’s data builds on earlier, smaller-scale results the companies presented in January from a mid-stage trial of the same treatment combination. That earlier Phase 2b study found that at 60.3 months of follow-up, the combination therapy reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 49%, while reducing the risk of distant metastasis or death by 59%, compared with Keytruda alone. Moderna’s chief development officer, David Berman, said those earlier durability findings supported the treatment’s “potential long-term benefit,” a framing that added weight to investor expectations heading into Wednesday’s larger, confirmatory Phase 3 readout.

Despite the strength of Wednesday’s results, some key data points remain outstanding. According to reporting on the trial, the companies have not yet disclosed specific hazard ratios or mature overall survival data, and the trial itself remains ongoing, with overall survival tracked as a key secondary endpoint still to be determined as follow-up continues. The companies said they plan to present the full results at an upcoming medical conference and share the data with regulators as part of the broader review and potential approval process.

Market reaction to the news was dramatic and immediate. Moderna shares surged as much as 90%, according to CNBC, touching levels not seen in months, while Merck shares climbed more than 8% in premarket trading. The disparity in the two companies’ stock reactions reflects their significant difference in size: Merck entered Wednesday with a market capitalization of roughly $333 billion, while Moderna’s stood at approximately $25 billion, meaning the same positive trial news carried far greater proportional significance for Moderna’s smaller balance sheet and narrower product pipeline.

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According to Bloomberg, Moderna’s stock had already climbed 113% from the start of the year through Tuesday’s close, driven substantially by anticipation surrounding the cancer vaccine program even before Wednesday’s formal trial results were announced. Wall Street analyst reaction to the news was swift, with the stock’s move clearing every existing price target among the roughly 15 analysts tracking the company, according to one market analysis, even as several firms had maintained more cautious ratings on the stock ahead of the announcement.

Analysts have pointed to the substantial commercial potential the therapy could represent if it ultimately receives regulatory approval. Barclays analysts said last month they expect the treatment could generate roughly $3 billion in melanoma-related revenue by 2035, underscoring the scale of the opportunity Wednesday’s trial results could unlock for Moderna specifically, given the company’s smaller existing revenue base compared with Merck’s broader portfolio.

Wednesday’s announcement arrives as Moderna has worked to diversify its business well beyond the COVID-19 vaccine that first made the company a household name. The company recently gained Food and Drug Administration approval for its flu vaccine, branded mFLUSIVA, targeted at adults 50 and older, marking its fifth approved global product. Moderna has also continued developing experimental vaccines for other conditions, including norovirus and Lyme disease, though the company disclosed that a key Phase 3 norovirus trial recently missed its early success criteria, a setback that stood in contrast to Wednesday’s positive melanoma vaccine news.

Melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer, with more than 1.5 million cases diagnosed globally in 2023 alone, according to figures cited in coverage of the trial. The scale of that patient population, combined with the trial’s success in both its primary and key secondary endpoints, has fueled substantial investor optimism regarding the treatment’s eventual commercial prospects, even as the companies caution that a full data readout, including mature survival figures, and eventual regulatory review still lie ahead before the therapy could reach patients more broadly. As Wednesday’s trading session continued, market watchers were closely monitoring whether Moderna’s dramatic premarket gains would hold through the full trading day, given the stock’s history of significant volatility tied to individual clinical trial announcements throughout its post-pandemic transition toward a broader, more diversified product pipeline.

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What Is a Well Known CFD Trading Platform in Australia? Plus500: A Modern CFD Trading

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What Is a Well Known CFD Trading Platform in Australia?

Plus500 stands out as one of the most recognizable names among Australian CFD traders. World-renowned for its intuitive design, no-commission pricing structure, and robust multi-asset access, the platform offers a streamlined gateway into global financial markets for CFD traders that meet the requisite experience and knowledge levels.

