Canada

Canada's economy grew by 0.2% in February from January, matching analysts' expectations, as goods-producing industries drove gains for the second month in a row, data showed.

Adyton Resources Corporation (TSXV: ADY) announces that it has filed its financial statements for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and accompanying Management Discussion and Analysis on its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Successful C$20 million financing:

The Company completed a non-brokered/brokered financing for gross proceeds of C$20 million, strengthening its balance sheet and providing sufficient capital to advance exploration activities predominantly focused on the Feni project while the continued advancement of the Fergusson projects are funded through the East Vision International Holdings ("EVIH") JV earn-in structure.

Fiscal discipline and strong year-end cash position:

The Company maintained a disciplined approach to capital allocation throughout the year, ensuring efficient deployment of funds across exploration programs. As a result, the Company ended the year with a combined cash and cash equivalents and other financial assets (Term Deposits) of C$18.3 million at December 31, 2025 (2024: C$6.9 million), providing a solid foundation for planned activities in the upcoming period.

Appointment of Michael Gray to the Board of Directors:

The Company strengthened its Board with the appointment of Michael Gray, Co-Founder of Agentis Capital. Michael brings extensive experience in technical, corporate and capital markets experience. His expertise will play a key role in advancing the Company's strategic growth and development objectives.

Commencement of drilling at Feni:

The Company successfully commenced its inaugural drill program at the Feni Gold-Copper Project, marking a significant milestone in advancing the asset beyond the Kabang resource footprint. The primary objective is to demonstrate that the scale and continuity and the structural controls of the Feni system support expansion of the resource that underpin feasible and economic mining scenarios.

Successful 8,000 metre drilling program at Fergusson Island Projects:

The Company, through its strategic partner, EVIH, completed approximately 8,000 metres of drilling across the Fergusson Island projects, including Wapolu and Gameta. The program was executed on time and within budget, targeting resource expansion and conversion, with results supporting continued confidence to advance the projects into development.

Updated Mineral Resource Estimate at Wapolu:

On January 13, 2026, the Company reported an updated NI 43 101 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its Wapolu gold project on Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The updated MRE is comprised of 1.0 million tonnes grading 1.00 g/t Au for an indicated resource of 33 koz Au and 12.7 million tonnes grading 0.97 g/t Au for an inferred resource of 393 koz Au. The restart of the Wapolu gold project is an important pillar to Adyton's strategy to achieve near term production and cash flow. The proposed initial Wapolu operation would be a shallow open pit ~300kt ROM operation with a simple crush, grind, float flow sheet to produce and market a gold rich concentrate.

Strong community support across all projects:

The Company continued to foster positive relationships with local communities and stakeholders across both Feni Island and Fergusson projects. Ongoing engagement initiatives and responsible operating practices have contributed to strong community support, which remains critical to the successful advancement of exploration activities.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295369

Alpha Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: ALEX) announce that it has closed the first tranche of the non-brokered private placement financing of units ("Units") that it previously announced on April 20, 2026 (the "Private Placement") at a price of C$0.60 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of C$6,251,401. It is anticipated that one or more subsequent tranches of the Private Placement will close in due course.

Each Unit consists of one ordinary share (each, a "Share") of the Corporation and one-half of one Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of C$0.90 per Warrant Share for a period of 18 months immediately from the date of issuance.

The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund ongoing exploration work on the Kerkasha Project in Eritrea, operating and administrative expenses, working capital and general corporate purposes.

The Private Placement is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). The Shares, Warrants and Warrant Shares issued in connection with the first tranche of the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from April 30, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

Insiders of the Corporation (as such term is defined under the policies of the TSXV) purchased a total of 3,416,667 Units in the first tranche of the Private Placement, which is considered a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Corporation intends to rely upon exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 based on a determination that the fair market value of the Private Placement, insofar as it involves the related parties, does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Corporation. No new insiders and no control persons were created in connection with the closing of the first tranche of the Private Placement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295368

