Cue Biopharma stock tumbles on public offering announcement

Investing.com – Russia stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Telecoms, Oil & Gas and Manufacturing sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia Index declined 0.13%.

The best performers of the session on the MOEX Russia Index were AK ALROSA PJSC (MCX:ALRS), which rose 3.55% or 1.49 points to trade at 43.51 at the close. Meanwhile, LUKOIL PJSC (MCX:LKOH) added 2.73% or 156.50 points to end at 5,887.00 and OZON (MCX:OZON) was up 2.23% or 92.00 points to 4,222.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Moskovskiy Kreditnyi Bank PAO (MCX:CBOM), which fell 4.36% or 0.31 points to trade at 6.89 at the close. TATNEFT n.a. V.D. Shashin (MCX:TATN) declined 2.52% or 15.20 points to end at 589.00 and TATNEFT n.a. V.D. Shashin Pref (MCX:TATN_p) was down 1.71% or 9.60 points to 550.30.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 117 to 116 and 17 ended unchanged.

The Russian Volatility Index – RVI, which measures the implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, was down 1.59% to 32.09.

Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.24% or 10.70 to $4,363.20 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 0.25% or 0.14 to hit $55.95 a barrel, while the February Brent oil contract rose 0.13% or 0.08 to trade at $59.76 a barrel.

USD/RUB was down 0.85% to 79.81, while EUR/RUB fell 0.97% to 93.58.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.10% at 98.10.

Investing.com – Colombia stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Industrials, Services and Agriculture sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Colombia, the COLCAP added 0.09%.

The best performers of the session on the COLCAP were Organizacion Terpel SA (BVC:TPL), which rose 2.63% or 500.00 points to trade at 19,500.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Grupo Bolivar SA (BVC:SCA) added 1.71% or 1,540.00 points to end at 91,540.00 and Grupo Energia Bogota SA ESP (BVC:GEB) was up 0.84% or 25.00 points to 2,985.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana SA Preferred (BVC:SIS_p), which fell 2.67% or 1,200.00 points to trade at 43,820.00 at the close. Grupo Argos SA Pref (BVC:ARG_p) declined 2.64% or 340.00 points to end at 12,560.00 and Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana SA (BVC:SIS) was down 1.91% or 1,060.00 points to 54,340.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Colombia Stock Exchange by 1 to 0.

Shares in Organizacion Terpel SA (BVC:TPL) rose to all time highs; up 2.63% or 500.00 to 19,500.00.

US coffee C for March delivery was down 0.69% or 2.40 to $345.00 . Elsewhere in commodities trading, US cocoa for delivery in March fell 0.84% or 50.00 to hit $5,928.00 , while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.24% or 10.70 to trade at $4,363.20 a troy ounce.

USD/COP was down 0.18% to 3,863.71, while BRL/COP fell 0.37% to 700.26.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.10% at 98.10.

Investing.com-- The S&P 500 closed higher Thursday, driven by a rebound in big tech from the recent selloff as weaker-than-expected consumer inflation data boosted expectations for further interest rates cuts by the Federal Reserve next year.

At 4:00 p.m. ET (21:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 65 points, or 0.1%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.8%, and the NASDAQ Composite climbed 1.4%.

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Cooling inflation boosts rate-cut bets 

U.S. inflation rose by less than expected in November, as the first batch of inflation data was published since the government shutdown ended in mid-November.

The U.S. consumer price index in November rose 2.7% on an annualized basis, a drop from the 3.0% figure announced in September and below the expected 3.1% growth.

The so-called core reading, which strips out volatile items like food and energy, rose 2.6% year-on-year, below the 3.0% growth forecast.

The BLS had previously said it would not publish the headline CPI number or the core CPI for October after it was unable to collect some data during that month due to the prolonged government shutdown. 

"As a reminder, due to the government shutdown, the BLS was unable to collect most October data and only started on the November collection almost halfway through the month," said analysts at Capital Economics, in a note. "It’s possible that this does reflect a genuine drop off in inflationary pressures, but such a sudden stop, particularly in the more-persistent services components like rent of shelter is very unusual, at least outside of a recession. The upshot is that is looks like we all have to wait until the December data is published next month to verify whether this is a statistical blip or a genuine disinflation."

Data pointing to cooling inflation helped firm up rate-cut expectations for next year, wit the odds of at least 50-basis of cuts through the end of 2026 rising to about 80% from 75% prior to the data.

Micron soars on earnings, guidance as big tech rebounds 

Sentiment receive a boost after Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) beat expectations for its fiscal first quarter earnings, and guided current quarter earnings at nearly twice as what analysts were expecting. 

The memory chip maker flagged outsized demand from the AI industry, and said this was likely to continue as more companies built out their data center infrastructure. 

Micron, along with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics (KS:005930) and SK Hynix Inc (KS:000660), is a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are a critical component of AI processors. The company benefited greatly from outsized demand for these HBM chips in recent quaters, which helped offset sluggish demand from consumer electronics.

The sentiment on big tech improved followings days of selling, with Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) all rising more than 2%. 

