Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on what's moving.
Moderna shares took a sharp hit Thursday after data from its experimental cancer vaccine, developed alongside Merck, was reportedly leaked ahead of an official weekend medical conference presentation. The irony is that when the full Phase three results actually dropped, Wall Street found them largely positive against prior expectations — yet the stock remained under pressure, a reminder that sequencing and surprise matter as much as the data itself.
Shifting to energy infrastructure, Bank of America reiterated its buy rating on GE Vernova ahead of third-quarter earnings, holding its price target at one thousand three hundred ten dollars — roughly forty-seven percent above where shares are currently trading. The stock is already up more than thirty-one percent so far in two thousand twenty-six, riding the wave of surging power demand tied directly to artificial intelligence buildout and data center expansion.
In the grain pits, we're seeing a split tape in agricultural commodities. Corn futures are sliding one to three cents lower, giving back the midweek bounce as bears reassert control. Soybeans, however, are moving the other direction, posting seven to ten cent gains in nearby contracts, with November options set to expire Friday adding some urgency to positioning.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
