9:04 am Alliance Data announces its board of directors has approved an increase in authorization to acquire up to $1 bln of its common stock during 2015 (ADS) :  

9:03 am Raven Industries has entered into a new five-year $125 mln senior unsecured multi-currency revolving credit facility (RAVN) :  

9:03 am Digital Realty Trust named Andrew Power CFO (completing previously-announced search process) and Jarrett Appleby COO (DLR) :

• Power will become Chief Financial Officer, a position which has been held by Stein since 2004. Power currently serves as Managing Director of the Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC). 
• Appleby has previously served as Chief Operating Officer at CoreSite Realty (COR) and Chief Marketing Officer at Equinix (EQIX).
  

9:03 am Yahoo! and Microsoft agree to amend search partnership; amendment improves partnership, accelerates innovation and increases agility in market (YHOO) : Microsoft and Yahoo announce that they have amended their search partnership to improve the search experience, create value for advertisers and establish ongoing stability for partners. The update reaffirms commitments made by both companies in the original 2009 agreement, while implementing changes to keep the partnership strong and productive.

The update includes improvements in two core areas. First, Yahoo will now have increased flexibility to enhance the search experience on any platform, since the partnership is non-exclusive for both desktop and mobile. Yahoo will continue to serve Bing ads and search results for a majority of its desktop search traffic. Second, the update increases agility and sales focus. Microsoft will become the exclusive salesforce for ads delivered by Microsoft's Bing Ads platform, while Yahoo will continue to be the exclusive salesforce for Yahoo's Gemini ads platform. Integrating the sales teams with those responsible for engineering will allow both companies to service advertisers more effectively.

Microsoft and Yahoo plan to begin to transition managed advertiser sales responsibilities this summer. The alliance also designated a revenue sharing agreement where Microsoft pays Yahoo a percentage of Bing Ads revenue delivered from Yahoo searches. This existing underlying economic structure remains unchanged with today's updates.

9:03 am Adamis Pharma announces the results of a clinical efficacy trial that was conducted outside of the United States for its albuterol HFA product, APC-2000; study met the clinical FEV1 primary endpoint and results confirmed the therapeutic equivalence between the test and the reference product (ADMP) : The study was performed in 124 stable, mild to moderate asthmatic subjects and was designed to reflect the FDA's Albuterol Sulfate June 2013 Draft Guidance. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the therapeutic equivalence of Adamis' APC-2000 HFA with GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) Ventolin Evohaler HFA.

• The study met the clinical FEV1 primary endpoint and results confirmed the therapeutic equivalence between the test (APC-2000) and the reference product (GSK's Ventolin Evohaler). Both products were found to be safe and well-tolerated. The study also confirmed a significant difference in clinical efficacy between the two doses.
  

9:02 am Celanese and Mitsui & Co, announce an exclusive arrangement to explore a joint venture for methanol production at Celanese's integrated chemical plant in Bishop, Texas (CE) :

• The co entered into an exclusive arrangement to explore a joint venture for methanol production at Celanese's integrated chemical plant in Bishop, Texas. The potential methanol unit at Bishop is expected to have an annual capacity of 1.3 million tons and would leverage the design benefits of the Clear Lake, Texas methanol unit that is currently under construction.
• Celanese has filed for air permits with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a potential methanol unit in Bishop, Texas and a final decision to build the unit will consider several factors, including prevailing methanol market conditions as well as construction costs.
• The companies also entered into an amended five year arrangement for Celanese to purchase methanol from Mitsui, upon completion of the methanol unit at their joint venture in Clear Lake, Texas. Start-up of the unit is expected in October 2015.
  

9:02 am QuinStreet announces acquisition of VEMM - its first financial services acquisition in Brazil; financial terms not disclosed (QNST) :  

9:02 am Rovi: Engaged Capital announces an open letter to other Rovi Shareholders; urges them to 'vote the White proxy card to improve Rovi's board ' (ROVI) : Group's letter stated: "Under the failed stewardship of Chairman Andrew Ludwick, James Meyer, and James O'Shaughnessy: Shareholders have suffered a nearly 50% decline in share price and have suffered through the destruction of immense shareholder value over the past 5 years.

• Poor compensation practices have siphoned shareholder value to management and directors while Rovi has underperformed. Poor corporate governance has further depressed value. 
• Engaged Capital's nominees have Tier 1 and Tier 2 cable service provider relationships, track records of building and successfully launching industry leading video software products, and experience successfully managing licensing businesses. We look forward to your support at the 2015 Annual Meeting."
  

9:01 am TransCanada announces its North Montney Mainline Project receives NEB recommendation for approval (TRP) : Co announces the National Energy Board has issued its report recommending the federal government approve the company's proposed $1.7 bln North Montney Mainline Project.

• "This Project and the NGTL System are important parts of TransCanada's $46 billion capital growth plan, which includes more than $14 billion in proposed natural gas pipeline projects to support the emerging liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry on the west coast of British Columbia."
  
• The proposed North Montney Mainline Project will provide substantial new capacity on the NGTL System to meet the transportation requirements associated with rapidly increasing development of natural gas resources in the Montney supply basin in northeastern B.C. The Project will connect Montney and other Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin supply to both existing and new natural gas markets, notably emerging markets for LNG, and will generate long-term economic opportunities for B.C. and its northern communities.
  

9:01 am Baxter submitted a new drug application to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the approval of BAX 855 (BAX) :

• Co announced that the company has submitted a new drug application to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the approval of BAX 855, an investigational, extended half-life recombinant factor VIII treatment based on ADVATE for patients over 12 years of age with hemophilia A.
  
• The submission follows the filing to the United States FDA in late 2014 and is based on positive results from a prospective, global, Phase 3 study.
  

9:00 am Heartland Finl announces acquisition of Community Bancorporation of New Mexico for $11.3 mln in cash; expects the transaction to be accretive to EPS within first year (HTLF) :

• Co announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Community Bancorporation of New Mexico. According to terms of the Agreement, Heartland will acquire Community Bancorporation in an all cash transaction valued at ~$11.3 million. 
• Heartland expects the transaction to be accretive to its earnings per share within the first full year of combined operations. 
• Under terms of the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, and simultaneous with closing of the transaction, Community Bank will be merged into Heartland's New Mexico Bank & Trust subsidiary.

9:00 am Ternium S.A.: Brazilian securities regulator determines that TX's acquisition of additional Usiminas shares in 2014 exceeded by 5.2 mln shares the threshold for a mandatory tender offer (TX) : Co announced respect to the decision by the staff of the Brazilian securities regulator that determined that Ternium's acquisition of 51.4 million ordinary shares of Usinas Siderrgicas de Minas Gerais, completed on October 30, 2014, triggered a requirement under applicable Brazilian laws and regulations for Usiminas' controlling shareholders to launch a tender offer to all non-controlling holders of Usiminas ordinary shares.

8:58 am Gulfport Energy priced its upsized underwritten public offering of 9.5 mln shares of common stock at a price to the public of $47.75 per share (GPOR) :  

8:57 am Speed Commerce formed a special committee to explore strategic alternatives, including a sale of the company (halted) (SPDC) : "Speed Commerce's Board of Directors is engaging in this formal process after having received unsolicited proposals and believe this approach will serve to supplement the company's continuing success, in addition to creating improved long-term value for the company's shareholders... we believe that now is the right time to engage in this process."

8:56 am American Intl announces that Douglas M. Steenland will succeed Robert S. Miller as non-executive Chairman of the AIG Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2015 (AIG) :  

8:54 am Speed Commerce announces registered direct offering for total gross proceeds of $7.3 mln (shares halted) (SPDC) : The co announced that it entered into agreements with investors for a registered direct offering of 13,035,713 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase up to 9,776,784 shares of common stock at a combined public offering price of $0.56 per share and related warrants for total gross proceeds of $7.3 million. The warrants will have an exercise price of $0.56 per share.

8:53 am S&P futures vs fair value: -8.70. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -12.10. (:WRAPX) : The S&P 500 futures trade nine points below fair value.

Markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mostly higher on Thursday, led by none other than China's Shanghai Composite, which reclaimed all of Wednesday's losses and then some with a 2.7% gain. That move was pinned yet again on policy stimulus speculation. Encouraging employment data out of Australia helped underpin the broader bullish bias in the region.

• In economic data: 
  • China's March Foreign Direct Investment +11.3% (prior +17.0%) 
  • Australia's March Employment Change +37,700 (expected 15,000; prior 41,900), Unemployment Rate 6.1% (expected 6.3%; prior 6.2%), Participation Rate 64.8% (expected 64.6%; prior 64.7%), Inflation Expectations 3.4% (prior 3.2%), New Motor Vehicle Sales +0.5% month-over-month (prior +2.7%) 

• Japan's Nikkei bounced back from early losses and closed on an upswing, gaining 0.1% for the session. A strong showing from the financial (+2.3%) and energy (+4.0%) sectors helped lead the way. Individual standouts included Fukuoka Financial Group (+7.8%), Chiba Bank Ltd (+7.4%), Shizuoka Bank Ltd (+6.3%), Bank of Yokohama Ltd (+6.3%), and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings (+6.1%). Toho Co (-3.5%) and MEIJI Holdings (-3.0%) topped the list of declining issues. Out of the 225 index members 149 ended higher, 70 finished lower, and 6 were unchanged. 
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng increased 0.4% on the back of strength in the energy (+2.6%), consumer cyclical (+1.3%), and financial (+0.4%) sectors. Leading gainers included China Life Insurance Co (+4.1%), PetroChina (+4.0%), Galaxy Entertainment (+3.8%), CNOOC (+3.4%), and Ping An Insurance (+3.1%). Sino Land Co (-2.5%) and Wharf Holdings Ltd (-2.1%) topped the list of declining issues. Out of the 50 index members, 22 ended higher, 23 finished lower, and 5 were unchanged. 
• China's Shanghai Composite didn't waste any time rebounding from Wednesday's losses. It jumped 2.7% on Thursday and finished at its high for the day (and a multi-year high) as this year's buying momentum, bolstered by policy stimulus speculation, was renewed. The consumer non-cyclical (+3.9%), utilities (+3.9%), and energy (+3.7%) sectors led the way in a broad-based advance. The Shanghai Composite is up 29.7% year-to-date. 

