Daily Mining Discovery

Canada

PRE-OPEN

Canadian futures?are ticking slightly higher, supported by higher?gold?prices as the?U.S. dollar?was heading for its biggest weekly slide since January.?Wall Street futures?were little changed as the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled that interest rates could rise further this year, while signs of easing price pressures and slowing economic growth kept market sentiment in check.?European shares?climbed as healthcare and utilities stocks rallied at the end of a week that was dominated by major central bank policy decisions. Japan's?Nikkei?notched a fresh three-decade high, while the?yen?fell to a new 15-year low against the?euro?as investors cheered the BOJ leaving its ultra-easy policy settings unchanged.?Oil?prices dropped on weaker economic outlook.?

Gold futures basis the most active August Comex contract traded below its 100-day simple moving average which is currently at $1950.70 after trading to an intraday low of $1936.10. However, as of 4:34 PM EDT, gold futures are trading just off the high of $1972.80 and are fixed at $1970.40.?

On May 17, gold prices broke below their 50-day moving average for the first time since pricing moved above it on March 13. The rally that occurred in March began in November 2022 when gold had hit a triple bottom just above $1620. The first leg of this rally would take gold to just below $1980 before entering a corrective period which took gold pricing to approximately $1810. On March 13 gold traded back above its 50-day moving average on its way to this year’s highest value just above $2080 in May. After hitting the highest value of the year gold began its current correction that took gold to its current price.

Tocvan Ventures Corp.?(CSE:TOC);?(OTC:TCVNF);?(FSE:TV3),?is pleased to announce that the 5,000,000 common shares it previously received from the sale of the Rogers Creek Property to Cascade Copper Corp. (“Cascade”) on April 22, 2022 will be paid to Tocvan shareholders as an in specie dividend in the form of Cascade common shares. Tocvan’s board of directors has set a record date of May 31, 2023 (the “Record Date”) for the dividend. The in specie dividend is scheduled to be paid to all Tocvan shareholders who are registered shareholders on the Record Date. Eligible Tocvan shareholders will receive one Cascade common share for every 7.9852 Tocvan shares they hold at the close of business on the Record?Date.?Tocvan shareholders will be entitled to a whole number of Cascade common shares, with any entitlement to a fraction of a Cascade common share being rounded down to the nearest whole share. Cascade shares have a current fair market value of $0.11 CAD. The payable date for the dividend is June 16, 2023.

Aftermath Silver Ltd.?(TSXV: AAG; OTCQX: AAGFF, FWB: FLM1)?is a silver-focused company with one project in Peru and one in Chile. The flagship project is Berenguela in Peru which is?silver-copper and manganese. On March 2nd, 2023, the company published an?updated and expanded mineral resource?for the property (see AAG News release dated March 1, 2023). Drilling in 2021-2 was in part designed to obtain bulk (PQ diameter) core samples from various geological and metallurgical domains at Berenguela. A?comprehensive bench-test beneficiation program?on selected composite core samples is being designed by Kappes Cassidy of Reno, Nevada, USA, focusing on optimising processing and recoveries of silver, manganese, copper, and zinc, and on potential manganese products including agricultural and battery grade manganese sulphate (MnSO4). The Company currently anticipates?completion of the program in Q3/Q4 of 2023.?The results will provide key technical inputs for Aftermath's planned Preliminary Economic Analysis which is expected to begin in late 2023.

Composite core samples, representing the key mineralized domains, are now being assembled?at the Company's core storage facility in Arequipa. They will be shipped to KCA's facility in Reno to facilitate pre-treatment beneficiation testing which will include ore-sorting. As a first step, initial visual evaluations are being carried out on core samples from current and historic drilling focusing on the distribution of various minerals and their relationship with assay grades.?

Fieldwork?is expected to recommence in June with exploration and mapping east of the known mineralisation on potential extensions indicated by outcrops, historic drilling and existing underground workings. The work will also investigate a potential intrusive centre to the east of the main Berenguela mineralization.

BacTech Environmental Corporation?(CSE:?BAC)(OTC:BCCEF)(FSE:0BT1)?a commercially proven environmental technology company delivering eco-friendly bioleaching and remediation solutions for precious metal and critical mineral recovery, is pleased to provide the following corporate update.