Legacy Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: LEGY) announce that Phase 1 of its 2026 drill program, consisting of diamond drilling on the Baner Gold Mine Property in Idaho County, Idaho, USA (the "Baner Property"), is targeting start-up the week of May 11, 2026. This 2026 drill program targeting 40,000 feet (12,194 metres) of drilling, will commence with approximately 12,000 feet (3,658 metres) of diamond drilling and will be followed with approximately 28,000 feet (8,536 metres) of reverse circulation drilling ("RC"). The 2026 drill program is designed to follow up on the previously announced, successful 2025 drill results targeting the Main Zone and NE Zone at the Baner Property, as well as new exploration targets indicated by large gold-in-soil anomalies coincident with geophysical conductors similar magnetic highs similar to those associated with the Main Zone.

"The Legacy Gold team has been working diligently with its contractors to mobilize two diamond drills for a dynamic Phase 1 startup, taking full advantage of seasonal light," said Brian Hinchcliffe, Chairman and CEO of Legacy Gold. "We hope to build on the momentum from the $10 million financing completed in April and move right into our 2026 drill campaign of infill, step-out and exploration drilling aimed at delineating a maiden mineral resource on the Baner Property in late Q4 2026 or early Q1 2027."

An RC Drill Contractor has been engaged for the Phase 2 of the 2026 drill program which is expected to commence during the summer of 2026, after the Phase 1 diamond drill program has been completed. The RC drill plan includes holes from previously permitted drill pads, some of which were used during the 2025 drill campaign, and certain new drill pads for which permits are expected during the first week of May 2026.

The Company intends to conduct additional work and technical studies to evaluate whether sufficient data may be obtained to compliment a future mineral resource estimate that the Company hopes to undertake. This may include metallurgical testwork, deportment studies and airborne geophysics (for follow-up exploration).

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295161

Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX.V: LMR) announce closing of the private placement (the "Offering") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$500,000 through the issuance of 5,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.10 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half common share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of C$0.15 per share for a period of three years following the closing of the Offering (the "Closing").

The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for general working capital purposes, the advancement of the La Loutre natural flake graphite project (the "Project"), and for regional graphite exploration.

All securities issued shall be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the Closing. The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The insiders of the Company subscribed for a total of 1,400,000 Units. As such, this participation constitutes a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Such participation is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the Units acquired by the insider nor the consideration for the Units paid by such insider exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

The Company did not file a material change report 21 days prior to the closing date of this private placement, as details of the respective participation of such insiders in the financing were unknown at such time. Lomiko Metals, review the website at https://www.lomiko.com.

Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE: "NSG")  announce that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of Critical Minerals flow-through common shares (the "Offering") (Please see Northstar's News Release dated April 20, 2026).

Offering Overview

The Offering consisted of the issuance of an aggregate of 4,285,714 critical minerals flow-through common shares (the "FT Common Shares") at a price of $0.07 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of CDN$299,999.98.

The FT Common Shares qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada). The gross proceeds from the FT Common Shares will be used to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenses that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" and will be renounced to subscribers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2026. The Company expects to close a second tranche in the near-term.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid cash finder's fees of $18,000.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada.

The Offering remains subject to final approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange, and the Company intends to close a second tranche in the near term.

Cam Copper Project Consortium and Surgical Mining Technology Partnership

Northstar's 100%-owned Cam Copper project is located 18 kilometres southeast of Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

A Surgical Mining^TM pilot program is advancing under a definitive Turnkey Surgical Mining Services Agreement ("the Agreement") with Novamera Inc. (Please see Northstar News Release dated October 9, 2025) and a collaborative consortium with Novamera, Micon International Limited and DIGITAL - Canada's Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, under a Master Project Agreement announced November 24, 2025.

Altrova Health Inc. (CSE: ROVA) (OTCQB: SSPLF) (FSE: QM4) (formerly Safe Supply Streaming Co Ltd.) ("Altrova Health" or the "Company") announces the completion of its corporate rebranding and the commencement of trading of its common shares under the new name and ticker symbol "ROVA" on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"), effective today.