• Economic data was limited: 
  • Italy's February trade surplus expanded to EUR3.54 billion from EUR230 million (expected surplus of EUR1.21 billion) 
  • Swiss March PPI +0.2% month-over-month (expected 0.1%; prior -1.4%); -3.4% year-over-year (consensus -3.7%; last -3.6%) 

• UK's FTSE is lower by 0.4% with about of the index trading in the red. Consumer names lag with Pearson, Diageo, and J Sainsbury down between 2.1% and 3.9%. On the upside, miners have shown strength with BHP Billiton, Fresnillo, and Randgold Resources up between 0.7% and 2.7%. 
• France's CAC has surrendered 0.6% amid weakness in financials. BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, and Societe Generale display losses between 1.7% and 2.9%. Meanwhile, exporters outperform with Peugeot and Renault showing respective gains of 2.1% and 3.7%. 
• Germany's DAX trades down 1.7% with all but three names in the red. Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank are both down near 3.0% while Adidas outperforms with a gain of 1.1%.

8:49 am European Markets Update: FTSE -0.4%, CAC -0.6%, DAX -1.7% (:SUMRX) : Major European indices trade lower across the board with Germany's DAX (-1.7%) leading the retreat. European markets have retreated alongside U.S. futures after the Financial Times reported that Greek officials have approached the IMF about the possibility of rescheduling its repayments that are due in May, suggesting the country will have difficulty meeting the upcoming deadlines. The news gave a boost to German debt, pressuring the 10-yr bund yield three basis points to 0.08%.

• Economic data was limited: 
• Italy's February trade surplus expanded to EUR3.54 billion from EUR230 million (expected surplus of EUR1.21 billion) 
• Swiss March PPI +0.2% month-over-month (expected 0.1%; prior -1.4%); -3.4% year-over-year (consensus -3.7%; last -3.6%) 

• UK's FTSE is lower by 0.4% with about of the index trading in the red. Consumer names lag with Pearson, Diageo, and J Sainsbury down between 2.1% and 3.9%. On the upside, miners have shown strength with BHP Billiton, Fresnillo, and Randgold Resources up between 0.7% and 2.7%. 
• France's CAC has surrendered 0.6% amid weakness in financials. BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, and Societe Generale display losses between 1.7% and 2.9%. Meanwhile, exporters outperform with Peugeot and Renault showing respective gains of 2.1% and 3.7%. 
• Germany's DAX trades down 1.7% with all but three names in the red. Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank are both down near 3.0% while Adidas outperforms with a gain of 1.1%.
  

8:48 am Gapping down (:SCANX) : Gapping down
In reaction to disappointing earnings/guidance: MEA -12.6%, SNDK -7.1%, TSM -4.5%, DEO -2.2%, WBS -1.8%, KEY -0.8%

Select EU financials trading lower: DB -2.7%, ING -1.6%, HSBC -1.5%, SAN -1.4%

Select oil/gas related names showing early weakness: HERO -6%, HOS -3%, NADL -2.4%, OAS -2.1%, SDRL -2%, PBR -1.5%

Other news: IMDZ -8.7% (prices 15,350,000 ordinary shares at $28.25 per share), FNRG -7.4% (issues response to MoxReports Research Report Dated April 15, 2015), PCRX -6.4% (announces receipt of a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice), CPLP -6% (plans to offer 12.8 mln common units representing limited partnership interests in a public offering), GPOR -3.7% (to acquire Paloma Partners III, reports first quarter 2015 production and provides firm transportation update ), MTDR -3.7% (commenced an underwritten public offering of 7 mln shares of its common stock), CPST -3.3% (filed for $100 mln mixed securities shelf offering), HZNP -1.9% (priced 15.35 mln share public offering of common stock at $28.25 per share), NBG -1.7% (cont uncertainty in Greece), AMAT -1.6% (SNDK peer), ASML -1.5% (SNDK peer), MU -1.5% (SNDK peer)

Analyst comments: COR -1.1% (downgraded to Hold at Evercore ISI, downgraded to Sector Weight at Keybanc Capital Mkts), NOK -1% (downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup; downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse among others)

8:47 am Vonage has appointed Ted Gilvar Chief Marketing Officer (VG) : Gilvar comes to Vonage from Monster Worldwide (MWW) where he was EVP and Chief Marketing Officer overseeing all aspects of Monster's global marketing function.

8:46 am Magna has signed an agreement to sell substantially all of its interiors operations to Grupo Antolin for ~$525 mln (MGA) : The purchase price for the operations, excluding certain assets, is approximately $525 million, subject to customary closing adjustments for the value of net working capital and net debt at closing. Full year 2014 total sales for the operations included in the agreement were approximately $2.4 billion. Magna's seating business is not included in this transaction.

8:45 am Synchrony Financial and Mega Group USA extend consumer financing agreement (SYF) : Co announced a multi-year extension of its private label credit card financing program with MEGA Group USA.

8:44 am Gapping up (:SCANX) : Gapping up
In reaction to strong earnings/guidance: BSPM +17.2%, TZOO +13.8%, TGLS +12.1%, NFLX +11.3%, TCPI +6.9%, PM +5%, UN +4.2%, LFC +3.8%, UNH +3.1%, BX +3%, CPSS +2.8%, SHW +2.8%, UFPI +2.6%, GWW +1.7%, C +1.6%

Select metals/mining names showing strength: KGC +2.6%, HMY +2.5%, GOLD +2.2%, IGLD +1.5%, BHP +1.4%, RIO +0.7%, SLV +0.7%, GDX +0.5%

Other news: MNOV +33.6% (announces that FDA Grants Fast Track Designation for the co's MN-001 (tipelukast) for the Treatment of NASH with Fibrosis),INVE +28.5% (announced it has entered into an agreement with Cisco (CSCO) to provide solutions for the Internet of Everything),LLEX +16.8% (Wallington Investment Holdings discloses 22.1% active stake in 13D filing),CLRX +15.2% (CollabRx and Medytox Solutions (MMMS) have entered into a definitive merger agreement),PNRA +10.4% (increased share repurchase authorization to $750 mln; authorized $500 mln of new debt to repurchase shares; signed letter of intent to sell and refranchise 73 company-owned cafes; also upgraded to Mkt Perform from Underperform at Raymond James), ONCY +8.9% (cont strength),NBY +8.4% (announces signing a distribution agreement with AmerisourceBergen for Avenova),AEZS +7.1% (files additional patent application to strengthen IP protection of Zoptarelin Doxorubicin),TCPI +6.9% (announced that Ellis Yan has decided not to renew his employment agreement as CEO contract to expire on June 30, 2015),MCP +4.2% (cont strength),MDCO +4.1% (FDA Advisory Committee votes 9 yes, 2 no, 1 abstain to recommend approval of cangrelor injection),MNGA +3.9% (Signs JV for Major Expansion of Subsidiary),OMED +3.8% (announced the presentation of Demcizumab data from its Phase 1B clinical trial to treat non-small cell lung cancer),STEM +3.1% (nnounces it has completed transplanting the six patients comprising the first cohort of its Phase II Pathway Study),CRH +2.4% (benefitting from Lafarge/Holcim deal moving fwd),VVUS +2% (files lawsuit against Teva (TEVA) for infringement of Qsymia patents),RPRX +1.8% (announces November 30, 2015 PDUFA goal date for NDA),CNHI +1.7% (cont strength),ALLT +1.5% (receives four orders from Tier-1 operators to enable delivery of Security-as-a-Service and comply with regulation),ATRS +1.4% (has settled all litigation between Antares and Medac Pharma, Inc. and its parent, medac GmbH),AZN +0.9% (AstraZeneca's MedImmune and Immunocore announce that they have entered into a second collaboration)

Analyst comments: FOMX +2.6% (initiated with a Buy at Guggenheim),DATA +1.6% (initiated with a Buy at Stifel),COH +1.3% (upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays),BJRI +0.9% (initiated with a Buy at Guggenheim),LOW +0.9% (upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray)

8:43 am Koppers Holdings announces it has signed contract extensions with its railroad clients BNSF and CSX (KOP) : Koppers combined revenues from BNSF and CSX accounted for approximately 40% of 2014 railroad-related sales for Koppers. The agreements extend the contracts to 2021 from the previous 2017 expirations and include commitments for Koppers to provide crossties as well as related products and services to BNSF and CSX through the respective contract periods.

8:41 am SunPower announces joint venture with Apple (AAPL) to provide solar power in China (SPWR) : SunPower Corporation today announced that it plans to partner with Apple to build two solar power projects totaling 40 megawatts  in ABA Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefectures, Sichuan Province of the Peoples Republic of China. When complete, the two projects will be co-owned by Sichuan Shengtian New Energy Development Co., Ltd., SunPower's project development joint venture, and Apple.

