Pre-market: Tech giants surge

Moderna and its partner Merck announced today that their mRNA cancer vaccine, currently in clinical trials for high-risk melanoma patients, successfully reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or metastasis—bringing it one step away from regulatory approval. This marks the first positive Phase III trial result for any mRNA-based cancer therapy in human history, and the first successful Phase III trial for a personalized neoantigen vaccine—making it a landmark event in tumor immunotherapy. In response, Merck surged +11.5% and Moderna skyrocketed +147% as I type this. This investigational vaccine is not a preventive cancer vaccine but an adjuvant therapy administered after surgery to prevent recurrence and metastasis. The treatment process involves: surgically removing the melanoma tumor; sequencing the tumor tissue to identify patient-specific tumor mutations; using AI to select up to 34 target neoantigens; and manufacturing a bespoke mRNA vaccine—custom production takes 6–7 weeks. Globally, ~330,000 new melanoma cases are diagnosed annually. Approximately 70,000–90,000 newly diagnosed patients per year worldwide qualify for this therapy—including 25,000–30,000 in the U.S., its core market. As a highly personalized therapeutic, pricing will be steep: Wall Street consensus forecasts $150,000–$200,000 per treatment course. Peak annual sales for melanoma alone are projected at $1.5–$2 billion. The companies plan global regulatory submissions, with potential approval as early as 2027. Pipeline expansion into lung cancer, bladder cancer, and other indications is underway—if successful, peak global sales could reach $6–8 billion. This single drug has doubled Moderna’s market capitalization overnight—underscoring how innovation in biopharma entails both high risk and extraordinary opportunity. For some time, many investors may have forgotten that biopharmaceutical R&D is deeply technological: a breakthrough drug can dramatically lift corporate earnings and market value—and profoundly benefit humanity. In the near term, A-share markets are likely to mirror this sentiment: the A-share vaccine sector—especially firms with prior mRNA technology investments—should see strong short-term performance. This development also serves as a powerful confidence booster for the broader innovative drug sector. -------- 1. Hengrui Medicine reported H1 revenue of RMB 15.456 billion (−1.94% YoY) and net profit of RMB 4.465 billion (+0.34% YoY). It plans to repurchase RMB 1–2 billion worth of A-shares. Frankly, these results are underwhelming—and its valuation remains relatively high. However, Moderna’s breakthrough tonight may offset near-term sentiment.

Signal | June 2, 2026

3. Eurozone May inflation rises to 3.2%; markets price ECB rate hike next week 🦅 ・Per CNBC, Eurozone May CPI stood at 3.2%, in line with expectations—but up from 3.0% in April. In March it was 2.6%, and had dipped below 2.0% before the Iran conflict erupted—energy costs are once again pushing inflation out of the comfort zone. ・Energy prices rose 10.9%; services rose 3.5%. By country: Germany fell from 2.9% to 2.7%; France rose from 2.5% to 2.8%; Greece and Lithuania exceeded 5%. Divergence is widening. ・Traders no longer hesitate: LSEG data shows a 94% probability of a 25-basis-point ECB rate hike. German bund yields fell 6 bps; EUR/USD held steady at 1.164. ING’s Brzeski noted the Iranian energy shock "has become more persistent," yet will be "moderate and gradual—not abrupt." Prices will rise—but won’t collapse. Eurozone CPI YoY (%) — sustained climb since outbreak of Iran conflict ECB target: 2.0%. Five months—from below target to well above. Markets price 94% chance of 25-bp hike next week. 4. Zhipu AI plans科创板 (STAR Market) listing, seeking RMB 15 billion in funding ・Per Caixin, Zhipu announced on June 1 its intention to issue A-shares on the Shanghai STAR Market, targeting RMB 15 billion in proceeds. It aims for dual A+H listing—already listed in Hong Kong, now returning to mainland China for another capital raise. ・It has strong fundamentals: 2025 revenue reached RMB 724 million—more than doubling year-on-year. API revenue jumped from RMB 28 million to RMB 1.7 billion—a 60-fold increase—making it the highest-revenue large-model company in China. ・Yet its adjusted net loss for last year totaled RMB 3.182 billion. Its Hong Kong shares fell 4.11% on the announcement day—investors are asking: growth is evident, but where is profitability? MiniMax also initiated its STAR Market listing process at the end of May. Two major large-model firms are simultaneously steering toward A-shares. 5. Jensen Huang calls Marvell the 'next trillion-dollar company'—stock surges >27% pre-market ・Per Yicai, at COMPUTEX, Jensen Huang told Marvell’s CEO: “You could be the next trillion-dollar company.” Marvell surged >27% pre-market—its prior market cap stood at ~$192 billion. ・Huang’s logic: AI bottlenecks evolve sequentially—compute → memory → interconnect. NVIDIA solved compute; three memory firms have already crossed the $1T threshold. Now interconnect is next. Marvell specializes in 800G/1.6T optical components, co-packaged optics (CPO), and custom XPUs—NVIDIA invested $2 billion in Marvell in March. ・Q1 revenue: $2.418 billion (+28% YoY). Since April, its share price has risen 121%. Broadcom—its peer in the same space—rose 48%, reaching a $2.2T market cap. The trillion-dollar club may soon welcome more than one new member. 6. Berkshire adds $10B in Google, $6.8B in real estate ・Per Wall Street CN and Yicai, this is Ajit Jain’s largest move since succeeding Buffett: $10 billion in Google, $6.8 billion in real estate—dual strategic bets. ・The $10B Google stake breaks Buffett’s long-standing rule against tech stocks—Jain overturned it on Day One. Google is raising $80 billion for AI infrastructure; Berkshire stepped in at the gate. On real estate, Berkshire continues its pivot from divesting oil & gas toward tangible assets—betting on the future with one hand, securing the present with the other.

Albemarle Corp. Hits Day High with 16.31% Surge in Stock Price

Apr 18, 2026

Albemarle Corp. stock surged 16.31% to an intraday high of $215.71, though the specialty chemicals firm reported declining net sales and profits for seven consecutive quarters.

Markets Mojo

Albemarle Corp. Stock Hits Day Low Amid Price Pressure at USD 195.34

Markets Mojo

Albemarle Corp. Stock Underperforms Monday Compared to Competitors

MarketWatch

2026-04-08

Albemarle Corp. Stock Rises Wednesday, Still Underperforms Market

2026-04-09

UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Stock Price

2026-04-13

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Sells 7,590 Shares of Albemarle Corporation $ALB