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SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Biogen Inc. – BIIB

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Biogen Inc. (“Biogen” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BIIB).  Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Biogen and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. 


[Click here for information about joining the class action]
 

On November 6, 2020, Biogen issued a press release announcing that the Company’s proposed Alzheimer’s therapy had failed to win support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee.  Specifically, the press release disclosed that the Advisory Committee “voted 1 yes, 8 no and 2 uncertain on the question, ‘Does Study 302 (EMERGE), viewed independently and without regard for Study 301 (ENGAGE), provide strong evidence that supports the effectiveness of aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease?’.  The Advisory Committee also voted 0 yes, 7 no and 4 uncertain on the question, ‘Does Study 103 (PRIME) provide supportive evidence of the effectiveness of aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease?’, and 5 yes, 0 no and 6 uncertain on the question, ‘Has the Applicant presented strong evidence of a pharmacodynamic effect of aducanumab on Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology?’.  Finally, the Advisory Committee voted 0 yes, 10 no and 1 uncertain on the question, ‘In light of the understanding provided by the exploratory analyses of Study 301 and Study 302, along with the results of Study 103 and evidence of a pharmacodynamic effect on Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology, it is reasonable to consider Study 302 as primary evidence of the effectiveness of aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease?'”  Following the announcement, trading in Biogen stock was halted on November 6, 2020.  When trading resumed on November 9, 2020, Biogen’s stock price fell $92.64 per share, or 28.17%, to close at $236.26 per share on November 9, 2020.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP
[email protected] 
888-476-6529 ext. 7980

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

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Bambuser: Premiere of The Lobby Live, the First Studio of Its Kind in Europe

PR Newswire

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Lobby Live, a studio for Live Video Shopping and pop-up spaces for physical retail, is now opening in MOOD Stockholm. The Lobby Live is an initiative from AMF Fastigheter and the interactive live video provider Bambuser with the common goal of integrating digital and physical retail through innovative technology. The studio is the first of its kind in Europe.

AMF Fastigheter is the first real estate company in Sweden to enter into a partnership with Bambuser. Together, the companies are now inaugurating The Lobby Live in MOOD Stockholm to offer more brands to take part in the technology that links digital and physical retail. This is the first time Live Video Shopping is embedded into the offering of a shopping mall.

The initiative brings retailers the ability to secure short-term space in one of Sweden’s most fashionable retail districts. In addition to space for in-person shopping, The Lobby Live offers a studio in which they can host Live Video Shopping experiences using Bambuser’s platform.

– The Lobby Live is a unique initiative that links digital and physical retail. Retail has for a long time been in a shift where the boundaries between e-commerce and physical stores are increasingly blurred, The Lobby Live is a platform where offline and online can collaborate and strengthen each other in a symbiosis, says Annelie Gullström, Head for New Business and Innovation at AMF Fastigheter.

Interest in live shopping has grown sharply during the year and is now one of the major global retail trends in 2020. The Lobby Live enables more brands and retailers to test the format that increases both digital reach and sales and at the same time drives traffic to the physical store.

– In a short time, live shopping as a phenomenon has grown enormously strongly in China and interest is growing at an ever faster pace in Sweden and Europe. At Bambuser, we have further developed the concept to take it to the next level. The fact that we are now, together with AMF Fastigheter, opening Europe’s first studio for both digital and physical shopping is a milestone in the development of Live Video Shopping in both the Swedish and European markets, says Maryam Ghahremani, CEO of Bambuser.

By adding Live Video Shopping to their customer engagement strategies, retailers can give consumers opportunities to shop during hosted live streams with an integrated purchase function. During the broadcasts, which are often presented by experts, influencers and store staff, consumers can ask questions and interact with the hosts, which enhances the experience and provides a sense of urgency that boosts sales.

– For us at AMF Fastigheter, it feels fantastic to be able to offer retail players a unique way to market themselves, especially now during such challenging times. With The Lobby Live, they can meet their customers on a new and competitive platform that is not only a sales area but also an innovative marketing channel. It therefore feels incredibly exciting to be able to roll this out together with Bambuser today, concludes Anna Thelander, Head of Marketing and Communications at AMF Fastigheter.