8:36 am RLJ Entertainment Chairman/largest shareholder purchased 15K shares of Bridge Preferred Stock for $15.0 mln in cash; reports prelim Q4 results (RLJE) : Co reports prelim Q4 sales down 33.5% to $19.3 mln. The decrease in revenue was primarily due to a decline in the US Wholesale segment as a result of the termination of a feature-film output deal. Excluding the impact of the terminated output deal, US Wholesale segment revenue declined 27.6% due to number and timing of several feature film title releases in the fourth quarter of 2013 that did not have a comparable release in the fourth quarter of 2014.

8:33 am S&P futures vs fair value: -8.00. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -12.60. (:WRAPX) : The S&P 500 futures trade eight points below fair value.

The latest weekly initial jobless claims count totaled 294,000 while the Briefing.com consensus expected a reading of 280,000. Today's tally was above the revised prior week count of 282,000 (from 281,000). As for continuing claims, they fell to 2.268 million from 2.308 million.

Separately, Housing Starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 926,000 units in March. That was up from a revised 908,000 million units in February (from 897,000). The Briefing.com consensus expected starts to increase to 1.045 million units.

Building permits fell to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.039 million in March from a revised 1.102 million for February (from 1.092 million). The Briefing.com consensus expected permits to come in at 1.081 million.

8:33 am PPG Industries Directors increase quarterly dividend 7.5% to $0.72/share and approve 2-for-1 stock split (PPG) :  

8:33 am MGM Resorts announces that holders of its $1.45 bln in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% convertible senior notes elected to convert ~99.97% of the aggregate principal amount of notes into ~78 mln shares of common stock (MGM) :  

8:31 am Market View: Jun. stock-index futures continue to trade below fair values following the 8:30 am ET economic data points (:TECHX) :

• ESm5 now trades @ 2092.75 -7.00
  
  
• YMm5 now trades @ 17969 -53
  
  
• NQm5 now trades @ 4405.00 -16.75

8:31 am NTN Buzztime announces it has secured a new credit agreement of $7 mln (NTN) : The revolving credit facility consists of up to $7.5 million of borrowing capacity with a $2.5 million accordion feature to provide up to $10.0 million in total borrowing capacity. The revolver agreement expires in April 2018 and carries an interest rate, at the company's option, of LIBOR plus 400 basis points or Prime plus 125 basis points. The proceeds will be used to pay down existing indebtedness, fund strategic growth initiatives and provide for general working capital. The company will maintain its existing lender agreement

8:31 am Vuzix has acquired for an undisclosed cash payment two patents (VUZI) : The co announced that it has acquired for an undisclosed cash payment two patents, one covering gesture controls of 3D virtual objects, including within augmented reality applications and the other ambient light management in see through wearable displays; US Patent number 6243054 and US Patent number 6559813 respectively.

8:31 am Aldeyra Therapeutics announces first patient enrolled in noninfectious anterior Uveitis Phase II clinical trial (ALDX) : Co announced that it has enrolled the first patient in its Phase II clinical trial of NS2 for the treatment of noninfectious anterior uveitis. The study is being conducted at top U.S. anterior uveitis clinical trial sites, and led by Dr. Stephen Foster, a recognized clinical expert in ocular inflammation.

8:30 am Targacept announces negative top-line results from exploratory study of TC-6499 in Diabetic Gastroparesis (TRGT) : Co announces top-line results from a Phase 1/2 exploratory study of TC-6499 as a treatment for diabetic gastroparesis, a chronic disorder that slows or stops the passage of food from the stomach to the small intestine. In the trial, TC-6499 did not meet the primary endpoint of the study, change in gastric emptying half-time, as measured by a carbon labeled gastric emptying breath test, relative to placebo.

8:30 am Navios Maritime Acquisition announces it is has chartered out one VLCC and two MR2 product tankers (NNA) : Co announces that is has chartered out one VLCC and two MR2 product tankers. Co also provides fleet update: Co has 39 vessels in the water of which eight are VLCCs, 27 are product tankers and four are chemical tankers. Co has contracted 86% of its available days for 2015.

8:30 am Allete Clean Energy acquires southern Minnesota wind facility as its renewable portfolio expands to 437 megawatts (ALE) :

• Co acquired a combined 97.5 megawatt wind generation facility near Lake Benton, Minn. for $47.5 million. 
• The facility is being purchased from a subsidiary of EDF Renewable Energy. Chanarambie and Viking wind farms being purchased consist of a total of 65 General Electric (GE) turbines producing electricity under existing power purchase agreements with Northern States Power.
  

8:28 am iPass: a group of concerned iPass shareholders combine to form 'iPass Shareholders for Change'; issues open letter, seeking to reconstitute iPass' board (IPAS) : Group's letter states: "We are a group of concerned investors of iPass Inc. ("iPass" or the "Company") who have organized as iPass Shareholders for Change. We collectively own an aggregate of 5,090,221 shares of common stock of iPass, constituting approximately 7.7% of the Company's shares outstanding.

• We are writing today to express our profound disappointment with the outcome of this engagement and with the current Board's apparent failure to protect and enhance shareholder value. 
• To that end, we expect to file later today preliminary proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with our efforts to solicit your support to elect five new, highly-qualified director nominees to the Board. 
• We remain confident that under the right leadership and direction iPass can generate significant value for shareholders."
  

8:21 am DuPont sends letter to shareholders highlighting management's strength, urging shareholders to vote for co's director slate at upcoming meeting (DD) : Letter highlights stated:

• "Your Board of Directors and management are overseeing this successful strategy, and we are committed to maintaining DuPont's strong record of returning capital to shareholders. 
• This is a critical moment in DuPont's history. Next generation DuPont is emerging as a dynamic science company delivering sustainable, profitable growth and increasing shareholder returns. We strongly believe that we have the right Board and the right strategy to shape next generation DuPont and continue building value for you, our shareholders. 
• Your vote for ALL DuPont directors is a vote to continue a strategy that is working. We ask that you review this letter carefully and then vote on the enclosed WHITE proxy card for ALL DuPont directors."
  

8:17 am Gladstone Investments announces that its Board appointed Julia Ryan as Chief Accounting Officer (GAIN) : Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Ryan served as a Senior Manager -- Assurance Services at KPMG, LLP, where she worked from 2004 to 2015.

8:14 am PPG Industries beats by $0.04, misses on revs (PPG) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $2.37 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.04 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $2.33; revenues rose 0.7% year/year to $3.66 bln vs the $3.78 bln consensus. 

• "From an economic perspective, overall global activity was subdued in the quarter, as reflected by our modest sales-volume growth. Additionally, currency translation unfavorably impacted our sales and lowered our pretax earnings by nearly $30 million. However, both of our coatings segments delivered all-time-record first quarter earnings, and the glass segment delivered its highest first quarter earnings in more than 10 years... Looking ahead, we anticipate stronger global economic growth in the coming quarters, including a resumption of growth in Europe and a return to a higher growth rate in the U.S."
  

8:12 am Theravance and GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) announce the launch of Anoro (umeclidinium/vilanterol) in Spain following the approval in Europe in May 2014 (THRX) : Anoro Ellipta is indicated as a once-daily maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

8:11 am Citigroup beats by $0.12, reports revs in-line (C) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $1.52 per share, $0.12 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $1.40; revenues fell 2.3% year/year to $19.74 bln vs the $19.82 bln consensus. 

• C utilized $1.2 billion of deferred tax assets, helping increase Common Equity Tier 1 Capital ratio to 11.0% and Supplementary Leverage Ratio to 6.4%.

• Citigroup revenues were $19.7 billion in the first quarter 2015, down 2% from the prior year period. Excluding CVA/DVA, revenues of $19.8 billion decreased 2% from the prior year period, driven by a 1% decrease in Citicorp revenues and a 7% decrease in Citi Holdings revenues. 
• Citigroup's net income increased 21% to $4.8 billion in the first quarter 2015 from $3.9 billion in the prior year period.
• Citigroup's operating expenses were $10.9 billion in the first quarter 2015, 10% lower than the $12.1 billion in the prior year period, driven by ongoing efficiency savings and lower legal and related expenses and repositioning costs. Operating expenses in the first quarter 2015 included legal and related expenses of $387 million, compared to $945 million in the prior year period.
• Citigroup's book value per share was $66.79 and its tangible book value per share was $57.66. Citigroup's Common Equity Tier 1 Capital ratio was 11.0%, up from 10.5% in the prior year period. Citigroup's Supplementary Leverage Ratio for the first quarter 2015 was 6.4%, up from 5.7% in the prior year period.

• Citicorp revenues of $17.9 billion in the first quarter 2015 decreased 2% from the prior year period. Citicorp net income was $4.6 billion, 9% higher than the prior year period. 

• GCB revenues of $8.7 billion decreased 2% from the prior year period, with 4% growth in North America offset by a 10% decline in international revenues.
• North America GCB revenues rose 4% to $5.0 billion versus the prior year period, primarily reflecting higher revenues in retail banking. North America GCB net income was $1.1 billion, up 12% versus the first quarter 2014. The reserve release in the first quarter 2015 was $99 million, $170 million lower than in the first quarter 2014, as credit continued to stabilize. 
• International GCB revenues decreased 10% versus the first quarter 2014 to $3.7 billion. In constant dollars, revenues were approximately unchanged versus the prior year period. 