Corporate Name and Ticker Change

The name and ticker change follow shareholder approval obtained at the Company's Annual General Meeting held on April 8, 2026. The following summarizes the changes now in effect:

Former name: Safe Supply Streaming Co Ltd.

New name: Altrova Health Inc.

Former ticker: SPLY (CSE)

New ticker: ROVA (CSE)

No action is required by existing shareholders in connection with the name or ticker change. Share certificates previously issued under the name Safe Supply Streaming Co Ltd. remain valid and need not be exchanged. Shareholders with questions regarding their holdings are encouraged to contact their broker or the Company's transfer agent. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295404

Excalibur Metals Corp. (TSXV: EXCL) announce a significant expansion of its land position at the Bellehelen Silver-Gold Project ("Bellehelen" or the "Project") in Nye County, Nevada. The Company has staked an additional 58 federal lode claims to encompass the projected extension of the Northwest Rangefront Target ("Rangefront Target").

"The Rangefront target represents a classic Nevada 'blind' discovery opportunity," said John Gilbert, CEO of Excalibur Metals. "While our current drilling is focused on the high-grade outcropping veins at Spyglass Ridge, the AVIRIS data at Rangefront Target reveals another, much larger alteration cell. Staking into Stone Cabin ensures we capture the upside potential of this system where it remains preserved under cover.”

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295376

Founders Metals Inc. (TSXV: FDR) (OTCQX: FDMIF) (FSE: 9DL0) reports high-grade gold results from the Lower Antino Target at its Antino Gold Project ("Antino" or the "Project") in southeastern Suriname (Figure 1). Results include 6.0 metres (m) of 12.95 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) - a significant high-grade intercept at Lower Antino - while continued systematic drilling expands the mineralized system along strike.

Colin Padget, President & CEO, commented, "The 6.0 metres of 12.95 g/t gold in LA060 is an important result for Lower Antino. While the system has consistently delivered broad, lower-grade mineralization, this intercept suggests the presence of a higher-grade component - a characteristic we have been actively testing for. Additional drilling in this release continues to grow the mineralized extent of Lower Antino, and we will incorporate these results into our geological models to better define the geometry and continuity of mineralization as the program advances.” To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295168

GoldHaven Resources Corp.  (CSE: GOH) (OTCQB: GHVNF) (FSE: 4QS), a North American exploration company advancing critical mineral and base metal discoveries, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Research Capital Corporation ("ResearchCapital") to act as exclusive finder in connection with an offering (the "Offering") under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (as defined below) for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$5,000,000 from the sale of units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.25 per Unit.

Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "CommonShare") and one half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase a Common Share at a price of C$0.35 from the 62nd day after issuance until the date that is 24 months following the Closing Date (as herein defined).

CEO Commentary

Rob Birmingham, CEO of GoldHaven, commented:

"This financing positions GoldHaven to aggressively advance both of our core assets. At Magno, we are now fully funded to execute and expand a significant 2026 drill program across multiple high-priority zones, while continuing to build on the strong initial drilling success at Copeçal. We believe this dual-track approach provides shareholders with near-term discovery potential and longer-term growth across two highly prospective districts."

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for the advancement of its Magno Project in British Columbia, including permitting, geophysics, drill targeting, and continued and expanded diamond drilling, as well as for continued diamond drilling, follow-up drilling, and target advancement at the Copeçal Gold Project in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and for general working capital purposes. www.GoldHavenresources.com

Goldstorm Metals Corp. (TSXV: GSTM) (FSE:B2U) announce that it has closed its previously announced upsized non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for aggregate gross proceeds of $7,000,000. In connection with the Offering, the Company issued (i) 5,991,600 units (the "HDUnits") at a price of $0.20 per HD Unit; (ii) 11,673,666 flow through units (the "FT Units") at a price of $0.24 per FT Unit; and (iii) 9,677,420 charity flow through units (the "Charity FT Units") at a price of $0.31 per Charity FT Unit.

Each HD Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.30 per Common Share for a period of 36 months following the closing of the Offering.

Each FT Unit and Charity FT Unit is comprised of one Common Share and one-half of one Warrant both to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act”).

