April 26, 2024 7:43pm

News: bluebird bio (BLUE) is no longer in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) receiving a notice on 4/24/24 from because BLUE has not yet filed its 12/31/23 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year with the SEC.

The Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN) Chronicles: Ponzi Scheme, a Madoff look-a-life or just a China rip-off? <see the Bottom Line>

A 360-degree review of the who, why, when and what happened in the sector as the market and economics surround your portfolio’s defense or offence.

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The week in Review

The present and future value of RegMed Investors (RMi) NEWS sheds light on the stem, cell and gene therapy sector’s risks to share pricing and the sector’s upside acrobatics and potential downslides.

I write this blog/newsletter about – facts in evidence! 

 

Friday: The Dow closed UP +153.86 points or +0.40%, the S&P closed UP +51.54 points or +1.02% while the Nasdaq closed UP +316.14 points or +2.03%

 

Henry’omics:

We need to more than consider the economic environment - rising rates and inflation to comprehend the micro re “our” universe of cell and gene therapy companies …

Indexes jumped Friday as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notched their best week since November as traders pored through fresh U.S. inflation data.

Economic Data Docket: March’s core personal consumption expenditures reports slowing growth inflation. The gauge, excluding food and energy, rose 2.8% from a year ago and came in ahead of the 2.7% expected. Personal spending rose 0.8%, ahead of a 0.7% estimate.

  • The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell just 2.2 points to 77.2 in April, also came in slightly below an estimate of 77.9.

 

Friday’s RegMed Investors’ (RMi) opening bell: “head and knee down. Waiting for PCE, PE, CORE and UN of Michigan inflation-oriented reports.” …  https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13435

 

Advance/Decline (A/D) Line:

  • Friday’s advance/decline line at the open was positive with 27 incliner, 6 decliners and 2 flats; ending with a positive close of 23 incliners, 11 decliners and 1 flat
  • Thursday’s advance/decline line at the open was negative with 4 incliner, 30 decliners and 1 flat; ending with a negative close of 6 incliners, 28 decliners and 1 flat
  • Wednesday’s advance/decline line at the open was neutral with 17 incliner, 17 decliners and 1 flat; ending with a negative close of 9 incliners, 25 decliners and 1 flat
  • Tuesday’s advance/decline line at the open was positive with 30 incliner, 4 decliners and 1 flat; ending with a positive close of 23 incliners, 11 decliners and 1 flat
  • Monday’s advance/decline line at the open was negative with 12 incliner, 21 decliners and 2 flats; ending with a positive close of 26 incliners, 6 decliners and 3 flats

 

Ebb and flow of MY covered sector cell and gene therapy session daily “endings”:

Q2/24: 15 negative and 5 positive closes

Q1/24:

  • March, 1 holiday, 8 positive and 12 negative closes
  • February, 1 holiday, 9 negative and 11 positive closes
  • January: 2 holiday, 12 negative and 8 positive closes

 

All-time low:

  • Prime Medicine (PRME) at $4.22
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV) at $6.16

 

Key Metrics:

The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology (IBB) and the SPDR S&P ETF (XBI) indicators:

  • Friday, the IBB was up +0.65% and the XBI was up +1.54%
  • Thursday, the IBB was down -1.64% and the XBI was down -2.08%
  • Wednesday, the IBB was down -0.20% and the XBI was down -0.89%
  • Tuesday, the IBB was up +1.51% and the XBI was up +1.10%
  • Monday, the IBB was up +1.11% and the XBI was up +1.16%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Friday was down -0.34 point or -2.21% at 15.03
  • Thursday was down -0.55 point or -3.45% at 15.42
  • Wednesday was up +0.29 point or +1.86% at 15.98
  • Tuesday was down -1.19 point or -7.03% at 15.75
  • Monday was down -1.78 point or -9.51% at 16.93

 

Friday’s Closing Down (11 of 11):