World-Class Regulatory Standing & Public Accountability

Plus500 is subject to strict corporate governance and financial reporting standards:

ASIC Regulated: Plus500 operates locally through Plus500AU Pty Ltd, fully licensed and supervised by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). This ensures strict compliance with Australian financial service laws, including segregated client fund accounts and negative balance protection.

Plus500AU Pty Ltd (ACN 153301681), licenced by: ASIC in Australia AFSL #417727. Derivatives issuer licence (FSP No. 486026) in New Zealand for NZ clients, issued by the FMA, Authorised Financial Services Provider in South Africa FSP #47546. You do not own or have any rights to the underlying assets. Consider if you fall within Plus500’s Target Market Distribution. Please refer to the Disclosure documents available on the website.

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  • Publicly Listed Leader: Its parent company, Plus500 Ltd, is listed on the prestigious London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. This provides an additional layer of transparency and public accountability that very few brokers can match.

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CFD service. Your capital is at risk

Vast Market Access Across 2,000+ Financial Instruments

Plus500 brings global markets directly to your fingertips through powerful Contracts for Difference (CFDs). Traders can instantly diversify their portfolios across thousands of global instruments with leverage:

  • Shares & Equities: Direct access to over 2,000 top global and Australian share CFDs.
  • Forex: Roughly 50 major, minor, and exotic currency pairs.
  • Cryptocurrencies & Commodities: Seamless exposure to popular crypto assets alongside key commodities like gold, oil, and agriculture.
  • Indices: Popular global indices with fast execution.

Industry-Leading Interface & User Experience

The hallmark of Plus500 is its exceptionally clean, user-friendly interface. Designed to eliminate unnecessary clutter, the proprietary WebTrader platform makes executing trades fast and effortless:

  • No-Commission Structure: Plus500 eliminates separate transaction fees, relying instead on tight, competitive variable spreads (starting from as low as 0.6 pips). This transparent pricing model lets traders see exact costs upfront before opening a position.
  • Demo Account: The demo account is widely celebrated as an ideal starting point for newcomers who may be unfamiliar with the platform, offering a full-featured, unlimited accesswith virtual funds so users can build confidence risk-free.

Visit Plus500

CFD service. Your capital is at risk

Award-Winning Mobile Experience

For active traders who prefer monitoring the markets on the go, Plus500’s mobile application is considered one of the highest-rated in the industry. Available on iOS and Android, the app perfectly mirrors the slick, intuitive functionality of the desktop experience, allowing for real-time charting, instant risk management tool settings (such as Stop Loss and Take Profit), and seamless order execution.

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Robust Client Protection & Security

Plus500 prioritizes user security and advanced data encryption.:

  • Advanced Security Measures: Continuous account monitoring, state-of-the-art encryption, and multi-factor verification safeguard client accounts.

Whether you are a beginner looking for an easy-to-navigate demo account or a busy trader seeking an efficient, mobile-first trading solution with transparent fees, Plus500 delivers a reliable trading environment tailored for the modern investor.

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CFD service. Your capital is at risk

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Caulipower introduces high-protein pizza innovation

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Caulipower introduces high-protein pizza innovation

MANTENO, ILL. — Caulipower is expanding its pizza portfolio with the launch of its gluten-free, high-protein supreme pizza. The pizza is formulated with Greek yogurt and cauliflower.

Each pizza contains 42 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.

The high-protein pizza is now available for purchase at Walmart. An expanded retail rollout is expected, according to the company.

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European shares drop for 7th session as hawkish central banks counter bond rebound

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European shares drop for 7th session as hawkish central banks counter bond rebound

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Nordson Stock Scores Breakout On Record Q3 Results, Guidance. Analyst Hikes Target.

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Nordson Stock Scores Breakout On Record Q3 Results, Guidance. Analyst Hikes Target.