• ICG revenues fell 1% from the prior year period to $9.0 billion. Banking revenues of $4.2 billion increased 4% from the prior year period (excluding gain / (loss) on loan hedges in each period), reflecting growth in Investment Banking, Private Bank and Corporate Lending.  
• Investment Banking revenues increased 14% versus the prior year period, driven by a 70% increase in advisory revenues to $298 million and a 16% increase in debt underwriting revenues to $669 million, partially offset by a 23% decrease in equity underwriting revenues to $231 million. 
• Fixed Income Markets revenues of $3.5 billion in the first quarter 2015 decreased 11% from the prior year period, primarily driven by lower spread product revenues, partially offset by growth in rates and currencies. 
• Equity Markets revenues of $873 million decreased 1% versus the prior year period, driven by lower revenues in cash equities partially offset by growth in prime finance. Securities Services revenues of $543 million grew 12% versus the prior year period, reflecting increased activity and higher client balances.

8:07 am Relmada Therapeutics receives Health Canada clearance to further explore NMDA receptor antagonist d-Methadone (REL-1017) (RLMD) : In the Phase 1 pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study in healthy volunteers not previously exposed to opioid therapy, d-Methadone demonstrated a good safety profile with no dose-limiting side effects after the original four cohorts were exposed to increasingly higher doses. The trial will continue dose-escalation with the additional cohorts.

8:03 am StemCells completed enrollment of the six patients comprising the first cohort of its Phase II pathway study; expect to release six month interim data on the first cohort later this year (STEM) :  

8:03 am Sungy Mobile forms Special Committee to review and evaluate the acquisition proposal (GOMO) : The Proposal from Mr. Yuqiang Deng, chairman and chief executive officer of Sungy Mobile, and Mr. Zhi Zhu, co-chief operating officer of the Company, outlines their interest in acquiring all of the Company's outstanding ordinary shares that are not currently beneficially owned by them, including ordinary shares represented by the Company's American depositary shares or "ADSs" (each representing six Class A ordinary shares of the Company), at a price of $4.90 in cash per ADS, or approximately $0.82 in cash per ordinary share.

8:03 am China Biologic Products Receives Approval to Purchase Raw Materials (CBPO) :

• Co announced that its subsidiary, Guizhou Taibang Biological Products Co., Ltd. has received a one-time special approval from the China Food and Drug Administration (the "CFDA") to purchase up to ~143 tonnes of source plasma and plasma pastes from Xinjiang Deyuan Bioengineering, Ltd. for a total consideration of up to ~RMB139 mln (~US$22.4 mln) pursuant to certain agreements entered into between Guizhou Taibang and Xinjiang Deyuan.
• Source plasma and plasma pastes are raw materials for producing human albumin and intravenous immunoglobulin products
  

8:03 am Travelzoo beats by $0.05, beats on revs (TZOO) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.13 per share, $0.05 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.08; revenues fell 9.2% year/year to $36.5 mln vs the $34.77 mln consensus. 

• Co had a total unduplicated number of members in North America and Europe of 24.5 million as of March 31, 2015, up 1% from December 31, 2014. 

8:02 am Magnegas signs joint venture for major expansion of subsidiary (MNGA) :

• Included in the Company's IP portfolio is a patented process that converts liquid waste into MagneGas fuel.
• Today the Company announced that its subsidiary, Equipment Sales and Services has signed a contract to open a sales and service outlet into North Central Florida.
  
• MagneGas's subsidiary, ESSI, will provide the inventory, proprietary distributorships, accounting and billing management while Suwanee will provide the commercial location, shipping, transportation, and personnel to operate the new location for the joint venture.
  

8:02 am Tempur Sealy Int'l mails letter to shareholders, reiterates confidence in Tempur Sealy's future and ability to drive superior growth and value creation (TPX) : Tempur Sealy recommends shareholders vote for all Tempur Sealy's Director Nominees.

8:01 am InVivo Therapeutics announces uplisting to The Nasdaq Capital Market; will trade under NVIV at the open on Friday, April 17, 2015 (NVIV) :  

8:01 am Receptos reports positive results for maintenance period of Phase 2 TOUCHSTONE trial of Ozanimod in Ulcerative Colitis GLB; Study met all efficacy endpoints with statistical significance for patients on 1 mg dose after 32 weeks of treatment (RCPT) :

• The overall safety and tolerability profile of ozanimod was consistent with the results of TOUCHSTONE's induction period and those observed in the RADIANCE Phase 2 trial in relapsing multiple sclerosis (:RMS), and continues to support the potential for orally administered ozanimod to significantly improve the treatment paradigm for UC patients. All secondary endpoints at week 32, including clinical response, change in the Mayo score and mucosal improvement on endoscopy were also positive and statistically significant for the 1 mg dose. 
• The detailed results of the maintenance period portion of the TOUCHSTONE trial are expected to be presented at a major scientific meeting in the coming month. Receptos plans to accelerate initiation of Phase 3 program in ulcerative colitis and Phase 2 program in Crohn's disease.
  

8:01 am MediciNova announces that FDA grants Fast Track Designation for the co's MN-001 (tipelukast) for the treatment of NASH with Fibrosis (MNOV) : Co announces that it has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for MN-001 (tipelukast) for the treatment of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with fibrosis. In Jan 2015, MediciNova announced an open Investigational New Drug (IND) application for MN-001 in NASH. Importantly, due to safety data from previous clinical studies of MN-001, FDA has agreed that MediciNova may proceed with a Phase 2 study as the first clinical study of MN-001 in NASH.

7:53 am S&P futures vs fair value: -9.00. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -14.30. (:WRAPX) : U.S. equity futures trade near their pre-market lows amid cautious action overseas. The S&P 500 futures hover nine points below fair value after sliding throughout the night. The overnight retreat occurred after the Financial Times reported that Greek officials have approached the IMF about the possibility of rescheduling its repayments that are due in May, suggesting the country will have difficulty meeting the upcoming deadlines.

The news boosted Treasuries, sending the 10-yr yield lower by two basis points to 1.87%. Also of note, Germany's 10-yr yield has dropped four basis points to 0.07%.

Meanwhile, the Dollar Index (97.96, -0.36) is on track for its third consecutive decline as the greenback gives way to the euro (+0.5%) and the British pound (+0.6%).

Weekly Initial Claims (Briefing.com consensus 280K) and March Housing Starts (consensus 1.045 million) will be released at 8:30 ET while the Philadelphia Fed Survey for April will be reported at 10:00 ET (expected 7.2).

In U.S. corporate news of note:

• Blackstone Group (BX 42.56, +1.54): +3.8% after beating earnings and revenue estimates. 
• Goldman Sachs (GS 203.24, +2.14): +0.9% in reaction to better than expected results and a quarterly dividend boost to $0.65/share. 
• Netflix (NFLX 534.10, +58.64): +12.3% after beating bottom-line estimates. 
• Philip Morris (PM 81.75, +3.62): +4.6% after beating estimates and raising its earnings guidance. 
• SanDisk (SNDK 65.45, -5.67): -8.0% after missing earnings expectations and guiding below consensus. 
• Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM 22.51, -1.00): -4.3% following its bottom-line beat and cautious Q2 revenue guidance. 
• UnitedHealth (UNH 120.40, +3.08): +2.6% in reaction to better than expected results and upbeat guidance. 

• Asian markets ended higher. Japan's Nikkei +0.1%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng +0.4%, and China's Shanghai Composite +2.7%. 
  • In economic data: 
    • China's March Foreign Direct Investment +11.3% (prior +17.0%) 
    • Australia's March Employment Change +37,700 (expected 15,000; prior 41,900), Unemployment Rate 6.1% (expected 6.3%; prior 6.2%), Participation Rate 64.8% (expected 64.6%; prior 64.7%), Inflation Expectations 3.4% (prior 3.2%), New Motor Vehicle Sales +0.5% month-over-month (prior +2.7%) 
  • In news: 
    • China's power consumption has declined for the second consecutive month, falling 2.2% year-over-year 
• Major European indices trade lower across the board. UK's FTSE -0.3%, France's CAC -0.4%, and Germany's DAX -1.4%. Elsewhere, Italy's MIB -0.9% and Spain's IBEX -1.4%.
  • Economic data was limited: 
    • Italy's February trade surplus expanded to EUR3.54 billion from EUR230 million (expected surplus of EUR1.21 billion) 
    • Swiss March PPI +0.2% month-over-month (expected 0.1%; prior -1.4%); -3.4% year-over-year (consensus -3.7%; last -3.6%) 
  • Among news of note: 
    • European markets have been pressured by news that Greece has sought to reschedule its debt payments to the IMF

7:46 am Goldman Sachs beats by $1.67, beats on revs (GS) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $5.94 per share, $1.67 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $4.27; revenues rose 13.9% year/year to $10.62 bln vs the $9.39 bln consensus.

Investment Banking 

• Net revenues in Investment Banking were $1.91 billion for the first quarter of 2015, 7% higher y/y and 32% higher q/q. Net revenues in Financial Advisory were $961 million, 41% higher y/y, reflecting strong client activity, particularly in the United States.
• Net revenues in Underwriting were $944 million, 14% lower y/y, reflecting significantly lower net revenues in debt underwriting.
• Net revenues in equity underwriting were higher, reflecting a significant increase in net revenues related to secondary offerings, partially offset by a decrease in net revenues from initial public offerings. 
• The firm's investment banking transaction backlog decreased compared with the end of 2014, but was significantly higher compared with the end of the first quarter of 2014.

• Net revenues in Institutional Client Services were $5.46 billion for the first quarter of 2015, 23% higher y/y and 73% higher q/q. Net revenues in Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities Client Execution were $3.13 billion for Q1, 10% higher y/y, due to significantly higher net revenues in currencies and interest rate products, partially offset by significantly lower net revenues in credit products, commodities and mortgages.  Net revenues in Equities were $2.33 billion for the first quarter of 2015, 46% higher y/y. 