Financing

The Company today announces the closing of a 3rd tranche of its recent placement for $132,000. The financing includes the issuance of 1,650,000 units consisting of one (1) common share of BacTech and one (1) common share purchase warrant. The warrant allows the holder to purchase an additional common share in the Company at $0.12 for a period of two (2) years from the closing.?

Green Bond Certification

Further to the Company’s selection of Moody’s to provide third-party verification of BacTech as a qualified Green Bond issuer, BacTech confirms it has tendered all necessary documentation to Moody’s with respect to the Company’s pursuits of Green Bond certification. As previously announced in its?April 13, 2023 press release, the Company has started the process to obtain the appropriate certification to be able to issue Green Bonds to fund its bioleach processing facility in Tenguel, Ecuador. BacTech, in concert with Analytica Securities in Quito, Ecuador, intends to raise up to US$20M in Green Bond funding.

Community Consultation Process Update

BacTech also wishes to advise shareholders that the Company has been notified that the Government of Ecuador will officially begin the final review process on June 19,2023.As previously communicated in its?June 1, 2023 press release, this is the final major permit required to approve the Company’s planned project in Tenguel, Ecuador. Upon completion, the facility is expected to be the largest and most efficient bioleaching plant in South America using naturally occurring bacteria, harmless to both humans and the environment, to treat gold and base metal concentrates along with toxic tailings created through local mining operations. BacTech was granted its Environmental Impact Study Permit in September 2022, further illustrating the government’s commitment to the launch of this important project.

Investor Presentation:?www.bactechgreen.com/investors

Barsele Minerals Corp.?(TSXV: BME)?provides an update regarding ongoing exploration activities within the Barsele Gold-VMS Project area in V?sterbottens L?n,?Northern Sweden?(the "Barsele Project"). The exploration program is being operated by joint venture partner?Agnico Eagle Mines Limited?– (TSX, NYSE: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle"). Ownership in the Barsele Project is 55% Agnico Eagle and 45% Barsele. Agnico Eagle can earn an additional 15% in the Barsele Project through the completion of a pre-feasibility study. There is no cash outlay requirement by Barsele until a pre-feasibility study is completed.

Between January 1 and May 30, 2023, data analysis, along with field-specific exploration activities continued at a number of exploration sites throughout the property. Work has included geophysical surveys, base of till sampling and analysis, plus analysis of previously collected MEFFA (multi-element fine fraction analysis) samples. The MEFFA sample interpretation utilizes automated pXRF scanning, together with laser ablation and ICP-MS, to define precious/base metal anomalous areas. All this work has been carried out in preparation for this year's diamond drilling campaign.

Structural, stratigraphic, and lithological observations continue to evolve, with the objective to define both precious and base metals trends and targets. Studies related to gold occurrences associated with certain elements, minerals and alteration phases have been on-going to support targeting.

Diamond drilling since 2015, within the 34,533-hectare property totals 162,691 metres of overburden penetration and core collection from a total of 436 drill holes. One drill rig has been retained to carry out the 2023 diamond drilling campaign.

Barsele's President,?Gary Cope?states; "I am very pleased that the 2023 diamond drilling is underway and I along with our shareholders look forward to receiving the results from testing at Risberget, Avan and Norra.”?

Global Food and Ingredients Ltd. (TSXV: PEAS)?announced today that it has entered into a letter of intent to raise approximately $11.7 million through an investment in equity and debt by 35 Oak Holdings Ltd. ("35 Oak") in its pet food ingredients division (the "Pet Food Transaction") as well as a commitment for a further $500,000 investment in a concurrent non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement", and together with the Pet Food Transaction, the "Transactions"), for a total expected investment of approximately $12.2 million.

"We are very pleased to have entered into this letter of intent with 35 Oak in relation to our pet food ingredients division, unlocking significant value for our shareholders and generating substantial capital to strengthen our balance sheet and prepare GFI for the next phase of growth," said David Hanna, President and CEO. "GFI will continue to manage all aspects of the pet food business and will consolidate its results as a controlled entity, while realizing on the value created to date since building out the business unit over the past two years," he added.