Nordson stock surged past a buy zone Thursday after the precision technology and medical equipment provider trounced fiscal Q3 estimates and hiked its outlook. Ohio-based Nordson (NDSN) reported a 19% increase in earnings to a Q3 record $3.25 per share adjusted, marking three straight quarters of accelerating earnings growth. Revenue surged 10% to a quarterly record of $818 million. Analysts…

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How Chess Player Nikolay Fartushnyak from Crimea Helps Keep Local Chess Alive

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How Chess Player Nikolay Fartushnyak from Crimea Helps Keep Local Chess Alive

Born and raised in Bakhchisaray, where he still lives at the age of 45, Nikolay Alexeevich Fartushnyak runs a shop next to a school. The place has its own routine: the busiest moments come before the first bell and again after classes finish.

Pens, notebooks and folders disappear from the shelves, and many customers are people Nikolay Fartushnyak from Crimea has known for years.

By early evening, that rhythm changes. Some evenings Nikolay heads to a local tournament. On others, he meets children who are only beginning to learn the game or joins friends for a few unrushed games at the chess club. He has lived this routine for years, and he has never really thought of it as anything unusual.

Why Nikolay Fartushnyak from Crimea Never Left the Chessboard

Nobody in the family thought much about chess becoming a serious pursuit. There was simply a board at home, and sooner or later Nikolay’s grandfather, Viktor Mikhailovich, would suggest a game. Sometimes they finished it. Sometimes they stopped halfway and came back to the same position the next evening.

At home, nobody thought of chess as training. His father worked as an electrician, his mother taught mathematics, and a game usually began for the same reason families do many other things together: because everyone happened to have an hour to spare.

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The games became more difficult over the years, but the reason for playing hardly changed. Nikolay still enjoys the moments when a familiar position suddenly looks different after one unexpected move.

Nikolay Alexeevich Fartushnyak and the Chess Community

Bakhchisaray isn’t a city where people disappear into crowds. The same faces appear in different places throughout the week.

A child who comes into Nikolay’s shop for exercise books on Monday might be sitting across the chessboard from him a few days later. Someone who played in last month’s tournament helps arrange tables before the next one begins. That’s how many local chess clubs work. Nikolay Alexeevich Fartushnyak is one of those regulars.

If there’s a tournament, Nikolay is often there. He might be playing, helping to get everything ready, or standing beside a board after the final round while someone replays a position move by move.

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A typical month may include:

  • playing in local amateur tournaments;
  • helping with children’s chess meetups;
  • supporting community chess events;
  • volunteering during local competitions;
  • analysing games with beginner players after the final round.

Why Amateur Chess Keeps Growing

Anyone walking into the club on tournament night would probably notice the conversations before the games. Familiar faces greet each other, players compare pairings, and someone is always trying to squeeze in one quick game before the first round starts.

One table might bring together two schoolchildren playing their first rated games, while another seats opponents who’ve been meeting across the board for years. Nikolay knows many of them by name. Some have been coming to the same tournaments for as long as he has.

Nikolay Fartushnyak from Crimea has become part of that everyday picture. His grandfather’s old chessboard is long gone, but the habit remained. Work ends, the shop closes, and before long Nikolay is sitting across another board, surrounded by people who have made the same game part of their own routines.

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ASP Isotopes at emerging growth conference: push to commercialize key materials

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ASP Isotopes at emerging growth conference: push to commercialize key materials

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Walmart Earnings Accelerate, But WMT Stock Sinks To A 2026 Low

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Walmart Earnings Accelerate, But WMT Stock Sinks To A 2026 Low

Walmart raised guidance for the full year early Thursday after beating earnings and revenue estimates for its second quarter. But WMT stock plunged to a multi-month low. Walmart is the world’s largest retailer by 2025 sales, according to the National Retail Federation. That makes Walmart (WMT) earnings the most influential retail report and the ultimate barometer for global consumer health.…

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Medallion raises $60m for Ravensthorpe ramp-up

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Medallion raises $60m for Ravensthorpe ramp-up

Gold and copper developer Medallion Metals has rattled the tin for $60 million to help fund the ramp-up of its Ravensthorpe project’s development through to production.