• Operating expenses were $6.68 billion, 6% higher y/y and 49% higher q/q. 

• The accrual for compensation and benefits expenses was $4.46 billion for the first quarter of 2015, 11% higher y/y. This increase reflected an increase in net revenues, partially offset by a decline in the ratio of compensation and benefits to net revenues from 43.0% for the first quarter of 2014 to 42.0% for the first quarter of 2015. Non-compensation expenses were $2.22 billion for the first quarter of 2015, 3% lower than the first quarter of 2014 and 12% lower than the fourth quarter of 2014. 

• Common Equity Tier 1 ratio was 11.4%  and the firm's Basel III Advanced Common Equity Tier 1 ratio  was 12.6%
• Firm's supplementary leverage ratio on a fully phased-in basis was 5.3% 
• On April 15, 2015, the Board of Directors of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. increased the firm's quarterly dividend to $0.65 per common share from $0.60 per common share.  The remaining share authorization under the firm's existing repurchase program is 18.6 million shares.
• Book value per common share was $168.39 and tangible book value per common share ( was $159.11, both 3% higher compared with the end of 2014.  
  

7:39 am PrivateBancorp beats by $0.02 (PVTB) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.52 per share, $0.02 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.50. 

• Total loans grew to $12.2 billion, up $1.2 billion from a year ago and $278.3 million from December 31, 2014, primarily driven by growth in commercial and industrial loans.
• Net interest margin was 3.21 percent, compared to 3.23 percent for the first quarter 2014 and 3.07 percent for the fourth quarter 2014. The current quarter reflected the full benefit of the fourth quarter's redemption of trust preferred securities.
  

7:36 am W.W. Grainger misses by $0.01, reports revs in-line; lowers FY15 guidance in line with consensus (GWW) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $3.10 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $3.11; revenues rose 2.3% year/year to $2.44 bln vs the $2.45 bln consensus.

• Co issues  guidance for FY15, lowers EPS to $12.25-12.95 from $12.60-13.60 vs. $12.89 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; lowers FY15 revs to +1-4% from +3-7% to ~$10.06-10.36 bln vs. $10.31 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• "This was a challenging quarter. Our results were affected by continued headwinds from the strong U.S. dollar and weakness in the oil and gas sector in North America."

7:36 am Webster Financial misses by $0.02 (WBS) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.52 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.02 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.54. 

• Net interest income was $159.8 million, compared to $155.3 million. 
• Net interest margin was 3.10 percent compared to 3.26 percent. The yield on interest-earning assets declined by 18 basis points, while the cost of funds declined by 3 basis points. 
• Average interest-earning assets totaled $21.0 billion and grew by $1.6 billion, or 8.0 percent.
• Average loans grew by $1.1 billion, or 8.9 percent.
  

7:35 am Fairchild Semi reports EPS in-line, beats on revs; guides Q2 revs in-line (FCS) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.11 per share, excluding non-recurring items, in-line with the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.11; revenues rose 3.4% year/year to $355.7 mln vs the $349.99 mln consensus. 

• Co issues in-line guidance for Q2, sees Q2 revs of $360-380 mln vs. $367.63 mln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.
• "We grew sales in Q1 at the high end of our expectations while maintaining flat distribution channel inventory," said Mark Thompson, Fairchild's chairman, president and CEO.
• "Sales into the automotive, industrial and appliance markets were robust. We also posted solid growth in our computing business as we continue to gain market share with power management solutions supporting server, storage and cloud applications. Demand from the mobile sector improved throughout the quarter as key customers began building their new smart phone models. Fairchild is also benefiting from higher content in these flagship models."
• Order rates remain strong and the co has a higher backlog level than a quarter ago, which supports its guidance for Q2.
• Co's manufacturing consolidation is on schedule to be completed early this summer and it expects it will drive significant improvement in its profitability going forward.

7:33 am Sonoco Products misses by $0.02, misses on revs; guides Q2 EPS in-line; reaffirms FY15 EPS guidance (SON) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.56 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.02 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus of $0.58; revenues rose 1.5% year/year to $1.2 bln vs the $1.24 bln consensus.

Co issues in-line guidance for Q2, sees EPS of $0.64-0.69, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.67 Capital IQ Consensus.

Co reaffirms guidance for FY15, sees EPS of $2.60-2.70, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $2.66 Capital IQ Consensus.

• "While we expect to face some headwinds over the remainder of the year from higher pension costs and a stronger U.S. dollar, we believe economic conditions will continue to improve along with consumer confidence and that our businesses will be able to respond accordingly."
  

7:32 am Alliance Data beats by $0.21, beats on revs; guides FY15 EPS above consensus, reaffirms FY15 revs guidance (ADS) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $3.65 per share, $0.21 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $3.44; revenues rose 29.8% year/year to $1.6 bln vs the $1.54 bln consensus. Co issues mixed guidance for FY15, sees EPS of $14.90 (Prior $14.80) vs. $14.88 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY15 revs of $6.5 bln vs. $6.53 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.

7:31 am Veracyte announces the launch of its Percepta Bronchial Genomic Classifier (VCYT) : The Percepta Bronchial Genomic Classifier, is a genomic test to resolve ambiguity in lung cancer diagnosis. Company will soon begin testing patient samples in its CLIA-certified laboratory, with the Percepta test now available to a limited number of institutions around the country

7:31 am Aeterna Zentaris files additional patent application to strengthen IP protection of Zoptarelin Doxorubicin (AEZS) : Co announces it has filed an application for a patent on a novel method of manufacturing zoptarelin doxorubicin, its hybrid cytotoxic molecule that is the subject of a pivotal ZoptEC Phase 3 clinical study in women with advanced, recurrent or metastatic endometrial cancer who have progressed and who have received one chemotherapeutic regimen with platinum and taxane. The claimed manufacturing process is expected to result in a significant reduction in the cost of goods sold, providing a stronger competitive position for the Company.

7:30 am Alliqua announces that Biovance Human Amniotic Membrane Allograft has received coverage from Novitas Solutions, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (ALQA) : Novitas is one of eight MACs that are responsible for processing Medicare claims in one or more of twelve geographic areas in the United States. In addition to processing claims, each MAC is also responsible for issuing local coverage determinations that specify which health care products and services are reimbursable through the Medicare Fee-for-Service program in the regions under its jurisdiction.

7:30 am Gold Resource discovers additional high grade veins at Arista including 7.04 meters grading 9.29 g/t gold and 957 g/t silver (GORO) :  

7:30 am Primoris Services announces a new underground award from Q3 Contracting valued at $26 Mln (PRIM) : The award is with a major utility customer for work in St. Paul, Minnesota, is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2015, and is anticipated to be completed in the third quarter of 2016.

7:15 am W.W. Grainger announces that its Board has approved the purchase of $3 bln of its common stock over the next three years (GWW) : The share repurchase will be financed with a combination of cash and the issuance of new, permanent debt.  In addition, the Board increased the repurchase authorization to 15 million shares. 

• The additional buybacks will begin later this month and are expected to be accretive to 2015 earnings in the range of $0.08 to $0.12 per share.  The company expects to issue $1 billion in long term debt in June 2015 to help fund the program.
  

7:15 am Accenture Federal Services awarded a 10-year, $966 mln contract by The U.S. Department of Education to continue operations and maintenance of the federal financial aid system (ACN) :  

7:13 am People's United Financial beats by $0.01 (PBCT) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.21 per share, $0.01 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.20.

• "The first quarter results reflect our continued focus on improving operating leverage through revenue growth and effective expense management," stated David Rosato, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
• "Revenues grew 3% from the prior year quarter mostly due to higher non-interest income, while operating expenses remained flat. The net interest margin decline from Q4 was in line with expectations and primarily resulted from the impact of two fewer calendar days and continued strong loan originations at rates lower than the existing portfolio."
• "We are comfortable with our capital structure and balance sheet strength. Asset quality was once again exceptional as net charge-offs improved from an already low level. Capital ratios continue to be strong, especially in light of the co's low risk business model."
  

7:12 am Sandy Spring Banc beats by $0.04 (SASR) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.45 per share, $0.04 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.41. 

• Total loans increased 12% compared to the first quarter of 2014. 
• Net interest margin was 3.44% for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 3.47% for the first quarter of 2014.
  

7:10 am Blackstone beats by $0.33, beats on revs (BX) : Reports Q1 (Mar) economic net income of $1.37 per share, $0.33 better than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.04; revenues rose 66.3% year/year to $2.51 bln vs the $2.06 bln consensus. 

• Blackstone declared a first quarter distribution of $0.89 per common unit payable on May 4, 2015, the highest quarterly distribution in its history (up 154% from last year).
• "Blackstone again broke all of our asset and earnings records in the first quarter. Economic Net Income doubled from the prior year, while Distributable Earnings rose nearly 160%. Realization activity continued to accelerate while, at the same time, we've been raising and investing funds at an unprecedented rate, creating the basis for future value. Our limited partners entrusted us with $30 billion of new capital in the quarter and $77 billion over the last twelve months, shattering our own record for the alternative asset management industry, and driving our Total Assets Under Management to $310 billion, up 14% year over year."
  

7:09 am Engility has been awarded a prime position on the $7.2 bln Global Intelligence Support Services Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity multiple-award contract administered by the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (EGL) : The five-year GISS IDIQ was originally bid by TASC, which was acquired by Engility in February of this year. Task orders awarded under this IDIQ will be cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-award-fee, time and materials and firm-fixed-price.

