December 31, 2025 8:04am

The weight of 2025’s expectations met the scale

As I have written; “It’s been a good clue to be reducing “some” exposures, exiting some also-rans or questionable data delays

Pre-open Signals: 4 Negative

Never leave retail investor uninformed … I say what others won’t, so you can do what others can’t!

TG It’s the last session of 2025

 

Profit-taking enhanced volatility as I worry stocks could spend much of January range-bound as upcoming Q4/FY25 earnings debase current share pricings downward

RMi Research Note: Harvard Apparatus GT (OTCQB: HRGN): I reiterate WHO is pumping the volume and share pricing? … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13812   

 

Wednesday (12/31): The pre-open Dow futures are DOWN -0.07% or (-36 points), the S&P futures are DOWN -0.13% or (-9 points) and the Nasdaq futures are DOWN -0.20% or (-52 points)

  • U.S. stock futures are skimpy and settling down, Wednesday, 12/31
  • European markets were mixed,
  • Asia Pacific markets fell

Economic Data: Initial jobless claims

 

Henry’omics: We need to more than consider the market’s setting to grasp the micro re “our” universe of cell and gene therapy companies

  • Tuesday: The Dow closed DOWN -94.87 points or -0.20%, the S&P closed DOWN -9.50 points or -0.14% while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -55.27 points or -0.24%
  • Monday: The Dow closed DOWN -249.04 points or -0.51%, the S&P closed DOWN -24.20 points or -0.35% while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -118.748 points or -0.50%
  • Last Friday: The Dow closed DOWN -20.19 points or -0.04%, the S&P closed DOWN -2.11 points or -0.03% while the Nasdaq closed DOWN -20.2 points or -0.09%
  • Last week: The S&P 500 was up +1.4%, the Dow +1% and the Nasdaq was also up +0.1%
  • The previous week: The S&P 500 was up +0.1%, the Dow slipped -0.7% and the Nasdaq was up +0.5%.
  • November ended: the S&P 500 and Dow were slightly higher, as the Nasdaq fell 2%,

 

Q4 – December, 1 holiday, 8 positive and 12 negative closes

  • November, 1 holiday, 8 positive and 11 negative sessions
  • October, 1 neutral, 10 positive and 12 negative closes

 

Companies in my headlights – It’s your decision; I provide ideas and context

I post about “indication intelligence” looking toward investment conferences … to assist investors with insight into sector vulnerabilities and strengths.  A dictionary definition of “indicate” refers to something less than a certainty; an indication could be a signal of being oversold or overbought, a recommendation, or grounds for inferring or a basis for believing.

Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR) closed down -$1.08 after Monday’s +$0.35 after Friday’s +$0.01 (having been down -$0.27) after Wednesday’s -$0.57) … with a negative -$0.05) <was-$0.83 or -2.87%> or -0.17% pre-open - SELL

  • I am STICKING to my CONVICTION that CAPR is overbought and whose valuation is disconnected from fundamentals.
  • Doubts still abound re: regulatory fragility and marginal HOPE-3 results and valuation concerns remain a key hang-up!
  • CAPR remains a structurally challenged, chronically unprofitable company whose valuation is disconnected from fundamentals.
  • It has begun; timing will be everything!
  • The higher CAPR rises, the steeper the fall!

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) closed up +0.08 after being down -$0.16 after Monday’s -$1.11 after Friday’s dropped -$1.63 with a negative -$0.07 or -0.13% pre-open

  • Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment bought into CRSP and makes-up roughly 3.81% of assets; ARK loaded up on over 76,800 shares of CRISPR in just three trading days.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) closed down -$1.01 after Monday’s +$0.04 after Friday’s -$0.72 with a negative -$0.05 or -0.06% pre-open

Mesoblast (MESO) closed down -$0.38 after Monday’s -$0.54 re-finances its debt load, with a negative -$0.08 or -0.43% pre-open  

 

The BOTTOM LINE: Welcome to my world of defining the “grey’ in our universe!

  • Stocks are entering the final stretch of 2025 trading,
  • It seems to be a churn and burn end-of-year syndrome
  • With a downside end-of-month and year rotation and rebalance, In the last of December and 2025, it means investors have to be careful of slippage targets

Streaking across sessions … however, it’s about ending 2025 without … considering what headwinds are about to be faced in the beginning months of 2026.

As of Tuesday’s close, here’s where indexes stand heading into year-end…

  • The Dow is up 13.7%
  • The S&P 500 is up 17.3%
  • The Nasdaq is up 21.3%
  • The Russell 2000 is up 12.1%

Investors are hoping for continued momentum, as they gauge the prospects for a Santa Claus rally.

  • after a surprise drop in inflation and lukewarm labor market data left betting on possible 2026 interest-rate cuts

All 3 major indexes will enter the final trading sessions of 2025 …

  • In the week ahead, those investors still around after the New year will forget the “Santa Claus rally

 

5th and last week of December, Q4 and FY25

  • Tuesday closed negative with 7 positive, 31 negative and 2 flats
  • Monday closed negative with 12 positive, 24 negative and 4 flats

4th and final and short week of December to include Christmas holiday

  • Friday closed negative with 11 positive, 28 negative and 1 flat
  • Thursday was a holiday
  • Wednesday closed positive with 31 positive, 5 negative and 4 flats - not published
  • Tuesday closed negative with 14 positive, 24 negative and 2 flats
  • Monday: Monday closed positive with 30 positive, 8 negative and 2 flats

3rd week of December:

  • 12/19 - Friday closed positive with 27 positive, 10 negative and 3 flats
  • 12/18 – Thursday closed positive with 22 positive, 16 negative and 2 flats
  • 12/17 – Wednesday closed negative with 12 positive, 26 negative and 2 flats
  • 12/16- Tuesday closed negative with 17 positive, 21 negative and 2 flats
  • 12/15 – Monday closed negative with 15 positive, 23 negative and 2 flats

2nd week:

  • 12/12 – Friday closed negative with 12 positive, 26 negative and 2 flats
  • 12/11 – Thursday closed negative with 18 positive, 19 negative and 3 flats
  • 12/10 – Wednesday closed positive with 24 positive, 12 negative and 4 flats
  • 12/9 - Tuesday closed negative with 10 positive, 27 negative and 3 flats
  • 12/8 - Monday closed positive with 22 positive, 16 negative and 2 flat

1st week:

  • 12/5 – Friday closed negative with 13 positive, 26 negative and 1 flat
  • 12/4 – Thursday closed positive with 26 positive, 12 negative and 2 flats
  • 12/3 – Wednesday closed positive with 35 positive, 4 negative and 1 flat
  • 12/2 - Tuesday closed negative with 10 positive, 29 negative and 1 flat
  • 12/1 – Monday closed negative with 5 positive, 31 negative and 0 flat

 

As the leading voice of cell and gene therapy investors; I am NOT always a doom and gloom analyst/journalist but a man who has been “there” (BUY, SELL, VC and multiple operating roles) with the gray hair and a readership following with real numbers to prove it!

  • I am more frequently right than consequentially wrong; if I wanted to be liked, I wouldn’t have been an analyst/journalist.

 

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. All investments are subject to risks. Investors should consider investment objectives.

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.  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.