February 7, 2022 5:02pm

News: uniQure N.V. (QURE +$0.39) dosed the first two (2) patients in its European open-label P1b/2 clinical trial of AMT-130, a potential one-time gene-therapy approach for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. The clinical trial is taking place at several sites in Poland, the United Kingdom and Germany.

The Biostage (BSTG) Chronicles: shows how the “pimp/pump and promote” works with the shares trading up +$0.55 with 2,311 shares traded for a company with a two (2) year old IND, NO clinical trial, a terminal death suit overhang and dubious volume-based volatility. WHO is buying these shares to PROMOTE an offering … NON-U.S. Chinese sources?

Pre-open Indications: 4 Hits, 2 Miss and 1 Pump/Promoted

If I have learned one thing as a former research analyst, venture and public fund investor then a journalist; it is that your life and your bank account are largely tied to your knowledge of price movements and questioning targets.

Who else is tracking a broad grouping of cell and gene therapy equities – with facts supported by real numbers?

 

The Dow closed UP +1.39 points (+0.00%); the S&P closed DOWN -16.67 points (-0.37%) while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -82.34 points (-0.58%)

 

Henry’omics:

Indexes bounced between gains and losses Monday while the cell and gene therapy sector blossomed after last weeks intermittent turmoil.

Markets have been bracing against the fallout from inflation and are now pricing in about a 35% chance that the Federal Reserve will hike its benchmark short-term borrowing rate by half a percentage point, or 50 basis points, in March. <CNBC>

 

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: “question of the session, what’s sustainable? Gains and pains, a one letter difference in each” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12288

 

RegMed/Stem/Cell and Gene therapy’s 35 covered equities’ Advance/Decline (A/D) lines: what happened …

  • Monday opened positive at 33 up/1 downs and 1 acquired, stayed positive at the mid-day at 30/4, 1 flat and 1 acquired, ending with a positive close of 29/4, 1 flat and 1 acquired;
  • Friday opened negative at 14 up/18 downs, 2 flats and 1 acquired, flipped positive at the mid-day at 24/9, 1 flat and 1 acquired, ending with a positive close of 30/4 and 1 acquired;

 

Pre-open indications: 4 Hits < Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$3.23), Editas Medicine (EDIT +$0.59), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.96), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA +$1.47)> 2 MISS < Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT +$1.21), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE +$1.88)> 1 PIMP/PUMP/PROMOTE <Biostage (BSTG +$0.55)>

 

The Biostage (BSTG) Chronicles: shows how the “pimp/pump and promote” works with the shares trading up +$0.55 with 2,311 shares traded after Friday’s +$0.22 with 305 shares traded, Thursday’s flat ($0.00) with 3 shares traded, Wednesday’s down -$0.53 with 502 shares traded, Tuesday’s +$0.40 with 1,088 shares after Monday’s 11 shares traded after Friday’s +$0.05 with 3,225 shares traded after Thursday’s +$0.24 with 10,073 - double the mornings 5,030 shares traded after last Wednesday’s diving to -$0.00 with 7,796 shares trading after appreciating +$0.35 (after dropping mid-day -$0.07 – such sarcasm after miraculous jump) and the previous Tuesday’s +$0.31 with 2,794 shares traded.

 

Key Metrics:

  • Monday - Sector volume was LOW with 4 of the 29-upside having higher than the 3-month average volume with LOW volume of 1 of 4-downside having higher than the 3-month average volume;
  • Friday - Sector volume was LOW with 5 of the 30-upside having higher than the 3-month average volume with LOW volume of 1 of 4-downside having higher than the 3-month average volume

 

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

  • Monday  the IBB closed up +0.77% and XBI closed up +2.71%
  • Friday the IBB closed up +0.32% and XBI closed up +1.51%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Monday was down -0.34 points or -1.46% at 22.88
  • Friday was down -1.13 points or -4.64 at 23.22

 

Jumping with share pricing momentum (10 of 29):

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$3.23 after Friday’s +$2.91),
  • Sage Therapeutics (SAGE +$1.88 after Friday’s +$1.43),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA +$1.47 after Friday’s +$1.43),
  • Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT +$1.21),
  • Ultragenyx (RARE +$1.17 after Friday’s +$1.01),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.96),
  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE +$0.76 after Friday’s +$1.07),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX +$0.73 after Friday’s +$1.33),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$0.62 after Friday’s +$0.84),
  • Editas Medicine (EDIT +$0.59 after Friday’s +$0.76),

Hammered in today’s market (4 of 4):

  • ReNeuron (RENE.L -$1.00 after Friday’s -$0.50),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS -$0.16),
  • Pluristem (PSTI -$0.01),
  • Precigen (PGEN -$0.01),

Closing Flat:

  • 1 - Solid Biosciences (SLDB) – 1- Stemline Therapeutics (STML) – acquired

 

February, Q1/2022:

  • Monday closed positive with 29 incliners, 4 decliners, 1 flat and 1 acquired
  • Friday closed positive with 30 incliners, 4 decliners and 1 acquired

 

The BOTTOM LINE: More of the sector equities were leading in Monday’s trading.

Monday’s racing to the upside were: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) and Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) while the few down-trodden were ReNeuron (RENE.L), BioLife Solutions (BLFS) and Precigen (PGEN -0.89%).

Versus … the comparable previous session:

Friday’s Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) with Friday’s down-trodden being ReNeuron (RENE.L), bluebird bio (BLUE) and Cellectis SA (CLLS).

Investors will be watching earnings reports this week; Q4 and end-of-year earnings are about to be made aware of” more than even I thought.

•             Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) - 2/10, Thursday

•             Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) reports Q4 and FY21 on Thursday, 2/10

•             Applied Genetic Technologies (AGTC) on Monday, 2/14

•             AxoGen AXGN) – 2/22, Tuesday

An appropriate quote, “Investor psychology is shifting almost week-to-week, meaning sticking to one’s investment convictions is about as hard (or painful) as ever, but also never more important in driving outperformance,” Raymond James strategist Tavis McCourt said in a note to clients.

Algorithms, hedge funds and traders continue to punish and … then push the cell and gene therapy stocks as valuations “creep” up.

WHY do I keep analyzing Biostage (BSTG): I WAS there to experience the lack of investor prerogatives and saw the decay of transparency and more; it takes courage, resolve and patience to stay the course of asking the questions without response!

Who is defining the metrics for investors and keeping you notified of the sector and market fluctuations?  What I provide is a trusted source of share pricing intelligence – it’s more than opinion, I deal in the facts and numbers that back them up.

 

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.