October 3, 2025 5:06pm

An economic data blackout, removes the past poisons that pressured sector equity pricings

Reiterating, “uncle algo and his electronic trading dwarfs” are scheming to sell some multiple session uplifts

Never leave an investor uninformed! 

TGIF, the stuffed olives are marinating in a distilled potatoes liquid – thus healthy

 

Healthcare stocks clinches their best week in more than 3 years. The S&P 500′s health care sector has surged more than 7% week to date versus June’22’s 8%.

Friday’s RMi pre-open: More to go? … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/14135   

Cell and gene therapies are still expected to play a major role in the pharma industry going forward, given their innovative modality.

 

Friday: The Dow closed UP +238.56 points or +0.51%, the S&P closed UP +0.44 points or +0.01% while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -63.545 points or -0.28%

  • Theme of the session: market and sector gains in a shutdown

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

  • The ISM services PMI registered a 50.0% reading for the month, down 2% points from August and below the consensus estimate for an unchanged level of 52%. The various purchase manager surveys reflect the percentage of companies reporting growth, so anything less than 50 is contraction. Within the survey, the business activity and production index dropped to 49.9, a decrease of 5.1 points.

Friday’s (my) 40-company covered sector’s advance/decline line opened positive with 28 incliners, 10 decliners and 2 flats ending with a positive close of 27 incliners, 10 decliners and 3 flats

Metrics:  Friday, the RUT +17.69 points or +0.72%, the IBB was up +1.38 points or +0.92%, the XLV was up +1.63 points or +1.14%, the XBI was up +1.01 points or +0.98% while the VIX was up +0.02 points or +0.12% at 16.65

 

Q4 – 3 positive closes

Q3 – September - 1 holiday, 9 negative and 12 positive closes; August - 12 negative and 9 positive closes; July - 1 market holiday, 13 positive and 9 negative closes

 

Friday Closing UP (10 of 27)

  • IQV Holdings (IQV +$2.29),
  • Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (ARWR +$1.52 after Thursday’s -$0.41),
  • Mesoblast (MESO +$1.39),
  • BioNTech (BNTX +$0.98 after Thursday’s +$2.30 after Wednesday’s +$3.59 and Tuesday’s +$0.52),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$0.92),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.75 after Thursday’s +$2.60),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS +$0.68 after Thursday’s -$0.22, Wednesday’s +$0.62 and Tuesday’s +$0.99),
  • MiMedx (MDXG +$0.50 after Thursday’s -$0.01 and Wednesday’s -$0.15)
  • Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ +$0.42 after Thursday’s -$0.73, Wednesday’s +$2.47, Tuesday’s +$1.69 and Monday’s +$2.86),
  • uniQure NV (QURE +$0.42 after Thursday’s -$0.49, Wednesday’s -$3.38, Tuesday’s -$1.03 and Monday’s +$5.09),

Flat (3)

  • AxoGen (AXGN)
  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE)
  • Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN -$0.07 after Tuesday’s $0.00),

Friday’s Closing DOWN (10 of 10):

  • Vertex (VRTX -$5.55 after Thursday’s +$4.64, Wednesday’s +$12.57, Tuesday’s -$3.67 and Monday’s +$9.58),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP -$5.08 after Thursday’s +$6.66, Wednesday’s +$1.35, Tuesday’s +$1.04 and Monday’s +$2.10),
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY -$4.64),
  • Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR -$0.61),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.48 after Thursday’s +$1.68 after Wednesday’s +$1.49),
  • Prime Medicine (PRME -$0.35 after Thursday’s +$1.08),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX -$0.15 after Thursday’s +$0.08),
  • Precigen (PGEN -$0.08),
  • Rocket Therapeutics (RCKT -$0.06),
  • Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO -$0.0171),

 

The Bottom Line: More of the … WHYs …

  • The 3rd day of the US government shutdown; the S&P 500 and Dow hit new record highs with the Nasdaq lagging behind and fell -0.3%.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index spiked, signaling some investors were scrambling to buy some protection against a future S&P 500 decline in the form of put contracts.
  • The Russell 2000 joined its large-cap counterparts, rising 1.5%; putting the benchmark up nearly 12% for the year.

Markets have so far been nonplussed by the US government shutdown …

  • Still failing to agree on federal spending, suspension non-essential government operations and has put hundreds of thousands of federal employees at risk of furlough.

Some bad:

Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT -$0.06 or -1.87% to $3.15) share price took a hit …

  • After the RCKT culled a gene therapy program for the treatment of a rare blood disorder withdrawing the rolling approval application to the FDA for RP-L102 (mozafancogene autotemcel). RCKT had been hoping to finish the submission process this year.
  • Their gene therapy, also known as Fanskya, was being developed to treat patients with Fanconi anaemia, a disorder in which impaired bone marrow reduces blood cell production. There are no therapies specifically approved for the condition.
  • A major safety issue plagued RCKT earlier this year when a patient in its pivotal Danon disease gene therapy trial died. The FDA swiftly placed RP-A501 on clinical hold, which was then lifted in August with a restriction on higher doses.
  • RCKT laid off 30% of its staff and pivoted to focus on its cardiovascular disease programs. RP-L102 has now become the 1st pipeline casualty amid the reprioritization.

 

October: understand the “flow” …

  • 10/3 – Friday closed positive with 27 positive, 10 negative and 3 flats
  • 10/2 - Thursday closed positive with 26 positive, 13 negative and 1 flat
  • 10/1 – Wednesday closed positive with 26 positive, 14 negative and 0 flat
  • 9/30 - Tuesday closed positive with 24 positive, 15 negative and 1 flat
  • 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, framed in a different para, so investors can make the connection …

The top three (3) performing in the session:   

  • Friday: IQV Holdings (IQV), Arrowhead Pharma (ARWR) and Mesoblast (MESO)
  • Thursday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) and Vertex (VRTX)
  • Wednesday: IQV Holdings (IQV), Vertex (VRTX) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY)
  • Tuesday: IQV Holdings (IQV), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)
  • Monday: Vertex (VRTX), uniQure NV (QURE) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)

The worst three (3) in the session:

  • Friday: Vertex (VRTX), CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY)
  • Thursday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), uniQure NV (QURE) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)
  • Wednesday: uniQure NV (QURE), Vericel (VCEL) and Solid Biosciences (SLDB)
  • Tuesday: Vertex (VRTX), uniQure NV (QURE) and Precigen (PGEN)
  • Monday: Cellectis SA (CLLS), BioLife Solutions (BLFS) and Solid Biosciences (SLDB)

 

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.