Business
uniQure Stock Surges 76% on FDA Breakthrough for Huntington’s Gene Therapy AMT-130
Shares of uniQure N.V. skyrocketed more than 75 percent Wednesday, closing in on $47.49 after the gene therapy company announced a major regulatory advancement for its experimental treatment AMT-130 targeting Huntington’s disease. The surge reflects renewed investor optimism around the potential for the first disease-modifying therapy for the devastating neurological disorder.
uniQure stock opened sharply higher and maintained strong gains throughout the morning session on the Nasdaq. The move more than doubled the company’s market capitalization in a single trading day, erasing earlier setbacks and highlighting the high-stakes nature of biotech investments tied to clinical and regulatory milestones.
The catalyst was confirmation that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed uniQure can pursue a Biologics License Application using existing Phase I/II data from the AMT-130 program, supporting a path toward accelerated approval. This development reverses prior regulatory hurdles and accelerates timelines for potential market entry.
Regulatory Progress on AMT-130
AMT-130 is a one-time, AAV-based gene therapy designed to lower levels of the mutant huntingtin protein responsible for Huntington’s disease. The disorder affects an estimated 30,000 people in the United States with another 200,000 at risk, causing progressive motor dysfunction, cognitive decline and psychiatric symptoms with no approved disease-modifying treatments currently available.
Earlier Phase I/II data showed promising results, including a statistically significant 75 percent slowing of disease progression at 36 months in the high-dose cohort as measured by the composite Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale compared to external controls. Additional functional improvements were noted across key endpoints.
The FDA’s updated position allows uniQure to submit a BLA potentially as early as the third quarter of 2026, pending final alignment. This follows patient advocacy efforts, including petitions with tens of thousands of signatures, and comes amid broader shifts in FDA leadership and priorities for rare disease therapies.
Company executives expressed confidence in the data package. The therapy uses a precision delivery approach directly into the brain, aiming to provide long-lasting benefits from a single administration.
Company Background and Pipeline
uniQure, headquartered in the Netherlands with significant U.S. operations, specializes in AAV gene therapies for rare and severe genetic diseases. Its platform has delivered approved therapies in hemophilia B and other areas, providing foundational experience for the Huntington’s program.
Beyond AMT-130, the company is advancing candidates in Fabry disease and other indications. Recent updates on AMT-191 for Fabry showed sustained enzyme activity improvements and patients discontinuing enzyme replacement therapy.
Financially, uniQure has faced typical biotech pressures with ongoing research and development costs. First-quarter 2026 results showed a net loss, but the regulatory clarity could open doors to partnerships, additional funding or commercialization revenue if approved.
Market Reaction and Analyst Views
The dramatic share price increase reflects the binary nature of biotech catalysts. Prior to Wednesday’s news, the stock had traded in a range influenced by earlier regulatory uncertainty and broader sector volatility. Analyst price targets vary widely, with some forecasting substantial upside if AMT-130 reaches the market.
Wall Street has generally maintained a positive stance on uniQure’s potential, citing the unmet need in Huntington’s and the strength of the clinical data. However, risks remain, including manufacturing scale-up, long-term safety monitoring and competition from other approaches in the gene therapy space.
Trading volume spiked significantly as retail and institutional investors reacted. The stock’s movement also lifted related names in the gene therapy and neurological disease sectors.
Broader Implications for Gene Therapy Field
Wednesday’s announcement underscores evolving FDA flexibility for serious rare diseases with strong surrogate or early clinical signals. Huntington’s represents a particularly challenging area due to its genetic basis and progressive nature, making any meaningful slowing of decline highly impactful.
Patient advocacy groups welcomed the news. Organizations like Help4HD have long pushed for accelerated pathways, viewing AMT-130 as a potential game-changer for families affected by the hereditary condition.
The development arrives as the gene therapy sector matures, with more products gaining approvals and real-world evidence accumulating. Challenges around cost, access and delivery methods persist, but successes like uniQure’s could encourage further investment.