Ai Eyewear and Valerie are some of the brands that have already signed up for The Lobby Live’s platform. The Lobby Live will be holding a public live show targeting Swedish retailers tomorrow Friday 4 December 2020 at 09:30 CET at thelobbystockholm.se/live

Contact information

Maryam Ghahremani, CEO Bambuser | +46 8 400 160 02 | [email protected] 

Tina Landelius, Communications Director AMF Fastigheter | +46 722 35 32 69 | [email protected]  

Bambuser is a software company specializing in interactive live video streaming. The Company’s primary product, Live Video Shopping, is a cloud-based software solution that is used by customers such as global e-commerce and retail businesses to host live shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps and social media. Bambuser was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Stockholm.

AMF Fastigheter is one of Sweden’s largest property investment and development companies, focusing mainly on urban commercial office and retail premises. AMF Fastigheter, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the pension company AMF, owns several shopping centers including Gallerian, MOOD Stockholm, Fältöversten, Västermalmsgallerian and Ringen Centrum with a property portfolio totaling a market value of approximately $8.2 billion (SEK 73 billion).

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bambuser/r/premiere-of-the-lobby-live–the-first-studio-of-its-kind-in-europe,c3247234

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SOURCE Bambuser

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ASE Technology Holding’s Subsidiary, USI Shanghai, Announces Completion of Acquisition of Asteelflash

PR Newswire

TAIPEI, Taiwan, R.O.C., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: ASX, TAIEX: 3711, “ASEH” or the “Company”), today announced the Company’s subsidiary, Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“USI”, SSE: 601231), has successfully completed the acquisition (the “Acquisition”) of 100% shares of Asteelflash Group through the acquisition of Asteelflash Group’s parent company, Financière AFG S.A.S. (“FAFG”).

The closing consideration was paid in an amount of US$421,481,287, including cash and share consideration. In addition to the payment of closing consideration, Universal Scientific Industrial (France) (“USI France”), USI’s wholly owned subsidiary, is obliged to pay an additional amount up to US$42,804,551 in cash, subject to an earn-out mechanism linked to FAFG’s business performance provided under the definitive agreement, after the end of year 2022. The cash consideration was in an amount of US$374,606,287 paid by USI France upon closing. Upon making payment of the cash consideration, USI France acquired 71,530,174 shares of FAFG (approximately 89.6% of the issued shares of FAFG). USI will issue 25,939,972 new shares as share consideration after closing (issue price of RMB 12.64 per share, in total RMB 327,881,250, in equivalent of US$46,875,000) in exchange for 8,317,462 shares of FAFG (approximately 10.4% of the issued shares of FAFG). As a result, USI has acquired 100% of FAFG’s total issued shares, 79,847,636 shares.

Asteelflash Group, headquartered in France, is a European leader in the electronics manufacturing services or EMS industry. Asteelflash Group’s current management team will continue in key management roles within USI. The combined companies’ customer portfolio, expanded global footprint and technological capabilities will allow for geographical market expansion along with broadened service offerings. USI and Asteelflash Group will immediately start to implement a synergy plan— leveraging combined sales, supply chain management and technology sharing. This combination is a major step in the expansion of USI’s international leadership position.

Safe Harbor Notice:

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Although these forward-looking statements, which may include statements regarding our future results of operations, financial condition or business prospects, are based on our own information and information from other sources we believe to be reliable, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this press release. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify these forward-looking statements in this press release. These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of our senior management and our actual results of operations, financial condition or business prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements for reasons including, among others, risks associated with cyclicality and market conditions in the semiconductor or electronic industry; changes in our regulatory environment, including our ability to comply with new or stricter environmental regulations and to resolve environmental liabilities; demand for the outsourced semiconductor packaging, testing and electronic manufacturing services we offer and for such outsourced services generally; the highly competitive semiconductor or manufacturing industry we are involved in; our ability to introduce new technologies in order to remain competitive; international business activities; our business strategy; our future expansion plans and capital expenditures; the strained relationship between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China; general economic and political conditions; the recent shift in United States trade policies; possible disruptions in commercial activities caused by natural or human-induced disasters; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and other factors. For a discussion of these risks and other factors, please see the documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the 2019 Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on March 31, 2020.

