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MGM Holdings Inc. said on Thursday that it has extended the contract of Chairman and Chief Executive Gary Barber through December 2022. Barber has been with the media company since 2010, helping to revitalize the film and TV business and explore digital distribution. “He has developed a focused, strategic vision, which has positioned MGM for future growth and innovation,” Kevin Ulrich, newly appointed chairman, said in a statement. “We have every confidence he will continue to lead this company in an exemplary fashion.” Shares of MGM Holdings, which are over the counter, have gained nearly 10% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 index is up 14%.

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New Jersey filed a lawsuit against drugmaker Insys Therapeutics Inc. on Thursday alleging that the company engaged in illegal sales practices for the powerful opioid-fentanyl drug Subsys. Insys’ actions allegedly “led to the death of at least one New Jersey resident,” the lawsuit said, referring to a 32-year-old New Jersey woman who was prescribed Subsys for fibromyalgia. Subsys was approved in 2012 to manage “breakthrough pain in adult cancer patients who are already receiving and who are tolerant to around-the-clock opioid therapy,” according to the Food and Drug Administration. Despite this, Insys allegedly pushed “off-label” use of the drug to doctors, according to the complaint. “Knowing full well it was putting lives in peril by pushing for broad based consumption of a highly-specialized and incredibly powerful prescription drug… Insys allegedly forged ahead and did it anyway,” said New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino, calling the alleged actions “nothing short of evil.” The lawsuit also claims that Insys employees used or developed false records, “including false diagnoses of cancer, breakthrough cancer pain and other afflictions” to ensure the drug would be covered. Insys shares were up 0.3% in midday trade. Shares have plummeted 29% over the last three months, compared with a nearly 5% rise in the S&P 500 .

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading near session highs Thursday midday, buoyed by sharp gains in components Apple Inc., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Goldman’s shares alone, up $4.04, or 1.7%, were producing a nearly 30-point tailwind for the price-weighted average, while Apple’s climb, up $1.41, or about 1%, added another 10 points. A $1 move in any one of the benchmark’s components translates to to a swing of 6.89 points. A steady rise in yields of U.S. Treasury bonds, notably the 10-year Treasury , has supported the banking sector, which tends to benefit from a higher interest-rate regime. Apple’s stock looked set to rebound from a 0.7% decline in Wednesday trade after the iPhone maker’s rival Alphabet Inc. rolled out new product roster, including a new cellphone. Most recently, the Dow was up 83 points, or 0.4%, at 22,744, the S&P 500 index was 0.4% higher at 2,548, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was showing a gain of 0.5% at 6,563. All three benchmarks were trading near intraday all-time highs.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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A popular measure of Wall Street volatility was headed to an all-time low, highlighting a protracted period of subdued moves on Wall Street, as assets considered risky climb to records. The CBOE Volatility Index , often referred to as the market’s fear gauge, was trading recently at 9.14, which would mark the lowest close for the indicator since Dec. 22, 1993 when it ended at 9.31. The gauge measures bullish and bearish options bets on the S&P 500 index 30 days in the future, and because stocks tend to fall faster than they rise, the indicator tends to be viewed as a gauge of how investors are perceiving the likelihood for a crash. The fear gauge moves in the opposite direction of the stocks. The volatility index is running at less than half its historical average of around 20 and has posted the largest number of prints below 10 in its entire history in just 2017. The fresh nadirs being put in on the index comes as the stock market is in the midst of what some investors and analysts refer to as a meltup, with stocks indiscriminately rising to peaks, with few sharp moves lower. On Thursday afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading at an intraday record, up 0.4% at 22,745, and flirting with a psychological milestone of 23,000. The S&P 500 index was climbing 0.4% at 2,547, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was advancing 0.4% at 6,561. All three benchmarks finished at all-time highs to close Wednesday’s trade.

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The House of Representatives passed a budget resolution on Thursday, a step that Republican leaders are using to set the stage for an overhaul of the tax code. The Senate Budget Committee is planning to vote on a separate budget on Thursday, and Republicans are planning to write a single measure that will pass both chambers. Republicans are aiming to pass tax cuts through what’s known as budget reconciliation, which requires just a simple majority in the Senate. Republicans currently control the Senate with 52 seats.

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading near session highs Thursday midday, buoyed by sharp gains in components Apple Inc., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Goldman’s shares alone, up $3.26, or 1.4%, were producing a more than 20-point tailwind for the price-weighted average, while Apple’s climb, up $1.48, or 1%, added another 10 points. A $1 move in any one of the benchmark’s components translates to to a swing of 6.89 points. A steady rise in yields of U.S. Treasury bonds, notably the 10-year Treasury , has supported the banking sector, which tends to benefit from a higher interest-rate regime. Apple’s stock looked set to rebound from a 0.7% decline in Wednesday trade after the iPhone maker’s rival Alphabet Inc. rolled out new product roster, including a new cellphone. Most recently, the Dow was up 55 points, or 0.3%, at 22,717, the S&P 500 index was 0.3% higher at 2,545, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was showing a gain of 0.4%. All three benchmarks were trading at or near intraday all-time highs.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Omeros Corporation shares surged as much as 10% in morning trade Thursday, before paring some gains, after the company announced a settlement with Endo International PLC’s Par Pharmaceutical Inc. that prevents Par from launching a generic of Omeros’ Omidria until April 1, 2032. Under the agreement, Par, if it enters the market, will pay a 15% royalty on net sales of a generic Omidria until the last patents expire on October 23, 2033. Endo has also filed pending patent applications that would expire as late as November 30, 2035, according to the company’s late-April annual report. Omidria is Omeros’ only FDA-approved product and brought in net revenue of $41.4 million last year, according to the annual report. Par, which had filed a new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration for its generic Omidria, said that all Omidria patents are valid as part of the settlement, according to Omeros. Omidria, which was approved by the FDA in June 2014, is used during cataract surgery or intraocular lens replacement. Omeros shares have surged nearly 15% over the last three months, and Endo shares have dropped 25%, compared with a 4.6% rise in the S&P 500 .

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Thursday showed that domestic supplies of natural gas rose by 42 billion cubic feet for the week ended Sept. 29. That was below the average forecast for a climb of 47 billion cubic feet by analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts. Total stocks now stand at 3.508 trillion cubic feet, down 161 billion cubic feet from a year ago, and 8 billion cubic feet below the five-year average, the government said. November natural gas rose 3.8 cents, or 1.2%, from Wednesday’s settlement to $2.978 per million British thermal units-little changed from its level before the data.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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