July 30, 2025 5:06pm

Fed Chair Powell said rates would remain unchanged and it's too soon to its interest rate target in September proving my thesis as I wrote, “Volatility will be a result of <the Fed, econs> and sector earnings this week”

Earnings today: Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$1.89 or +4.56% to $43.37) a net income of +124 M M, or +$0.70 per share with revenue of $452 M, and a cash position of $2.3 B with a runway until FY28 < estimate and consensus beats> MiMedx (MDXG -$0.15 or -2.25% to $6.52) a net income of +$100 M or +$0.06 per share with revenue of $99 M and a cash position of $100 M with a runway until 2026.

News: MiMedx Group (MDXG -$0.13) and Vaporox (private) announced a collaboration, whereby the companies will co-promote and co-market their wound care offerings. As part of the agreement, MDXG has made an investment in Vaporox with certain exclusivity rights related to potential acquisition discussions. <continued below)

Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you … I say what others won’t, so you can do what others can’t!

Never leave an investor uninformed!  

My perspective is retail investors should roll-the-dice with econ readings until earnings season kicks-in and momentum wains in the cell and gene therapy sector. NO all ins as historically “our” universe slips and slides as the “season’ resumes; so, hang-in with those with solid partners, lengthened runways and solid cash positions leveraged by solid/stable management teams!

 

Wednesday’s RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: Key words, Fed rate decision … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/14031     

RegMed Investors (RMi) Research Note: Sustaining a Loser … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13812

 

Wednesday: The Dow closed DOWN -171.71 points or -0.38%, the S&P closed DOWN -7.96 points or -0.12% while the Nasdaq closed UP +31.38 points or +0.15%

  • Theme of the session, Powell signals the Fed is not ready to cut rates yet

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

  • A stronger-than-expected reading of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) with the U.S. economy growing at a 3% clip in Q2, while economists forecasted 2.3% in April-through-June.
  • The Pending Home Sales Index slumped 0.8% from May and 2.8% from a year earlier to a reading of 72. A level of 100 is equal to contract activity in 2001. Economists had expected a small month-over-month gain and a smaller annual decline.
  • US private employers added more jobs than expected in July, with private payrolls also returning to growth after a surprise pullback in June.

Wednesday’s advance/decline line opened positive with 27 incliners, 3 decliners and 5 flats ending with a negative close of 12 incliners, 18 decliners and 5 flats      

Metrics:  Wednesday, the IBB was down -0.16%, the XBI was up +0.40% while the VIX was down -0.50 points or -3.13% at 15.48

 

MDXG collaboration continues: Vaporox is a privately held, Denver-based company that has developed and is commercializing its patented Vaporous Hyperoxia Therapy (“VHT”) device for treating chronic and hard-to-heal wounds.

  • VHT delivers two healing modalities, ultrasonic mist and concentrated oxygen, in a single device and has received a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) to treat nine types of wounds, including Diabetic Foot Ulcers (“DFUs”), Venous Leg Ulcers (“VLUs”) and Pressure Ulcers (bed sores).

 

Q3 – 7/25 – 1 market holiday, 13 positive and 8 negative closes

Q2/25: June – 1 market holiday, 1 neutral, 9 negative and 11 positive closes, May – 1 market holiday, 10 negative and 11 positive closes and April – 11 positive and 10 negative closes

 

Wednesday Closing UP (12 of 12) +$ after Tuesday’s

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$9.25 after Tuesday’s +$5.76 after Monday’s -$4.02),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$1.89 after Tuesday’s +$0.31 after Monday’s -$1.08),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$0.80 after Tuesday’s -$1.59 after Monday’s +$1.33),
  • uniQure NV (QURE +$0.78 after Tuesday’s -$1.30),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX +$0.34 after Tuesday’s -$0.38),
  • Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR +$0.26),
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM +$0.22 after Tuesday’s -$0.90 after Monday’s -$0.89),
  • Precigen (PGEN +$0.16),
  • Generation Bio GBIO +$0.10),
  • Prime Medicine (PRME +$0.09),
  • Caribou Biosciences (CRBU +$0.09 after Tuesday’s -$0.33),
  • Agenus (AGEN +$0.02 after Tuesday’s -$0.47 after Monday’s +$0.29),

Flat (5)

  • bluebird bio (BLUE) P/E acquired
  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) acquired by SNY
  • Homology Medicine (FIXX)
  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB)
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV) – acquired by LLY

Wednesday’s Closing DOWN (10 of 18): 

  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP -$1.34 after Tuesday’s -$4.73 after Monday’s -$1.01),
  • Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ -$0.91 after Tuesday’s +$0.165),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE -$0.52 after Tuesday’s +$0.05 after Monday’s +$0.27),
  • Moderna (MRNA -$0.51 after Tuesday’s -$1.33 after Monday’s -$0.24)
  • Mesoblast (MESO -$0.33 after Tuesday’s +$0.01 after Monday’s -$0.43),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS -$0.28),
  • AxoGen (AXGN -$0.23 after Tuesday’s +$0.44 after Monday’s -$0.38),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.17 after Tuesday’s -$0.61 after Monday’s -$0.49),
  • MiMedx (MDXG -$0.15),
  • Cellectis SA (CLLS -$0.13)

 

The BOTTOM LINE: Have been late on postings, computer problems …!!

US stocks were mixed on Wednesday as the Fed held interest rates steady at its July meeting. Investors also digested a few sector earnings.

  • The Fed kept rates unchanged on Wednesday, though it was not a unanimous decision. Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman voted against the decision, preferring the Fed cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.
  • During Wednesday's press conference Powell noted it is still the "early days" of any potential tariff impacts on economic data and said "no decisions" had been made yet about a September rate cut. He didn't explicitly say the Fed's next monetary policy move will be a reduction. <Yahoo finance>

 

I am truly on a roll being right for my past 3 sessions with 1 more to go and most of the month of July, maybe it was due to being another year older.

  • Today’s story … cell and gene therapy stocks closed negative on Wednesday, after Tuesday and Monday negative closes

 

However, sector investor “worried” eyes should be focused on upcoming earnings releases, and a jam-packed econ week.

  • Maybe after all, I should have taken this week off … to avoid the nervous and the on-coming pain

More earnings are a’comin: 7/30, Wednesday = MiMedx (MDXG), 7/31, Thursday = Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Vericel (VCERL), 8/1 = Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Moderna (MRNA), 8/4 -Monday Cellectis SA (CLLS) and 8/5, Tuesday = AxoGen (AXGN) and Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE)

As I also wrote, the “June Swoon” is over … however, July is much better than past months. Although, I consider the so-called summer rally … peripatetic or wandering.”

  • There are always some big ifs, especially given some of the headlines that could emanate after a past few months of news flatulence.

 

July's close to its end: understand the “flow” …

  • 7/30 - Wednesday closed negative with 12 positive, 18 negative and 5 flats
  • 7/29 – Tuesday closed negative with 8 positive, 22 negative and 5 flats
  • 7/28 – Monday closed negative with 14 positive, 16 negative and 5 flats

 

“I 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!”

  • If I have learned one thing as a former research analyst in a venture and public fund, operating executive, x-FBI, x-military officer and an adjunct (MBA) business school professor now a journalist; my life and your portfolio are largely tied to knowledge of price movements and questioning pricing targets and more.
  • I was once told by a “very” prominent figure early in my career, “write it right, keep it tight without hype and never lose the stride to guide the reader” – they were pretty simple instructions to follow!

 

Why do I keep repeating, so investors can make the connection …

The top three (3) performing in the session:   

  • Wednesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Lenz Pharmaceuticals (LENZ) and Vericel (VCEL)
  • Tuesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Lenz Pharmaceuticals (LENZ) and AxoGen (AXGN)
  • Monday: Vericel (VCEL), Agenus (AGEN) and Cellectis SA (CLLS)

The worst three (3) in the session: 

  • Wednesday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Lenz Pharmaceuticals (LENZ) and Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE)
  • Tuesday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Moderna (MRNA) and uniQure NV (QURE)
  • Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP)

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

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

 

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 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.