Investor Relations Contact:

 

 

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SOURCE ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.

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China Distance Education Holdings Limited to Report Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Results on Wednesday, December 16, 2020

PR Newswire

BEIJING, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) (“CDEL”, or the “Company”), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced that it plans to release unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2020 ended September 30, 2020, after market close on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. The earnings release will be available on the investor relations page of the Company’s website at http://ir.cdeledu.com.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, legal and other industries. The Company also offers online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, and practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

China Distance Education Holdings Limited
Jiao Jiao
Tel:  +86-10-8231-9999 ext. 1826
Email: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc. 
Jenny Cai 
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States: 

The Piacente Group, Inc.    
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1 212-481-2050
Email: [email protected]

 

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SOURCE China Distance Education Holdings Ltd.

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SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Reminds Shareholders with Losses on their Investment in Las Vegas Sands Corporation of Class Action Lawsuit and Upcoming Deadline – LVS

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Las Vegas Sands Corporation (“Las Vegas Sands” or the “Company”) (NYSE: LVS) and certain of its officers.  The class action, filed in United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and docketed under 20-cv-01958, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise, acquired Las Vegas Sands securities between February 27, 2016 and September 15, 2020, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants’ violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased Las Vegas Sands securities during the class period, you have until December 21, 2020, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class.  A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. 



[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Las Vegas Sands was founded in 1988 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Asia and the U.S., which offer various amenities.

Las Vegas Sands’ properties include, among others, the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore, which operates a casino.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business.  Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:  (i) weaknesses existed in Marina Bay Sands’ casino control measures pertaining to fund transfers; (ii) the Marina Bay Sands’ casino was consequently prone to illicit fund transfers that implicated, among other issues, the transfer of customer funds to unauthorized persons and potential breaches in the Company’s anti-money laundering procedures; (iii) the foregoing foreseeably increased the risk of litigation against the Company, as well as investigation and increased oversight by regulatory authorities; (iv) Las Vegas Sands had inadequate disclosure controls and procedures; (v) consequently, all the foregoing issues were untimely disclosed; and (vi) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On July 19, 2020, Bloomberg News reported that Las Vegas Sands had settled a lawsuit brought by a former patron, Wang Xi (“Xi”), meeting his demand for a S$9.1 million ($6.5 million) payment.  Xi reportedly sued the Marina Bay Sands casino in 2019 to recover S$9.1 million of his funds that the casino allegedly transferred to other patrons from his casino deposit accounts in 2015 without his approval, which triggered a probe into the casino by local authorities.  Bloomberg News also reported that the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) “is also scrutinizing whether anti-money laundering procedures had been breached in the way the Singapore casino handles high rollers.”

On this news, Las Vegas Sands’ stock price fell $1.41 per share, or 2.9%, to close at $47.28 per share on July 20, 2020.

Then, on September 16, 2020, Bloomberg reported that Marina Bay Sands “has hired a law firm to conduct a new investigation into employee transfers of more than $1 billion in gamblers’ money to third parties[.]”  The article quoted the Singapore Casino Regulatory Authority (“CRA”) as stating that “there were weaknesses in [Marina Bay Sands’] casino control measures pertaining to fund transfers[.]”

On this news, Las Vegas Sands’ stock price fell $2.18 per share, or 4.2%, to close at $49.67 per share on September 16, 2020.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

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LivaNova and Gyrus Capital Enter into Agreement for the Purchase of Heart Valve Business

LivaNova and Gyrus Capital Enter into Agreement for the Purchase of Heart Valve Business

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
LivaNova PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a market-leading medical technology and innovation company, and Gyrus Capital (Gyrus), an investment firm dedicated to investments in the healthcare and sustainability sectors, today announced they have entered into an agreement whereby entities funded and controlled by Gyrus will acquire the LivaNova heart valve (HV) business. The LivaNova Board of Directors unanimously approved the divestiture, which it believes will enable the Company to sharpen its focus within its primary platforms, neuromodulation and cardiovascular, and to dedicate increased resources toward executing its promising pipeline opportunities. Once the transaction is complete, Gyrus intends to focus management attention and investment on the HV business to position it to become a leading player in the surgical heart valve market globally, translating into even greater opportunities for employees, customers and patients.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201203005394/en/

