September 27, 2023 4:44pm

Barely one (1) session. Often what separates a mediocre portfolio from a superior strategy is to look at the strangle hold on convention of holding and reliance on price targets

Pre-open Indications: 4 Hit and 3 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! 

The Dow closed DOWN -68.61 points or -0.20%, the S&P closed UP +0.98 points or +0.02% while the Nasdaq closed UP +29.24 points or +0.22%

 

Investors crave share pricing explanations because they give us an illusion of portfolio control. I know what a company is supposed to look like, be like, and smell like to succeed; bottom line, investors own the right to exit or enter sector’s share pricing.

 

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 closed mixed Wednesday with the Dow trolling down, after a positive open coming from Tuesday’s steep losses.

Economic Data Docket: U.S. durable goods orders unexpectedly rise in August

 

52-week low:

  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB) at $2.50
  • Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) at $0.59
  • Prime Medicine (PRMC) at $8.54

 

Wednesday (9/27) … RegMed Investors’ (RMi) Opening Bell: “stuck in the middle between FOMO, fear of missing out and FOLA fear of losing it all. What goes up with dramatic upside price actions under a dark cloud; you might want to lock-in profit if any exacerbated as rotational anxiety pervades the cell and gene therapy sector.” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13138

 

Pre-Open indications: 4 Hit < Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$1.81), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE -$0.50), Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$0.36), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.85)> and 3 Miss < Sage Therapeutics (SAGE +$0.47), Editas Medicine (EDIT +$0.06), Prime Medicine (PRME -$0.71)>

 

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

  • Wednesday’s advance/decline line opened positive at 24 up/ 7 down and 4 flats, flipped negative at the mid-day with 13 up/ 20 down and 2 flats, ending with a positive close of 18 incliners, 13 decliners and 4 flats

 

Ebb and flow:

Q3: September – 1 holiday, 8 positive and 10 negative closes

·         August – 9 positive and 14 negative closes

·          July - 1 holiday, 12 positive and 8 negative close

 

Key Metrics:

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

  • Wednesday, the IBB was up +0.47% and the XBI was up +1.07%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Wednesday was down -0.42 point or -2.22% at 18.52

 

Closing Down (10 of 14):

  • Prime Medicine (PRMC -$0.71 after Tuesday’s -$0.32 after Monday’s -$0.51),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE -$0.50 after Tuesday’s +$0.74 after Monday’s +$0.24),
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$0.36 after Tuesday’s +$1.57 and Monday’s -$0.67),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.26),
  • Caribou Therapeutics (CRBU -$0.22 after Tuesday’s -$0.05),
  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB -$0.10 after Tuesday’s -$0.15),
  • Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO -$0.077 after Tuesday’s -$0.0165),
  • Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM -$0.050,
  • Homology Medicine (FIXDX -$0.04),
  • MiMedx (MDXG -$0.03),

FLAT (4)

  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC $0.00 after Tuesday’s +$0.60),
  • Harvard Apparatus RN (HRGN $0.00 after Tuesday’s -$0.39 and Friday’s $0.00),
  • Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics (BCLI $0.00 after Tuesday’s -$0.03 and Monday’s -$0.38),
  • Mesoblast (MESO)

Closing Up (10 of 18):

  • Vericel (VCEL +$2.02 after Tuesday’s -$0.50 after Monday’s $0.00),
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$1.81 after Tuesday’s +$4.28 after Monday’s -$0.78),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$1.02 after Tuesday’s +$0.25 after Monday’s +$0.37)
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.85 after Tuesday’s +$3.62),
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM +$0.66 after Tuesday’s +$0.59 after Monday’s -$0.75),
  • Sage Therapeutics (SAGE +$0.47 after Tuesday’s +$1.58 after Monday’s -$0.30),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX +$0.43 after Tuesday’s +$0.29 after Monday’s -$0.23),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS +$0.33 after Tuesday’s +$0.42 after Monday’s +$0.15),
  • AxoGen (AXGN +$0.32 after Tuesday’s -$0.31 after Monday’s +$0.14),
  • Generation Bio (GBIO +$0.09),

 

Q3/23 – September

  • Wednesday closed positive with 18 incliners, 13 decliners and 4 flats

 

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

Key word of the state of uncertainty in “our” universe of cell and gene therapy … “which makes It difficult to predict where sector is headed in the short run.”

Invest like you're driving on an icy, windy road, not an open highway. Proceed carefully, or wait it out on the side of the road.

Contributing to today’s (9/27) barely updraft:

  • September is STILL a seasonally weak month for stocks
  • Rising rates and disappointing economic data
  • Traders, algorithms and electronic trading skimming the upside
  • Inflation remains the biggest concern
  • As we wait developments on a U.S. funding bill and inflation data this week to gauge the Fed's monetary policy outlook.
  • Markets betting on more hikes to come, including a 35% chance of a December increase, longer-term Treasury yields are testing new cycle highs, with benchmark 10-year notes hitting 4.628% in mid-day New York trading. <The Street>
  • The market's key volatility gauge, the CBOE's VIX index, is also trending north, and was last marked 0.4% lower at a four-month peak of 18.88 points.

 

The cell and gene therapy sector equities share pricing stayed having flipped to the upside (after diving mid-day) on Wednesday after “popping” on Tuesday, Monday dived following last Friday, Thursday, and last Wednesday, following the previous Tuesday and Monday’s negativity.

 

It’s still about the economy … STUPID as investors congest a raft of economic reports pointing to … tamer core inflation data and a spending consumer.

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!”

 

Still waiting:

Cellular Therapy and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee meeting will meet in open session to discuss for NurOwn® and make recommendations on Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics (BCLI) biologics license application (BLA) for debamestrocel (autologous bone marrow-derived MSC cell therapy) for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

 

The top three (3) performing in the session:

Wednesday: Vericel (VCEL), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) -2x and CRISPR therapeutics (CRSP) 

Tuesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Sage Therapeutics (SAGE)

Monday: CRISPR therapeutics (CRSP), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) and Graphite Bio (GRPH)

The worst three (3) in the session:

Wednesday: Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE), Prime Medicine (PRME) and Verve Therapeutics (VERV)

Tuesday: Vericel (VCEL), AxoGen (AXGN) and Prime Medicine (PRME)

Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) – 8x, Beam Therapeutics (BEAM) – 2x and Editas Medicine (EDIT)

 

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.

 

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.