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US appeals Court revives $2.5 Billion opioid lawsuit in West Virginia
The largest drug companies in the U.S. won a trial in 2022, but the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed that decision. The 4th U.S. The 4th U.S. The 4th Circuit has reopened the case and said that the lower court must re-evaluate if the three drug companies are responsible for paying for addiction treatment and prevention in the city and the county, on the basis of their alleged failures to stop "suspicious", large orders from pharmacies. Cencora's spokesperson stated that the company is disappointed with the ruling, and they are considering their next steps. This could include a second appeal. Cencora says drug companies have to "walk a tightrope" between providing necessary medication and preventing diversion of controlled drugs. Cardinal Health declined comment. McKesson has not responded to comments immediately. Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell stated that the city is looking forward to a chance to hold drug distributors responsible for "the devastating damage that they have done to our city and to far too many families". Distributors had agreed to pay as much as $21 billion in order to settle the thousands of lawsuits filed against them by local and state governments across the nation. Communities in West Virginia, which was hard hit by the opioid crisis, chose not to join the national settlement and instead sought a larger recovery. In 2022, U.S. district judge David Faber ruled in favor the three drug companies, concluding that West Virginia's law on "public nuisances" did not create any liability for companies who sold prescription drugs and that the companies had met their obligation to report suspicious orders of drug to U.S. regulatory agencies. The 4th Circuit reversed those findings. The appeals court determined that the three drug manufacturers shipped opioids to pharmacies repeatedly in quantities exceeding the distributors thresholds for "suspicious orders" without reporting to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. According to the 4th Circuit, Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen) supplied 775 potentially suspect orders over a period of five years from a single Cabell County pharmacy, but only reported 16 orders to the DEA. Dietrich Knauth reported from New York, and Nate Raymond from Boston. Richard Chang and Aurora Ellis edited the story.
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Sources say that US officials meet with mining executives in Brazil to talk about rare earths.
The U.S. The U.S. According to anonymous sources, the meetings took place on the sidelines an event that was taking place in Salvador in the state of Bahia in the northeastern part of Brazil. Rare earths are expected to come up in the negotiations between Brazil and the U.S. aimed at removing the tariffs placed by President Donald Trump against Brazilian products. One source said that the discussions also show how the U.S. seeks alternative suppliers in the face of trade disputes with China which dominates rare earths markets. This source who was present at the meeting said that Escobar talked about partnerships between U.S. mining companies and Brazilian miners to explore rare Earths. Brazil is a country with vast mineral reserves, despite its small production. These minerals are vital for the manufacture of high-tech equipment. A second source confirmed that St George Mining of Australia, which operates a rare-earths project in Minas Gerais, was present at the meeting. Julio Nery of the mining lobby group Ibram confirmed that Escobar had met with representatives in the sector but refused to provide any details. "He has already met with Ibram at least three or four occasions and requested to meet with Raul Jungmann," Nery said, referring Ibram president Raul Jungmann. Reporting by Lisandra paraguassu from Brasilia, and Marta Nogueira from Rio de Janeiro. Fernando Cardoso wrote the article. Natalia Siniawski edited it.
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The long-stalled campaign to make daylight savings time in the US permanent has failed.
The U.S. Senate took up a long-stalled attempt on Tuesday to end daylight saving time and make it permanent, but failed to reach a consensus. Senator Rick Scott (a Republican) and other senators took the floor Tuesday to urge passage of the first unanimously-approved bill in March 2022. Senator Tom Cotton, however, said that he would be opposed to any attempt to speed up the bill. Congress has been debating the issue for many years. The issue was discussed in a hearing held earlier this year, and President Donald Trump supported the change. However, it does not seem to be any closer to an agreement. In the United States, standard time returns on Sunday.