“The LivaNova HV business is a global player in surgical heart valves with world-class products and compelling growth opportunities,” said Guy Semmens, Managing Partner at Gyrus Capital. “This business fits squarely within our strategy to invest in transformational projects in the healthcare and sustainability sectors. We believe that, with a focus on the core products, this new independent company can maximize its potential through our investment in its products and people.”

“We believe that LivaNova and Gyrus will benefit from this transaction and, that under Gyrus ownership, the HV business will thrive and grow,” said Damien McDonald, Chief Executive Officer of LivaNova. “For LivaNova, the divestiture of our HV business is an important milestone in the execution of our strategy to optimize our portfolio so that we are best positioned to serve our patients and deliver value to our shareholders. In particular, we intend to focus more directly on our key growth drivers and continuously improve our operational excellence.”

“We are committed to making this the leading company dedicated to heart surgeons and their patients by providing the best solutions to fight structural heart disease,” said Christian Mazzi, future CEO of the HV company. “We plan to leverage the strong foundation in mechanical valves and build out the growth engine with the Perceval® aortic valve and Memo 4D® mitral repair ring, while investing in research and development to pursue new products and partnerships. With this focus, we intend to build our independent company, fully dedicated to HV, its people, its customers and products. Our mission and ambition is to grow based on clearly defined priorities, commercial excellence and innovation, backed by Gyrus, a strong sector-focused partner that is ready to invest in our future. We look forward to a seamless transition and to engaging with the LivaNova heart valve employees around the world as they become part of our independent company.”

Transaction Terms, Closing and Financial Updates

The LivaNova HV business is a comprehensive portfolio of products, including Perceval, a unique sutureless aortic valve, along with tissue and mechanical valves to fit the differing needs of cardiac surgeons and patients worldwide. The HV business employs approximately 900 employees worldwide with major operations in Saluggia, Italy and Vancouver, Canada.

The divestiture of the HV business (with the exception of the French HV business for which LivaNova has been granted a binding offer by an affiliate of Gyrus and a decision remains to be made) is for an enterprise value of €60 million (US$73 million) and expected to be complete in the first half of 2021, subject to customary purchase price adjustments, €10 million of which will be paid at the end of 2022. On a full-year basis, we expect the sale of the HV business to be dilutive to earnings per share in 2021 on a fully diluted basis by approximately 10-15 cents, and we expect the divestiture to trigger a net non-cash impairment charge in the fourth quarter of 2020, which we currently estimate to be in the range of US$200 million and US$225 million. The transaction is subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, including mandatory consultation with local unions and works councils, where applicable. Upon closing of the transaction, Gyrus will acquire the plants in both Saluggia, Italy and Vancouver, Canada. Gyrus will also acquire the HV assets and inherit or make offers to HV employees in other countries (with respect to France, to the extent that the binding offer submitted by Gyrus would be accepted by LivaNova). The agreement includes customary warranties and limitations on liability, including that the Company has agreed for a period of seven years following closing to provide reimbursement for certain expenses and those that may arise out of hazardous substances relating to former operations at the Saluggia, Italy campus in an amount up to €37.5 million. The HV business will be led by Christian Mazzi and supported by the existing LivaNova HV team. LivaNova has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission that provides additional information on the agreement and the impact on the divestiture.

Until the closing, LivaNova will operate HV in the normal course of business, with the HV business and Gyrus remaining separate entities.

Advisors

Goldman Sachs is serving as financial advisor to LivaNova and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is serving as legal counsel.

Medeor is serving as transaction and business advisor to Gyrus. Other Gyrus advisors include: Deloitte, financial, tax and carve-out; Alira Health, commercial; NCTM and Eversheds-Sutherland, legal.