7:07 am Sherwin-Williams misses by $0.06, misses on revs; guides Q2 EPS above consensus, revs in-line; reaffirms FY15 guidance (SHW) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $1.38 per share, $0.06 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.44; revenues rose 3.5% year/year to $2.45 bln vs the $2.49 bln consensus, due primarily to higher paint sales volume in our Paint Stores and Consumer Groups. Unfavorable currency translation rate changes decreased consolidated net sales 3.1% in the quarter.
Co issues guidance for Q2, sees EPS of $3.70-3.90 vs. $3.69 Capital IQ Consensus; sees Q2 revs of +6-8% to ~$3.23-3.29 bln vs. $3.27 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.

Co reaffirms guidance for FY15, sees EPS of $10.90-11.10 vs. $11.19 Capital IQ Consensus; sees FY15 revs of high single digit growth vs. $11.92 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.

7:05 am Philip Morris International beats by $0.15, beats on revs; raises FY15 EPS guidance (PM) : Reports Q1 (Mar) adj earnings of $1.16 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.15 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $1.01; revenues excluding excise taxes fell 4.4% year/year to $6.62 bln vs the $6.13 bln consensus.

• Co issues in-line guidance for FY15, raises EPS to 4.32-4.42 from $4.27-4.37 vs. $4.25 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• PMI's cigarette shipment volume of 198.8 billion units increased by 1.4% excluding acquisitions, or by 2.7 billion units.

7:03 am ForceField Energy issues response to MoxReports Research Report Dated April 15, 2015; believes the statements made in yesterday's Report are inaccurate and contain numerous errors of facts, speculation and interpretations of events (FNRG) :

• Company has disclosed all material information in a timely manner and in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission; Company which is current in its filings and has never made a late filing beyond any allowable extension period.
• The Company has raised $2,597,550 in net cash proceeds for the period January 1, 2015 --April 10, 2015 from the sale of restricted common shares and from the exercise of stock warrants.
• As of April 10, 2015 the Company had approximately $2.9 million in backlog... Less than 1% of the Company's sales in 2014 came from outside of the United States.
• While it is accurate to state that ForceField's Chief Executive Officer David Natan's, previous company came under regulatory and civil scrutiny while he served as their Chief Financial Officer; the Report fails to mention that there were never any accounting irregularities or findings, whatsoever, against Mr. Natan.
• The author of the Report made no attempt the Company is aware of either in writing, by email, or by telephone to discuss the contents of the Report.
  

7:03 am Telus intends to invest more than $1.6 bln in new communications infrastructure across Quebec through 2018 (TU) : When combined with operational expenses, this will bring TELUS' total investment in Quebec over the next four years to more than $6 billion. This significant investment will result in TELUS having invested more than $23 billion in Quebec since 2000 to further extend advanced telecommunications infrastructure supporting sustained innovation and fueling economic growth.

7:03 am Antares Pharma has settled all litigation between Antares and Medac Pharma, Inc. and its parent, medac GmbH (ATRS) : Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the parties will dismiss proceedings related to their respective patents pending before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the Technical Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office. The settlement agreement also provides for a royalty-free cross-license under the patents-in-suit and their families allowing the manufacture and sale of OTREXUP and RASUVO in and for the U.S.

7:02 am RedHill Biopharma announces receipt of notice of allowance for an additional US patent for RHB-105 H (RDHL) : Co announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for a new formulation patent application covering RHB-105 H. pylori bacterial infection treatment, to expire no earlier than 2034. It also disclosed that top-line results from the ongoing Phase III study with RHB-105 are expected in June 2015. Finally, co noted that RHB-105 has been granted a QIDP designation by the FDA under the GAIN Act, thus benefiting from Fast-Track development status, Priority Review of a potential New Drug Application  and additional five years of exclusivity, for a total of 8 years of market exclusivity

7:02 am WABCO Holdings announces that from Q2 2014 to Q1 2015 it has entered into contracts with customers globally totaling a record $1.1 bln of expected cumulative incremental business, up 10% y/y (WBC) : WABCO's record new business includes $810 million from 2015 through 2019, up from $620 million reported a year ago for the five-year period from 2014 through 2018.

7:02 am Carbonite expects Q1 revenue to exceed high end of the previously provided guidance range and expects a smaller non-GAAP net loss per share ; confirmed conclusion of strategic alternatives review process (CARB) :

• Co issues upside guidance for Q1 (Mar), sees EPS of smaller net loss per share than prior guidance of ($0.09)--(0.07) vs. ($0.08) Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; expects Q1 (Mar) revs to exceed the high end of of $31.9-32.1 mln vs. $32.02 mln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. Co now sees FY15 (Dec) EPS of within or above the range of $0.08 --0.10 vs. $0.09 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; reaffirmed FY15 (Dec) revs of $137-138 mln vs. $137.01 mln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate and non-GAAP gross margin will increase approximately 200 basis points over 2014 and free cash flow will be in the range of $16-18 million.
• After extensive discussions with interested parties, the interests expressed were unlikely to lead to an acquisition of the entire Company and did not present an attractive alternative to the Company's stand-alone plan. As a result, the board of directors unanimously determined that it is in the best interest of Carbonite and its shareholders to continue its present strategic course toward increased value creation for shareholders.
  

7:01 am Cepheid and FIND announce that Xpert HIV-1 Qual, a qualitative 90-minute molecular HIV test, has achieved CE-IVD status under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices (CPHD) :  

7:01 am ERBA Diagnostics announces delay in filing annual report on Form 10-K; had received an extension until April 15, 2015 (ERB) : Pursuant to Rule 12b-25 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, ERBA Diagnostics received an extension until April 15, 2015 to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which extension has now expired. ERBA Diagnostics is working diligently to complete and file its Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC, which ERBA Diagnostics expects to do on or about April 30, 2015.

7:01 am NovaBay Pharma announces signing a distribution agreement with AmerisourceBergen (ABC) for Avenova (NBY) : Co announced that it has signed a nationwide distribution agreement with AmerisourceBergen. Under the agreement, AmerisourceBergen will carry and distribute NovaBay's Avenova

7:01 am CollabRx and Medytox Solutions (MMMS) have entered into a definitive merger agreement (CLRX) : Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved and adopted by the Boards of Directors of both CollabRx and Medytox, CollabRx equityholders will own a 10% stake in the combined company and Medytox equityholders will own 90% of the combined company, based on the number of equity securities outstanding immediately following the merger, and excluding convertible preferred shares and notes issued by Medytox, as well as option grants expected to be made in connection with the closing.

• For the twelve months ending December 31, 2014, Medytox Solutions reported net revenue of $57.9 million and income from operations of $15.7 million, an increase of 38.3% and 8.0%, respectively, over the same twelve-month period in 2013. For the same twelve-month period, CollabRx reported revenues of $415,000, with net losses of ($4.3 million).
  

7:00 am G&K announces completion of a $350 million revolving credit facility (GK) : The new five-year, $350 million revolving credit facility replaces the company's existing $250 million revolving credit facility, which was scheduled to expire in March 2017. The facility, which will mature on April 15, 2020, bears interest between 1.00 percent to 1.75 percent over LIBOR, depending on the company's leverage ratio. The new facility can be expanded by $200 million, to a total size of $550 million.

• Company intends to use borrowings under the new credit facility to repay its $75 million of variable rate unsecured private placement notes which mature on June 30, 2015. In addition, the company has entered into a long-term interest rate swap contract for $75 million which will limit the company's exposure to interest rate risk. The 15-year swap contract has a forward start date of July 1, 2016 and effectively fixes LIBOR at a rate of 2.35 percent.
  

6:50 am Ipsen S.A. and Active Biotech announce their decision to discontinue the development of tasquinimod in prostate cancer (IPSEY) : Active Biotech and Ipsen (IPSEY) announced top line results of the 10TASQ10 study. While the study showed that tasquinimod reduced the risk of radiographic cancer progression or death compared to placebo in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer who have not received chemotherapy, tasquinimod did not extend overall survival.

• Efficacy results together with preliminary safety data do not support positive benefit risk balance in this population. 
• Therefore the companies have decided to discontinue all studies in prostate cancer. 
• Full results will be presented at an upcoming scientific conference.
  

6:49 am Asian Markets Close: Japan's Nikkei +0.1%; Hong Kong's Hang Seng +0.4%; China's Shanghai Composite +2.7% (:SUMRX) : Markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mostly higher on Thursday, led by none other than China's Shanghai Composite, which reclaimed all of Wednesday's losses and then some with a 2.7% gain. That move was pinned yet again on policy stimulus speculation. Encouraging employment data out of Australia helped underpin the broader bullish bias in the region.