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Stocks reach record highs on tech boost as Fed and earnings are in focus
The global shares rose to a record intraday on Tuesday, helped by signs that trade tensions have cooled between the U.S. The U.S. Federal Reserve will announce its policy on Wednesday, kicking off a week of announcements by central banks around the world, including those in Japan, Canada, and Europe. According to CME's FedWatch Tool, the Fed is widely expected at this meeting to reduce interest rates. Markets are pricing in a 99.9% probability of a 25 basis point rate cut. The markets have been boosted by expectations of a lower interest rate path from the central banks, as well as recent signs of an easing of trade tensions between China and the U.S. This has sent stocks higher, and kept the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury anchored near multi-month lows. The ongoing U.S. shutdown has also led to an absence of economic data that investors can parse. Investors have turned to other sources for information on the state of the economy due to the lack of official data. The ADP National Employment Report released its first weekly estimate on Tuesday. It showed that private payrolls in the United States increased by 14,250 jobs per week over the last four weeks. Subadra Rajappa is the head of U.S. Rates Strategy at Societe Generale, New York. She said: "Volatility was extraordinarily low, which in some ways, surprised me, but it appears to be very stable and you are seeing a continued rally in risky asset classes." "It's been difficult to read the economy, particularly for the Fed meeting. You have lower yields, a more favourable financial environment, a drop in inflation, and a somewhat stable job market." At their meetings, the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan will likely keep rates largely unchanged. DOW LEADS GAIN AMONG MAJOR INDEXES Wall Street closed with another record. This was boosted by a 2% gain in Microsoft following a deal it made that allowed OpenAI to restructure as a public benefit company while giving the megacap a 27% share in ChatGPT. Also providing a boost was a 5% jump in Nvidia after CEO Jensen Huang said the artificial-intelligence chip leader will build seven new supercomputers for the U.S. Department of Energy, and the company has $500 billion in bookings for its AI chips. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 161.78 points or 0.34% to 47,706.37. The S&P 500 gained 15.73 points or 0.23% to 6,890.89, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 190.04 or 0.80% to 23,827.49. Peter Cardillo is the chief market economist of Spartan Capital Securities, a New York-based brokerage. He added that "enthusiasm" about Trump's Asian visit has also been expressed. Stocks have been rising as U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet to discuss a framework to halt the tougher U.S. trade tariffs and China’s export restrictions on rare earths. This could ease market concerns about escalating a trade war. This week, Microsoft, Alphabet Apple, Amazon, and Meta Platforms will report their earnings. Investors will be watching closely to see if the results justify high valuations. More than four out of five S&P companies beat expectations LSEG data shows that 86.7% of the 180 S&P companies who have announced earnings up to Tuesday morning have surpassed analyst expectations. MSCI's global stock index rose 21.18 points or 0.12% to 1,013.68. It had previously reached a record high of 1,015.73, while the pan-European STOXX 600 closed down 0.22%. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. notes dropped 2.1 basis points, to 3.976%. The dollar index (which measures the greenback versus a basket currencies) fell 0.07% at 98.70. Meanwhile, the euro rose 0.11% to $1.1656. The dollar fell 0.52% against the Japanese yen to 152.07, after comments from a Japanese Minister and U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent helped ease some concerns over a more expansive fiscal policy and monetary policies in Japan. The value of the pound fell by 0.45%, to $1.3275. U.S. crude oil settled at $60.15 a barrel, down 1.89%, while Brent settled at $64.40 a barrel, down 1.86%. Investors weighed the impact of U.S. sanction on Russia's largest oil companies, along with a possible OPEC+ production plan.