Luca Mining Corp. (TSXV: LUCA; OTCQX: LUCMF; Frankfurt: TSGA)?provides the following update on metallurgical test work to improve precious metals recoveries at its Campo Morado Mine, located in the state of Guerrero, Mexico.

Highlights

Pilot-scale testing of Jameson Cell technology at Campo Morado, operating at micro-fine grind levels, demonstrates the ability to significantly improve recoveries and concentrate grades across both copper and lead streams, together with moderate improvements in the zinc stream and potential reductions in operating costs.

Historical testing demonstrated the ability of the Jameson Cell to achieve final concentrate grades of between 13% - 28% copper, at excellent unit recoveries of between 70-90%. For reference, current copper recovery is approximately 51%, with a concentrate grade of 13-16% Cu.?

Luca’s recent Jameson pilot plant testing on feed to first lead cleaner on Test 17 returned a recovery of 70.74% lead resulting in a concentrate grade of 37.93% lead, which is a significant improvement from Luca past lead production. By comparison, average lead recoveries of 29% and concentrate grades of 22% Pb were achieved by Luca during all of 2021.

“Both the historical and 2022 pilot-scale Jameson Cell testing generated very encouraging results”, said Mike Struthers, CEO.?“As we continue to stabilise the overall operation, the next step with the Jameson Cells is to have all the testing reviewed by third party experts, then prepare a study to define how the cells would be added into the existing circuits, the costs and schedule for doing so, and an economic evaluation.?We expect to make significant progress towards this goal during the balance of 2023.”?

Power Nickel Inc. (TSXV:PNPN), (OTCBB:PNPNF), (Frankfurt:IVVI)??announce the latest results from drill holes PN-23-029 to 035. These eight (8) holes (Table 1) were drilled to test distal targets east (PN-23-030/-031) and west (PN-23-029) of the Main Nisk deposit as well as to expand on high-grade intersections at Nisk Main.

Commented Power Nickel CEO Terry Lynch,

"Another strong result from our Nisk main deposit, these holes will be valuable additions to the resource calculation. This concludes an amazing drill season for us at Nisk.

We are very excited now to get the drill results from over 15,000 metres of drilling incorporated into our much anticipated inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate which we expect to deliver in late Q3.

As you read this release, we are readying the Geodes for the Ambient Noise Tomography program. This program will be conducted to assist in the identification of the next prime targets for our Nisk Project (as released earlier this year). Preliminary surveys will be conducted over our core ore zones at Nisk Main where there is a wealth of scientific data. This will enable us to correlate this exciting, advanced technology to reveal what we hope will be the identification of the next Nickel PGM Pods at Nisk.”

Next steps at Nisk include deploying the Ambient Noise Tomography program, completing the analysis of the recent Airborne MAG/EM survey, readying the drilling team for the July start of the funded 15,000 metre drill program, receipt of the metallurgical studies report and the publication of the inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate at Nisk.

As part of its review of management and board performance a grant of 1,600,000 options has been approved according to the Company option plan. Strike price is at $.25. Options vest upon grant and expire five years from date of grant.

White Gold Corp. (TSX.V: WGO, OTCQX: WHGOF, FRA: 29W)?announced plans for its fully funded 2023 exploration program on its district scale 350,000 hectare land package, representing over 40% of the emerging White Gold District in Yukon, Canada. The 2023 program is designed to further evaluate targets on the Betty and JP Ross properties and to perform maiden diamond drilling on the Cali target located on the Nolan property. Other regional exploration work includes maiden rotary air blast (RAB) drilling on the Wolf and Toonie properties and a significant early-stage exploration program to identify and advance other targets on the Company’s extensive and under explored land package in which the Company has made several high grade gold discoveries in addition to significantly increasing resources at the Company’s flagship White Gold Project which comprises 16 million tonnes averaging 2.23 g/t Au for 1,152,900 ounces of gold in the Indicated Resource category and 19 million tonnes averaging 1.54 g/t Au for 942,400 ounces of gold in the Inferred Resource category?and remains open for expansion.

