September 18, 2025 5:15pm

Breakout with some solid performances, share pricing responded to Fed decision

Cell and gene therapy sector companies with their smaller capitalizations will now benefit from lower interest rates as they rely on external funding for their operations and clinical growth

Never leave an investor uninformed!  

No Don Quixote … as I continually ask, what do all these stock sources, I-Banks and brokers do for you anyway? Technological advances and the increasing availability of data have made intel both available and complex

My idea generation derives from a screening process, bearing no metric on the covered sector that I know like the palm of my hand and where I generate for like-minded investors with whom I share suggestions.

I see myself as a better collector and my responsibility is to lead investors to interpreted data as I bridge the gap to an investment decision.

 

Thursday’s RMi pre-open: More econs, jobs data … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/14112

RMi Research Note: Harvard Apparatus GT (OTCQB): Who is wasting lipstick on this pig? … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13812

 

Thursday: The Dow closed UP +124.10 points or +0.27%, the S&P closed UP +31.61 points or +0.48% while the Nasdaq closed UP +209.399 points or +0.94%

  • Theme of the session, smaller cap equities ran the longest on the cell and gene therapy sector track
  • The Russell 2000 small-cap index gained 2.4% and hit an intraday record. This benchmark last posted an all-time closing high in November 2021.

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

  • Initial filings for unemployment insurance totaled a seasonally adjusted 231,000 for the week ending Sept. 13, down 33,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised level and below the consensus estimate for 240,000. A spike last week from Texas that drove much of the prior week’s increase eased, with claims down more than 5,000, according to unadjusted data. Continuing claims, which run a week behind, also edged lower, down to 1.92 million.

Thursday’s my 40-company covered sector’s advance/decline line opened positive with 37 incliners, 2 decliners and 1 flat ending with a positive close of 33 incliners, 6 decliners and 1 flat

Metrics:  Thursday, the IBB was up +2.63%, the XBI was up +2.91% while the VIX was down -0.02 points or -0.13% at 15.70

 

Q3 – 1 holiday, 6 negative and 7 positive closes

  • August – 12 negative and 9 positive closes
  • July – 1 market holiday, 13 positive and 9 negative closes

 

Thursday Closing UP (10 of 33)

  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$3.87 after Wednesday’s -$2.12, Tuesday’s +$3.35 and Monday’s +$1.58),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA +$3.70 after Wednesday’s +$0.14 after Tuesday’s +$0.70 after Monday’s +$0.15),
  • IQV Holdings (IQV +$3.51),
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM +$2.65 after Wednesday’s -$0.46, Tuesday’s +$1.63 and Monday’s +$0.68),
  • Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (ARWR +$2.38),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$1.83 after Wednesday’s -$3.21 after Tuesday’s +$1.81 and Monday’s -$0.76),
  • Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT +$1.46 after Wednesday’s -$1.04),
  • Supernus Therapeutics (SUPR +$1.33 after Wednesday’s +$0.81, Tuesday’s $0.00 and Monday’s -$1.47),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS +$0.70 after Wednesday’s -$0.40),
  • Mesoblast (MESO +$0.68 after Wednesday’s -$0.53)

Flat (1)

  • Agenus AGEN)

Thursday’s Closing DOWN (6 of 6):

  • BioNTech SE (BNTX -$1.84 after Wednesday’s -$1.11 after Tuesday’s +$1.38 and Monday’s +$1.14),
  • Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ -$0.54 after Wednesday’s +$0.94, Tuesday’s +$1.28 after Monday’s -$1.33),
  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX -$0.04 after Wednesday’s -$4.21 after Tuesday’s -$1.85 and Monday’s -$1.12),
  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB -$0.03 after Wednesday’s +$0.06, Tuesday’s -$0.08 and Monday’s +$0.10),
  • Precigen (PGEN -$0.02),
  • Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics BCLI -$0.01 after Wednesday’s +$0.04 after Tuesday’s -$0.0955),

 

The BOTTOM LINE:  More of the … WHYs … of so-called "honeymoon period" of market gains following the rate cut

Today’s gains put the major benchmarks on track for solid weekly gains.  For the week…

  • The S&P 500 is up 47.67 points, or 0.7%.
  • The Dow is up 308.20 points, or 0.7%.
  • The Nasdaq is up 329.62 points, or 1.5%.
  • The Russell 2000 is up 70.63 points, or 2.9%.

American Association of Individual Investors it is now the most bullish on the short-term outlook for stocks since the first week of July, the AAII’s weekly poll showed.

  • Bullish sentiment among individual investors jumped to 41.7% in the week ended Wednesday, up from just 28% the week before and the highest since July 2. Bullish sentiment rose above its historic average of 37.5% for the first time in seven weeks.
  • Bearish sentiment dropped to 42.4% from 49.5% last week, which was the highest since early May. The degree of gloom remains “unusually high,” the AAII said, and above an historic average of just 31.0% for the 42nd time in 44 weeks.
  • Only 16% of investors described themselves as neutral on the six-month outlook for stocks, the fewest since April 10, the week after the Trump administration hiked tariffs on imported goods. <CNBC>

From the pharma front:

Novo Nordisk (NVO) jumped +6.27% after late-stage results for its once-daily obesity pill showed “significant” weight reduction in line with its Wegovy injectable weight-loss drug.

Roche Holding (ROH-CH) is buying … 89bio (ETNB) for up to $3.5 billion, seeking to bolster its drug pipeline by adding an experimental treatment for a liver disease linked to obesity.

  • ROH-CH said it agreed to buy 89bio seeking to bolster its drug pipeline by adding an experimental treatment for a liver disease linked to obesity.
  • ROH-CH has been looking to enter the weight-loss drug field, a key target of its recent dealmaking activity.
  • The main asset in the pipeline of San Francisco-based ETNB is a drug candidate for a fatty liver disease known as MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, that is mostly due to obesity.
  • ROH-CH is paying up to $3.5 B in cash to acquire ETNB, including $14.50 a share at closing and additional payments of up to $6 a share, subject to performance measures.
  • ETNB closed up +$6.88 or +85.15% to $14.95

 

September: understand the “flow” …

  • 9/18 – Thursday closed positive with 33 positive, 6 negative and 1 flat
  • 9/17 – Wednesday closed negative with 10 positive, 30 negative and 0 flat
  • 9/16 - Tuesday closed positive with 29 positive, 9 negative and 2 flats
  • 9/15 - Monday closed negative with 17 positive, 22 negative and 1 fla

 

Interesting: President Trump suggested that companies should report earnings results on a semi-annual basis — or every 6 months — rather than every Q... I agree!

Also, the market has priced in a 25-basis point cut to interest rates, the 1st of this year. The biggest question now is what the US central bank's rate path will be for the remainder of 2025.

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

  • “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:   

  • Thursday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) and IQV Holdings (IQV)
  • Wednesday: Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ), Supernus Therapeutics (SUPN) and Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN)
  • Tuesday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Vericel (VCEL) and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM)
  • Monday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Mesoblast (MESO) and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM)

The worst three (3) in the session: 

  • Thursday: BioNTech (BNTX), Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ) and Vertex (VRTX)
  • Wednesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Vertex (VRTX) and Vericel (VCEL)
  • Tuesday: Vertex (VRTX), uniQure NV (QURE) and Wave Life Sciences (WVE)
  • Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and uniQure NV (QURE)

 

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.