March 9, 2026 4:55pm

Upside trades prop sector as markets sputter

As I wrote this a.m., “investors should tiptoe in, given the dearth of February and March’s losses for possible set-ups”

Pre-open Indication Results: 5 Hits and 1 Miss

RMi collects, curates, interprets and disseminates cell and gene therapy sector (C&GT) fact-based news, trustable and verified intel of share pricing data bridging the gap to an investment decision

Never leave a retail investor uninformed!  It’s not always time to buy or sell; but it is time to KNOW why!

I write this blog/newsletter to inform investors with facts and supporting numbers focused on what they need to hear that others will not say or write about – facts in evidence!  I’m NOT at all writing a doom-and-gloom predictions as I am more frequently right than consequentially wrong; I am mostly EARLY in my prognostications!

RMi Pre-opening: Ugly … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/14341

I chose to speak-up when many analysts, brokers and commentators have shut-up!

 

Monday: The Dow closed UP +239.25 points or +0.50%, the S&P closed UP +55.97 points or +0.83% while the Nasdaq closed UP +308.267 points or +1.38%

  • Theme of the session: comeback from earlier losses on Monday after President Trump said the war with Iran could be reaching its end

Monday’s (my) 40-company covered sector’s advance/decline line opened positive with 26 incliners, 12 decliners and 2 flats, ending with a positive close of 35 incliners, 2 decliners and 3 flats

Henry’omics: We need to more than consider the macro-economic environment to comprehend the cause and effect of the macro versus micro data affecting “our” universe of cell and gene therapy (C&GT) sector

 

  • President Trump also said that ships are moving through the key Strait of Hormuz passageway and that he is “thinking about taking it over.”

The CBOE Fear (VIX) index, Monday closed at 25.54, after Friday’s 20.49, Thursday’s 23.64, Wednesday’s 21.15, after Tuesday’s 23.72 and last Monday’s 21.42

Metrics: Monday …

  • The RUT was up +28.37 points or +1.12%,
  • The XLV was up +1.56 points or +1.02%,
  • The NBI was up +112.58 points or 1.96%;
  • The XBI was up +3.12 points or +2.52%
  • The IWM was up +2.68 or +1.07%;
  • The IBB was up +3.73 points or +2.23%,
  • The VIX was down -3.95 points or -13.41% at to 25.54

 

Q1/26 – March – 2 positive and 4 negative closes

  • February – 1 holiday, 8 negative and 11 positive sessions
  • January – 2 holidays, 2 neutral, 9 negative and 9 positive closes

Q4/25 …

  • December – 1 holiday, 8 positive and 14 negative closes
  • November – 1 holiday, 8 positive and 11 negative closes
  • October -1 neutral, 11 positive and 12 negative closes

 

Monday Closing UP (10 of 35) 

  • Vertex (VRTX +$4.18 after Friday’s -$4.13),         
  • IQAI Holdings (IQV +$4.06 after Friday’s -$4.01),
  • uniQure NV (QURE +$3.72 after Friday’s +$3.62),
  • Moderna (MRNA +$3.22 after Friday’s -$1.31),
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$2.93 after Friday’s +$0.15),
  • Dyne Therapeutics (DYN +$2.83),
  • Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR +$2.73 after Friday’s +$2.08),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX +$2.28),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE +$1.36),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$1.32 after Friday’s -$1.12),

Flat (3)

  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE),
  • Generation Bio (GBIO) – acquired
  • Harvard Apparatus RT (OTCQB: HRGN)

Monday’s Closing DOWN (2 of 2): 

  • Mesoblast (MESO -$0.42 after Friday’s +$0.17),
  • Compass Therapeutics (CMPX -$0.09),

 

The Bottom Line: More of the … WHY

Going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the war with Iran may not last that long.

  • The Nasdaq rose more than 1.3%, recovering from steep losses earlier in the day, the Dow jumped 0.5%, or about 240 points, recovering from a loss of more than 800 points. The S&P 500 gained 0.8%.
  • Indexes turned green in afternoon trading after Trump indicated the conflict with Iran could end soon as the US was "very far" ahead of its 4-to-5-week timeline.

It was written, by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Biotech investors have rarely united so strongly against an FDA official as they did against Vinay Prasad, who led the FDA's vaccines and related biological products division and blocked several rare-disease drugs from receiving accelerated approval.

  • Prasad’s stance had weighed heavily on the stocks of companies developing the drugs.
  • Now those stocks are rallying after FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said Friday in an interview that Prasad will be departing at the end of April.

 

Looking at domestic economic reports, investors will be watching closely for Wednesday's Consumer Price Index and Friday's Personal Consumption Expenditures index readings, though neither will capture the effect of oil's dramatic recent surge on price pressures just yet. <Yahoo Finance>

 

Earnings release dates: soon to be catching up

  • Tuesday - 2/24 – AxoGen (AXGN), Beam Therapeutics (BEAM) and Supernus Therapeutics (SUPN)
  • Wednesday – 2/25 – MiMedx (MDXG), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT)
  • Thursday – 2/26 – Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA), Wave Life Sciences (WVE), Vericel (VCEL) and BioLife Solutions (BLFS)
  • Monday - 3/2 – Dyne Therapeutics (DYN)
  • Thursday – 3/5 – Regenxbio (RGNX), Compass therapeutics (CMPX)
  • Thursday – 3/12 – Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR)
  • Monday – 3/16 – Agenus (AGEN)

 

RISK is always a factor remaining below the surface …  boiling-up as slight shocks of profiteering on upsides shake but does not rock the C&GT sector...

  • As I had also written, cash is king for investors who want to keep some liquidity and avoid having to sell in a down market,

 

March – 2nd week

  • 3/9 - Monday closed positive with 35 incliners, 2 decliners and 3 flats

March – 1st week

  • 3/6 - Friday closed negative with 14 incliners, 24 decliners and 2 flats
  • 3/5 – Thursday closed negative with 7 incliners, 32 decliners and 1 flat
  • 3 /4 – Wednesday closed positive with 32 incliners, 6 decliners and 2 flats
  • 3/3 - Tuesday closed negative with 2 incliners, 36 decliners and 2 flats
  • 3/2 - Monday closed negative with 15 incliners, 23 decliners and 3 flats

 

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!

 

Why do I keep repeating, framed in a different para, so investors can make the connection

The top three (3) performing in the session:    Winners

  • Monday: Vertex (VRTX), IQIA Holdings (IQV) and UniQure NV (QURE)
  • Friday: UniQure NV (QURE), Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR) and Solid Biosciences (SLDB)

The worst three (3) in the session: Losers

  • Monday: Mesoblast (MESO) and Compass Therapeutics (CMPX)
  • Friday: Vertex (VRTX), IQIA Holdings (IQV) and Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (ARWR)

 

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.