September 29, 2025 4:48pm

Till September and Q3’s end with focus to October’s starting week’s sessions, sticking to my words …

What I wrote this a.m., “Investors should consider scaling back in the short and last week (2 sessions) as September and Q3 end, whether to take partial profits on extended winners, cut losers, or simply to rein in exposure.”

Never leave an investor uninformed!  

Remember, “The sector is what it is, until it isn’t, even if it doesn’t seem to be, it yet will be.” 

The “push/pull” of alternating Advance/Decline (A/D) lines is hard to watch yet there is a ‘bullish’ push; however, despite Friday’s and today’s bounce, the Russell 2000 (^RUT) is up +0.04% today, from Friday’s upside

 

Friday’s RMi pre-open: RMi pre-open: Green on the screen … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/14126

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

 

Monday: The Dow closed UP +68.78 points or +0.15%, the S&P closed UP +17.51 points or +0.26% while the Nasdaq closed UP +107.085 points or +0.48%

  • Theme of the session: indexes regain their grip on sentiment

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

  • There was more good news for the housing market/pending home sales unexpectedly rose in August. The Pending Home Sales Index rose 4% in August from a month earlier to 74.7, according to National Association of Realtors data released Monday. Economists expected a much more modest 0.4% gain.
  • Contract signings are up 3.8% from a year ago. Borrowing costs declined during the month, with a typical 30-year mortgage rate falling from 6.75% to 6.58%.

Monday’s (my) 40-company covered sector’s advance/decline line opened positive with 32 incliners, 6 decliners and 2 flats ending with a positive close of 33 incliners, 5 decliners and 2 flats

Metrics:  Monday, the IBB was up +1.45%, the XLV +0.40% and the XBI was up +1.44% while the VIX was up +0.75 points or +4.91% at 16.04

 

Q3 – 1 holiday, 9 negative and 11 positive closes

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

 

Monday Closing UP (10 of 33) 

  • Vertex (VRTX +$9.58 after Friday’s +$3.86),
  • uniQure NV (QURE +$5.09 after Friday’s +$1.66),
  • Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ closed +$2.86 after Friday’s +$2.00),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$2.10 after Friday’s +$1.35),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$1.56),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE +$1.28 after Friday’s +$1.26),
  • IQV Holdings (IQV +$1.17 after Friday’s +$2.82),
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) closed +$1.09 after Friday’s -$3.18),
  • Arrowhead Pharma (ARWR +$0.98 after Friday’s +$1.14),
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM +$0.94 after Friday’s -$0.12),

Flat (2)

  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE)
  • Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN)

Thursday’s Closing DOWN (5 of 5): 

  • Cellectis SA (CLLS -$0.52),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS -$0.18 after Friday’s +$0.57),
  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB -$0.18),
  • Generation Bio (GBIO -$0.02),
  • MiMedx (MDXG -$0.01 after Friday’s -$0.04)

 

The BOTTOM LINE:  More of the … WHYs …

  • Luckily econs were NOT a poison today

Indexes edged higher on Monday as investors waited for a government shutdown

  • … That also could delay the release of the all-important monthly jobs report later in the week.

Cell and gene therapy sector equities are on pace to finish September and Q3 with gains although a miss on Tuesday, months end and could be miniscule.

 

Pharma news, “British drugmaker GSK (GSK) announced its CEO, Emma Walmsley, will step down at the end of the year. Walmsley will be replaced by Luke Miels, an executive charged with commercializing the company's portfolio of drugs.”

Lower rates will help the cell and gene therapy sector’s capacity and ability to raise funds in capital markets

Is a market ripple ahead: Republicans plan to avert a partial government shutdown has upped the political pressure on Democrats to accept the GOP approach to a funding deadline looming 9/30 deadline …

  • Analyst expectation’s likelihood to end with a shutdown
  • Markets are paying little attention so far — a pattern that has recent historical precedence.
  • One possible reason is that government shutdowns since 1995 have had little effect on stocks

 

We seem to be always waiting for … something i.ie., anything  ... this week a gov shut-down??

 

September: understand the “flow” …

  • 9/29 – Monday closed positive with 33 positive, 5 negative and 2 flats

Last week:

  • 9/26 – Friday closed positive with 29 positive, 9 negative and 2 flats
  • 9/25 - Thursday closed negative with 8 positive, 30 negative and 2 flat
  • 9/24 – Wednesday closed positive with 28 positive, 11 negative and 1 flat
  • 9/23 – Tuesday closed negative with 7 positive, 32 negative and 1 flat
  • 9/22 – Monday closed positive with 31 positive, 9 negative and 0 flat

 

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:   

  • Monday: Vertex (VRTX), uniQure NV (QURE) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)
  • Friday: Vertex (VRTX), IQV Holdings (IQV) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)

The worst three (3) in the session:

  • Monday: Cellectis SA (CLLS), BioLife Solutions (BLFS) and Solid Biosciences (SLDB)
  • Friday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Mesoblast (MESO) and Intellia therapeutics (NTLA)

 

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.