Risks and Considerations
Despite the enthusiasm, hurdles remain before any potential approval. Full data review, manufacturing inspections and possibly additional confirmatory studies could influence timelines. Pricing and reimbursement discussions for one-time therapies often prove complex given the high upfront costs.
uniQure will need to demonstrate consistent safety and efficacy at commercial scale. Long-term follow-up data will be critical, as gene therapies can produce effects that evolve over years.
For investors, the volatility inherent in clinical-stage biotech remains pronounced. While today’s surge rewards risk-takers, future developments around clinical holds, competitive data or macroeconomic factors could drive sharp reversals.
Looking Ahead
uniQure plans further engagement with regulators and expects to provide additional updates on the BLA process in coming months. Positive momentum could also support partnership discussions or capital raises to fund commercialization preparations.
The Huntington’s community awaits more details, with hope that AMT-130 could transform care for a disease that has long lacked meaningful interventions. As the company advances toward potential approval, attention will turn to execution and the therapy’s real-world impact.
Wednesday’s trading action caps a period of anticipation for uniQure and highlights the sector’s capacity for rapid value shifts on regulatory news. As the gene therapy landscape evolves, uniQure’s progress with AMT-130 positions it as a key player in addressing one of medicine’s most challenging genetic disorders.
Business
(VIDEO) Maroons Level State of Origin Series with 44-24 Comeback Win Over Blues Before Record MCG Crowd
MELBOURNE — The Queensland Maroons roared back in the second half to defeat the New South Wales Blues 44-24 in Game 2 of the 2026 State of Origin series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, leveling the best-of-three series at 1-1 and setting up a decisive showdown at Suncorp Stadium.
A record Origin crowd of 91,671 watched Queensland overcome a 12-8 halftime deficit with a dominant second-half performance. Winger Selwyn Cobbo scored a hat-trick of tries, while the Maroons’ spine of Sam Walker, Kalyn Ponga, Cameron Munster and Harry Grant orchestrated a clinical display that overwhelmed the Blues after the break.
The victory evens the series after New South Wales claimed a narrow 22-20 win in Game 1 at the same venue last year. Queensland, which lost the 2025 series 2-1, now carries momentum into the July 8 decider in Brisbane, where it has historically been formidable.
First Half Battle for Control
The match opened at a frantic pace under fine conditions on a good playing surface. Queensland drew first blood with a penalty goal by Sam Walker after just six minutes. The Blues responded quickly when Kotoni Staggs scored following a Queensland error from the kickoff, with Nathan Cleary converting for a 6-2 lead.
Mark Nawaqanitawase scored on debut for New South Wales after a Cleary grubber created an opportunity, extending the lead to 12-2. Queensland hit back through Trent Loiero following a long-range break by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, narrowing the gap to 12-8 at halftime.
Both teams dealt with head injury assessments. Queensland lost prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and later Cameron Munster temporarily to HIAs, while the Blues maintained pressure through the middle but failed to convert territorial dominance into more points.
Maroons Dominate Second Half
Queensland exploded after the interval. Selwyn Cobbo scored the first of his three tries shortly after halftime following a bomb from Walker and slick handling by Max Plath and Cameron Munster. The Maroons took a 14-12 lead and never looked back.
Cobbo added his second try midway through the half on a beautifully executed scrum move involving Ponga and Walker. Jojo Fifita then powered over from a cross-field kick by Munster, pushing the score to 26-12.
New South Wales briefly threatened when Mark Nawaqanitawase scored his second try with individual brilliance, but Queensland answered immediately. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow crossed after a powerful run, and Cobbo completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute following another Ponga assist. Lindsay Collins added a try for the Maroons before Mitchell Barnett scored a late consolation for the Blues.
Sam Walker earned man-of-the-match honors for his control and kicking game. The halfback converted multiple tries from the sideline and orchestrated Queensland’s attacking raids. Ponga, Grant and Munster provided the spark that dismantled New South Wales’ defense in the final 40 minutes.
