On November 7, Novartis, a massive pharmaceutical company, released its phase 3 clinical trial results for pelacarsen, an experimental cardiovascular drug. Headlining the outcome was its failure to prevent serious cardiovascular events, even though it reduced a major cholesterol-related risk marker by nearly 78%. This setback doesn’t just affect Novartis, but raises concerns about all emerging therapies for heart disease and their commercial potential. Additionally, the failu

On October 22, pharmaceutical giant, Gilead Sciences, acquired PepStar Therapeutics’ oral inflammation drug program in a deal worth $1.275 billion in upfront cash. A primary drug involved in the agreement is HCXT-2001, an experimental treatment that is currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials. This acquisition marks another step in Gilead’s expansion beyond its core HIV business. HCXT-2001 targets the interleukin-23 (IL-23) receptor, which regulates immune responses asso

On October 28, 2026, Google parent Alphabet saw its shares plunge after the release of their third quarter earnings report. Investor concerns centered around rising artificial intelligence expenses and underwhelming advertising revenue. Alphabet’s mounting infrastructure costs have raised questions about the profitability of AI investments. Alphabet reported quarterly revenue of $127.6 billion, a 25% increase year over year but below Wall Street's expectation of $128.2 billi

Merck's (NYSE: MRK) new cancer treatment, sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT), showed improved survival in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. This was unveiled on October 26 and could help Merck secure its place in a rapidly expanding market for targeted cancer therapies. The Phase 3 trial saw patients receiving sac-TMT achieve a median overall survival of 19 months, compared to just 12.1 months in those receiving traditional chemotherapy. This represented

London Stock Exchange Group (LSE: LSEG) is set to acquire a financial data provider called Octus in a $3.54 billion deal, representing the biggest acquisition by the group in seven years. The move follows fears that artificial intelligence will disrupt the financial information sector in favor of more innovative firms. On the news, the provider of financial data and analytics saw its shares jump by around 6%, thereby erasing its losses for the year. Octus, based in New York,

Moderna is best known for its breakthrough COVID-19 vaccines back during the pandemic. However, the company now focuses on developing cancer treatments and is approaching a critical milestone. On October 24, 2026, Moderna and its partner Merck are set to present their phase 3 results for intismeran autogene, an advanced personalized mRNA vaccine for battling cancer. After positive trial results earlier in August, Moderna shares have already jumped 284%, meaning that this upco

Confidence in Intel seems to be rising again as shares climbed 2.4% on October 19, 2026. This is likely attributed to JPMorgan’s upgrade of the company from Underweight to Neutral. The rebound is especially significant as it follows a rather rough week for the semiconductor giant, where shares plummeted more than 14%, wiping out approximately $78.5 billion in market capitalization. Despite the recent sell-off, Intel’s small recovery signals increasing recognition of the compa

On October 19, 2026, shares of biotechnology company Disc Medicine surged 35% following its announcement of a successful phase 3 trial for bitopertin, its experimental treatment for a rare genetic condition that causes extreme sensitivity to sunlight. The results mark a significant turnaround for the company, as it was met with an FDA rejection earlier in the year. The disorder being targeted is called erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), which leads patients to accumulate h

As the global AI race charges on, SpaceX may be making a huge move that could propel it forward. The company is reportedly seeking a $40 billion financing package to purchase advanced AI chips from Nvidia. If pushed through, the deal would become one of the largest AI infrastructure financing arrangements in history, reflecting how major tech companies are increasingly turning to debt markets to finance their AI expansion. SpaceX is specifically targeting Nvidia’s advanced p

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca just made a $2 billion equity investment in Summit Therapeutics, establishing its commitment to new and advanced cancer treatments and reflecting the increasing competition surrounding the oncology market. The investment focuses on ivonescimab, Summit’s experimental cancer drug that has garnered much attention for its potential to challenge existing immunotherapies. What differentiates Ivonescimab and makes it so appealing is its ability to t

On Friday, October 9, Wall Street continued advancing upwards as major U.S. stock indexes grew despite increasing concerns over high Treasury yields and persistent inflation. The S&P 500 gained approximately 0.6%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.6%. It seems like there is a growing divergence between the stock and bond markets, as investors are reacting differently to the same economic uncertainties. Historically, rising Tr

Private credit has become one of Wall Street’s fastest growing industries. Companies obtain loans directly from investment firms like Blackstone and Apollo instead of borrowing from traditional banks. As of recently, regulators have begun questioning how much risk private credit has brought outside the traditional banking system. This past week, reports have revealed that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has been examining banks like JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Barclays, Morg

Artificial intelligence has already made its impact on sectors ranging from financial services to software development. Now, investors are betting it could revolutionize one of the most expensive and uncertain industries: pharmaceutical drug discovery. On October 8, 2026, Nvidia-backed biotechnology company Iambic Therapeutics announced its intent to launch an IPO, with a goal of raising up to $159.4 million. This potentially values the company at around $806 million. The co

The stock market often seems to grab the largest amount of investor attention, yet this week one of the biggest moves happened elsewhere. On Thursday, October 1st, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury reached 5.34%, which is its highest level since 2002. Treasury yields represent the return that investors demand to lend money to the U.S. government. Recently, investors have been selling bonds over concerns about inflation, oil prices, economic growth, and an increase in go

September is typically one of Wall Street’s busiest months for initial public offerings, but this year, it fell extremely short of expectations. The fall IPO market has stumbled out of the gate, with only three sizable companies entering the public market following Labor Day as of September 22. Many companies that planned to do the same in this fall window have begun to rethink their strategy. For example, Nuclear services company Holtec Nuclear and CVC-backed Bamboo Insuran

GRAIL shares surged this week as it received a major regulatory boost for Galleri, its blood test capable of detecting over 50 types of cancers from a single blood draw. On September 23, 2026, an FDA advisory committee voted 10-0 that Galleri is safe and 6-4 that it is effective. Maybe more critical for its future success, however, the panel voted 7-2 that the test’s benefits outweigh its risks for adults 50 years or older. The FDA is not required to follow these decisions m

A decade ago, large pharmaceutical companies looked to biotech hubs in the United States and Europe for their next blockbuster drugs. It appears that now, China has overtaken this role. On September 15, 2026, GSK agreed to a deal potentially valued at up to $750 million to acquire global rights to an experimental cancer drug from the privately held Chinese biotech company Chimagen Biosciences. The drug is a trispecific T-cell engager for multiple myeloma that has not even en

For generations, the path for young bankers entering Wall Street was, for the most part, similar. Late nights with heads buried in PowerPoint decks, analyzing numbers and spreadsheets that made heads spin, creating financial statements that stretched pages. But what OpenAI just created may mean humans no longer need to do this work. On September 10, 2026, OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Financial Services. In coordination with Morgan Stanley and Evercore, the system serves as a

After years of hesitation, Wall Street is pouring money back into biotechnology. On September 18, 2026, Electra Therapeutics went public, raising $350 million in one of the year’s largest biotech IPOs. Selling 23.3 million shares at $15 each, the company reached a market value of roughly $1 billion. This decision, however, is part of a much larger comeback. Electra is the 21st biotech company to go public this year. 11 of these companies have managed to individually raise ov

OpenAI has spent years racing to build the most powerful artificial intelligence. That race is now causing the company to put one of the most anticipated IPOs in history on hold. Earlier this year, OpenAI was preparing for an IPO that valued the company at around $1 trillion. Despite potentially being one of the largest listings ever, CEO Sam Altman has decided not to go public in 2026, arguing that current concerns over AI safety make this the wrong time to enter the public