Economic data

• China
• March Foreign Direct Investment +11.3% (prior +17.0%)
• Australia
• March Employment Change +37,700 (expected 15,000; prior 41,900)
• March Unemployment Rate 6.1% (expected 6.3%; prior 6.2%)
• March Participation Rate 64.8% (expected 64.6%; prior 64.7%)
• March Inflation Expectations 3.4% (prior 3.2%)
• March New Motor Vehicle Sales +0.5% month-over-month (prior +2.7%)

• Japan's Nikkei bounced back from early losses and closed on an upswing, gaining 0.1% for the session. A strong showing from the financial (+2.3%) and energy (+4.0%) sectors helped lead the way. Individual standouts included Fukuoka Financial Group (+7.8%), Chiba Bank Ltd (+7.4%), Shizuoka Bank Ltd (+6.3%), Bank of Yokohama Ltd (+6.3%), and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings (+6.1%). Toho Co (-3.5%) and MEIJI Holdings (-3.0%) topped the list of declining issues. Out of the 225 index members 149 ended higher, 70 finished lower, and 6 were unchanged.
• Hong Kong's Hang Seng increased 0.4% on the back of strength in the energy (+2.6%), consumer cyclical (+1.3%), and financial (+0.4%) sectors. Leading gainers included China Life Insurance Co (+4.1%), PetroChina (+4.0%), Galaxy Entertainment (+3.8%), CNOOC (+3.4%), and Ping An Insurance (+3.1%). Sino Land Co (-2.5%) and Wharf Holdings Ltd (-2.1%) topped the list of declining issues. Out of the 50 index members, 22 ended higher, 23 finished lower, and 5 were unchanged.
• China's Shanghai Composite didn't waste any time rebounding from Wednesday's losses. It jumped 2.7% on Thursday and finished at its high for the day (and a multi-year high) as this year's buying momentum, bolstered by policy stimulus speculation, was renewed. The consumer non-cyclical (+3.9%), utilities (+3.9%), and energy (+3.7%) sectors led the way in a broad-based advance. The Shanghai Composite is up 29.7% year-to-date.
• India's Sensex declined 0.5%, pressured by a weak showing from the consumer non-cyclical (-1.8%), industrial (-1.7%), and technology (-1.3%) sectors. Hero MotoCorp (-3.8%), Sun Pharmaceutical (-2.7%), Cipla Ltd (-2.3%), Tata Consultancy Services (-2.1%), and Dr Reddy's Laboratories (-2.0%) paced declining issues. Oil & Natural Gas Corp (+3.4%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (+1.3%) were the biggest gainers.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 increased 0.7% following some stronger than expected employment data for the month of March. The gold (+1.8%), metals & mining (+1.8%), and resources (+1.7%) sectors paced the advance.
• Regional advancers: Taiwan +1.2%, South Korea +0.9%, Malaysia +0.4%, Thailand +1.4%, Indonesia +0.1%, Philippines +0.5%, Vietnam +0.7%
• Regional decliners: Singapore -0.2%

• USD/CNY -0.1% at 6.1969
• USD/INR -0.3% at 62.250
• USD/JPY -0.1% at 119.04
  

6:41 am Pacira Pharma announces receipt of a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice (PCRX) : Co announced that it received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, requiring the production of a broad range of documents pertaining to marketing and promotional practices related to the product EXPAREL. Co  intends to cooperate with the government's investigation

6:38 am KeyCorp reports Q1 EPS in-line, misses on revs (KEY) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.26 per share, in-line with theCapital IQ Consensus of $0.26; revenues rose 1.0% year/year to $1.01 bln vs the $1.04 bln consensus. 

• Adj. NIM -3 bps QoQ and 9 bps YoY to 2.91%. 
• Average loans up 1.7%, primarily driven by an increase in commercial, financial and agricultural loans. 
• Net interest income (taxable-equivalent) down $11 million, primarily due to fewer days in the first quarter. 
• "In the first quarter, we continued to benefit from solid loan growth, driven by our commercial businesses, as well as the traction we are gaining from investments in areas such as trust and investment services and cards and payments. While we saw growth in several of our other fee-based businesses, we experienced lower capital markets revenue in the quarter."
  

6:31 am OncoMed Pharma announced the presentation of Demcizumab data from its Phase 1B clinical trial to treat non-small cell lung cancer at the European Lung Cancer Conference (OMED) : Study showed that f 40 patients evaluable for efficacy, the overall RECIST response rate was 50 percent  and an additional 15 patients had a best response of stable disease, yielding a clinical benefit rate of 88 percent. A worst-case analysis (to ensure that Kaplan-Meier estimates are not impacted by selective reporting) showed a median overall survival of 6.3 months for the continuous demcizumab cohort, and a median OS of 8.1 months for the truncated dose patients.

• Prolonged PFS and OS were observed for a subset of patients treated with continuous demcizumab. Specifically, of the 23 patients in the continuous dosing group, ten survived more than 300 days. In these 10 patients who survived more than 300 days, there was a cumulative 21.8 years of patient follow-up beyond those 300 days, and among these ten patients, only two patient deaths occurred as of the February 26, 2015 data cut off. 
• Survival data from patients treated with the truncated demcizumab dose regimen is less mature. The regimen of demcizumab, pemetrexed and carboplatin was generally well-tolerated with fatigue, nausea and manageable hypertension being the most common demcizumab-related toxicities. 
• Two cases of reversible Grade 3 pulmonary hypertension and heart failure occurred earlier in the trial in patients treated with continuous demcizumab for more than 160 days

6:30 am Rudolph Tech has received multiple orders from a leading radio frequency filter manufacturer that includes five inspection and metrology tools in addition to process control software products (RTEC) :  

6:17 am LaFarge and Holcim (HCMLY) announce results of shareholder meeting with regard to their merger (LFRGY) : Announcement highlights include: 

• Total total financing and cash flow synergies would therefore amount to approximately CHF 490 million. 
• Holcim and Lafarge will divest, subject to certain conditions precedents, including the successful closing of the Exchange Offer, certain entities and businesses as part of a rebalancing of the global portfolio of the combined group resulting from the Transaction and to address potential regulatory concerns. The Divested Businesses include affiliated entities and businesses of Holcim and Lafarge located in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Canada, the United States, the Philippines, Brazil and the Indian Ocean island of La Runion. 
• An irrevocable binding offer was received from affiliates of CRH International , to acquire the Divested Businesses for an enterprise value of EUR 6.5 billion, payable in cash on the closing date of the Divestiture. 
• At an extraordinary general meeting held on March 19, 2015, the shareholders of CRH approved the acquisition of the Divested Businesses
  

6:14 am First Cash reports Q1 (Mar) results, revs in-line; guides Q2 EPS below consensus; reaffirms FY15 EPS guidance (FCFS) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.59 per share, may not be comparable to the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.58; revenues rose 3.7% year/year to $176 mln vs the $176.62 mln consensus.

• Co issues downside guidance for Q2, sees EPS of $0.48-0.52 vs. $0.58 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• Co reaffirms guidance for FY15, sees EPS of $2.75-2.90 vs. $2.82 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• First quarter 2015 earnings were impacted by ~$0.15 per share from a combination of foreign currency translation effects of $0.05 per share, expected reductions in non-core jewelry scrapping and payday lending earnings of $0.06 per share and incremental interest expense of $0.04 per share. The Company continues to expect fiscal 2015 constant currency EBITDA growth of 8% to 13%.

6:13 am Nord Anglia Education reports EPS in-line, beats on revs; reaffirms FY15 EPS guidance, revs guidance (NORD) : Reports Q2 (Feb) earnings of $0.25 per share, in-line with the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.25; revenues rose 20.0% year/year to $164.2 mln vs the $156.64 mln consensus.

• Full time equivalent students (FTEs) increased 31.6% from 17,069 to 22,470 
• Revenue from premium schools increased 21.2% (26.4% on a constant currency basis) from $132.8 million to $161.0 million

6:06 am UnitedHealth beats by $0.11, beats on revs; raises FY15 EPS and revenue guidance (UNH) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $1.46 per share, $0.11 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $1.35; revenues rose 12.8% year/year to $35.76 bln vs the $34.63 bln consensus.

• Co issues guidance for FY15, raises EPS to $6.15-6.30 from $6.00-6.25 vs. $6.21 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; raises FY15 revs to~$143 bln from $140.5-141.5 bln vs. $141.73 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.  Reflecting the increased outlook for revenues and earnings, the Company is raising its projection for 2015 cash flows from operations to a range of $8.2 bln to $8.4 bln.
• The consolidated medical care ratio decreased 140 basis points year-over-year to 81.1 percent in the first quarter of 2015. Prior year medical reserve development was $140 mln, compared to $220 mln in the first quarter of 2014. 
• The first quarter 2015 operating cost ratio of 16.6 percent increased 20 basis points year-over-year due to higher growth in services businesses.

5:56 am AstraZeneca's MedImmune and Immunocore announce that they have entered into a second collaboration (AZN) : Under the terms of the agreement, Immunocore will conduct a Phase Ib/II clinical trial combining MedImmune's investigational checkpoint inhibitors MEDI4736 (anti-PD-L1) and/or tremelimumab (anti-CTLA-4) with IMCgp100, Immunocore's lead T-cell receptor based investigational therapeutic, for the potential treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. MedImmune has an exclusive relationship with Immunocore for the development of IMCgp100 in combination with MEDI4736 and/or tremelimumab, and will have first right of negotiation for the future commercial development of these combinations for tumours expressing gp100. Immunocore and MedImmune will collaborate to establish a dosing regimen for IMCgp100 combined with MEDI4736 and/or tremelimumab, as part of the Phase Ib study.

5:55 am S&P futures vs fair value: -1.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +4.30. :

5:55 am European Markets : FTSE...7088.7...-8.10...-0.10%.  DAX...12145.98...-85.40...-0.70%.

5:55 am Asian Markets : Nikkei...19885.77...+16.00...+0.10%.  Hang Seng...27739.71...+120.90...+0.40%.

5:54 am BlackRock beats by $0.38, misses on revs; AUM +8% YoY (BLK) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $4.89 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.38 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $4.51; revenues rose 2.0% year/year to $2.72 bln vs the $2.79 bln consensus. 

• Long-term net inflows were positive across all regions, with net inflows of $47.5 bln, $17.7 bln and $5.2 bln from clients in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, respectively. At March 31, 2015, BlackRock managed 62% of its long-term AUM for investors in the Americas and 38% for clients in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. 
• Co reported AUM of $4.774 trln +8% YoY.