Blues Struggle After Halftime
New South Wales dominated the middle early but faded as the Maroons’ forwards and backs combined effectively. Coach Laurie Daley faces tough selection decisions ahead of the decider, with several key players potentially returning from club duty. Liam Martin, Tom Trbojevic and others could feature prominently as the Blues seek to regroup.
The Blues’ second-half collapse mirrored vulnerabilities exposed in previous Origin encounters. Despite strong first-half efforts from players like Nathan Cleary and James Tedesco, they had no answer to Queensland’s momentum and clinical finishing.
Record Crowd and Series Significance
The attendance of 91,671 eclipsed the previous Origin record of 91,513 set at the MCG in 2015, underscoring the enduring popularity of the interstate rivalry. Fans witnessed a classic contest that highlighted the physicality and skill defining State of Origin.
Queensland coach Billy Slater’s use of the bench and tactical adjustments proved decisive. The Maroons’ ability to overcome early disruptions from HIAs demonstrated depth and resilience that will serve them well in Brisbane.
What Lies Ahead
The series now heads to Suncorp Stadium for a winner-take-all Game 3. Queensland has won the last two deciders on home soil and will enter as favorites with renewed confidence. New South Wales must find answers to Queensland’s attacking threats while addressing defensive lapses that surfaced after halftime.
Daley is expected to consider changes, potentially recalling Latrell Mitchell or Blayke Brailey if available. The Blues’ ability to bounce back from Game 2 disappointment will be tested against a Maroons side riding high on Cobbo’s heroics and spine dominance.
State of Origin remains Australia’s premier domestic sporting rivalry, blending state pride, physical contests and dramatic narratives. This year’s series has lived up to that tradition, delivering high-scoring, end-to-end football that captivated a record audience.
Player Performances and Future Implications
Selwyn Cobbo’s hat-trick capped an outstanding individual display, cementing his status as one of the competition’s premier finishers. His pace and finishing ability troubled the Blues’ right edge throughout the second half. Walker, in just his second Origin appearance, controlled the tempo and delivered precise kicks that created multiple scoring opportunities.
For New South Wales, debutant Nawaqanitawase showed promise with two tries, while Cleary battled hard in difficult conditions. However, the team’s inability to maintain intensity over 80 minutes highlighted areas for improvement before the series climax.
The result keeps alive Queensland’s hopes of reclaiming the Origin shield. With the decider approaching, both camps will focus on recovery, selection and tactical preparation. Fans across Australia anticipate another intense battle as the rivalry reaches its crescendo.
The 2026 series has already produced memorable moments, from Game 1’s narrow margin to Game 2’s record crowd and second-half fireworks. Whatever unfolds in Brisbane, the interstate contest continues to showcase the best of rugby league and captivate the nation.
A view of a CarMax dealership on April 10, 2025, in Santa Rosa, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Shares of CarMax fell roughly 8% during midday trading Wednesday after the company beat Wall Street’s quarterly earnings expectations and its new CEO detailed a high-level turnaround strategy for the company.
Here’s how the company performed in its first fiscal quarter, compared with average estimates compiled by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $1.31 vs. 95 cents expected
- Revenue: $8.01 billion vs. $7.42 billion expected
Despite the beats, questions remain about the company’s ability to grow and cut costs under the plan as it faces tougher market conditions. The used-vehicle retailer reported margin pressure and declining gross profit per retail used vehicle.
CarMax’s total gross profit was $854.4 million, down 4.4% compared with last year’s first fiscal quarter. Retail used vehicle gross profit decreased 9.5% and retail gross profit per used unit was $2,177, down $230 from last year’s all-time record, the company said. Its net revenue was up 6.2% compared with nearly $7.6 billion a year earlier.
CarMax reported net earnings of $185.6 million, down 11.8% from $210.4 million in the same period last year.