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY -$0.40),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS -$0.25 after Thursday’s -$0.61. Wednesday’s +$0.61, Tuesday’s +$0.77 and Monday’s +$0.39),
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM -$0.22 after Thursday’s -$1.14, Wednesday’s -$0.73 and Tuesday’s -$0.66),
  • Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM -$0.20 after Thursday’s -$0.80, Wednesday’s -$0.81 and Tuesday’s -$0.34),
  • Generation Bio (GBIO -$0.11 after Thursday’s +$0.02 after Wednesday’s -$0.27, Tuesday’s +$0.45 and Monday’s -$0.05),
  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE -$0.07 after Thursday’s -$0.43),
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$0.06),
  • Caribou Biosciences (CRBU -$0.05),
  • Compass Therapeutics (CMPX -$0.03),
  • uniQure NV (QURE -$0.01),
  • Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (BLCM -$0.0054),

Flat (1):

  • Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN $0.00 after Thursday’s +$0.07, Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday’s $0.00)

Friday’s Closing Up (10 of 23):

  • Agenus (AGEN +$3.39 after Thursday’s +$0.88 after Wednesday’s +$0.96, Tuesday’s +$0.69 and Monday’s +$0.46),
  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC +$2.27 after Thursday’s -$1.53),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA +$0.74 after Thursday’s -$1.15 after Wednesday’s -$0.36 and Tuesday’s -$0.23),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS +$0.67),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$0.60 after Thursday’s -$0.66 after Wednesday’s -$0.31, Tuesday’s +$1.04 and Monday’s +$1.64),
  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB +$0.44),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE +$0.39 after Thursday’s -$0.40, Wednesday’s -$1.84, Tuesday’s +$1.42 and Monday’s +$1.32),
  • Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR +$0.20),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$0.18 after Thursday’s -$1.92, Wednesday’s -$0.76, Tuesday’s +$0.75 and Monday’s +$0.61),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX +$0.13 after Thursday’s +$0.02, Wednesday’s +$0.14 and Tuesday’s +$0.26)

 

Q2/24 – April:

  • Friday closed positive with 23 incliners, 11 decliners and 1 flat
  • Thursday closed negative with 6 incliners, 28 decliners and 1 flat
  • Wednesday closed negative with 9 incliners, 25 decliners and 1 flat
  • Tuesday closed positive with 23 incliners, 11 decliners and 1 flat
  • (4/22) Monday closed positive with 26 incliners, 6 decliners and 3 flats

 

The BOTTOM LINE:  the cell and gene therapy sector rebounded strongly Friday but, did it come from investors (?) and was it an algorithmic and electronic trading play through?

Investors should note the character change in the market; keeping caution in buy/sell “fingers.”

  • The major indexes are all below their 50-day moving averages.
  • The coming weeks earnings calendar could still swing the sectors.
  • The Fed meeting and key economic data also could derail a market rally?

Q1/24 Reporting Season, it’s all about LPS (loss-per-share), cash positions and runways:

  • MiMedx (MDXG) on 4/30,
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE), AxoGen (AXGN), Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) on Thursday, 5/2;
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Agenus (AGEN) on Tuesday, 5/7
  • Vericel (VCEL) on Wednesday, 5/8

 

Reiterating:  Is Agenus (AGEN preparing for an offering … $300 common stock, preferred stock, warrants and debt securities … Shelf Filing … Post Effective Amendment … reasoning for the Share Reverse?

Agenus (AGEN) shares jumped Friday +$3.39 after Thursday’s +$0.88, Wednesday +$0.96, Tuesday’s +$0.39, Monday’s $5.70 and last Friday’s $5.31 +$0.

•              4/12, a stock reverse of 1/20 split

•              Notice how AGEN is pushing its earnings release much earlier than is has in past!

https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001098972/2aeed437-11b5-4133-be70-d8c22ec43843.pdf

  • A sales agreement prospectus supplement that covers the potential offering, issuance and sale from time to time of up to 134,512,851 shares of Agenus’ common stock pursuant to a sales agreement with B. Riley Securities, Inc. (formerly B. Riley FBR, Inc.).