5:54 am Sanofi-Aventis and Innate Pharma SA have entered into a collaboration agreement to apply Innate Pharma's site-specific conjugation technology to the development of new Antibody Drug Conjugates (SNY) : Sanofi-Aventis Recherche & Dveloppement, the French R&D affiliate of Sanofi, will evaluate site-specific payload conjugation to enhance ADC pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety and has the option to enter into a licencing agreement with Innate Pharma on this technology. Other terms of the agreement are undisclosed.

5:31 am Airbus to pursue buyback of 10% of co's stock at annual meeting (EADSY) : Co released an agenda for its annual meeting including seeking authorisation for the Board of Directors to repurchase up to 10% of the Company's issued share capital for an exceptional share buyback programme. This would give the Board and management flexibility to review capital allocation options going forward, in particular with regard to using proceeds from divestments and to returning a portion to shareholders. 

5:23 am Allot Comms receives four orders from Tier-1 operators to enable delivery of Security-as-a-Service and comply with regulation (ALLT) : Co announced that it has won four contracts in the first quarter of 2015 to supply its Allot WebSafe Personal product, a carrier-class Web Security service that enables service providers and enterprises to deliver a safer and more protected Internet environment to their users.

• The first two orders came from existing Tier-1 mobile operator customers in EMEA. These operators are expanding their SECaaS offerings with Allot Service Gateway Tera and Allot WebSafe Personal to enable rapid rollout of value-added parental control and anti-malware services. Allot's technology will allow the operators to easily scale to the growing demand from millions of users for these security services. 
• A third order was from a new Tier-1 American operator customer that plans to monetize its security offerings by leveraging WebSafe Personal to offer SECaaS services. 
• The fourth order was secured from an existing Tier-1 operator customer in APAC that is adding WebSafe Personal to its Allot Service Protector deployment.
  

5:09 am Taiwan Semi beats by NT$0.04, reports revs in-line; guides Q2 revs below consensus (TSM) : Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of NT$3.05 per share, NT$0.04 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of NT$3.01; revenues rose 49.8% year/year to NT$222.03 bln vs the NT$222.43 bln consensus.

• Gross margin for the quarter was 49.3%, operating margin was 39.0%, and net profit margin was 35.6%.
• Shipments of 20-nanometer process technology accounted for 16% of total wafer revenues.
• 28-nanometer accounted for 30% of total wafer revenues. Advanced technologies, defined as
  
• 28-nanometer and 20-nanometer technologies, accounted for 46% of total wafer revenues. 
  

• Q2 Gross profit margin is expected to be between 47.5% and 49.5%
• Q2 Operating profit margin is expected to be between 36.5% and 38.5%.

• The management further expects revenue from second half of the year will recover and the full year will be double-digit growth over 2014. 
• Capex - The management also states 2015 capital budget to be between $10.5-11.0 bln.

4:35 am HeartWare achieves primary endpoint in the ENDURANCE destination therapy clinical trial (HTWR) : Co announced that data from its first destination therapy clinical trial cohort, ENDURANCE, successfully demonstrated that the trial achieved the primary endpoint.

• Investigators for the study today reported that 55.0% of the investigational device patients attained the primary endpoint of the trial, which is stroke-free survival  at two years, defined as alive on the originally-implanted device, transplanted or explanted due to patient recovery. 
• In comparison, 57.4% of patients in the control arm achieved the primary endpoint of the study. Based on these results for the primary endpoint of the ENDURANCE study, non-inferiority of the investigational device was established
  

4:22 am Orange acquires Ocean to strengthen its vehicle fleet management activities (ORAN) : Co announces the acquisition of Ocean. By integrating Ocean's operations in its own activities, Orange Business Services is creating a new leader on the French and European markets -- with over 100,000 managed vehicles. This acquisition supports a strong growth ambition on the European market and will leverage advanced expertise and technologies to accelerate the development of new solutions for connected objects. Terms were not disclosed

4:17 am ARM Holdings announces acquisition of Wicentric and Sunrise Micro Devices (ARMH) : ARM announced the acquisition of Wicentric, a Bluetooth Smart stack and profile provider, and Sunrise Micro Devices, a provider of sub-one volt Bluetooth radio intellectual property. Terms of the agreements have not been disclosed. The IP of both companies will be integrated to form the ARM Cordio portfolio. This portfolio will complement ARM's existing processor and physical IP targeting end markets requiring low-power wireless communications such as the Internet of Things.

• Wicentric is a privately held provider of Bluetooth Smart software solutions focused on enabling the development of low-power wireless products. Their product line includes Bluetooth protocol stack and profiles for creating interoperable smart products and the link layer for silicon integration. 
  
• SMD is a privately held provider of radio IP solutions including a pre-qualified, self-contained radio block and related firmware to simplify radio deployment. Central to all SMD radios is native sub-one volt operation. Operating below one volt enables the radio to run much longer on batteries or harvested energy. 
  

3:54 am On The Wires (:WIRES) :

• Technip (TKPPY) and its consortium partner China Offshore Oil Engineering Company have been awarded a front end engineering design  contract by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CEO) for two tension leg platforms for the Liuhua 11-1 and 16-2 joint development project located in the South China Sea.
• Global Eagle Entertainment (ENT) that Southwest Airlines (LUV) has chosen GEE's Ku-band global satellite connectivity system to be factory installed on its orders for the Boeing (BA) 737 MAX.

3:31 am Fiat Chrysler reports March 2015 automobiles sales in Europe rose 15.7% YoY (FCAU) : FCA's European passenger car sales totaled nearly 98,000 vehicles, representing a 15.7% year-over-year increase and outpacing the industry average for the third consecutive month. The Fiat 500 and Panda continued as the two best selling models in the European A segment, accounting for a combined 28.7% share, and the Fiat 500 set an all-time monthly sales record for Europe. The Fiat 500L was leader in its segment for the first quarter, with more than a 24% share.

2:06 am Enanta Pharmaceuticals announces AbbVie's (ABBV) investigational treatment regimen for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C granted Priority Review in Japan (ENTA) : Enanta Pharmaceuticals (ENTA) announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has granted priority review for AbbVie's (ABBV) investigational, two direct-acting antiviral (2-DAA) combination of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir for the treatment of genotype 1 (GT1) chronic hepatitis C (:HCV) infection. This all-oral treatment is ribavirin (RB.V)-free and interferon (IFN)-free and will be dosed once daily. The MHLW grants priority review to certain medicines on the basis of clinical usefulness and severity of the disease, including diseases like hepatitis C, which affects an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people in Japan.1 AbbVie's investigational HCV treatment was submitted for marketing approval in Japan in February 2015. The New Drug Application is supported by the Phase 3 GIFT-I study in Japanese GT1b HCV patients.

• AbbVie studied the 2-DAA regimen without RBV in Japan due to patient and viral characteristics specific to the Japanese population, including high prevalence of GT1b. In Japan, GT1 HCV accounts for 60 to 70 percent of all HCV patients and, of those, about 95 percent are infected with the GT1b sub-type.
• AbbVie has previously announced that it expects regulatory approval in Japan in the second half of 2015. 
• Upon commercialization regulatory approval in Japan, Enanta will be entitled to a $30 million milestone payment from AbbVie. In addition, Enanta will be eligible to receive annually tiered royalties, ranging from the low double digits up to twenty percent, on 45% of AbbVie's worldwide net sales of any 2-DAA paritaprevir-containing regimen. 

2:02 am Novartis' Alcon receives FDA approval of new multifocal intraocular lens to treat cataract patients in the United States (NVS) : Alcon, a division of Novartis, has received approval from the FDA for its AcrySof IQ ReSTOR +2.5 Diopter Intraocular Lens for patients undergoing cataract eye surgery who choose to address their near, intermediate, and distance vision needs at the same time. The AcrySof IQ ReSTOR +2.5 D IOL is the latest addition to Alcon's broad portfolio of intraocular lenses for cataract patients and provides an additional option to meet the visual needs of each individual patient.

1:09 am Douglas Emmett obtains $340 mln term loan fixed at 2.77% (DEI) : Co announced that it has closed a secured, non-recourse $340 million term loan that will mature in April 2022. The loan bears interest at a floating rate of Libor plus 1.40% that has been effectively fixed at 2.77% per annum until April 2020 through an interest rate swap. No principal payments are due until the loan matures in April 2022. The new loan is secured by a pool of six Douglas Emmett's office properties.

12:30 am On The Wires (:WIRES) :

• International Truck, part of Navistart (NAV) announced the availability of an additional fuel efficiency package for the International ProStar ES designed for the Canadian market with their need to operate up to 110,000 gross combined weight rating 
• American Express (AXP) and Jawbone announced a new partnership giving eligible U.S. American Express Card Members the ability to tap to pay with the new Jawbone UP4 fitness tracker anywhere American Express contactless payments are accepted in the U.S.

12:19 am Pan Am Silver announces new $300 mln revolving credit facility (PAAS) :  

12:18 am Vivus files lawsuit against Teva (TEVA) for infringement of Qsymia patents (VVUS) : VIVUS (VVUS) announced that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA)

• The lawsuit was filed in response to an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, filed by Teva. In its application, Teva seeks to market and sell generic versions of the currently approved doses of Qsymia capsules CIV prior to the expiration of U.S. Patents, which are listed in the FDA's Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, or the Orange Book. VIVUS filed the lawsuit on the basis that Teva's proposed generic products infringe each of these patents held by VIVUS.