About LivaNova

LivaNova PLC is a global medical technology and innovation company built on nearly five decades of experience and a relentless commitment to provide hope for patients and their families through innovative medical technologies, delivering life-changing improvements for both the Head and Heart. Headquartered in London, LivaNova employs approximately 4,000 employees and has a presence in more than 100 countries for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare systems worldwide. For more information, please visit www.livanova.com.

About Gyrus Capital

Gyrus Capital is an investment firm focused on transformational investments in the healthcare and sustainability sectors. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the firm specializes in $50-500m carve outs of businesses with great product and people, which are non-core to their parent corporates. The LivaNova HV carve out follows Gyrus’ acquisition of DuPont Sustainable Solutions (global leader in occupational health and risk and safety consulting) from E.I. DuPont de Nemours in 2019. To learn more, visit www.gyruscapital.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” concerning LivaNova goals, beliefs, expectations, strategies, objectives, plans and underlying assumptions and other statements that are not necessarily based on historical facts. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intended sale of the HV business or the likelihood or timing of the contemplated transaction. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: (i) the ability of LivaNova to successfully complete the sale of the HV business; (ii) failure to obtain applicable regulatory or other approvals in a timely manner or otherwise; (iii) failure to satisfy other conditions to the proposed transaction; (iv) the length of time necessary to consummate the proposed transaction, which may be longer than anticipated for various reasons; and (v) unexpected costs or liabilities that may arise from the sale of the HV business. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that affect LivaNova’s business, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of LivaNova’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. LivaNova does not give any assurance (1) that LivaNova will achieve its expectations, or (2) concerning any result or the timing thereof, in each case, with respect to any regulatory action, administrative proceedings, government investigations, litigation, warning letters, consent decree, cost reductions, business strategies, earnings or revenue trends or future financial results. We undertake no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.

LivaNova PLC Investor Relations and Media Contacts


Melissa Farina, +1 (281) 228-7262

VP, Investor Relations

[email protected]

Deanna Wilke, +1 (281) 727-2764

VP, Corporate Communications

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Europe Switzerland United Kingdom

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Biotechnology FDA Health Other Health Surgery Other Science Research Medical Devices General Health Hospitals Science Clinical Trials Cardiology Medical Supplies

MEDIA:

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TRREB Reports Strong November Single-Family Home Resales in the GTA

Condo Market More Balanced With More Choice and Lower Selling Prices

TORONTO, Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The record pace of home sales in the fall continued with 8,766 sales reported in November by Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® through the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s (TRREB) MLS® System. This result was up by 24.3 per cent compared to November of last year.

Generally speaking, year-over-year growth in sales was stronger for single-family homes in the GTA regions surrounding the City of Toronto, but annual single-family growth rates remained robust in the ‘416’ area code as well.

“Home buyers continued to take advantage of very low borrowing costs in November, especially those looking to buy some form of single-family home. Competition between buyers for ground-oriented homes has been extremely strong in many neighbourhoods throughout the GTA, which has continued to support double-digit annual rates of price growth,” said Lisa Patel, TRREB President.

The MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark was up by 10.6 per cent in November 2020 compared to November 2019. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by 13.3 per cent to $955,615.

Market conditions tightened in many single-family market segments in November, resulting in double-digit year-over-year increases in average selling prices for detached houses, semi-detached houses and townhouses.

In contrast to the single-family market segments, buyers continued to benefit from much more choice in the condominium apartment market compared to last year, particularly in the City of Toronto. The number of new condominium apartment listings in November was almost double that reported in November of last year. More options in the condo apartment market translated into a small year-over-year decline in the average condominium apartment selling price in the ‘416’ area code.

“The condominium apartment market is certainly more balanced than in previous years, with some buyers benefitting from lower selling prices compared to last year. However, this may be somewhat of a short-term phenomenon. Once we move into the post-COVID period, we will start to see a resumption of population growth, both from immigration and a return of non-permanent residents. This will lead to an increase in demand for condominium apartments in the ownership and rental markets,” said Jason Mercer, TRREB Chief Market Analyst.

“The real estate market and broader economy in the GTA certainly experienced an unprecedented year in 2020. As we move toward 2021, we’re obviously thinking about what the next year will bring. In this regard, TRREB will once again be releasing its Market Year in Review and Outlook Report in early February. The report will include a housing market outlook for 2021, up-to-date consumer polling results on buying and selling intentions, and new research on housing supply in the GTA,” said John DiMichele, TRREB CEO.