Shares of CarMax are still up roughly 25% this year, including a roughly 16% increase since Keith Barr, a former CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group, began leading the company on March 16.
Barr said he will release more details of his plan — which is expected to take multiple years to execute — in late fall, but he noted that leadership is “super confident about it.”
“Our new strategy is focused on great offerings, easy experience, adding value, running lean, all of which, again, will drive sustainable long-term growth, which will create value for our shareholders,” he told CNBC during an interview.
CarMax and Carvana shares in 2026.
Barr said he has spent his first three months at CarMax better learning the car business, understanding the company’s operations and determining potential growth and cost-cutting areas, while aiming to streamline the car-buying processes for customers.
“There’s definitely significant opportunity for growth here by having a really integrated, growth-oriented strategy that leverages technology, that leverages our scale, that leverages our stores, that will provide sustainable growth, too,” he said.
His initial quick changes have included making tweaks to CarMax’s website, such as showing monthly payments; implementing an artificial intelligence call agent service; and trying to better streamline a customer’s experience from online to in-store.
Barr was brought in following massive share declines that led to pressure for former CEO Bill Nash to step down in November.
Shares of CarMax’s largest competitor, Carvana, also were more than 7% lower during midday trading Wednesday, which coincided with the online vehicle retailer disclosing plans for its new franchised Stellantis stores. Carvana’s plan includes using the franchise stores to service vehicles and offer test drives, but it will still exclusively sell its vehicles online, even if customers are at the stores.
Barr declined to comment on Carvana’s plans, but said CarMax has found the vast majority of its used-vehicle customers still like to visit stores and see the vehicle they’re planning to purchase before doing so.
Hillshire Reserve features five lunch meat varieties.
Form 4 Advanced Energy Industries Inc For: 17 June
Business
Raghuram Rajan’s warning to India after Hormuz shock: Build bigger oil reserves, diversify faster
On energy security, Rajan was direct: a potential US-Iran peace deal does not erase the underlying vulnerability that the Hormuz disruption exposed. He noted that the strait accounts for a significant share of India’s crude, LNG and LPG imports, and said India needs a much larger strategic oil reserve than it currently has. Rajan also pointed to the need for flexible backup options, such as the ability to ramp up coal production the way China has, alongside a longer-term push toward renewables. He cautioned, however, that renewable energy carries its own supply-chain risk, since India still depends heavily on imported solar cells and wind components, and called for Indian industry to take a bigger role in building domestic alternatives — something he said hasn’t happened yet.
India needs to diversify import sources & export markets
On trade, Rajan said India is currently in a better position than earlier this year, when it faced steep tariff threats from the US. He flagged an incoming tariff tied to forced-labor concerns, set at 12.5%, slightly higher than the roughly 10% rates facing Pakistan and Bangladesh, but said the gap is manageable. A bigger risk, he said, is a separate “excess capacity” probe that could stack additional tariffs on top of the existing rate, something he hopes Indian trade officials can head off. His broader takeaway: India needs to diversify both its import sources and export markets to reduce exposure to any single shock.
Rajan also addressed the rupee’s sharp depreciation, which has fallen close to 14% against the dollar over two years. He linked the slide less to oil prices alone and more to a structural problem: India isn’t attracting enough foreign direct investment, even as remittance inflows remain strong. He questioned why domestic investment hasn’t matched the country’s strong headline GDP growth, calling it a gap between “the walk” and “the talk” that policymakers need to examine. If global oil prices hold near current levels — around $85 a barrel, assuming the ceasefire holds — Rajan said India’s current account position looks “relatively mild” rather than alarming, and even suggested policymakers may be overreacting by considering costly capital-inflow incentives like the FCNR(B) proposal.
Looking ahead, Rajan urged India to take a three-to-five-year view on critical commodity exposure, warning that the next vulnerability may not be oil but pharmaceutical inputs used to manufacture generic drugs. He called for building strategic buffers, domestic production capacity, and stronger ties with friendly supply countries — describing the recent shocks as a “wake-up call” that policymakers and industry should not let go to waste.
