Viking Therapeutics(US:VKTX) Zheng Quan Shi Bao·2025-08-19 15:17Market Overview - On August 19, U.S. stock indices showed mixed results, with the Dow Jones up by 0.64%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell by 0.01% and 0.66% respectively [2] - Investors are awaiting Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech at the upcoming global central bank conference [4] Federal Reserve Insights - The theme of this year's Jackson Hole conference is "Labor Market Transformation: Demographics, Productivity, and Macroeconomic Policy," reflecting recent changes in the U.S. labor market [4] - Powell faces a challenging economic situation, balancing signs of a cooling labor market against inflation pressures from tariff policies [4] - There is an 83% probability that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 25 basis points in September, according to the FedWatch tool [4] Intel's Stock Surge - Intel's stock surged by nearly 12% after receiving significant investments from the Trump administration and SoftBank Group, ultimately rising over 8% [6][8] - The Trump administration is expected to acquire approximately 10% of Intel's shares, potentially providing around $10 billion to support Intel's revival strategy [6] - SoftBank Group agreed to purchase $2 billion in Intel shares, aiming to leverage Intel's chip manufacturing technology for AI applications [8] Viking Therapeutics' Stock Plunge - Viking Therapeutics' stock plummeted over 41% due to disappointing mid-stage trial data for its experimental oral weight loss drug [10] - The drug VK2735 showed a maximum weight loss of 12.2%, but 28% of participants dropped out of the trial within three months, undermining confidence in its competitiveness against products from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk [10][12] - Other pharmaceutical companies have also faced stock declines due to underwhelming results from weight loss drug trials, highlighting the significant scientific challenges in this field [12]