Summary of TRREB MLS® Sales and Average Price November 1–30, 2020
  2020 2019
  Sales Average Price New Listings Sales Average Price New Listings
City of Toronto (“416”) 3,032 979,224 5,106 2,706 909,803 3,308
Rest of GTA (“905”) 5,734 943,131 6,439 4,348 801,923 5,343
GTA 8,766 955,615 11,545 7,054 843,307 8,651

TRREB MLS® Sales & Average Price by Home Type
November 1–30, 2020
  Sales Average Price
  416 905 Total 416 905 Total
             
Detached 933 3,289 4,222 1,477,226 1,124,286 1,202,281
Yr./Yr. % Change 19.3% 33.6% 30.2% 8.7% 19.2% 15.2%
Semi-Detached 336 552 888 1,160,911 816,367 946,735
Yr./Yr. % Change 36.0% 32.7% 33.9% 8.8% 16.0% 12.9%
Townhouse 362 1,165 1,527 819,752 729,557 750,939
Yr./Yr. % Change 24.0% 33.0% 30.7% 7.3% 14.9% 12.6%
Condo Apartment 1,375 657 2,032 640,208 533,984 605,863
Yr./Yr. % Change 0.8% 23.3% 7.1% -3.0% 4.8% -2.0%

 
November 2020 Year-Over-Year Per Cent Change in the MLS® HPI
  Composite
(All Types)		 Single-Family
Detached		 Single-Family
Attached		 Townhouse Apartment
TRREB Total 10.56% 13.27% 13.12% 12.82% 4.07%
Halton Region 13.48% 14.81% 15.56% 16.22% 8.90%
Peel Region 11.76% 13.13% 14.21% 12.18% 7.49%
City of Toronto 5.95% 10.09% 8.88% 10.94% 2.55%
York Region 11.76% 12.65% 12.73% 11.28% 6.91%
Durham Region 19.91% 19.70% 21.55% 21.00% 15.88%
Orangeville 17.18% 17.01% 19.28% – –
South Simcoe County1 22.72% 16.21% 28.56% – –

Source: Toronto Regional Real Estate Board

1 South Simcoe includes Adjala-Tosorontio, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Essa, Innisfil and New Tecumseth

Year-to-Date Summary of TRREB MLS® Sales and Average Price
YTD 2020
  2020 2019
  Sales Average Price New Listings Sales Average Price New Listings
City of Toronto (“416”) 29,150 994,548 58,751 30,535 883,272 51,371
Rest of GTA (“905”) 58,876 897,194 92,162 52,854 780,723 97,870
GTA 88,026 929,433 150,913 83,389 818,274 149,241

YTD TRREB MLS® Sales & Average Price by Home Type YTD 2020
  Sales Average Price
  416 905 Total 416 905 Total
             
Detached 9,074 34,272 43,346 1,478,546 1,055,586 1,144,128
Yr./Yr. % Change 2.5% 16.3% 13.1% 12.3% 14.2% 12.7%
Semi-Detached 2,927 5,590 8,517 1,166,061 770,617 906,517
Yr./Yr. % Change 4.3% 9.7% 7.8% 11.4% 12.1% 11.2%
Townhouse 3,265 11,910 15,175 835,216 703,735 732,024
Yr./Yr. % Change 1.9% 11.3% 9.1% 8.2% 12.5% 11.0%
Condo Apartment 13,700 6,322 20,022 679,291 531,475 632,618
Yr./Yr. % Change -11.4% -6.8% -10.0% 7.4% 10.4% 7.8%