“We are excited to kick off our 2023 exploration programs in the White Gold District,” stated Terry Brace, the Company’s Vice President of Exploration. “Diamond drilling at Betty Ford is primarily designed to test the mineralized system at depth, essentially looking for evidence of an underlying porphyry as well as trying to identify the feeder to gold mineralization that occurs near surface. We have also reviewed the existing structural information at Vertigo including borehole optical televiewer data and vein measurements recorded in trenches and feel this year’s drill orientation will more effectively test the multiple mineralized vein sets at Vertigo. The planned diamond drill holes at the Cali target are widely spaced holes designed to test this 2 km long gold and multi-element soil geochemical anomaly which occurs along a major regional structure, so we really like the apparent size and geological setting of Cali.”

“We expect 2023 to be another exciting year for White Gold as we build on the success of our recent field seasons where we have made a very significant new high-grade gold discovery on our Betty property and continued to expand the large footprint of mineralization at our flagship White Gold Project and significantly increasing resources. These results further demonstrate the expansiveness of gold mineralization in the White Gold District and the potential for continuing to make additional new discoveries as well as increase our significant gold resources. We have designed a very impactful program to further diamond drill test these recent high-grade gold discoveries, perform maiden diamond drilling on the Cali target as well as advance other high-priority targets across our expansive and underexplored land package. Extensive review and analysis performed in the off-season has also provided insightful new interpretations on several projects which we are excited to integrate into our methodical exploration methodologies,” stated David D’Onofrio, Chief Executive Officer

Highlights:

Exploration diamond drilling totalling 3,200m planned on three targets – Betty Ford, Vertigo and Cali.?

Betty Ford – Testing for porphyry at depth beneath the mineralized breccia, plus potential feeder contact/structure identified through VLF-EM ground geophysics. Recent drilling at Betty Ford intersected 3.46 g/t Au over 50.0m in hole BETFD21D003 and 8.94 g/t gold over 18.29m in hole BETFD22RC004.

Vertigo – First drilling since 2019 with program designed to test a new structural interpretation which includes multiple mineralized vein sets not previously drill tested. 2018 and 2019 drilling highlights at the Vertigo include 23.44 g/t Au over 24.38 m, 12.25 g/t Au over 15.24 m, 9.46 g/t Au over 22.86 m, and 11.64 g/t Au over 5.34 m.

Cali – Maiden diamond drilling with widely spaced holes testing large (2 km long) gold and multi-element soil anomaly located along the regional Sixtymile-Pika Fault.

Maiden RAB drill programs totalling 800 m to test gold targets on the Wolf and Toonie properties.

Induced Polarization – Resistivity ground geophysical surveys over the large early-stage Bridget and Hayes Copper-Molybdenum porphyry targets located on the Pedlar and Hayes properties in close proximity to the large Casino porphyry deposit.

Regional exploration on other properties includes geological mapping and prosecting, soil geochemistry surveys, and ground magnetics and VLF-EM surveys to generate new targets for future drill testing.

Additional detail on the various components of the program to be released in due course.

A corporate update webinar has been arranged for management to present additional detail on the Company’s fully funded 2023 exploration program. Event and registration details to be provided.

Accompanying this news release can be found at?https://whitegoldcorp.ca/investors/exploration-highlights/.??

ECONOMIC DATA (EST)

0830?Securities Canadian?for April: Prior -C$5.59 bln

0830?Securities foreign?for April: Prior -C$19.07 bln

0830?Wholesale trade mm?for April: Expected 1.6%; Prior -0.1%

COMPANIES REPORTING?

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc: Expected Q4 earnings of 23 Canadian cents per share

CORPORATE DATA (EST)

1000?HLS Therapeutics Inc: Annual Shareholders Meeting

World Markets

(07:37 EST)

S&P 500 Index Mini Futures: 4,422.50; down 0.09%; 4 points

DJIA Mini Futures: 34,405.00; down 0.04%; 15 points

Nikkei: 33,513.00; up 0.08%; 27.51 points

MSCI Asia, Ex-JP: 535.42; up 0.6%; 3.19 points

EUR/USD: $1.0941; down 0.04%; 0.0004 point

GBP/USD: $1.2780; down 0.02%; 0.0003 point

USD/JPY: 140.71 yen; up 0.29%; 0.41 point

Spot Gold: $1,955.27; down 0.12%; $2.38

U.S. Crude: $70.49; down 0.18%; $0.13

Brent Crude: $75.52; down 0.20%; $0.15

10-Yr U.S. Treasury Yield: 3.7391%; up 0.012 point

10-Yr Bund Yield: 2.4945%; down 0.007 point

Euro STOXX 50 futures?were up 5 points at 4,374,?FTSE futures?lost 2 points to 7,631, and?German DAX futures?gained 17 points at 16,315, by 0430 GMT.

