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Canada

PRE-OPEN North American markets are higher?as?oil?prices jumped more than 1%, while?Wall Street futures?edged higher ahead of an eagerly awaited speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole summit for hints on the outlook for interest rates.?European shares?rose, led by mining and energy stocks. Japan's?Nikkei?ended 2% lower, as chip-related heavyweights Advantest and Tokyo Electron dropped.?Gold?prices eased as the?U.S. dollar?held firm near an 11-week peak against major peers.

CMC Metals Ltd. (TSXV: CMB) (Frankfurt:ZM5P) (OTCQB:CMCXF)?has filed for approval to close the first tranche of the financing for aggregate gross proceeds of $214,250, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. On receipt of the TSX Venture Exchange approval to close this first tranche, the company will issue 812,500 flow-through (FT) units at 12-cents and 1,167,500 non-flow-through (NFT) units at 10-cents.

Each FT unit consists of one flow-through common share of the company and one half of one common share purchase warrant, with each full warrant exercisable to purchase an additional common share of the company for 15 cents for 24 months from the date of issue.

Each NFT unit consists of one common share of the company of the company and one half of common share purchase warrant, with each full warrant exercisable to purchase an additional common share of the company for 15 cents for 24 months from the date of issue.

Subject to exchange approval, cash finders' fees in the amount of $5,055 will be paid and 12,000 broker warrants will be issued.

The first tranche of the financing has participation from three insiders, subscribing for a total of $41,000, which portion of the financing is a related party transaction as such term is defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101, Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. The company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation requirement of MI-61-101 under sections 5.5(a) and 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 in respect of the transaction as the fair market value of the transaction, insofar as it involves the interested party, is not more than 25 per cent of the company's market capitalization.

All securities issued pursuant to the financing will be subject to a four-month hold.

The net proceeds from the sale of FT Units will be used to fund the Company's exploration program at its Silverknife and Silver Hart Properties in the Rancheria Silver District, (Yukon/British Columbia). The net proceeds from the sale of NFT Units will also be used for general working capital.

Athabasca Minerals Inc. (TSXV: AMI), announces its Q2 Financial Statements for the second-quarter ending June 30, 2023. The Q2 2023 Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis are available on SEDAR+ at?www.sedarplus.ca?and on the Corporation's website at?www.athabascaminerals.com.

Q2 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Signed multi-year transload agreement for the delivery of silica sand into the Grande Prairie, Alberta region.

Signed an 18-month sand supply agreement with a leading North American oilfield services firm for a total minimum commitment of 360,000 tons, subject to pricing adjustments.

Closed a definitive sale agreement with an arm's length purchaser to divest of certain non-core assets within the aggregates division for total cash consideration of C$3.2 million.

Canaccord Genuity continued the exploration of strategic alternatives for the Corporation.

Q2 2023 FINANCIAL RESULTS

In the second quarter of 2023, Athabasca reported consolidated revenue of $14.4 million (compared to $7.5 million in Q2 2022), a gain of 92%, driven mainly by increasing revenue from industrial sand. Industrial sand revenue was $13.0 million, which is 90% of reported consolidated revenue. Total comprehensive loss in Q2 2023 is ($606,145) versus total comprehensive loss of ($4,770,632) in Q2 2022, an improvement of $4,164,487. Athabasca recognized a gross profit of ($453,272) in Q2 2023, versus gross profit of ($401,098) in Q2 2022. The Corporation incurred a depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DDA") expense of $1,306,036 in Q2 2023 versus a DDA expense of $1,012,177 in Q2 2022.

Dana Archibald, Chief Executive Officer, states: "AMI Silica LLC's transload network has proven to be a key part of the Corporation's sales growth over the last several months. We are seeing higher demand for our sand despite the challenges that we faced throughout the second quarter, including wildfires, rail outages and floods. April and May of this year proved to be extremely challenging throughout our industry and Silica LLC was no exception, however we saw a healthy rebound in June. In addition, the recent disposition of non-core assets in Alberta provides AMI the opportunity to allocate resources to focus on our sand assets in both Canada and the US."

BluMetric Environmental Inc. (TSXV: BLM),?a full-service environmental consulting and engineering cleantech firm, announces its financial results for the third quarter ended June 30, 2023.

Financial Highlights

Revenue?for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, was $6.9 million, compared to $8.4 million for the same period in 2022. For the nine months ended June 30, 2023, revenue totaled $24.8 million, compared to $24.4 million in the corresponding period of 2022.

Gross margin?for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, was 15%, and the year-to-date gross margin for fiscal 2023 amounted to 20%. This compared to 23% for the same quarter in the previous year and 24% year-to-date for fiscal 2022.

EBITDA?(see definition below) for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, was negative $0.7 million, compared to $0.6 million in the same quarter of the previous year. Year-to-date EBITDA for fiscal 2023 was $0.6 million, compared to $2.0 million year-to-date for fiscal 2022.

Net loss?for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, was $0.7 million, compared to net earnings of $0.3 million in the same quarter of the previous year. Year-to-date net loss for fiscal 2023 was $0.2 million, compared to net earnings of $1.1 million year-to-date for fiscal 2022.

Net cash?(see definition below) as at June 30, 2023 was $3.9 million, compared to net cash of $4.5 million at June 30, 2022.

Business Outlook

BluMetric continues to execute its long-term growth initiatives while navigating a more challenging operational backdrop in the second half of this fiscal year.

During this quarter, the Company faced obstacles in revenue generation due to schedule delays, particularly with respect to the Company's Northern projects. These challenges are expected to continue into the next quarter due to recent widespread forest fires.

There was a decline in gross margin, which was also impacted by one-time costs arising from a custom wastewater treatment system to a mining client. Additionally, the Company made key investments into its employees and its corporate culture, which featured an off-site conference focused on leadership and long-term growth.

Execution challenges on certain projects have influenced this quarter's financial performance. BluMetric is actively addressing these challenges with the goal of restoring a gross margin that aligns with its historical levels.

The Company continues to be pleased with progress in its growth initiatives which has helped drive a strong backlog. This achievement can be attributed to recent strategic business development activities, as well as steady demand for comprehensive environmental solutions within the Company's four key client markets (Commercial & Industrial, Government, Military, and Mining). In particular, the Company is exploring broader market opportunities for its agile water and wastewater products in an effort to monetize its product know-how

Canada Carbon Inc.?(TSXV:CCB),(FF:U7N1)?announce that it has entered into an Amended Surface Access Agreement (the “Surface AccessAgreement”) with 9007-2224 Quebec Inc. (the “Landholder”) in respect to its Miller Property located in Grenville Township in Quebec (the “Miller Property”). The Surface Access Agreement, which supersedes the Amended Surface Access Agreement dated August 17, 2018, provides the Company with surface access for another five years commencing on August 17, 2023 (the “Term”) and allows the Company to carry out a regular graphite prospecting and exploration program including, but not limited to, conducting topographic, geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys, conducting underground or surface excavations, explorations and drillings, digging and trenching, and obtaining and testing geochemical or metallurgic samples.

Pursuant to the Surface Access Agreement, and subject to the prior approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company has agreed to pay the Landholder $8,000 in cash (plus applicable tax) in the first year of the Term, and for each subsequent year of the Term and until the Company begins operating the Miller Property as a mine (not including milling for the purposes of testing or milling by a pilot plant) (“Commercial Production”), the Landholder may elect to receive either 40,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, or a payment of $8,000 in cash (plus applicable tax).

Should Canada Carbon begin Commercial Production during the Term, the payments outlined above will cease and the Landholder will be entitled to a 2.5% net smelter royalty upon and subject to the terms of a Royalty Agreement with the Landholder (the “Royalty Agreement”).

The Surface Access Agreement grants the Company an exclusive and irrevocable option to acquire or lease all or part of the Miller Property from the Landholder reasonably necessary for the extraction of mineral substances (the “Option”). If the Company exercises the Option, either by acquiring or leasing all or part of the Miller Property prior to the expiry of the Term, the Term will be extended through the period of Commercial Production.

Deep-South Resources Inc. (TSXV: DSM)?announces a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for the sale of up to 30,769,231 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.065 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to C$2,000,000. Red Cloud Securities Inc. will be acting as a finder in connection with the Offering.

Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of C$0.10 for a period of 24 months from the issue date of the Unit.

The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for the advancement of the Haib Copper project in Namibia, its exploration properties in Zambia and for general working capital purposes.

The Offering is expected to close in two tranches, with the closing of the initial tranche expected to occur on / or about August 30, 2023 and the closing of the final tranche is expected to occur in mid-September 2023. The closing of the Offering is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the listing of the Common Shares issuable from the sale of the Units on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Common Shares and any Common Shares issuable from the sale of the Units and upon the exercise of the Warrants will be subject to a hold period ending on the date that is four months and one day from the issue date of the Unit in accordance with applicable securities laws. A finder's fee may be paid on a portion of the proceeds from the Offering.?

Green Impact Partners (TSXV: GIP)??provides an update on its renewable natural gas ("RNG") projects and a summary of its second quarter 2023 results.

"We're excited about our efforts to transform waste into energy which is driving remarkable strides toward a more sustainable future and a significant positive effect on the environment," said Jesse Douglas, Chief Executive Officer. "I'm pleased with the headway we're making on our flagship project - the Future Energy Park. We have assembled an exceptional team of architects, engineers, planners, environmental specialists, and landscape architects to build a landmark facility showcasing the technological ingenuity involved in the production of biofuels in the Province of Alberta."

Second Quarter Highlights

Commissioning Activities Approach Completion at GreenGas Colorado RNG Facility ("GreenGas"):Commissioning activities continue at GreenGas Colorado with commercial operations at full plant capacity anticipated in the coming weeks. While the commissioning process has taken longer than anticipated, design and component system testing results and early gas production are favorable with the facility expected to produce gas at or above the expected run-rate production of 360,000 MMBtu per year.

Close of $10 Million Private Placement:?In June 2023, GIP closed a private placement of 1,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company at a price of $10.00 per share for gross proceeds of $10.0 million. The net proceeds of the private placement are earmarked for continued project expenditures on Future Energy Park to allow GIP to commence earthwork activities in the coming weeks, and for general and administrative purposes and working capital requirements until financial close with Amber Infrastructure Group ("Amber Infrastructure") occurs, anticipated in late 2023.

Future Energy Park Achieves Key Regulatory Milestone:?In July 2023, GIP received approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission ("AUC") to construct and operate a 30-MW natural gas-fired cogeneration facility for the Future Energy Park. The cogeneration plant will provide high efficiency steam and electricity to the biofuels facility as part of its integrated operations philosophy. GIP is working with the City of Calgary to secure municipal permits and anticipates starting earthworks activities at the project site in the coming weeks.

Revenue:?Revenues decreased by $29.8 million and $36.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, due to lower volumes and commodity prices as compared to the same periods in the prior year.

Adjusted EBITDA:?Adjusted EBITDA increased by $1.0 million and decreased by $1.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, as compared to the same periods in the prior year. These results are mainly due to a decrease in direct costs because of lower commodity prices and improved margins due to measures implemented by the Company to manage upward cost pressure, offset in the first three months of 2023 by increased electricity and regulatory costs.

For a more detailed discussion on GIP's results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, please see the Company's financial statements and management's discussion & analysis ("MD&A"), which are available at:?https://www.greenipi.com/investors/?and on the Company's SEDAR page at?www.sedar.com.

Honey Badger Silver Inc.?(TSXV: TUF)?provides an update on its ongoing exploration work at its wholly owned Plata Silver Project, Yukon.? The project is located in eastern Yukon, adjacent to Snowline Gold Corp.’s Rogue Project.? Field work completed this year was undertaken by a crew contracted from Archer Cathro & Associates (1981) Limited and included prospecting, geological mapping, and geochemical sampling. ?A total of 308 soil and 56 rock chip samples were collected and are being assayed.? Assay results will be released when they have been received and interpreted.? The objective of this year’s field program was to further define the exploration targets at Plata and to define drill targets for future testing.

The Company’s CEO, Dorian L. (Dusty) Nicol, commented, “We remain very excited about the exploration potential at our Plata Project.? Our confidence in Plata’s potential has been fueled by recent announcements by Snowline Gold Corp.from their Rogue Project, adjacent to Plata.? Our geologic mapping this year continues to identify mineralization in a geologic setting similar to Rogue, associated with structures that provided pathways for mineralizing fluids from intrusions.? We look forward to receiving the assay results from this season’s sampling so that we can interpret them and plan the next steps of work.? Meanwhile, the field crews have mobilized to our Groundhog andClear Lake projects.”

Multiple new zones of mineralization were observed during the program, associated with previously identified soil geochemical anomalies.? Mineralization observed comprised sulphides and iron oxides?associated with silicification and quartz-veining.? Field observations will be collated with assay data when they become available.? This will lead to recommendations for the next phase of work on this project. ?View this email in your browser

i-80 GOLD CORP. (TSX: IAU) (NYSE:IAUX)?is pleased to report additional positive results from exploration drilling at the Company’s 100%-owned Ruby Hill Property (“Ruby Hill” or “the Property”) located in Eureka County, Nevada. ?The 2023 program continues to expand high-grade polymetallic mineralization in multiple zones and has resulted in new discoveries.

?While awaiting approvals (now received) for additional land disturbance permitting the Company to construct road and drill pads for the expansion of the exploration program along the Hilltop Corridor, drilling has been focused on the Blackjack deposit and also the East Hilltop Zones. These zones?were discovered late in the 2022 program (East Hilltop skarn) and early in 2023 (East Hilltop CRD). Drilling in 2023 has intersected high-grade mineralization in multiple target areas including in step-out drilling where mineralization remains wide open for expansion.??

“Drilling at Ruby Hill continues to return results that confirm the Property’s capability to be a flagship asset for i-80 with high-grade polymetallic base metal mineralization occurring immediately adjacent to the high?grade Ruby Deeps gold deposit.”, stated Tyler Hill, Chief Geologist of i-80. “Our drill program demonstrates significant potential to expand mineralization with all zones open for expansion and multiple high-priority anomalies identified from geophysical surveys remain untested.” In addition to drilling, geophysical surveys are being completed to cover the Hilltop Corridor to the FAD deposit that was acquired earlier in the year with the takeover of Paycore Minerals. Multiple anomalies have been identified for follow-up exploration. Drill Program In mid-2022, the Upper Hilltop Zone was discovered with an intercept of?515.3 g/t Ag, 28.9 % Pb, 10.5 % Zn and 0.9 g/t Au over 28.3 m?in hole iRH22-43 (see press release dated August 30, 2022). This led to the definition of multiple polymetallic CRD and skarn zones to the south of the Blackjack deposit, on the south side of the Archimedes pit, situated along the Hilltop fault structure. Mineralization has now been defined over a strike length of approximately 750 metres including the Upper, Lower and East Hilltop Zones?

Current drilling is focused on the Blackjack and East Hilltop Zones until new drill set-ups are constructed for delineation and expansion drilling and to resume definition of the Upper Hilltop Zone.

Blackjack Zone?– The Blackjack deposit was identified by previous owners, Homestake and Barrick, immediately under the Archimedes pit when poly-metallic skarn mineralization was discovered below the Archimedes pit (see Figure 1). Due to its location beneath an inaccessible area in the pit, the Company is utilizing directional core drilling to upgrade Blackjack to resource status.?Step-out drill hole iRH23-18A extends mineralization to the south with the most impressive skarn intercept received to date since i-80 commenced drilling at Ruby Hill.?

Recent drilling in the Blackjack Zone has also identified CRD mineralization in drilling in the upper central portion of the deposit (assays pending). The Blackjack deposit occurs to the west of the Graveyard Flats intrusive and is underlain by Carlin-type gold mineralization (Lower Jack), neither of which are part of the current mineral resource at Ruby Hill. East Hilltop Skarn?– Late in the 2022 drilling program, high-grade skarn mineralization was discovered in the East Hilltop target area with an intercept of?12.3 % Zn over 39.6 m?(see press release dated Dec. 19, 2022, and Fig. 1). This mineralization is located to the south of, and in a near-identical geological setting as the Blackjack deposit. Follow-up drilling continues to expand skarn mineralization at East Hilltop and has also discovered high-grade CRD mineralization.

UGE International Ltd. (TSXV: UGE) (OTCQB: UGEIF)?a leader in the commercial and community solar sector, is pleased to announce it has closed (the "Closing") its previously announced overnight marketed offering of debentures (the "Green Bonds") having an aggregate principal amount of US$5,882,000, for aggregate gross proceeds of US$5,749,655 (which includes the exercise in full by the Underwriters (as defined below) of their over-allotment option) (the "Offering"). The Offering was conducted by a syndicate of underwriters led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. (the "Lead Underwriter"), acting as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, and iA Private Wealth Inc. (together with the Lead Underwriter, the "Underwriters"), pursuant to the terms of an underwriting agreement dated August 21, 2023 among the Company and the Underwriters.

The Green Bonds are denominated in United States dollars, and issued at a price of US$977.50 per US$1,000 principal amount. The Green Bonds will mature on September 30, 2027 and will bear interest at a rate of 9% per annum, payable semi-annually in United States dollars in arrears commencing March 31, 2024. The Green Bonds are secured against a pool of the Company's projects that have reached UGE's stage 3.1 or higher, as determined by the Company (the "Pledged Projects") by a pledge to each subscriber of Green Bonds (a "Subscriber") of the equity interests in the Pledged Projects. UGE has covenanted with Subscribers to maintain a minimum coverage ratio of the value of the Pledged Projects equal to 150% of the aggregate amount of obligations outstanding under the Green Bonds.

Net proceeds from the Offering will be utilized for the development of solar and energy storage projects of UGE and its subsidiaries. Computershare Trust Company of Canada will act as the trustee for the Green Bonds.

At the Closing, pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, the Company (i) paid to the Underwriters a fee equal to 7% of the aggregate principal amount of the Green Bonds sold under the Offering; (ii) issued to the Underwriters an aggregate of 150,267 underwriters' warrants (collectively, the "Underwriters' Warrants"), each Underwriters' Warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire one Common share of the Company at an exercise price of $1.3392 for a period of 24 months from its date of issuance; and (iii) reimbursed the Underwriters for their reasonable expenses in connection with the Offering.?

TC Energy Corp:?The company was seeking regulatory approval to transfer a stake in the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd System to another corporate entity, which would facilitate the sale of the stake to Indigenous groups, according to a regulatory filing. The filing, dated Aug. 18, requested the Canadian energy regulator to approve transfer of ownership of the NGTL System to NGTL GP from NGTL on behalf of NGTL LP. The move is "to support business optimization and facilitate potential future minority ownership of the system, including possible participation from Indigenous groups," TC Energy said. TC Energy requested a decision by Nov. 1 to allow for reorganization by Jan. 1, 2024. Toronto-Dominion Bank:?said it expects fines and "non-monetary" penalties related to investigations by U.S. authorities over its anti-money laundering compliance program. TD, Canada's No. 2 lender, made the disclosure as part of its quarterly earnings, in which it said it has been cooperating with U.S. authorities, including in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. "The bank is cooperating with such authorities and is pursuing efforts to enhance its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering compliance program," TD said in the filing. "While the ultimate outcomes of these inquiries and investigations are unknown at this time, the Bank anticipates monetary and/or non-monetary penalties to be imposed." ECONOMIC DATA (EDT) 1100?Budget balance?for June: Prior C$3.35 bln 1100?Budget, year to date?for June: Prior C$1.52 bln CORPORATE DATA (EDT) 1000?Velan Inc: Annual Shareholders Meeting EX-DIV First Quantum Minerals Ltd: Amount C$0.08

World Markets

EURO SOXX 50 futures?were down 8 points at 4,236,?FTSE futures?lost 10 points to 7,338.5, and?German DAX futures?dropped 46 points at 15,624, by 0430 GMT. Japanese stocks?slumped, as chip-related heavyweights Advantest and Tokyo Electron dropped after U.S.-listed shares of tech darling Nvidia ended flat overnight despite a robust outlook and record quarterly revenue. Oil?rose but headed for a second week of decline, as the?dollar?firmed before a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell while concerns over tight supply eased. S&P 500 Index Mini Futures: 4,388.25; up 0.05%; 2.25 points DJIA Mini Futures: 34,185.00; up 0.13%; 45 points Nikkei: 31,679.63; down 1.88%; 607.58 points MSCI Asia, Ex-JP: 504.18; up 1.3%; 6.49 points EUR/USD: $1.0781; down 0.28%; 0.0031 point GBP/USD: $1.2566; down 0.28%; 0.0035 point USD/JPY: 146.11 yen; up 0.15%; 0.22 point Spot Gold: $1,913.50; down 0.21%; $3.93 U.S. Crude: $79.35; up 0.38%; $0.30 Brent Crude: $83.63; up 0.32%; $0.27 10-Yr U.S. Treasury Yield: 4.2463%; up 0.012 point 10-Yr Bund Yield: 2.5255%; up 0.004 point

US

Futures are slightly higher as investors await Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Dow Jones Industrial Average?futures?were up 76 points, or 0.2%. Futures tied to the?S&P 500?futures rose 0.2%, while?Nasdaq-100?futures ticked 0.1% higher. The?summit in Jackson Holebrings together central bankers and key financial officials from across the world, and Powell has often used the occasion to push policy agendas for the Fed. This year, with inflation decelerating and a recession looking less likely, many expect Powell to feel less of a need to guide the markets and he may take a more down-the-middle approach.?

Alphabet Inc: Google has beat back a lawsuit by the Republican National Committee, for now, that accuses the tech giant of misdirecting the political party's email messages to users' spam folders. U.S. District Judge Daniel Calabretta in Sacramento, California, said the RNC's claims "fail as a matter of law" in the lawsuit, which alleged Google had intentionally or negligently sent RNC fundraising emails to Gmail users' spam folders and cost the group hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential donations. The judge, calling the case "close," said he would allow the RNC to file an amended complaint. Calabretta also found that Google was protected by a provision of the Communications Decency Act — Section 230 — that provides some check against liability of technology companies based on the actions of their users. AngloGold Ashanti Ltd: The company said it has closed its loss-making Corrego do Sitio (CDS) mine in Brazil to lower costs and stem runaway losses. The Johannesburg-based gold miner said the workforce at the mine will be reduced while it is placed on "care and maintenance" -- a process that involves preserving the operation's vital infrastructure during the time it's not producing gold. "The mine has been unable to sustain itself or to fund the capital needed to ensure its long-term future," it said. Catalent Inc?&?Novo Nordisk A/S: Novo Nordisk plans to launch its hugely popular Wegovy weight-loss drug in more countries, albeit in a "constrained" manner as it will take years before it can meet global demand, CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said. Jorgensen told a Reuters Newsmaker event that the company was planning to launch the drug in more countries while at the same time "trying to constrain all these launches." "This is a very unusual situation to be in for a pharmaceutical company because typically when you launch medicines, you have a relatively well-defined population that you're going to serve," Jorgensen said. "We're dealing with perhaps a billion patients around the world," he said, adding it would "take quite some years" before the company can satisfy the whole market. Separately, Novo Nordisk said its hugely popular drug Wegovy was shown to ease heart failure in obese people, as the Danish drugmaker seeks to further build its case for the medicine's health benefits beyond weight loss. In a statement, the company said that after one year on Wegovy, participants in the late-stage study had a 16.6-point improvement on a 100-point health scale based on a range of heart failure-related criteria. Meanwhile, Jorgensen said he was confident Catalent would resolve its problems making Novo's hugely popular weight-loss drug Wegovy as the company scrambles to boost output to meet soaring demand. Charles River Laboratories International Inc: The company has signed a joint agreement with four entities to enhance protections in South Carolina for horseshoe crabs and a bird that feeds on their eggs, they said on Thursday. The crabs, prized for their milky-blue blood that is used to detect bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs or implants, have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The agreement restricts the collection of horseshoe crab on the beaches of over 30 islands across the South Carolina coast and prohibits the temporary placement of female horseshoe crabs in holding ponds so they continue to spawn on the state's beaches, among other measures. The joint agreement was signed by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, private companies Gault Seafood and Marsh Point Farm and the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is representing Defenders of Wildlife and the Coastal Conservation League. Chevron Corp?&?Woodside Energy Group Ltd: Unions at the company's liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Australia warned that work stoppages could cost the U.S. energy major billions of dollars if demands over wages and conditions were not met. The warning came even as workers at a nearby Woodside facility voted to approve a deal struck by the same unions. In a Facebook post, the union alliance said of Chevron's senior management team: "Their stupidity is about to cost them $billions in lost production and profit." The unions also criticised the company for putting a proposal directly to a worker vote without going through the bargaining process, and the unions threatened industrial action. General Motors Co: A joint venture battery plant said on Thursday it will hike the wages of workers at its Ohio plant by an average of 25% after some U.S. senators blasted the facility for paying workers as little as $16 an hour. Ultium Cells, a joint venture of General Motors and LG Energy Solution, said workers must still ratify the interim wage increase that takes effect Aug. 28. The UAW said the increase is worth $3 to $4 an hour for workers. The interim wage increase will be retroactive to December 2022 and some workers will receive between $3,000 to $7,000, based on hours worked. Halliburton Co?&?ProFrac Holding Corp: Halliburton failed to convince a U.S. federal jury on Thursday that a unit of rival oilfield services company ProFrac infringed its electric-fracking patents. The jury in Waco, Texas, agreed with ProFrac's U.S. Well Services that the company's "Clean Fleet" technology did not work in the same way as Halliburton's patented technology for electric fracking, or "e-frac," which has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional fracking. The jury also determined that two of the three Halliburton patents at issue were invalid.

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc: The company's shares slumped before the bell as the utility suspended its dividend, while S&P Global Ratings downgraded its credit rating deeper into "junk" territory amid scrutiny over its role in the Maui wildfires. The largest power supplier in the island state said it would invest $200 million that it withdrew from its credit account in highly liquid assets along with the $170 million drawn by parent Hawaiian Electric Industries to shore up its balance sheet. S&P Global Ratings cited the utility's likely inconsistent access to capital markets after the wildfire to downgrade the firm and its units to 'B-' from 'BB-', its second rating cut this month. The Honolulu-based company is being sued by Maui county which has alleged that it acted negligently by failing to shut down power, leading to wildfires on Aug.8 that destroyed the coastal town of Lahaina and killed more than 114 people. Lockheed Martin Corp: Sikorsky, a unit of the company, said on Thursday it was awarded a $2.7 billion contract by the U.S. Navy to build 35 additional CH-53K helicopters. The CH-53K has three times the carrying power of its predecessor and made its international debut at the Berlin Air Show in 2018. The agreement includes 12 U.S. Marine Corps Lot 7 aircraft, 15 U.S. Marine Corps Lot 8 aircraft, and eight aircraft for Israel.

Marvell Technology Inc: The chipmaker posted a fall in second-quarter revenue, as weak enterprise market along with economic uncertainty weighed on demand for its chips and networking hardware. The company, which makes equipment such as switches and adaptors, projected revenue of $1.40 billion, plus or minus 5%, for the third quarter, the lower end of which is below analyst expectations of $1.39 billion. Marvell forecast per share earnings of 40 cents, plus or minus 5 cents for the third quarter, which was in line with expectations. Its revenue fell 12% from a year earlier to $1.34 billion. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 33 cents compared with estimates of a profit of 32 cents.?? Merck & Co: The drugmaker and partner Eisai said they will shut down a late-stage study testing an experimental combination therapy for a type of head and neck cancer after an interim analysis showed it failed to prolong lives of patients. The therapy, Merck's Keytruda in combination with Eisai's Lenvima, failed to achieve statistical significance in one of the three main goals of the study, the companies said. The combination therapy is approved in the United States for the treatment of a type of kidney cancer and certain types of cancers in the lining of the uterus. Tesla Inc: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will resolve its two-year investigation into Tesla Autopilot and could make a public announcement soon, the agency's acting head told Reuters. "We'll get to a resolution (of the Tesla probe)," Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson told Reuters in an interview at the agency's headquarters. She declined to discuss how the Tesla investigation might be resolved, but added "hopefully you'll hear something relatively soon." Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Separately,? India is working on a new electric vehicle policy that would slash import taxes for automakers that commit to some local manufacturing, following a proposal by Tesla which is considering entering the domestic market, people with direct knowledge said. ECONOMIC DATA (EDT) 1000?U Mich Sentiment Final?for Aug: Expected 71.2; Prior 71.2 1000?U Mich Conditions Final?for Aug: Prior 77.4 1000?U Mich Expectations Final?for Aug: Prior 67.3 1000?U mich 1-year inflation final?for Aug: Prior 3.3% 1000?U mich 5-year inflation final?for Aug: Prior 2.9%

Europe, Asia, India

Russian President?Vladimir Putin?sent his condolences to the family of?Yevgeny Prigozhin?on Thursday, breaking his silence after the mercenary leader's plane crashed with no survivors two months after he led a mutiny against army chiefs. HSBC?said on Thursday it has expanded venture debt offering to early-stage startups through its U.S. innovation banking division. British retailer the?John Lewis?said it is recruiting for more than 10,000 jobs over the coming months - 1,700 permanent positions and over 8,400 seasonal roles.?

India's monetary policy committee (MPC) will closely monitor the factors impacting inflation and take necessary action, although it expects the recent spike in food prices to be short-lived, minutes of the latest MPC meeting showed.

A broad rise in prices of food essentials in India driven by uneven and scanty rain is forcing the government into a series of measures to boost supplies and ease inflationary pressures.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg and highlighted concerns India has about border issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India's foreign secretary said.

Budget airline SpiceJet told a court on Thursday it was "struggling to stay afloat", as it was ordered to make a payment to its former owner over money owed.

Antfin is likely to sell a 3.6% stake in the Indian payments firm through a block deal on Friday as it further reduces its stake in the company, CNBC-TV18 reported on Thursday. ECONOMIC DATA (GMT)

0600?Germany GDP Detailed QQ SA for Q2: Expected 0.0%; Prior 0.0%

0600?Germany GDP Detailed YY NSA?for Q2: Expected -0.6%; Prior -0.6%

0600?Germany GDP Detailed YY SA for Q2: Expected -0.2%; Prior -0.2%

0600?Sweden Household Lending Growth YY for July: Prior 1.1%

0600?Sweden Broad Money?for July: Prior 4,797,678 mln SEK

0600?Sweden PPI MM?for July: Prior 1.5%

0600?Sweden PPI YY?for July: Prior -3.1%

0600?Sweden Unemployment Rate?for July: Prior 9.2%

0600?Sweden Unemployment Rate SA?for July: Prior 7.9%

0600?Sweden Total Employment?for July: Prior 5.394 mln

0630?Switzerland Non-Farm Payrolls?for Q2: Prior 5.389 mln

0800?Germany Ifo Business Climate New?for Aug: Expected 86.7; Prior 87.3

0800?Germany Ifo Current Conditions New?for Aug: Expected 90.0; Prior 91.3

0800?Germany Ifo Expectations New?for Aug: Expected 83.8; Prior 83.5

1000?France Unemployment Class-A SA?for July: Prior 2,792,800

1300?Belgium Leading Indicator?for Aug: Prior -14.8

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