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295380

Honey Badger Silver Inc. (TSXV: TUF) (OTCQB: HBEIF) (FSE: 1QA) (Tradegate: 1QA) announce that it has granted an aggregate of 5,335,000 stock options (the "Options") on April 29th, 2026, to certain directors, officers, employees and/or consultants of the Company.

The Options are exercisable at a price of $0.45 per share and are valid for a period of 5 years from the date of grant. The Options vest in accordance with the Company's stock option plan and are subject to the terms and conditions of the plan and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295384

Hydreight Technologies Inc. (TSXV: NURS) (OTCQB: HYDTF) (FSE: SO6), a U.S.-focused digital health infrastructure platform, is pleased to report its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2025. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. All references to Non-GAAP Financial Measures(1 2) are as reported in the Company's amended and restated Management Discussion and Analysis dated April 30, 2026 ("MD&A").

Revenue reached $35.4M in 2025, with $43.6M in Adjusted Revenue(1) (non-GAAP) and $2.5M in Adjusted EBITDA(2) (non-GAAP), reflecting strong growth and improving operating leverage.

The Company achieved net income of $1.69M and continued to scale its platform, driven by accelerating adoption of VSDHOne and expanding transaction volumes across its national healthcare network.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hydreight-reports-record-fiscal-2025-results-as-vsdhone-drives-rapid-growth-and-platform-scale-302759724.html

Nuvau Minerals Inc. (TSXV: NMC) announce that on April 24, 2026, it granted an aggregate of 2,090,000 stock options of the Company ("Options") to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. Each Option entitles the holder to acquire one common share at an exercise price of $0.79 per common share until April 23, 2031. The Options vest immediately upon grant. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295169

PharmaCorp RX. (TSXV: PCRX) a Canadian pharmacy acquisition and ownership platform for pharmacist-led community pharmacy ownership, is pleased to announce that it has entered into definitive share purchase agreements, each dated April 28, 2026 (collectively, the “Agreements”) to acquire from two arm’s length vendor groups (collectively, the “Vendors”) a 100 percent interest in eight PharmaChoice Canada bannered pharmacies located in Eastern Canada (the “Acquisitions”), representing a meaningful expansion of the Corporations geographical footprint and operating scale.

In addition, the Corporation has also entered into non-binding letters of intent (“LOIs”) in respect of four additional pharmacy acquisitions.

PTX Metals Inc. (TSXV: PTX) announce further closings (with additional closings anticipated to be completed this week) of its previously disclosed non-brokered private placement of hard dollar units and flow-through shares (see news releases dated April 8, 2026, April 14, 2026, April 23, 2026 and April 27, 2026). Under the most recent closings the Company issued a total of 10,674,000 flow-through shares ("FT Shares") at a price of $0.125 per FT Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,334,250 and a total of 10,545,452 hard dollar units ("HD Units") at a price of $0.11 per HD Unit for gross proceeds of $1,159,999.72, bringing the total number of FT Shares issued to date to 32,750,000 for total gross proceeds of $4,093,750 and the total number of HD Units to 14,973,179 for total gross proceeds of $1,647,379.69 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/295290

Rio Grande Resources Ltd. (CSE: RGR)(OTCQB:RGRLF) announce results from its recently completed airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys conducted at its Winston Gold-Silver Project (the "Winston Project" or the "Project") located in the Black Range Mountains of Sierra County, New Mexico. The survey grid and flight-line layout (see Figure 1) was conducted by Precision GeoSurveys Inc., ("Precision") and included 384 line km of survey lines at 50 m spacing (see table 1). It identified possible structural trends and areas of potential hydrothermal alteration that may suggest zones of mineralization. The results are being used by Rio Grande to refine surface sampling targets for an upcoming field program, as well as drill targets currently in the planning stage. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire https://app.accessnewswire.com/img.ashx?id=1162531

VVT Med Inc. (TSXV: VVTM) , a developer of minimally invasive, non-thermal, non-tumescent ("NT-NT") solutions for venous disease, is pleased to announce the publication of a peer-reviewed clinical study evaluating the short-term efficacy and safety of its ScleroSafe(R) catheter-directed sclerotherapy system. The study, authored by Dr. Aniruddha Sanjoy Bhuiyan and Dr. Meet Taral Sheth of the Departments of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and General Surgery at Holy Spirit Hospital and Medical Research Centre in Mumbai, India, was published in the Indian Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (2026;13:64-66), a peer-reviewed journal published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow.