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Utility Edison exceeds profits estimates with higher electricity rates
Edison International announced a higher-than-expected third-quarter profit on Tuesday as it benefited from increased rates for its service. Utilities can raise electricity rates by using general rate cases (GRC). Regulation utilities initiate the proceedings to request a rate hike based on their total costs of providing services and claim a revenue shortage. The U.S. power companies are looking to increase their customers' electricity bills in order to meet the rising demand for AI-focused datacenters, domestic manufacturing, and extreme weather conditions like wildfires. Southern California Edison (a subsidiary of Edison International) posted an increase in adjusted third-quarter profit, due primarily to the higher revenue generated by the 2025 General Rate Case Final Decision. Edison said that the Eaton Fire was confirmed by the Wildfire Fund Administrator as a "covered fire", making it eligible to receive financial assistance through the state-backed funds. The wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles are expected to be one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. History. This has put the electric utilities in the area under increasing scrutiny. Southern California Edison reached an agreement with several intervenors in September to recover approximately $2 billion from the $5.6 billion losses attributed to 2017-2018 wildfires, mudslides and other natural disasters. Edison expects its full-year adjusted profit in 2025 to be between $5.95 to $6.20 a share. This is a significant change from the previous view, which was $5.94 to $5.34 a share. According to data compiled and analyzed by LSEG, the Rosemead-based utility reported an adjusted profit per share of $2.34 for the quarter that ended on September 30. This compares with analysts' estimates of $2.18. Sumit Saha, Bengaluru. Shilpa Majumdar, editing.
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Celestica and Cameco are among the big winners on the TSX
Canada's main index of stocks closed higher on Monday, as investors awaited the central bank's pivotal decisions. The rally in technology and materials shares was particularly strong. Toronto's S&P/TSX Composite Index closed at 30,419.68, up 143.92 or 0.48%. The technology sector grew 1.6%. This was boosted by Celestica's 7.3% gain after it raised its revenue forecast for 2025, and by Dye & Durham's 8% increase, which announced late on Monday that the sale of Credas, its unit, is expected to be completed by January in order to reduce debt. Cameco was the biggest winner, jumping 22.9% following the announcement that Westinghouse Electric will partner with Brookfield Asset Management to build new nuclear reactors worth at least $80 billion in the United States. Materials sector grew by 0.8% led by Hudbay Minerals and Discovery Silver. Oil prices fell nearly 2%, causing a 1.1% drop in energy shares. Investors continue to weigh the impact of U.S. sanction on Russia's largest oil companies against possible OPEC+ output increases. Investors around the world are hopeful that U.S. president Donald Trump will reach a long-awaited deal with China on his Asia tour. Trump signed a contract with Japan for the mining and processing of rare earths and critical minerals. Angelo Kourkafas is a senior global investor strategist at Edward Jones. He said that there was some optimism globally, but not necessarily in Canada. Trade relations with Canada deteriorated, however, last week, when Trump announced a 10% additional tariff on Canadian imports. He cited what he referred to as a misleading advertisement related to tariffs. Investors are also expected to pay attention to central bank decisions on Wednesday. Both the Bank of Canada as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve are widely expected implement a quarter point interest rate reduction. Kourkafas stated that the focus of the meeting would be the trade front, and its impact on the health of the Canadian labor market.
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Wall Street indexes set records as Nvidia soars and megacap earnings are ahead
Investors were confident about corporate earnings as they awaited the key results of megacaps due this week. The three major U.S. indexes also posted record highs on Tuesday. Jensen Huang said that Nvidia will build seven supercomputers to be used by the U.S. Department of Energy. He also said that the company had $500 billion worth of bookings on its AI chips. Nvidia announced details about a new partnership with Nokia, a Finnish telecom equipment manufacturer. The two companies will target the AI communication market. Microsoft shares rose after a deal was reached that allowed OpenAI to become a public benefit company while Microsoft received a 27% stake in ChatGPT. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are all expected to release their quarterly results this week. Investors want to know more about the AI expenditure of these companies. Peter Cardillo is the chief market economist of Spartan Capital Securities, New York. He said that "momentum and earnings" are driving the market higher. He said, "Earnings are good." "We're still waiting for big tech stocks." Trump lavished praises on Japan's first woman leader, Sanae Takayichi, on Tuesday in Tokyo. The two nations signed an agreement to boost supplies of rare earths and critical minerals, in order to counter China's dominance over some electronic components. The preliminary data shows that the S&P 500 rose 15.79 points or 0.24% to 6,890.95 while the Nasdaq Composite rose 190.04 or 0.80% to 23,827.49. The Dow Jones Industrial Average grew 162.06 points or 0.34% to 47,706.65. United Parcel Service's shares climbed after the company forecast revenue for the fourth quarter that was above expectations. FedEx, the rival company, also rose. Earnings up by Quarter According to LSEG, the third-quarter earnings of S&P 500 firms are expected to have increased by 10.5% compared to the previous period. This is an increase from earlier estimates. Federal Reserve will likely announce a rate cut this week. Investors are eager to learn more about the outlook for interest rates, given that the U.S. Government has been closed for almost a month. This has delayed important economic data, forcing traders to rely solely on corporate and private announcements. A preliminary estimate from the ADP National Employment Report revealed that the U.S. added 14,250 jobs on average in the four-week period ending October 11, according to the report.