Source: Toronto Regional Real Estate Board

Seasonally Adjusted TRREB MLS® Sales and Average Price1
         
  Sales Month-over-Month
% Chg.		 Average Price Month-over-Month
% Chg.
November ’19 7,642 1.9% $846,374 0.8%
December ’19 7,508 -1.8% $874,283 3.3%
January ’20 7,539 0.4% $875,767 0.2%
February ’20 9,456 25.4% $904,450 3.3%
March ’20 7,296 -22.8% $894,745 -1.1%
April ’20 2,473 -66.1% $789,054 -11.8%
May ’20 3,706 49.9% $825,707 4.6%
June ’20 6,518 75.9% $908,596 10.0%
July ’20 9,293 42.6% $954,684 5.1%
August ’20 10,309 10.9% $982,788 2.9%
September ’20 9,776 -5.2% $950,849 -3.2%
October ’20 9,408 -3.8% $953,654 0.3%
November ’20 9,209 -2.1% $961,012 0.8%

Source: Toronto Regional Real Estate Board; CREA Seasonal Adjustment		    


1 Preliminary seasonal adjustment undertaken by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Removing normal seasonal variations allows for more meaningful analysis of monthly changes and underlying trends.

FOR FULL REPORT CLICK HERE.

Media Inquiries:

Genevieve Grant, Public Affairs Specialist [email protected] 416-443-8159

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The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board is Canada’s largest real estate board with more than 56,000 residential and commercial professionals connecting people, property and communities.



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Aurora Mobile Enters into Partnership with Kuaikan World to Upgrade Digital Operations

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aurora Mobile Limited (NASDAQ: JG) (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”), a leading mobile developer service provider in China, today announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Kuaikan World (Beijing) Technology Co. Ltd. (“Kuaikan World”), the largest comic platform in China, to upgrade its digital operations.

Aurora Mobile will leverage its industry-leading AI-driven push technical capabilities and machine learning-based intelligent operational data analytics to provide Kuaikan World with stable, efficient, secure, and intelligent push services that will enable Kuaikan World to gain more comprehensive insights into its users’ needs, accurately tailor user experience to their specific interests, increase user engagement and stickiness, and promote a mutually beneficial relationship for Kuaikan World and its users.

Founded in 2014, Kuaikan World runs the Kuaikan Comics APP, an original comics IP platform and community for next-generation comic fans. Kuaikan World strategically focuses on intellectual property (“IP”) and community and as of July 2019, the Kuaikan Comics APP had attracted over 200 million users and more than 40 million Monthly Active Users, representing more than 50% of China’s comics market. Kuaikan World’s vision is to bring happiness and motivation to the world and strives to help comic creators develop popular comics with positive, inspiring and engaging content. Currently, Kuaikan World boasts more than 5,000 comic creators and over 8,000 works. In addition, Kuaikan World continues to invest in technology and is actively exploring the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) and big data analytics to boost its content creation capabilities, improve distribution efficiency and accelerate the growth of the content industry with technologies.

Aurora Mobile is a leading mobile developer service provider in China with deep expertise in the mobile development sector and proven experience accumulated over almost a decade. Aurora Mobile focuses on helping mobile APP developers increase demand for mobile operations, business growth and monetization through iterative technology and product improvements. A series of services including push notifications, one-key authentication, instant messaging, statistics, analytics and APP traffic monetization (JG Alliance) have been successively launched to help APP developers enhance user experience and gain operational insights. Aurora launched “JPush”, the industry’s first comprehensive push notification solution, “JG Alliance”, an APP traffic monetization service, and the “One-stop Developer Service Platform” that enables mobile APP developers to improve operational efficiency. As of September 2020, Aurora Mobile had provided software development kits to over 1.65 million APPs across a wide range of industries, including e-commerce, education, finance, short-form video, social platforms and gaming.

Going forward, Aurora Mobile will continue to embrace innovative development and empower mobile APP developers with strong capabilities in product development, operations and technology iteration. Aurora Mobile will continue to explore strategic partnerships to help those partners grow and upgrade their operations.

