August 26, 2025 4:44pm

In a blink of the mid-day, the sector rolled positive as indexes rolled up, down and neutral

That a fed rate cut will be coming in September; as interest rate-sensitivity equities could surge ahead, putting the small-cap Russell 2000 index up past 4% going forward

My insights are conveyed with a simplicity of language to highlight what is informative.

Never leave an investor uninformed!  

Looking for a break in the action (and computer) this week, the “bloodies with clam juice” will be out … earlier as the week-ends and holiday approaches!

As I wrote this a.m., “Even as I see some aftermarket green, I expect more sentiment selling as we get closer to August’s month end and to the Labor Day holiday. I am still of the mind to raise cash!”

I answer or qualify the sector’s equity’s movement; with an emphasis on which company is gaining or losing stride in their portfolio for the short-term

 

Tuesday’s RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: Are “they” coming for us i.e., portfolio? … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/14078

RegMed Investors (RMi) Research Note: Harvard Apparatus GT (OTCQB): Just another wrinkle – Q2/25’s 10-Q – liabilities exceed cash position … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13812

 

Tuesday: The Dow closed UP +135.60 points or +0.30%, the S&P closed UP +26.62 points or +0.41% while the Nasdaq closed UP +94.978 points or +0.44%

  • Theme of the session, is Fed governor Cook does she need to be fired or not and when?

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

  • U.S. durable goods orders in July came in better than anticipated; orders fell 2.8%, while economists had estimated a decline of 4.1% on the month. When excluding transportation, orders saw an increase of 1.1%, beating the 0.3% what economists had expected.
  • Consumer confidence came in stronger than expected in August. The survey of consumer attitudes toward their financial prospects came in at 97.4, down from 98.7 in July; better that the 96.5 consensus estimate. Expectations readings below 80 typically signal a recession ahead.
  • The Case-Shiller Home Price index fell 0.3% in June, with an annual rise of 2.1%, below the expected 2.6% increase. While the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price index dipped 0.2% in June, with an annual increase of 2.6%.

Tuesday’s advance/decline line opened negative with 3 incliners, 29 decliners and 3 flats ending with a positive close of 25 incliners, 9 decliners and 1 flat

Metrics:  Tuesday, the IBB was up +1.40%, the XBI was up +1.11% while the VIX was down -0.11 points or -0.74% at 14.68

 

Q3 – August – 9 negative and 9 positive closes

  • July – 1 market holiday, 13 positive and 9 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

 

Tuesday Closing UP (10 of 25)

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$7.56 after Monday’s -$10.74),
  • AxoGen (AXGN +$1.42 after Monday’s -$1.47),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$0.75),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$0.66 after Monday’s -$1.24),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.35 after Monday’s -$0.87),
  • Mesoblast (MESO +$0.29),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE +$0.29 after Monday’s -$0.51),
  • Precigen (PGEN +$0.28),
  • Agenus (AGEN +$0.24),
  • uniQure NV (QURE +$0.24),

Flat (1)

  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS)

Tuesday’s Closing DOWN (9 of 9): 

  • Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ -$1.04),
  • Moderna (MRNA -$0.62 after Monday’s -$1.77),
  • BioNTech SE (BNTX -$0.28 after Monday’s -$5.81),
  • IQV Holdings (IQV -$0.26 after Monday’s -$3.21)
  • Supernus Therapeutics (SUPN -$0.11 after Monday’s -$0.45)
  • Cellectis SA (CLLS -$0.10),
  • Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN -$0.03 after Monday’s +$0.00)
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.02 after Monday’s +$0.86),
  • Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO -$0.01),

 

The BOTTOM LINE:  U.S. financial markets were in the green although flitty Tuesday after President Trump said he had removed Lisa Cook from the Fed's Board of Governors, an unprecedented move that analysts say could rattle investors.

  • Volume was modestly lower on the Nasdaq
  • The Russell 2000 (+0.65%) is still out in front, trailed by the narrow gains in the Nasdaq (+0.16%), the S&P 500 (+0.07%) and the Dow (-0.01%).
  • The Russell 3000 index tells a lot about investors' indecisiveness … today
  • Long-term Treasury yields rose after the Trump warning re the removal of Fed Governor Cook,
  • While short-term yields declined as investors steepened the yield curve on the notion rates may go lower in the short-term, but eventually go higher as a politicized Fed becomes less attentive to inflation.
  • The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, was last down 0.3%. <CNBC>

Despite the stock market's recent record highs, many investors are concerned that a downturn is on the horizon.

  • Nearly 45% of U.S. investors admit to feeling "bearish" about the next 6 months, according to the most recent weekly survey from the American Association of Individual Investors, compared with 33% in late July. <The Street>

 

Some good: Eli Lilly (LLY) shares rose nearly 2% in the premarket after its weight loss pill, orforglipron, cleared another late-stage trial.

  • Giving LLY a new option in their weight loss drug portfolio, which already includes Mounjaro and Zepbound.
  • LLY said patients with type 2 diabetes who took the highest dose of orforglipron in a clinical trial lost about 10.5% of their body weight after 72 weeks.
  • The placebo group shed 2.2% of their weight over the same period.
  • The results were competitive with Novo Nordisk’s comparable study, which showed a 10.4% weight loss in a similar patient group. <Wolfe research analyst Alexandria Hammond said in a research note>
  • LLY’s drug was well tolerated by most patients. lowered their average A1C scores and showed some “meaningful” cardiovascular risk benefits.

 

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!”
  • Yet, I was again on target … this 4 a.m.

Earnings: As earnings slowly come to the last few releases, collaborator revenues and runways has instilled share pricing with forward stability

  • Q2 results so far:  4 net incomes and 25 net losses of 29 releases to date

 

August: understand the “flow” …

  • 8/26 – Tuesday closed positive with 25 positive, 9 negative and 1 flat
  • 8/25 – Monday closed negative with 4 positive, 29 negative and 2 flats

Last week:

  • 8/22 – Friday closed positive with 30 positive, 4 negative and 1 flat
  • 8/21 - Thursday closed positive with 22 positive, 12 negative and 1 flat
  • 8/20 - Wednesday closed negative with 14 positive, 19 negative and 2 flats
  • 8/19 - Tuesday closed negative with 5 positive, 28 negative and 2 flats
  • 8/18 -Monday closed positive with 18 positive, 17 negative and 0 flat

 

“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:   

  • Tuesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), AxoGen (AXGN) and CRISPR Therapeutics CRSP)
  • Monday: Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA), Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM) and Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN)
  • Friday: IQVIA Holdings (IQV), Vericel (VCEL) and Supernus Therapeutics (SUPN)

The worst three (3) in the session: 

  • Tuesday: Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ), Moderna (MRNA) and BioNTech (BNTX),
  • Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), BioNTech (BNTX) and IQVIA Holdings (IQV)
  • Friday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ionis Pharmaceuticals IONS) and Agenus (AGEN)

 

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.