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Mondelez defeats greenwashing lawsuit over 'climate neutral' Clif Bar claim
A federal judge dismissed an attempted class action lawsuit that accused Mondelez International, of misleading consumers into paying more for Clif bars labeled as "climate-neutral certified." U.S. district judge Manish Shah found that the labels of Clif Kid Zbar products and Zbar Protein that showed a certification by Change Climate Project (a nonprofit that assists companies in reducing emissions) were not wrong. Shah dismissed the case with prejudice, which means it cannot be brought back. Cynthia Salguero, a plaintiff from Chicago, accused Mondelez, a Chicago-based company, of "greenwashing," or exaggerating a product's environmental impact, by labeling Zbars "climate neutral." She stated that the Zbars manufacturing process emits 54,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent of 12,596 gasoline powered cars. This causes a higher concentration in greenhouse gases, and contributes to climate change. The judge ruled that Mondelez had not advertised that Zbars are climate neutral. Only that they have been certified as such. Shah wrote, "This is an important distinction." Mondelez's inclusion of a true statement .... on its packaging is not deceptive. Salguero’s complaint misstated the promise Mondelez made to potential customers. Salguero's lawyers and Mondelez did not respond immediately to comments. Salguero is a resident from Anaheim in California. He had requested unspecified damages due to Mondelez's alleged false statements and violation of California consumer protection laws. Salguero V. Mondelez International Inc., U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois No. 25-02139. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, New York; editing by Lisa Shumaker
Former South Africa top producer rues lost shine as gold prices spike
Duncan Wanblad, a South African mining veteran, lamented Wednesday the country's missed investment in mining as gold prices surged above $4,000 per ounce - a record high fueled by expectations of reduced interest rates and demand for safe haven assets.
Anglo American Plc's CEO Duncan Wanblad said that the mining potential of South Africa was not fully explored "due to the unsupportive exploration policy in the past 20 years".
"That is a critical part of the mining life cycle." Wanblad explained that the data shows that it takes 17 years to get a deposit permitted, ramped up and in full production.
He added, "It is a generation that has been sacrificed."
Gold prices soared to a record high of $4,000 per ounce on Wednesday. This was a result of expectations for lower interest rates, and a demand for safe havens. The rally came as mining executives met in Johannesburg to discuss their industry's future.
The recording brought back memories of the visit made by Bobby Godsell, a South African mining executive, to Washington and London in 1992 to lobby against a gold sale. He was desperate to prevent prices from falling below $260 per ounce.
South Africa, at the time, was one of the top three gold producers in the world. Its output averaged 400 metric tonnes per year. The country's gold production has dropped from 1,000 metric tonnes in 1970 when it was the world's leading producer to 90 metric tonnes last year.
South Africa's deep, old shafts cost more to operate today compared to their competitors in Africa, Australia and Canada.
South African mining executives also said that policy uncertainty, infrastructure problems and labour unrest were preventing investment in exploration and mine development.
Gold Fields (founded by Cecil Rhodes 1887), Harmony Gold, and AngloGold Ashanti, the former gold division of Anglo, acquired assets in Africa, Australia, and America. Reporting by Nelson Banya and Editing by William Maclean
(source: Reuters)