Asian shares?rose as U.S. economic data stoked expectations that the Federal Reserve is near the end of its rate-hike campaign, while the?yen?fell after the Bank of Japan maintained its ultra-easy monetary policy.

Oil?prices were set to snap a two-week losing streak despite trading marginally lower, amid optimism about higher energy demand from top crude importer China and a weaker dollar.?

US

PRE-OPEN

Futures?are flat?as the Federal Reserve signaled that interest rates could rise further this year, while signs of easing price pressures and slowing economic growth kept market sentiment in check.?

Adobe Inc: The company surpassed Wall Street estimates for quarterly results and forecast on Thursday as the Photoshop maker's efforts to drive up demand with generative artificial intelligence (AI) integrations paid off. The company forecast current-quarter revenue to be in the range of $4.83 billion to $4.87 billion and raised FY 2023 revenue to between $19.25 billion and $19.35 billion, both on the higher end of analysts' estimates, according to Refinitiv data. Focus continues to remain on the impact of generative AI and the pending close of the Figma deal. Adobe has been waiting to finalize its $20 billion buyout deal for the cloud-based designer platform, with management expecting an initial ruling this month.

Amazon.com?Inc?&?iRobot Corp: Britain's competition regulator cleared?Amazon.com's planned $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot, maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had concluded that the deal would not lead to competition concerns in the UK. "We're pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority's decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work," a spokesperson for Amazon said. "We look forward to similar decisions from other regulators soon." "It marks a significant milestone, and both companies are continuing to work cooperatively with other relevant regulators in their review of the merger," iRobot Chief Executive Colin Angle said in a statement.

Clene Inc: The drugmaker said on Thursday its experimental amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug showed reduction in levels of an indicator believed to be tied with the disease progression in a mid-stage trial. The company said its drug showed a statistically significant reduction in levels of neurofilament protein when compared to a placebo after 24 weeks of treatment. Clene said on Thursday it was exploring the possibility for filing a marketing application for the drug with the U.S. health regulator.

Coterra Energy Inc?&?Talos Energy Inc: Oil and gas firm Coterra Energy said on Thursday that Chief Financial Officer Scott Schroeder is retiring after 28 years of service and named smaller peer Talos Energy's finance head Shannon Young as his replacement. Schroeder, whose retirement is effective Sept. 30, has served at Cabot Oil & Gas Corp and Coterra Energy. Cabot Oil & Gas and Cimarex Energy completed their merger in 2021, forming Coterra Energy. Talos Energy appointed insider Sergio Maiworm Jr. as Young's replacement, effective July 1.

FedEx Corp: The company may see a profit boost from cost cuts undertaken last year, although its investors will be keen on knowing whether those actions have helped it catch up with rival United Parcel Service on the margin front. The global shipping downturn has been a drag on margins for most operators in the sector as the boom during the pandemic deflates, while high inflation and worries of a recession threaten consumer spending. FedEx's operating expenses are expected to fall to $20.81 billion for the fourth quarter from $21.13 billion in the prior three-month period when it reports on Tuesday. FedEx is expected to report a per-share profit for the fourth quarter of $4.89 on an adjusted basis, compared with $6.87 a year earlier, as per Refinitiv data. It is estimated to post a 6.9% fall in quarterly revenue to $22.72 billion.

Intel Corp: The chipmaker is to invest up to $4.6 billion in a new semiconductor assembly and test facility near Wroc?aw, Poland, as part of a multi-billion-dollar investment drive across Europe to build chip capacity, it said. The facility in Poland will employ 2,000 workers and create several thousand additional jobs during the construction phase and hiring by suppliers, the company said in a statement. "Poland was just a little bit hungrier to win this site," Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger said in a news conference. Design and planning for the facility will begin immediately, with construction to commence pending European Commission approval. Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister of Poland, called Intel's factory "the largest greenfield investment in the history of Poland".

