January 13, 2017 7:48am

 

… It is where and how they will be measured in 2017

 

Deliver or be vilified and relegated to the non-financeable by unhappy investors

 

I answer one question; in which company should investors put, keep and commit their money!

 

Who is in today’s headlights – six (6) equities, are they a BUY or a SELL?

Miss me, it’s time to become a 2017 subscriber – free reads are over!

 

I write in every line that investors need to avoid risks as if I were the first to be hurt if I am wrong!

 


 

I am right more often than not and investors have always been able to count on ME for return on investment (ROI); start thinking return on speculation (ROS)!

 

 

BUY: AGTC, HSGX,

SELL: CUR, JUNO, OPXA and SGMO

 

Indexes and ETFs: The IBB (-0.42%) and XBI (-0.36%) are DOWN, IWM (+0.07%) is UP while the XLV is NOT indicating

Dow futures are UP +0.11% and NASDAQ futures are UP +0.14%

 

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Friday as traders eyed some big earnings reports and data.

Europe markets were higher as investors digested data from China and waited for corporate earnings from the U.S. later in the session.

Asian markets were mixed as Chinese shares slid while investors digested China's underwhelming exports for December and disappointing full-year trade figures.  South Korea, Japan and Australia stocks were also down.

 

Data docket: retail sales and PPI are due at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consumer sentiment and business inventories set to come out at 10:00 a.m. ET.

 

 

The stem, cell, gene and regenerative therapy (SCG&RT) sector closed NEGATIVE on Thursday and Wednesday, POSITIVE on Tuesday and Monday and NEGATIVE last Friday.  

The SCG&RT sector’s record after the last 5 days (of 43 covered companies):

·         Thursday closed NEGATIVE with 24 decliners, 18 advances and 1 flat;

·         Wednesday closed NEGATIVE with 34 decliners, 5 advancers and 4 flats;

·         Tuesday closed POSITIVE with 14 decliners, 25 advancers and 4 flats;

·         Monday closed POSITIVE with 10 decliners, 29 advancers and 4 flats;

·         Friday closed NEGATIVE with 23 decliners, 17 advancers and 3 flats;

 

 

Remembering Thursday’s closing bell newsletter, “2017 is starting off on a "fractured foot". It begets a “twinkling” about what “our” universe needs to be doing about its future.”

  • As I stated, “A day has passed since yesterday’s Trump attack on drug makers, and biotech and pharmaceutical stock continue to lose ground.”

After a depressing Wednesday close of only 5 (of 43 covered) advancers; Thursday, the sector jumped to 24 (of 43 covered) on Thursday. The upside trades are, fundamentally, driven by the same factor: being oversold.

  • The issues post the supposed high JPMorgan Annual Healthcare Conference is expectation!

But Trump hasn’t the only factor impacting stocks: investors have only a vague idea of what’s next, as Q4/16 results are due soon which once announced will end the hold of last year’s share pricing.

  • However, the next and increasingly problem for investors will be accessing the capital markets by many of the “needy” companies for financing.

 

This sector is setting investors up for a confrontation as even fast and speculative money is as short as it has been in a long time and solid investors are skeptical in financing  many of the “needy”!

 

 

You’ve made it to the office, turned on the monitor, having just gotten your coffee and it hits you - what could be today’s trades? 

Watch list:

·         The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology (IBB) closed  Thursday up +0.36% and is DOWN -0.42% in Friday’s pre-market;

·         The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) closed Thursday up +1.56% and is DOWN -0.36% in Friday’s after-market;

·         The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) closed up +0.10% Thursday and is NOT indicating  in Friday’s pre-market;

·         The iShares Russell 2000 (IWM) closed down -0.77% on Thursday and is UP +0.07% in Friday’s pre-market

 

                                                                                   

Companies in my headlights – short, sweet and some sour:

Applied Genetic Technologies (AGTC) closed DOWN another -$0.25 to $9.25 following Wednesday’s $9.50 (-$0.55) after Tuesday’s $10.05 (+$0.30). January has been good to the share pricing but, how long can it last? 12/30 priced at $9.35 offset by 1/4’s $9.70, 1/6’s $9.45, and 1/9’s $9.75. – Maintaining BUY;

Juno Therapeutics (JUNO) closed UP +40.06 to $19.67. The aftermarket indication is a negative -$0.17 – SELL;

Histogenics (HSGX) closed UP +$0.16 to $1.68 following Wednesday’s $1.52 (-$0.02) after Tuesday’s $1.54 (-$0.03). Always the come-back-kid of share pricing with the aftermarket indication being a positive +$0.12 – Maintaining BUY;

Neuralstem (CUR) closed DOWN -$0.29 to $4.36 after Wednesday’s $4.65 (-$1.41) post Tuesday’s spurt of +$2.25 or +59.06% to $6.06. After a 1 for 13 reverse split to fulfill a NASDAQ listing, historically they decline after their execution. The aftermarket indication is negative -$0.02 – Maintaining SELL;

Opexa (OPXA) closed UP +$0.26 to $1.15. WHY suddenly is “it” is being bid-up? NO answer and too much speculation which leads to peaks and valleys - SELL;

Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) closed UP +$0.30 to $3.95. Simple word, overbought - SELL                                                        

 

 

Whether information or intelligence is good, bad or somewhere in between; I put into context what is relevant and useful for investors.

Henry McCusker, the editor and publisher of RegMed Investors does not hold or have positions in securities referred to in this publication.

Henry’s comments are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for personalized advice. Consult your advisor about what is best for you.