September 11, 2018 5:34pm

A session of sluggishness as it swipes up and down

Lack of confidence or just scared of the month’s end and quarter

 

Out and about: a day of remembrance – the seventeenth anniversary of 9/11

 

We crave explanations because they give us an illusion of control. Your portfolio should be profiting from RMi’s analysis!

Henry’omics:

After a mid-day slump, the session slowly headed to a positive close!

The remaining weeks would be an ideal time in which to cull your portfolio of sector equities and decide which small to mid-caps to keep for year’s end.

What you need to know, is that there is a seasonal patterns to the relative strength of small-cap stocks.

 

Sector equities’ strength is strongest in January, gradually weakens as the year progresses — and that strength flips to weakness in the last quarter of the year.

 

From the pre-open newsletter: “the sector looks frothy. There is a divergence between volume and pricing; is it a question of confidence or complacency? The oversold need a pay-up!”

I also stated, “Wait to see which side (BUY or SELL) of the sector is shaking; although there are too many oversold and a few overbought! I’d be watching the watchers, getting a feel for the algorithms and be ready for a down session! Ever allowing for volatility, the declines seem exaggerated.”

 

The spits and spurts:

AGTC gets nailed post Q4 and FY18 reporting (-$0.375);

BLFS declines -$0.44, another Icarus flight pattern;

VSTM appreciates +$0.12 with increasing volume;

BSTG stays flat at $3.40 in a holding cell (my OPINION, the reverse split criminals will reputationally pay the price;

HSGX is up, the shell and cash is worth more than +$0.63;

BLUE (+$5.00) is “fast and furious” to the upside to regain altitude

RGNX (+$1.90) is also regaining altitude

The CRISPR trio CRSP (+$2.11), EDIT (+$1.17) and NTLA (+$2.015) are retracing lost value until the next decline (I wouldn’t hold my breath) – trading vehicles;

Caladrius Bioscience (+$0.14) on small volume (17.25 K shares traded – 3 month average = 329.2 K) – it’s an “egg salad sandwich” which has been on the shelf too long, it could be called a portfolio “ptomaine” in time;

 

Of the 45 companies covered on Tuesday; 20 downside equities finished in a range of -0.50% (FIXX) to -8.72% (AGTC) while 23 upside equity oscillated from +0.12% (AXGN) to +7.97% (NTLA) with 2 flat closes (BSTG and PSTI).

 

Daily analytics and metrics:

  • The Dow closed up +113.89 points a or +0.44% to 25,971.06
  • The S&P closed up +10.76 points or +0.37% to 2,887.89
  • The NASDAQ closed up +48.31 points or +0.61% to 7,972.47

 

The advance/decline line scenario of 45 covered companies:   

  • The open was positive with an A/DL of 21/17 and 7 flats;
  • The mid-day slipped negative with an A/DL of 21/23 and 1 flat;
  • The close flipped positive with an A/DL of 23/20 and 2 flats;

 

Four (4) key metrics:  

… The greatest volume to the downside:  ALNY, MDXG, ATHX,

… Upside volume was weighted to:  HSGX, SGMO, VSTM, BLUE, CRSP and XON

… Leadership ($) to the downside:  ALNY (-$3.90), ONCE (-$1.64), BLOD (-$1.25), RENE.L (-$1.00) and BMRN (-$0.80)

… Best moves ($) to the upside:  BLUE (+$5.00), SLDB (+$2.50), NTLA (+$2.150, CRSP (+$2.11) and RGNX (+$1.90)

 

The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology (IBB) closed:

  • Tuesday was down -0.42%
  • Monday was up +0.17%
  • Friday was down -0.57%
  • Thursday was down -1.78%
  • Wednesday was down -0.30%
  • Last Tuesday was down -0.97%

 

September sessions:

Tuesday’s closed POSITIVE with 20 decliners, 23 advancer and 2 flats 

Monday’s closed NEGATIVE with 28 decliners, 17 advancer and 2 flats 

Friday’s closed POSITIVE with 15 decliners, 23 advancer and 7 flats 

Thursday’s closed NEGATIVE with 39 decliners, 1 advancer and 5 flats 

Wednesday’s closed NEGATIVE with 30 decliners, 12 advancers and 3 flats 

Tuesday’s (9/4) closed NEGATIVE with 22 decliners, 19 advancers and 4 flats  

 

 

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.