Asian Currencies Mostly Weaken as Traders Await Tariff Developments
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Asian shares, Aussie dollar climb on trade, earnings optimism
By Rocky Swift TOKYO (Reuters) -Shares in Asia rallied and the Australian dollar hit an eight-month high on Thursday as optimism over earnings and trade supported demand for higher yielding assets. Tokyo's broad Topix gauge of shares hit an all-time high, following new records on Wall Street overnight, after a trade pact between Japan and the U.S. stoked speculation more deals would appear soon to head off sweeping tariffs. Nasdaq and S&P futures rose after results by Google parent Alphabet beat estimates to kick off the "Magnificent Seven" earnings season. The U.S. has also reached deals with the Philippines and Indonesia and an agreement with the European Union is also expected. "Worst case concerns about tariffs in the U.S. are probably dissipating to some degree at the moment, but nonetheless, tariffs are going up and that is a hurdle for consumers," Brian Martin, ANZ's head of G3 economics, said in a podcast. The EU and U.S. are closing in a trade deal that would impose 15% tariffs on European imports, while waiving duties on some items, according to officials from the European Commission. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said U.S. and Chinese officials will meet in Stockholm next week. Second-quarter earnings season is underway in the U.S., with 23% of the companies in the S&P 500 having reported. Of those, 85% have beaten Wall Street expectations, according to LSEG data. Results from Magnificent Seven members, whose results have powered indexes to previous peaks, are in the spotlight for guidance on spending and returns surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). Alphabet strongly beat estimates and cited massive demand for its cloud computing services as it hiked its capital spending plans. But electric car maker Tesla posted its worst quarterly sales decline in more than a decade and profit that trailed analyst targets. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.3%. Japan's Topix surged for a second day, rising 1.4% to surpass its previous all-time high reached last year. The Australian dollar, a common proxy for risk sentiment, fetched $0.66, just off $0.6604 hit earlier, which was the highest since November 2024. The U.S. dollar dropped 0.1% to 146.38 yen. U.S. crude climbed 0.4% to $65.5 a barrel. Spot gold was traded at $3,390.84 per ounce, up 0.1%. In early trades, pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures shot up 1.3% at 5,435, while German DAX futures were up 1.3%. U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis, were up 0.13% and Nasdaq contracts climbed 0.4%. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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U.S.-South Korea trade talks cancelled due to Bessent schedule, ministry says
SEOUL (Reuters) -Talks between top South Korean and U.S. officials to negotiate over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs have been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict for U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, South Korea's finance ministry said on Thursday. The two sides will reschedule the meeting between Bessent and South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, as well as the top trade envoys of both countries, as soon as possible, the ministry said. Koo was set to board a flight for Washington on Thursday to attend the meeting on Friday in the hope of hammering out a deal that would spare Asia's fourth-largest economy from Trump's punishing 25% tariffs set to take effect on August 1. Pressure on South Korea heightened this week after Japan clinched a deal with the United States, which Trump said would see Tokyo allowing greater market access for American products including autos and some agricultural products. Koo had said on Tuesday that Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo and him would hold talks with U.S. counterparts at the request of the American officials. Trade envoy Yeo and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who have travelled to Washington this week, have been meeting with U.S. officials as scheduled, the South Korean government said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Akeso Announces First Patient Enrollment in Phase III Trial of Ivonescimab for Pancreatic Cancer
HONG KONG, July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Akeso, Inc. ( ("Akeso" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the first patient has been enrolled in the pivotal/registration Phase III clinical trial (AK112-310/HARMONi-GI2) of ivonescimab, a first-in-class PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody developed by the company. The trial is investigating ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy, with or without ligufalimab (CD47 monoclonal antibody), for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging types of tumors to find effective treatments for. While immunotherapies have demonstrated significant efficacy in different types of of solid tumors, pancreatic cancer's unique immune evasion mechanisms and its highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) have rendered it resistant to current therapies. As a result, previous Phase III studies on using immunotherapies as first-line treatments for metastatic pancreatic cancer have mostly failed. To date, no immunotherapy has been approved for first line metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ivonescimab, in combination with chemotherapy and/or ligufalimab, has the potential to address the current lack of effective options in first-line immunotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer. This randomized, controlled, multi-center Phase III trial is a key component of Akeso's broader strategy to address the significant unmet clinical needs in global oncology. Pancreatic cancer is an extremely aggressive form of malignancy that often result in poor patient prognosis. Its global incidence is on the rise, and the mortality rate closely mirrors the incidence, resulting in alarmingly low overall survival rates. In 2022, approximately 511,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed worldwide, and 467,000 deaths were recorded. Early diagnosis remains challenging, with around 80% of patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage. Even those diagnosed with early-stage or locally advanced disease may see progression to metastatic pancreatic cancer within a year following surgery or other treatments. Current first-line treatments are predominantly chemotherapies and have showed very limited success, with a median overall survival (OS) of less than one year. PD-1 and VEGF are often co-expressed in the tumor microenvironment. As a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, Ivonescimab can accumulate in the TME and effectively block both the PD-1 and the VEGF signaling pathways. While these pathways are independently active, they are also complementary. Inhibition of both PD-1 and VEGF enhances immune cells' ability to target and destroy tumor cells. In addition, ligufalimab binds to CD47 on tumor cells, disrupting the interaction with signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) on phagocytic cells. This process boosts phagocytosis and inhibits tumor growth. The combination of ivonescimab with ligufalimab is expected to synergistically enhance anti-tumor activity, offering a potential breakthrough in the first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Professor Yu Xianjun, Director of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Professor Ying Jie'er from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, and Professor Tai Sheng from Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital are the co-principal investigators of HARMONi-GI2 study. Forward-Looking Statement of Akeso, announcement by Akeso, Inc. ( "Akeso") contains "forward-looking statements". These statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of Akeso's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These statements are not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any decision to purchase securities of Akeso. There can be no assurance that the drug candidate(s) indicated in this announcement or Akeso's other pipeline candidates will obtain the required regulatory approvals or achieve commercial success. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; Akeso's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the Akeso's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions. Akeso does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law. About AkesoAkeso (HKEX: is a leading biopharmaceutical company committed to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the world's first or best-in-class innovative biological medicines. Founded in 2012, the company has created a unique integrated R&D innovation system with the comprehensive end-to-end drug development platform (ACE Platform) and bi-specific antibody drug development technology (Tetrabody) as the core, a GMP-compliant manufacturing system and a commercialization system with an advanced operation mode, and has gradually developed into a globally competitive biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative solutions. With fully integrated multi-functional platform, Akeso is internally working on a robust pipeline of over 50 innovative assets in the fields of cancer, autoimmune disease, inflammation, metabolic disease and other major diseases. Among them, 24 candidates have entered clinical trials (including 15 bispecific/multispecific antibodies and bispecific ADCs. Additionally, 7 new drugs are commercially available, and 2 new drugs with 2 new indications are under regulatory review for approval. Through efficient and breakthrough R&D innovation, Akeso always integrates superior global resources, develops the first-in-class and best-in-class new drugs, provides affordable therapeutic antibodies for patients worldwide, and continuously creates more commercial and social values to become a global leading biopharmaceutical enterprise. For more information, please visit and follow us on Linkedin. View original content: SOURCE Akeso, Inc. 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