JPMorgan Chase & Co: The bank urged a federal judge to reject the U.S. Virgin Islands' demand that Chief Executive Jamie Dimon sit for a second deposition for its lawsuit about the bank's long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter made public on Thursday, the largest U.S. bank said Dimon made "crystal clear" in his May 26 deposition that he knew nothing about Epstein's sexual abuse of young women and teenage girls when the disgraced financier was a client. JPMorgan also said messages between Epstein and former bank executive Jes Staley, where Epstein name-dropped people like billionaires Bill Gates and Leon Black and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, did not justify more questioning of Dimon about alleged "Epstein referrals" of prospective customers.

Liberty Global Plc?&?Warner Bros Discovery Inc: Britain's ITV is "actively exploring the possible acquisition" of production company All3Media, it said ofter Reuters reported the broadcaster's interest. All3Media could be valued at more than $1.3 billion, sources said in May when Reuters reported that the company's owners were exploring options for the maker of popular shows "Fleabag", "Midsomer Murders" and "The Traitors". One of Britain's leading independent production companies, All3Media is owned by Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global. Sources told Reuters in a story released on Thursday that Warner Brothers could sell its All3Media holding while Liberty Global could retain a stake in a merged entity, which would comprise ITV Studios and All3Media. Another option is that ITV buys out both parties entirely, one source added.

Lordstown Motors Corp?&?Nikola Corp: The electric-vehicle startups were set on Friday to extend a blistering rally in their shares that has put the cash-strapped companies on track for hefty weekly gains. The winning streak has come without any apparent news or catalyst for the companies, leading several analysts and traders to point to a potential squeeze in the highly shorted stocks. For instance Nikola, which has more than doubled in value this week, has a short interest of 15.7%, according to Refinitiv. Other big gainers such as Lordstown and Workhorse Group have short interests of 15.2% and 24.3%, respectively. Separately, Nikola's top shareholder and founder, Trevor Milton, on Thursday urged investors to vote against the electric truck maker's proposal to increase the number of shares it is allowed to issue and called for a change in leadership.

Micron Technology Inc: The U.S. memory chipmaker said it was committed to China and would invest $603 million over the next few years in its chip packaging facility in the Chinese city of Xian. "This investment project demonstrates Micron's unwavering commitment to its China business and team," it quoted CEO Sanjay Mehrotra as saying. The investment will include buying packaging equipment from a Xian-based subsidiary of Taiwan's Powertech Technology, which Micron has been using in the factory since 2016, the company said. Micron will also open a new production line at the site to manufacture mobile DRAM, NAND and SSD products to strengthen the plant's packaging and testing capabilities.?

Microsoft Corp: Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the global rise of artificial intelligence (AI) with Bill Gates and said he welcomed U.S. firms including Microsoft to bring their AI tech to China, two sources familiar with the talks said. Xi also discussed Microsoft's business development in China during their meeting, said one of the sources. Meanwhile, Microsoft shares rose to a new record high close on Thursday as market optimism about the prospects of AI has helped buoy the technology giant to a record market capitalization of $2.59 trillion. Separately, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn said on Thursday it was working on a video advertising product that would allow marketers to target users of the professional networking site while they watch content on streaming services.

Oracle Corp: The software firm on Thursday laid off hundreds of employees, rescinded job offers and cut back open positions within its health unit, the Insider reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. Oracle's health unit includes electronic medical records firm Cerner which it acquired for $28.3 billion, its biggest ever deal, in December last year. The layoffs were largely due to Cerner's challenged work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which hired Cerner to replace its homemade medical records with Cerner's technology, the report said. The laid-off employees will receive severance pay equal to four weeks, plus one additional week for every year of service and a payout of vacation days, the report added.

Spotify Technology SA: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's multi-year agreement with the streaming giant to produce podcasts has ended with just one series made. The Swedish company announced the partnership with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in late 2020 after they stepped down from royal duties and began to forge new careers in California. It was estimated by media to have been worth as much as $20 million or more. In a joint statement, Spotify and the royal couple's company said the agreement to produce future series had been terminated. "Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together," the statement said.