About Aurora Mobile Limited

Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile is a leading mobile developer service provider in China. Aurora Mobile is committed to providing efficient and stable push notification, one-click verification, and APP traffic monetization services to help developers improve operational efficiency, grow and monetize. Meanwhile, Aurora Mobile’s vertical applications have expanded to market intelligence, financial risk management, and location-based intelligence, empowering various industries to improve productivity and optimize decision-making.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SaaS-model; its ability maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For general inquiry, please contact:

Aurora Mobile Limited

E-mail: [email protected]

Christensen

In China
Mr. Eric Yuan
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
E-mail: [email protected]

In US
Ms. Linda Bergkamp
Phone: +1-480-614-3004
Email: [email protected]



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Companion Sciences – Innovative Formulation Start-Up Focusing on Bioavailability Research – Announces Completion of CBD + Glucosamine Study with Osteoarthritic Dogs

NEW YORK, Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Companion Sciences, a start-up that is investigating the ability of CBD to potentiate the bioavailability of a range of nutrients and other compounds – creating a “post-commodity” future for CBD – today announced the completion of a tolerability and palatability trial, utilizing its patent-pending CBD + Glucosamine chew in dogs.

In the study, conducted by The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office (BBVCTO), under the supervision of the BBVCTO associate director, Companion Science’s chews were administered to a representative group of dogs, over a 42-day period. Dogs were between the ages of 4.8 and 9.5 years. Diagnostics conducted during the trial included physical examinations and routine blood and urine analyses.

“We are encouraged by these tolerability and palatability results” said Golan Vaknin, CEO of Companion Science. “A critical milestone, as part of our mission as an R&D company is to bring a new level of evidence-based validation to the ‘wild west’ that characterizes the CBD market. This study was an essential step in that journey; it follows on our baseline research, led by our Research Director Dr. Tami Bar and conducted by the prestigious Pharmacology Discovery Services in Taiwan. This study found that our formulation achieved high-levels of bio-absorption in a rat model, including penetration into the synovial fluid, the seat of joint inflammation.”

Following this research study, Companion Sciences is planning to launch a safety and efficacy clinical trial with dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. The trial will include proprietary formulation “cocktails” that combine CBD with other nutrients and compounds previously shown to support healthy joint mobility, to demonstrate how the Company’s bioavailability-powering formulations can achieve measurable results and local availability.

About COMPANION SCIENCES

COMPANION SCIENCES is a life-sciences company with a research focus on novel formulations of CBD that potentiate the bio-absorption of a range of nutraceuticals and food supplements, while simultaneously enhancing the availability of CBD itself. We are pursuing patent-protected cocktail formulations that address a range of needs, among people and pets, related to physical and emotional well-being.

Contact info:

[email protected]


www.companion-sciences.com



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Fraser Institute News Release: Equalization payments to Maritime Canada in jeopardy as Alberta and other “have” provinces struggle

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Economic weakness in Alberta and other “have” provinces is causing the gap between Canada’s richer and poorer provinces to shrink rapidly. If it continues, this trend could result in reduced equalization payments to Maritime Canada. So finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

This convergence has been driven primarily by declining economic strength in high income provinces rather than by growth in the so-called “have-nots”.

“The federal government sets aside a fixed amount of money for equalization each year. If due to economic hardship more provinces become equalization-eligible, that would leave less available for current recipients such as the Maritime provinces,” said Ben Eisen, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of TheGreat Convergence: Measuring the Fiscal Gap Between “Have” and “Have-Not” Provinces.

The authors note that Newfoundland and Labrador is not currently an equalization recipient, but is likely to become eligible again soon if current trends continue.

The study finds that since 2007/08, the large gap in fiscal capacity that existed between Alberta and the three Maritime provinces has shrunk considerably. (Fiscal capacity, which is used to determine equalization transfers, refers to a province’s ability to raise own-source revenues).

For example, the fiscal capacity gap between the richest province and the poorest was $10,999 in 2007/08 (in 2020 dollars). With the COVID recession and sudden fall in natural resource prices, the study estimates the gap will fall to just $3,758 this year.

“We’ve seen something similar before. When Ontario became eligible for equalization in the early 2010s, all three Maritimes provinces saw significant drops in equalization payments relative to the size of their budgets. The same thing may happen again if new provinces become equalization-eligible,” said Eisen.

“Policymakers in Atlantic Canada should be aware of “The Great Convergence” between Canadian provinces and prepare for the possibility of reduced equalization payments in the years ahead.”

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ben Eisen, Senior Fellow
Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute
(604) 688-0221 ext. 721
[email protected]

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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org