The study, titled "Efficacy and Safety of ScleroSafe Catheter-directed Sclerotherapy for Varicose Veins: A Prospective Observational Study" was published online recently, on The Indian Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, which is the official publication of the Vascular Society of India and is indexed with Wolters Kluwer Medknow.

Westgate Energy Inc. (TSXV: WGT), announce the filing of its audited financial and operating results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2025. The selected financial and operating information provided below should be read in conjunction with Westgate's audited consolidated financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, as well as the annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2025, which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.caand on Westgate's website at www.westgateenergy.ca.

The UAE dumping OPEC may not affect crude as anticipated: Russell
The United Arab Emirates' withdrawal from OPEC is widely seen as lessening the clout of the producer group and initiating a race to boost output, ultimately resulting in sharply lower crude oil prices.

ECONOMIC DATA
0930 S&P Global Manufacturing PMI SA for April: Prior 50.0

COMPANY EARNINGS
Brookfield Renewable Partners LP: Expected Q1 loss of 22 cents per share
Imperial Oil Ltd: Expected Q1 earnings of C$2.39 per share

World Markets

US

S&P 500 and Dow futures are higher after the indexes posted their biggest monthly gain in years, as a string of strong earnings offset concerns around a historic supply shock in oil markets. Later in the day, investors will await manufacturing PMI data.

Major European and Chinese markets are closed, so attention was placed on currency markets after the yen suddenly jumped against the dollar, a day after Tokyo authorities were widely believed to have intervened to prop up the Japanese currency. Japan's Nikkei edged higher, helped by gains in a small group of technology stocks.

Amgen Inc: The company on Thursday said its first-quarter product sales rose 4%, helped by demand for cholesterol and rare disease medicines, as it moves forward with a broad development program for experimental weight-loss drug MariTide. The California-based biotech company's adjusted earnings per share rose 5% to $5.15, beating analysts' expectations of $4.76, according to LSEG data. Quarterly revenue rose 6% from a year earlier to $8.6 billion, matching the average Wall Street estimate, despite lower demand for its bone disease drugs. First-quarter product sales rose 9% by volume, while net prices and inventory levels each fell 2%, resulting in 4% quarter-over-quarter sales growth.

Apple Inc: The tech giant on Thursday touted blowout demand for its flagship iPhone 17 and the MacBook Neo that helped power a solid sales forecast and sent its shares up after hours. Apple, though, warned of continuing chip supply constraints, and the forecast underscored how it was fending off supply-chain pressures and rising memory chip costs with strong demand for its new Mac Neo, resilient services growth and robust sales in China. Apple executives said they expect sales growth of 14% to 17% in the current fiscal third quarter, which was above Wall Street estimates of 9.5% growth to $102.93 billion, according to data from LSEG. In the latest quarter, sales of the iPhone, still the company's best-selling product nearly 20 years after its introduction, were $56.99 billion, slightly less than estimates of $57.21 billion.

Chevron Corp: The oil major exceeded Wall Street estimates for its first-quarter earnings, as elevated oil prices linked to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran helped boost results from its upstream business. The company reported adjusted earnings of $1.41 per share, well above the consensus estimate of 95 cents, according to data compiled by LSEG. Despite the strong beat, overall profit marked its lowest level in five years, partly due to unfavorable timing effects tied to financial derivatives.  Chevron's upstream segment, its largest business unit, generated $3.9 billion in earnings, up 4% year-on-year as higher oil prices led to increased revenue.