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc: The space tourism firm founded by Richard Branson said on Thursday its long-awaited commercial spaceflight service would launch later this month, sending its shares up in trading after the bell. The first spaceflight, called "Galactic 01", is planned between June 27 and June 30, the company said. "Galactic 02" will follow in early August, with monthly spaceflights expected thereafter, the company said. The first commercial mission will carry three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy to conduct microgravity research, Virgin Galactic said.

Walt Disney Co: The company's Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy is stepping down from her position to take family medical leave and will help search for a long-term successor, the company said on Thursday. Kevin Lansberry, currently chief financial officer for Disney's parks, experiences and products division, will serve as the company's interim CFO starting July 1. McCarthy, a 23-year Disney veteran who became CFO in 2015, will continue to serve as a strategic adviser to ensure a successful transition, Disney said in a statement. A source said McCarthy's husband has been ill. "Although I am leaving the CFO role, I look forward to helping with the transition and will always be rooting for the success of my extended Disney family," McCarthy said in a statement.

ECONOMIC DATA (EST)

1000?U Mich Sentiment Preliminary?for June: Expected 60.0; Prior 59.2

1000?U Mich Conditions Preliminary?for June: Expected 65.5; Prior 64.9

1000?U Mich Expectations Preliminary?for June: Expected 56.5; Prior 55.4

1000?U mich 1-year inflation preliminary?for June: Prior 4.2%

1000?U mich 5-year inflation preliminary?for June: Prior 3.1%

Europe, Asia, India

The?Bank of Japan?maintained ultra-easy monetary policy despite stronger-than-expected inflation, signaling it will remain a dovish outlier among global central banks and focus on supporting a fragile economic recovery.

The?U.S. Department of Energy?and several other?federal agencies?were hit in a global hacking campaign that exploited a vulnerability in widely used file-transfer software, officials said on Thursday.

European gas prices have doubled in just 10 trading days, highlighting how the market still remains on the edge over the continent’s gas supplies despite storage levels at record?highs for the time of year. In Thursday trading the price of the European gas benchmark Title Transfer Facility (TTF) rose as much as 27 per cent on the day to €49.50 per megawatt hour, its highest level since early April. At the start of June, TTF had fallen to as low as a two-year low of €23/MwH.

While prices are still down substantially from their peaks last summer, when the cut off of Russian pipeline supplies propelled TTF to eye-watering heights above €340/MwH, traders said market participants remain jittery. Underscoring the volatility, TTF prices later momentarily traded below the previous day’s close before rising 7.3 per cent at €42.80.

China?will roll out more stimulus to support a slowing economy this year, but concerns over debt and capital flight will keep measures targeted at shoring up weak demand in the consumer and private sectors, sources involved in policy discussions said.

Bayer?agreed on Thursday to pay $6.9 million to settle claims by New York Attorney General Letitia James that it misled consumers by advertising Roundup weedkiller, which has been linked to cancer, as environmentally safe.

ITV?is exploring a deal to buy production group All3Media from its joint owners?Warner Bros Discovery?and?Liberty Global?to combine the business with its Studios unit, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Strong winds, heavy rain and high tides lashed India's Gujarat coast late on Thursday as cyclone Biparjoy made landfall after authorities there and in neighbouring Pakistan had evacuated more than 180,000 people to safety.

Merchandise trade deficit rose faster-than-expected in May, due to a fall in demand in developed countries, a top trade official said on Thursday.

National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development's (NaBFID) debut bond issue got bids nearly five times the size of its base issue and traders expect a similar response for future debt sales by India's newest infrastructure lender.

India's government is planning to ask lawyers to keep a record of all transactions with their clients and share any suspicious activity with authorities, as New Delhi looks to strengthen its money laundering laws, two sources familiar with the plan told Reuters.

Export-Import Bank plans to step up investments under a government-supported line of credit programme to finance Indian companies looking to access fast-growing African markets, the bank's top official said, part of a move to expand trade ties.