Treasury yields declined as investors turned cautiously optimistic about the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz following the U.S.-Iran agreement.
Focus is also on the Federal Reserve’s first meeting under Chairman Kevin Warsh, with the announcement due Wednesday.
“The prospect of lower energy prices has also eased inflation concerns, contributing to softer Treasury yields,” Empire FX’s Crispus Nyaga said in a note.
Inflation, the rate at which prices are increasing year over year, hit 3.8% in April. Trump’s decision to launch strikes on Iran, which resulted in it retaliating by shutting the key Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, has been largely blamed for the increase.
Warsh leads his first press conference on interest rates after becoming chairman of the federal reserve.
This is a developing story about the June 2026 FOMC interest rate decision and will be updated with further details.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that it will hold interest rates steady due to concerns about elevated inflation amid the war in Iran, as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s tenure leading the central bank begins in earnest.
Fed policymakers voted to leave the benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. The move follows the central bank’s decision to hold rates steady in January, March and April following three successive 25-basis-point rate cuts in September, October and December to close out last year.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the central bank’s panel responsible for monetary policy moves, voted 12-0 to leave interest rates unchanged. Policymakers noted in the FOMC’s statement that inflation remains elevated above the central bank’s 2% goal, which it said was “in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy.”
They also noted that job gains have kept pace with the workforce, while reiterating support for the dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment. Policymakers added that, “Economic activity is expanding at a solid pace despite elevated uncertainty that owes, in part, to the conflict in the Middle East.”
The FOMC’s June monetary policy meeting was the first led by Fed Chair Kevin Warsh. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
INFLATION IS SQUEEZING AMERICAN CONSUMERS AND THE FED’S LATEST REPORT SHOWS IT’S GETTING WORSE
The FOMC also released a summary of economic projections, also known as the dot plot, which showed that nine of the 18 voting members project an interest rate hike before the end of 2026, with six projecting two 25-basis-point hikes.
They see PCE inflation at 3.6% at year’s end, up from 2.7% in the March projection, with the unemployment rate at 4.3%, slightly lower than the prior estimate of 4.4%. They also see economic growth slowing, with the projection showing real GDP up 2.2% at the end of the year – down from a 2.4% prediction in March.
Fed Chair Warsh spoke to the media at his first post-meeting press conference on behalf of the FOMC. Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, remains a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors and a voting member of the FOMC.
“We recognize that inflation has been running well ahead of the Fed’s long-stated inflation goal of 2%. That’s been going on for more than five years. Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people, but the recent past need not be prologue,” Warsh said.
“I am pleased to report that members of the FOMC are unambiguous and unanimous – this committee will deliver price stability,” he added.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers' Transformation Looks Irresistible (Upgrade)
China plans to invest approximately 2 trillion yuan ($295 billion) over the next five years to develop data centers nationwide. This significant investment aims to bolster infrastructure, support digital growth, and enhance technological capabilities, positioning China as a major player in global data storage and management.
China is gearing up to invest a massive $295 billion to advance its artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and research. This ambitious initiative aims to position China as a global leader in AI technology by fostering innovation across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. The plan will support the development of core AI components, including chips, algorithms, and data centers, strengthening domestic capabilities and reducing reliance on foreign technology.
The government’s strategic funding is also geared toward talent cultivation and establishing cutting-edge research hubs. By bolstering AI development, China hopes to stimulate economic growth, create high-tech jobs, and enhance national security. This enormous investment signifies China’s commitment to becoming a dominant force in the rapidly evolving AI landscape and challenges other nations to keep pace with its technological ambitions.
Overall, China’s $295 billion AI buildout plan underscores its determination to harness artificial intelligence for economic and strategic advantages. As the country accelerates its technological investments, it aims to solidify its position as a global AI innovator, reshaping the future of digital transformation worldwide.
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