January 10, 2025 7:59am

Economic data and electronic trading continue volatility's rise

 

Just out: U.S. payrolls grew by 256,000 in December, much more than expected; unemployment rate falls to 4.1%

Pre-open Indications: 1 Sell into Strength, 7 Positive and 5 Negative Indications

Never leave an investor uninform

Remember that overnight and pre-open actions’ futures and markets doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in today’s market session.

My interpretation of the morning’s numbers is written to be informative; it’s built on what happened to make “it” happen today!

 

Wednesday’s night’s … RegMed Investors (RMi) Closing Bell: a sector downward shuffle … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13760

 

Friday; the pre-open Dow futures are DOWN -0.10% or (-42 points), the S&P futures are DOWN -0.26% or (-15 points) and the Nasdaq futures are DOWN -0.36% or (-77 points)

  • U.S. stock futures fell on Friday, 1/10
  • European markets were lower,
  • Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell.

 

Henry’omics: We need to more than consider the economic environment to comprehend the micro re “our” universe of cell and gene therapy companies

Wednesday: The Dow closed UP +106.84 points or +0.25%, the S&P closed UP +9.22 points or +0.16% while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -10.80 points or -0.06%

  • U.S. financial markets were closed on Thursday in a National Day of Mourning for former President Carter, the 39th president.

U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday; the 10-year Treasury yield was near flat at 4.691%, while the 2-year Treasury yield was about 2.5 basis points lower at 4.268%. On Wednesday, Treasury yields topped 4.7%, its highest level since April.

Economic Data Docket: December’s nonfarm payrolls reading

  • The report is expected to show that the U.S. added 155,000 jobs in December and that the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, according to estimates.             

 

Q1/25: January 2025 – 4th positive sessions and 2 holidays

  • Q4/24: December 1 holiday, 15 negative and 5 positive closes
  • November 10 negative and 9 positive closes
  • October: 8 positive and 15 negative closes

 

Companies in my headlights – It’s your decision; I provide ideas and context

I post about “indication intelligence” looking toward investment conferences … to assist investors with insight into sector vulnerabilities and strengths. A dictionary definition of “indicate” refers to something less than a certainty; an indication could be a signal of being oversold or overbought, a recommendation, or grounds for inferring or a basis for believing.

Sell into Strength:

  • Mesoblast (MESO) closed down -$1.06 with a positive +0.42 or +2.35% aftermarket

 

Negative Indications:

  • Agenus (AGEN) closed down -$0.15 with a negative -$0.02 or -0.54% aftermarket
  • AxoGen (AXGN) closed up +$0.57 after Tuesday’s +$0.14 and Monday’s -$1.55 with a negative -$0.28 or -1.83% aftermarket
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM) closed down -$0.28 after Tuesday’s +$0.72, Monday’s +$0.98 and last Friday’s +$0.58 with a negative -0.90 or -3.36% pre-open
  • Mesoblast (MESO) closed down -$0.72 after Tuesday’s -$1.06 with a negative -0.48 or -2.79% aftermarket
  • Vericel (VCEL) closed up +$1.45 after Tuesday’s +$0.47 with a negative -$1.28 or -2.15% aftermarket

 

Positive Indications:

  • Alnylam Therapeutics (ALNY) closed up +$4.60 with a positive +$1.45 or +0.60% aftermarket
  • bluebird bio (BLUE) closed down -$0.56 after Tuesday’s -$0.90, Monday’s +$0.74 and Friday’s +$0.49 with a positive +$0.34 or +4.02% pre-open
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) closed down --$0.63 after Tuesday’s -$0.51, Monday’s +$1.41 and last Friday’s -$0.41 with a positive +$0.64 or +1.54% pre-open
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) closed down -$0.87 with a positive +$0.67 or +1.96% aftermarket
  • uniQure NV (QURE) closed down -$1.72 after Tuesday’s +$0.44 with a positive +$0.35 or +2.20% aftermarket
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) closed down -$0.79 after Tuesday’s +$1.78 and Monday’s +$1.16 with a positive +$0.90 or +2.06% aftermarket
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV) closed down -$0.41 with a positive +$0.14 or +2.23% aftermarket

 

The BOTTOM LINE: What is the word for 2025, it continues to be – EXPECTATION.

  • Expectations have evolved to caution, an updated recurring theme of 2025, and we may get our first taste of disappointment as data starts rolling in.

Earnings are a-comin’ … from Q4/24 are due … as downdrafts follow as proven in past sessions!

  • Big Point to remember “Think about it; the biggest problem the cell and gene therapy sector has …  99% of them have no earnings! If rates are higher for longer, that means that sector companies will continue to struggle or be unable to raise capital and therefore be subject to debt servicing firms!” <Me>

 

Wednesday’s advance/decline line ended with a negative close at the close of 27 incliner, 27 decliners and 1 flat

  • Thursday markets were closed ...
  • The December jobs report is due today, and will be one of the last key pieces of data before the Fed meeting at the end of this month. Investors are also watching the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) Tuesday and December ADP Employment Survey Wednesday.

 

What could 2025 have in store for the capital access space as Partners are the gift of life!

  • "You'll see a number of cell and gene therapy comandantes drive for secondaries – they’re desperate for cash, but I do think a lot of cell and gene therapy sector companies NEED to be focused on what is driving their own growth —they're focused on a lot of change BUT … that's happening in the market… capital expansion is second.

I seem to be asking a question followed by a question …

  • Do we need to brace ourself for more economics and their down trending affect?
  • Is this market STILL “bubblicious” my concerns are macroeconomic and valuation

 

Welcome to my world of defining the “grey’ in our universe!

  • The sector is what it is, until it isn’t and even then, it doesn’t seem to be… as NOT much changes as the sector’s share pricing rides the waves of volatility, algorithms, electronic trading and short covering.
  • I am more frequently right than consequentially wrong; if I wanted to be liked, I wouldn’t have been an analyst/journalist.

 

 

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. All investments are subject to risks. Investors should consider investment objectives.

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.  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 it’s 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.

Henry McCusker, the editor and publisher of RegMed Investors could hold or have positions securities referred to in this publication and he will NOTIFY investors of holdings.