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Welsh Government appoints firm to run its drinks deposit return scheme

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In line with the other nations of the UK it has appointed Exchange for Change for the Welsh scheme that will go live next year

Returning plastic water bottles.(Image: Getty Images)

The Welsh Government has appointed the same company that will operate return schemes for plastic bottles and metal cans from October next year across the whole of the UK.

Following a procurement process the Plaid Cymru administration has selected Exchange for Change as its deposit management organisation for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. The scheme will include plastic (PET), metal and glass drinks containers from day one.

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Customers will pay a 20p refundable deposit when buying single-use plastic bottles, steel and aluminium cans. They will get the money back when they return the clean, uncrushed container to an approved return point. As well as helping to reduce littering the scheme and support the transition from recycling to reuse.

A four-year transition period will apply to glass drinks containers, during which time they will also be exempt from labelling requirements while carrying a zero pence deposit.

Exchange for Change was appointed to run schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (which will not include glass) back in May 2025, leaving Wales with a tight window of just over a year to implement the scheme. The drinks industry said that significant work remains to finalise implementation details to ensure the scheme can be delivered effectively in Wales.

Llŷr Gruffydd, Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, said: “The appointment follows a robust process to identify a deposit management organisation which will support the establishment of the scheme and work in partnership with producers, retailers, local authorities and other partners to successfully implement the DRS in Wales.

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“By applying a deposit which is redeemed when drinks containers are returned, the scheme will tackle litter whilst supporting the collection of high-quality recycled materials. In turn, the DRS will help provide a pathway towards the roll-out of reuseable drinks containers in Wales.

” I look forward to working with Exchange for Change and our delivery partners as we work to establish a DRS that works for Wales, and with those schemes being implemented in the other nations of the UK..”

Director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, Andy Bagnall, said: “The appointment of Exchange for Change in Wales means a single scheme administrator across the United Kingdom – a crucial milestone in delivering a successful Deposit Return Scheme by October 2027 – but there is now no time to lose on implementation.

“With little more than a year until its go live, it is welcome that Exchange for Change can work with the Welsh Government and stakeholders across the supply chain to establish the conditions for delivering the scheme in Wales in a way that avoids unnecessary cross-border complexity.

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“However, while preparations are already well advanced for launching the Deposit Return Scheme in October 2027 for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, delivering the scheme in Wales within such a short timeframe means there can be no further delays. Wales’ decision to include glass from day one also creates significant additional operational complexity, and the Welsh Government must continue to be realistic about what’s possible in the time.

“We look forward to working constructively with Exchange for Change, the Welsh Government and partners across the supply chain to address these challenges and deliver a DRS in Wales that increases recycling, reduces litter, and works for consumers, businesses and the environment.”

Across the UK the soft drinks sector is contributing the majority of the more than £1bn committed to building collection infrastructure and systems.

This investment is expected to support more than 4,300 jobs across the UK’s circular economy.

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The Association of Convenient Stores (ACS) said that stores urgently need clarity on the role they will play as return point operators to ensure there is sufficient time to invest in infrastructure, adapt store operations and test the systems required to deliver the scheme successfully from day one.

ACS chief executive Ed Woodall said: We welcome the appointment of Exchange for Change as the deposit management organisation for Wales and the progress that this represents towards delivering a deposit return scheme on time in October 2027. This decision provides an important foundation for the work that now needs to take place.

” With just over a year to go, it is vital that the Welsh Government and Exchange for Change move quickly to provide clarity on the operational requirements, particularly around glass, that retailers will face and how the scheme will work in practice.”

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The Worst Bond Selloff Since 2007 Gave A Message About The U.S. Stock Market

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The Worst Bond Selloff Since 2007 Gave A Message About The U.S. Stock Market

This article was written by

More than 7 years of experience in equity analysis in LatAm. We provide our clients with in-depth research and insights to help them make informed investment decisions.

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SPY, VOO either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

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