Baidu Inc: The Chinese tech firm said that it has obtained a commercial licence from regulators for its driverless ride-hailing service in parts of Shenzhen, the country's tech hub. Its fleet of driverless robotaxis, under the brand Apollo Go, will be allowed to operate and collect fares from passengers across an area of 188 square km in Shenzhen, the company said. Baidu has obtained licences from three other Chinese cities including Wuhan, Chongqing and Beijing to offer fully driverless service there. But in Beijing, the company is still waiting for a commercial licence. Baidu also said it plans to put an additional 200 fully driverless robotaxis on the road this year.

Stellantis NV: The world's No.3 carmaker will unveil its first European-made affordable electric car in mid-October, the new Citro?n e-C3, as it gears up to counter the arrival of lower-cost Chinese brands in the European market. The new e-C3, a city car larger than these two models, is a timely addition to the market as it will sell for under 25,000 euros, Citro?n CEO Thierry Koskas told journalists. "Today there is no equivalent on the market," he said, adding the car "could be a good candidate (...) to respond to the government's request to provide social leasing." Built on Stellantis' "smart car" architecture introduced in India and Latin America, the vehicle will be assembled in Slovakia and will launch early in 2024, Koskas said.

Toyota Motor Corp: Japan will give the automaker up to $841 million in subsidies for investment in domestic production of batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said. "As the international competition for storage batteries is intensifying, competition for capital investment is also becoming more intense," Nishimura told reporters at a media conference. "Large-scale investments by Toyota group and so on will hopefully lead to a significant strengthening of our country's supply chain for storage batteries," he said. The government said mass production of the batteries was expected to start in stages from October 2026 onwards.

Xpeng Inc: The Chinese electric vehicle maker on Thursday expanded its self-driving capability to Beijing as part of the automaker's expanded launch of City NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) across the mainland. City NGP is now available in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, with plans to expand it to dozens of cities within this year, Xpeng said in a statement. Xpeng said the latest launch made the company China's first Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) available in the urban areas of Beijing and applicable on the major ring roads and expressways. City NGP can be accessed on some Xpeng models including G9 Max, P7i Max, and the P5 P version, it added.

ECONOMIC DATA (GMT)

0700?Austria HICP Final mm?for May: Prior 0.1%

0700?Austria HICP Final yy?for May: Prior 8.7%

0700?Austria CPI yy NSA?for May: Prior 9.72%

0700?Austria CPI mm NSA?for May: Prior 0.76%

0700?Austria CPI NSA?for May: Prior 119.7

0800?Italy CPI Excluding Tobacco?for May: Prior 118.4

0800?Italy CPI Excluding Tobacco m/m?for May: Prior 7.9%

0800?Italy Consumer Prices Final mm?for May: Expected 0.3%; Prior 0.3%

0800?Italy Consumer Prices Final yy?for May: Expected 7.6%; Prior 7.6%

0800?Italy CPI (EU Norm) Final mm?for May: Expected 0.3%; Prior 0.3%

0800?Italy CPI (EU Norm) Final yy?for May: Expected 8.1%; Prior 8.1%

0900?Euro Zone HICP Final mm?for May: Expected 0.0%; Prior 0.6%

0900?Euro Zone HICP Final yy?for May: Expected 6.1%; Prior 6.1%

0900?Euro Zone HICP-X F&E mm?for May: Expected 0.3%; Prior 0.9%

0900?Euro Zone HICP-X F&E Final yy?for May: Expected 6.9%; Prior 6.9%

0900?Euro Zone HICP-X Tobacco mm?for May: Prior 0.6%

0900?Euro Zone HICP-X tobacco yy?for May: Prior 7.0%

0900?Euro Zone HICP-X F, E, A, T Final mm?for May: Expected 0.2%; Prior 0.2%

0900?Euro Zone HICP-X F,E,A&T Final yy?for May: Expected 5.3%; Prior 5.3%

0900?Euro Zone HICP Ex-Tobacco Revised?for May: Prior 122.79

0900?Euro Zone HICP Excl Tobacco Unrevised?for May: Prior 122.79

0900?Euro Zone Labour Costs yy?for Q1: Prior 5.7%

0900?Euro Zone Wages In Euro Zone?for Q1: Prior 5.1%

Source (but not limited too) Reuters, CNBC, Financial Post, Financial Times, Globe & Mail, InvestorIntel, Kitco, Refinitiv