>>> US Gapping Up:

Gapping Up

Earnings/guidance: BBRY +3.1%

M&A: LYG +2.3% (to acquire MBNA Ltd from Bank of America (BAC))

Select small cap oil & gas names seeing early bid: BCEI +7.5%, WTI +5.3%, RICE +3.7%, SDRL +2.7%, FRO +2.3%, APC +1.7%

Other news:

  • CNAT +147.5% (Enters into exclusive option, collaboration and license agreement for the global development and commercialization of its first-in-class, orally active pan-caspase inhibitor emricasan with Novartis (NVS)),
  • AKBA +37.7% (co & Otsuka Pharma (OTSKY) enter a collaboration and license agreement in the U.S. for vadadustat; co will receive $265 mln in committed funds plus development & commercial milestones),
  • ACAD +22.7% ( announces positive top-line results from its Phase II exploratory study of pimavanserin in patients with Alzheimer's disease psychosis),
  • ABIO +17.2% (still checking, possibly a newsletter mention),
  • RAD +6.5% (Fred's Pharmacy to acquire 865 RAD stores); WBA +1.5% 
  • GGB +3.6% (still checking),
  • GSAT +3.7% (light volume follow-through from yesterday's breakout),
  • ITUB +3.6% (Brazilian bank, still checking),
  • BBD +3.6% (Brazilian bank, still checking),
  • PSTI +3.3% (co and and Corporate Venture Capital sign a binding term sheet for the establishment of a new Japanese corporation for the clinical development/commercialization of its PLX-PAD cell therapy product in Japan),
  • TASR +2.5% (San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Deploys 1525 TASER X2 Smart Weapons),
  • SRPT +1.7% (Announces that the EMA validated the previously submitted MAA for eteplirsen to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy amenable to exon 51 skipping),
  • MS +1.7% (still checking),
  • VRX +1.5% (still checking),
  • IONS +1.4% (co and AstraZeneca (AZN) advance lead drug candidate IONIS-AZ4-2.5-LRx into preclinical development).

Analyst actions:

  • NVDA +2.7% (added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman; $129 tgt),
  • SQ +2.4% (initiated with a Buy ratings at Guggenheim and Nomura),
  • AMD +2.4% (upgraded to Buy at Mizuho),