Instacart slides on FTC probe report

Among other major movers, Instacart (NASDAQ:CART) fell sharply after Reuters reported the company was facing a U.S. Federal Trade Commission probe over allegations of price discrimination using artificial intelligence. 

The company had faced growing consumer scrutiny over AI pricing, with U.S. lawmakers also calling for an investigation after a study earlier in December showed consumers being charged different prices– with discrepancies going as high as 23%-- for different items.

CarMax (NYSE:KMX) stock fell after the auto retailer flagged plans to lower retail margins and step up marketing spend in the current quarter, while its third-quarter sales exceeded analyst estimates.

On the other hand, furniture company MillerKnoll (NASDAQ:MLKN) gained on the back of positive earnings results and strong third-quarter guidance, while Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) surged after the Wall Street Journal reported that activist investor Elliott has taken a more than $1 billion stake in the athletic-wear company.

Peter Nurse, Ambar Warrick contributed to this article

Medline Inc. (MDLN) completed its initial public offering on December 18, closing the sale of 248,439,654 shares of Class A common stock at $29.00 per share. The offering included the full exercise of underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 32,405,172 shares.

The medical supply company will use proceeds from 179 million shares to repay outstanding debt under its senior secured term loan facilities, with remaining funds allocated for general corporate purposes and offering expenses. Proceeds from the remaining 69.4 million shares will be used to purchase or redeem equity interests from pre-IPO owners.

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan served as global coordinators and lead bookrunning managers for the offering. Additional bookrunning managers included Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities, Jefferies, UBS Investment Bank, and Evercore ISI, among others.

The Securities and Exchange Commission declared the registration statement effective on December 16. Medline’s Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol MDLN.

Based in Northfield, Illinois, Medline describes itself as a provider of medical-surgical products and supply chain solutions. The company employs more than 43,000 people worldwide and operates in more than 100 countries, according to the press release.

Investing.com -- SMX Security Matters (NASDAQ:SMX) stock jumped 25.5% on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to federally reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

The directive aims to address federal hemp laws and promote access to full-spectrum CBD that could potentially be covered under federal health insurance plans. This move comes months after Trump indicated a decision on cannabis reform was forthcoming.

SMX, which specializes in molecular-level verification technology, appears positioned to benefit from the increased regulatory framework that would accompany marijuana’s reclassification to Schedule III status. The company’s technology attaches food-grade molecular identity verification at the material level, enabling products to maintain verifiable traceability throughout the supply chain.

The rescheduling to Schedule III acknowledges cannabis has accepted medical use but maintains a defined risk profile with structured regulations. This shift would likely transform cannabis governance to resemble medical products rather than lifestyle goods, potentially favoring companies with robust verification capabilities.

Industry experts note that federal involvement would formalize rather than simplify cannabis regulation. The current patchwork of state systems that rely heavily on declarations and after-the-fact reporting may not meet federal oversight requirements, which typically demand continuous, defensible proof.

SMX’s platform, designed for provenance tracking and accountability, addresses these verification challenges by providing an auditable record that travels with products - a capability that could become increasingly valuable as federal standards develop and compliance requirements intensify.

The stock’s surge reflects investor speculation that SMX’s verification technology could see increased demand in a more strictly regulated cannabis market where documentation and chain of custody would become mandatory rather than optional.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Poland’s Ministry of National Defense has declared Full Operational Capability for its Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS)-enabled WISŁA medium-range air defense system, developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC).

This achievement makes Poland the first U.S. NATO ally to fully operationalize IBCS, strengthening NATO’s eastern flank with advanced air defense capabilities. The announcement follows a successful international live fire test demonstrating the system’s ability to intercept airborne targets.

The combat-ready WISŁA program features two IBCS-enabled adapted Patriot sensors and launchers that can detect and engage threats including missiles and aircraft through multi-sensor data fusion. Polish crews have been trained and certified to operate the system.

IBCS enables Poland to be interoperable with U.S. and NATO systems, establishing a layered air defense network that allows real-time multi-nation threat tracking across allied territories.

The next phase of the WISŁA program will expand to include eight batteries of adapted Patriot equipment with additional launchers, interceptors, and advanced radars, creating a comprehensive national-scale air and missile defense capability.

Polish industry will play an increasing role in local assembly, maintenance, and production, enhancing Poland’s self-reliance while creating potential for defense exports to international partners.

Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager of command and control and weapons integration at Northrop Grumman, said, "Poland’s declaration of Full Operational Capability for IBCS showcases our ability to deliver interoperable defense solutions at scale with Poland, the U.S. and allies. As a cutting-edge solution for integrated air and missile defense, IBCS continuously enhances its capabilities with innovative, unified, and cost-effective approaches to meet global air and missile defense demands. This milestone provides advanced capabilities to effectively address complex threats, made possible through our strong collaboration with Polish industry and Northrop Grumman."

IBCS uses a network-enabled, modular, open and scalable architecture to fuse sensor data for a single view of the battlespace. The system is in full-rate production, currently fielded in Poland, and planned for deployment in Combatant Commands in Europe and the Indo-Pacific as part of the U.S. Army program for integrated air and missile defense modernization.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.