 

The top three (3) performing in the session:  

  • Friday: Agenus (AGEN), Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA)
  • Thursday: Agenus (AGEN), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) and Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN)
  • Wednesday: Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), Agenus (AGEN) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS)
  • Tuesday: Blueprint Medicine (BPMC), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) and Vericel (VCEL)
  • Monday: Blueprint Medicine (BPMC), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) and Vericel (VCEL)

The worst three (3) in the session:

  • Friday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM)
  • Thursday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM),
  • Wednesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) and Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM)
  • Tuesday: Beam Therapeutics (BEAM), Fate Therapeutics (FATE) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA)
  • Monday: Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), Graphite BIO (GBIO) and bluebird bio (BLUE)

 

BEWARE… How MANY TIMES AM I RIGHT … MORE than MOST!!

The Harvard Apparatus RT (OTC QB HRGN) Chronicles: shows how the “pimp/pump and promote” share pricing works with WHAT news for so long …my treatise is VALIDATED!

Yet a further SCREW-JOB for early and present investors ...

  • Friday closed flat with 0 shares traded
  • Thursday closed up +$0.07 with 250 shares traded
  • Wednesday closed flat with 0 shares traded
  • Tuesday closed flat with 0 shares traded
  • Monday closed flat with 0 shares traded
  • Friday closed down -$0.33 with 103 shares traded
  • Thursday closed flat with 151 shares traded
  • Wednesday closed down -$0.02 with 600 shares traded
  • Tuesday closed up +$0.30 with 400 shares <AvgVol-3 mo = 3,796
  • (4/15) Monday closed float with 17 shares traded
  • Friday closed down -$0.33 (was -$0.85 with 1400 shares traded) with 1,649 shares traded
  • Thursday closed flat with 25 shares traded
  • Wednesday closed up +$0.09 with 900 shares traded
  • Tuesday closed flat with 0 shares traded
  • (4/8) Monday closed up +$0.48 with 4,715 shares traded
  • Friday closed flat with 800 shares traded
  • Thursday closed down -$0.68 with 13,300 shares traded
  • Wednesday closed down -$0.002 with 800 shares traded
  • Tuesday closed $0.00 with 11,900 shares traded
  • (4/1) Monday was up +$0.05 with 1,926 shares traded

Question, has its major shareholder and landlord, Harvard Bioscience (HBIO) in the midst of a lay-off; been left holding a depreciating “bag” of shares (5% or 697,112 shares – SC 13G/A filing) from its $4 M share of the wrongful death lawsuit settlement having been issued 4,000 shares of series E 8% convertible Preferred stock at a price of $1,000 per share to satisfy the indemnification obligations (10-K)?  How will HBIO protect itself and its asset/balance sheet when and who will NOT finance this OTCQB: HRGN pig with this its lipstick and lingering odor?

Did you notice how it barely trades unless volume is being “pumped.”  This question needs to be answered as OTCQB: HRGN is desperate to finance by any means as past Chinese private placement investors must be feeling … WHAT … TAKEN to the cleaners?

Question, Is it a Ponzi Scheme?

 

Welcome to my world of defining the “grey’ in our universe!

  • Right up front, “I also hate to be so negative or contrarian but, this is a NO spin zone and facts are its product; I can always be WRONG but … I am mostly EARLY!”

 

Opinions expressed are those of the author and are subject to change, and not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results, nor investment advice. Whether information or intelligence is good, bad, or somewhere in between; I put into context what is relevant and useful for investors.  All investments are subject to risks. Investors should consider investment objectives.

Henry McCusker, the editor, and publisher of RegMed Investors does not hold or have positions in securities referred to in this publication. Regulation Analyst Certification (Reg AC): The research analyst primarily responsible for the content of this report certifies the following under Reg AC: I hereby certify that all views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views about the subject company or companies and its or their securities.

I also certify that no part of my compensation was, is or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed in this report.