Exxon Mobil Corp: The company beat estimates for first-quarter adjusted earnings, though unadjusted profit dropped to its lowest level in five years due to disrupted shipments from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and a large negative impact from timing effects related to financial derivatives.  Adjusted earnings for the first three months of the year were $1.16 per share, above the consensus estimate of $1.00 as compiled by LSEG. The adjusted figure excluded a $700 million loss from cargoes that could not be delivered due to the war. Further excluding the impact from financial derivatives, earnings were $2.09 per share. Net income for the first quarter was $4.2 billion, down from $7.7 billion in the same period in 2025, and its lowest since the first quarter of 2021. The U.S. oil producer benefited from higher oil prices and increased production from its primary assets in the Permian Basin and Guyana, which helped offset production disruptions in the Middle East.

First Solar Inc: The biggest U.S.-based solar panel maker on Thursday reported higher quarterly sales that met Wall Street expectations, helped by demand from third parties and from India. U.S. tariffs and stricter trade enforcement that raised the cost of imported solar panels have strengthened First Solar's pricing power, as developers increasingly turned to domestic suppliers.  “We delivered a strong start to 2026, with record first-quarter revenue, record sales in India, meaningful margin expansion, and Adjusted EBITDA above the top end of our first quarter preview range,” CEO Mark Widmar said in a statement. First Solar posted first-quarter net sales of $1.04 billion, compared with $844.6 million a year ago, and in line with analysts' expectations, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Moderna Inc: The company surpassed Wall Street estimates for first-quarter revenue on Friday, helped by better-than-expected sales of its COVID-19 vaccine in international markets. International revenue came in at $311 million, versus $78 million in U.S. markets, as the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company leveraged partnerships in the UK, Canada and Australia. "So our story has really become a more balanced international versus U.S. story," Moderna Chief Financial Officer Jamey Mock said in an interview with Reuters. Sweeping changes to U.S. vaccine policy under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, have led to reduced vaccine use and reshaped the regulatory landscape for companies developing new shots.

Nasdaq Inc: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday approved a proposal by Nasdaq's options trading venue to list and trade a new class of stock market prediction instruments tied to a major index, according to a regulatory order. Several firms are increasingly seeking to enter the prediction markets space, which allows users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events as it gains legitimacy and opens up new revenue streams and market insights. The New York-based exchange operator's products are cash-settled contracts that pay a fixed amount at expiration depending on whether the index finishes above or below a set level.

Sandisk Corp: The memory chip maker on Thursday reported soaring revenue and profit while predicting another rosy quarter, adding it has signed long-term contracts worth at least $42 billion to help it counter any extreme price cycles. It also said it would embark on a $6 billion buyback. Sandisk has become one of the later beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence boom, with its main product - NAND storage memory - now in high demand as AI systems have started to work with large legal documents and computer code bases. But like its relative DRAM memory, NAND has long been subject to extreme price cycles as demand ebbs and flows. For the third quarter, revenue more than tripled to $5.95 billion, comfortably beating an LSEG consensus estimate of $4.70 billion.

Union Pacific Corp & Norfolk Southern Corp: The companies on Thursday submitted a revised merger application with the Surface Transportation Board, seeking approval of an $85 billion tie-up to create the first U.S. coast-to-coast freight rail operator. The railroads said the deal would save shippers an estimated $3.5 billion annually. They said the combination would improve service reliability, divert freight from trucks to rail, retain shipper options and deliver broad public benefits while protecting union jobs. A number of groups, including freight shippers who fear higher rates, have raised concerns about the proposed merger, as have attorneys general in some states.

ECONOMIC DATA
0945 S&P Global Manufacturing PMI Final for April: Prior 54.0
1000 ISM Manufacturing PMI for April: Expected 53.0; Prior 52.7
1000 ISM Manufacturing Prices Paid for April: Expected 80.0; Prior 78.3
1000 ISM Manufacturing Employment Index for April: Expected 49.0; Prior 48.7
1000 ISM Manufacturing New Orders Index for April: Prior 53.5

Europe / Asia

Source (but not limited to) AP, CNBC, Dow Jones, Financial Post, Financial Times, Globe & Mail, KITCO, LSEG, Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv.