By Staff Reporters
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(AP) — U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease. The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the first medicine that’s been convincingly shown to modestly slow Alzheimer’s cognitive decline.
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- Markets: Yesterday was yet another “good news is bad news” day on Wall Street. After the ADP employment report showed private sector companies added more than 2x the jobs that were forecast last month, stocks fell and Treasury yields surged—an indication that investors expect the Fed to resume hiking interest rates to cool down the job market. So, all eyes are on the non-farm payrolls report since a stronger-than-expected report could result in even more Fed rate hikes than currently expected. Here is where the major benchmarks ended yesterday:
- The S&P 500® Index was down 35.23 points (0.8%) at 4,411.59; the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was down 366.38 points (1.1%) at 33,922.26; the NASDAQ Composite (COMP) was down 112.61 points (0.8%) at 13,679.04.
- The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was up about 9 basis points at 4.035%.
- The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) was up 1.25 at 15.43.
Energy was among the weakest sectors despite crude oil futures touching a two-week high.
Regional banks and Consumer Discretionary stocks were also lower. Volatility expectations based on the VIX jumped to their highest level since late May.
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Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", "Doctors Only", Alerts Sign-Up, Drugs and Pharma, Ethics, Health Law & Policy, Healthcare Finance, Investing | Tagged: ADP, Alzheimer's disease, DJIA, DOW, FDA, fed, FOMC, Leqembi, medicare, NASDAQ, non-farm payrolls, regional banks, S&P 500, Treasury yields, VIX | Leave a comment »















