August 15, 2023 5:16pm

CEOs need to step-up and articulate their viability and differentiation to attract investors – speak out and tell investors - why to invest!

Pre-Open Indication: 3 Hits and 0 Miss

Subscription is coming, it is not conscription but, an offer to join our collective of like-minded investors!  Join me … in the NO spin zone.

Never leave an investor uninformed! 

If I have learned one thing as a former research analyst in a venture and public fund, operating executive, x-military officer and x-FBI, an adjunct (MBA) business school professor now a journalist; my life and your portfolio are largely tied to our knowledge of price movements and questioning pricing targets.

 

The Dow closed DOWN -361.24 or -1.02%, the S&P closed DOWN -51.86 or -1.16% while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -157.28 points (-1.14%)

 

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 fell on Tuesday as financial stocks – banks weakened after Fitch warned it may have to downgrade credit rating dozens of banks,

Investor sentiment also weakened globally after China reported disappointing economic data and its central bank made a surprise rate cut. <CNBC>

Economic Data Docket: July’s U.S. retail sales data came in higher than expected, indicating a stronger-than-expected consumer. Retail sales increased 0.7% month-over-month. Meanwhile, economists had estimated a 0.4% increase.

 

Tuesday (8/15) … RegMed Investors’ (RMi) Opening Bell: “struggling momentum. Sentiment across the globe was downbeat after disappointing data out of China and a surprise rate cut from the country’s central bank.” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13078

 

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

  • Tuesday’s advance/decline line opened negative at 6 up/ 27 down and 2 flats, flipped neutral with 17 up/ 17 down and 1 flat at the mid-day, ending with a negative close of 15 incliners, 18 decliners and 2 flats

 

Pre-Open Indications: 3 Hits < (IONS +$0.12, BPMC+$0.19), VCEL -$0.11)> and 0 Miss <

 

52-Week Lows:

  • Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) at $1.01
  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE) at $2.93

 

Ebb and flow:

  • Q3: August – 2 positives and 9 negative closes

 

Key Metrics:

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

  • Tuesday, the IBB was down -0.32% and the XBI was down -0.25%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Tuesday was up +1.60 point or +10.80% at 16.42

 

Closing Down (10 of 18):

  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$1.27 after Monday’s -$0.91),
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY -$1.22 after Monday’s -$4.44)
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM -$0.95 after Monday’s -$0.33),
  • Sage therapeutics (SAGE -$0.38 after Monday’s -$0.14),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS -$0.33 after Monday’s +$0.46),
  • Prime Medicine (PRME -$0.28 after Monday’s +$0.54),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX -$0.21 after Monday’s +$0.34),
  • Caribou Bioscience (CRBU -$0.13 after Monday’s -$0.25),
  • Precigen (PGEN -$0.13),
  • Vericel (VCEL -$0.11),

Flat (2):

  • Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM),
  • Harvard Apparatus RM (HRGN)

Closing Up (10 of 15):

  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE +$0.49 after Monday's +$1.58),
  • uniQure NV (QURE +$0.27),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$0.26),
  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC +$0.19 after Monday's +$1.88),
  • bluebird bio (BLUE+$0.16 after Monday's -$0.20),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.12 after monday's -$0.34),
  • Editas Medicine (EDIT +$0.09),
  • Cellectis SA (CLLS +$0.05),
  • AxoGen (AXGN +$0.04),
  • Homology Medicine (FIXX +$0.02),

 

Q3/23 – August

  • Tuesday closed negative with 15 incliners, 18 decliners and 2 flats

 

The BOTTOM LINE: I try to keep it simple … and short!

I follow the dictum, quoting Churchill that “short words are best, and the old words when short are best of all.”

The small-cap Russell 2000 was down over 1% at closing bell.

Tuesday after stronger-than-expected retail sales data stoked worries interest rates could stay higher for longer, while U.S. big banks dropped on a report that Fitch could downgrade some lenders.

Meanwhile, eyes will also be on the release of the minutes from the Fed's last policy meeting, in which the central bank resumed its rate-hike campaign. Wall Street will be keen to decipher any clues in the minutes that point to the Fed's next move in September. <Yahoo Finance>

August tends to frighten many stock market investors and historians.

•              The stock market is riding high after a strong performance in July, but August could be a difficult month for investors.

•              Data compiled by the Stock Trader’s Almanac shows the S&P 500 averages just a 0.1% gain in August. That makes it the third-worst month on average for the benchmark index. The Dow, meanwhile, averages a loss of 0.04% in August. <CNBC>

 

Cell and gene therapy sector performance continues to suggest the results of earning season…

Q2/23 net losses earnings, cash positions and runway outcomes. LPS (loss-per-share) releases will present challenges to share pricing with outcomes included … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13058  

 

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

 

The top three (3) performing in the session:

Tuesday: Ultragenyx (RARE), CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), uniQure NV (QURE)

Monday: Blueprint Medicine (BPMC), Ultragenyx (RARE) and Prime Medicine (PRME)

While The worst three (3) in the session:

Tuesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) – again, Verve Therapeutics (VERV) – again and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM)

Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) and Verve Therapeutics (VERV)

 

I am definitely considered a contrarian depending on the session – one has to be a watcher of the ups and downs as well as measurer of sentiment. I am also a NO trust investor but, a validate and verify journalist/analyst.

 

The NO spin zone! U.S. public shareholders deserve accountability …

 

Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology (HRGN) formerly Biostage (OTCQB: BSTG) … as of 7/20/23 -- so many issues!

•              Question: is HRGN just another Ponzi scheme (with their pump/promote buy and sell agenda) as shares are bought to replace those sold?

•              Accumulated deficit:  $85,901 M

•              Will HRGN ESCAPE the scandals when its “former” corporate name was used by a former chairman and CEO Green initiating scandal plagued utilization of an Italian surgeon and the $5.9 M it took to settle out the executive responsibility as it was SHIFTED to the company shareholders and Harvard Bio (HBIO)???

•              On April 28, 2022, the Company entered into a Preferred Issuance Agreement, or PIA, with Harvard Bioscience, Inc., or HBIO, dated as of April 27, 2022. Pursuant to the PIA, the Company and HBIO agreed that once HBIO had paid at least $4.0 million in certain settlement and related legal expenses, to satisfy the Company’s indemnification obligations with respect thereto, in lieu of paying cash, the Company would issue senior convertible preferred stock to HBIO that will contain terms as described in the PIA. <10-K>

•              On June 10, 2022, following the execution of a subscription agreement and HBIO providing evidence of payment of the requisite $4.0 million amount, the Company issued HBIO 4,000 shares of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock, or Series E Preferred Stock, at a price of $1,000 per share to satisfy the Company’s related indemnification obligations pertaining to the $4.0 million, in lieu of paying cash. <10-K>

•              Can this management team be TRUSTED by ANY shareholder other then major holders’ Chinese off-shore investors.

•              HRGN schedules earnings LPS (loss-per-share) – al but broke as 3–5-year clinical trial begins – four (4) years after IND approved

 

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.