PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) – Main values to follow on Wednesday on Wall Street:
* NIKE fell 1.6% in pre-market transactions as the sports equipment maker warned on Tuesday evening that its margins were under pressure due to major promotions granted to reduce too much inventory. This announcement offset that of the upward revision of the annual sales target after better-than-expected sales in the fourth quarter.
* FIRST REPUBLIC BANK gains 4.5% in pre-market trading after reports from Bloomberg on Tuesday that US authorities are considering possible public support to help the bank deal with unrealized losses. Its sisters PacWest Bancorp and Western Alliance Bancorp earned around 1%.
* The BANKING SECTOR, heckled by the setbacks of several regional banks, could be under pressure before the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision expected at 18:00 GMT, towards the end of the session on Wall Street.
* BOEING has signed an agreement with Japan Airlines for the purchase of 21 737 MAX aircraft for a value of 2.5 billion dollars at list price, according to industry sources. The deal is expected to be announced on Thursday, the sources added.
* GAMESTOP, whose action is very popular with retail investors, climbed nearly 40% in pre-market transactions while the video game distributor reported its first quarterly profit in two years.
* VIRGIN ORBIT, the struggling aerospace company of billionaire Richard Branson, is set to secure a $200 million investment from private equity firm Matthew Brown Companies via a private equity placement, according to a document seen by Reuters.
* ELI LILLY will partner with Roche to develop a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a statement released Wednesday.
* PLAYTIKA – The Finnish video game maker Rovio, which publishes the game Angry Birds, has ended its discussions with Playtika for a takeover.
* REGENERON said on Wednesday that the US health authority (FDA) had approved the extension of the use of its cholesterol treatment to children aged 5 to 11 years.
(Written by Blandine Hénault, edited by Matthieu Protard)
