December 10, 2015 7:43am

… and down to brass tacks of operating efficiency and clarity of clinical initiatives

Subscribe or take your losses without complaining …

 

 

Reporting form Atlanta, GE … The 2015 World Stem Cell Summit and RegMed Capital Conference.

 

 

Critical information ahead of “our” universe’s open!

 

DOW futures are UP +0.02% and NASDAQ futures are also UP +0.03%

 

 

U.S. stock index futures indicated a higher open on Thursday, and while markets could again be buffeted by year-end crosscurrents and positioning ahead of the Fed, oil may have the final say. Oil hit near seven year lows this week, with OPEC failing to cut its production quotas after last Friday's meeting.

European equities traded lower amid a continued rout in oil prices and other commodities.

Asian stock markets finisher most ly down Thursday, weighed by a weak finish last night in the U.S including China, where shares pared early gains despite the announcement of much-needed initial public offering (IPO) reforms.  Oil prices, which remain under pressure due to a global supply glut, stayed in focus in commodity-heavy markets such as in Australia.

 

Data docket: At 8:30 a.m. ET, weekly jobless claims are due. Economists on average forecast it will show 270,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, up marginally from the 269,000 recorded a week earlier.  At the same time, the import price index is due, followed by the quarterly survey of services at 10 a.m. A report on the federal budget for November comes out at 2 p.m.

There are no Federal Reserve speakers on tap, as the central bank is in its “blackout period” before its policy-setting meeting next week. The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time in almost a decade.

 

 

The RegMed sector closed NEGATIVE on Wednesday after a POSITIVE close on Tuesday, a NEGATIVE close on Monday.

Wednesday closed NEGATIVE with 31 decliners, 10 advancers and 2 flats following Tuesday’s POSITIVE close with 16 decliners, 25 advances and 2 flats following Monday’s NEGATIVE close with 40 decliners, 3 advancers and 0 flat.

 

 

Over the past week, any gains in a trading market have faded, but how many “buy” ratings still stand, and … the stocks are even farther down the ladder of appreciation!

  • This conversation, though, is more about the how some I-Bank analysts manipulate the airways of research reporting. It also has everything to do with the driving force behind the lofty if not obscene price targets, and what pays for the roller coaster rides – more idealistic offerings !

Traders, speculators and paid pumpers have manipulated the pricing of the stem, cell and gene therapy RegMed (SCGT&RM) sector which has everything to do with “some” of the conditions fostered by appreciation as we approach the end of calendar years.

  • My argument that “our” universe cannot stay down at these levels … because value simply cannot be truly … ranked at these pricing levels, a valuation 101 debate!

Here is where and why window dressing comes into play. Window dressing is a practice where corporate managers and BODs dress up their companies to make them seem like they were on the clinical upside of the curve while faltering behind the curtain .

 

 

Thursday’s indications:

 

  • Applied Genetic Technologies (AGTC) closed DOWN -$1.15 to $15.99. I believe – strongly that investor missed the boat on the signifigance of Wednesday’s release of the collaboration with Synpromics re synthetic promoters for enhanced gene therapy.
  •  As I … had stated in my review … “Each gene requires a promoter to decode it into a protein. The stronger the promoter the faster the gene can be decoded and as a consequence more protein can be produced. The genome is made up of a myriad of different promoters specific to each gene that has evolved to control gene expression in a particular manner;
  • Synthetic promoters comprise fragments of natural promoters to form new stretches of DNA sequence that do not exist in nature. Because Synpromics creates libraries of synthetic promoters comprising multiple sequence combinations, it is able to identify stronger and more specific promoters than exist in nature.
  •  The collaboration agreement will enhance AGTC’s leadership in producing smaller promoters (so you can fit bigger genes) that will drive enhanced expression and enhanced gene therapy product development across a broad range of therapeutic targets.
  • The key to AAV gene therapy products will be to optimize all component parts of the product: vector, gene, promoters, manufacturing and delivery.  Oversold – Strong BUY;

 

 

  • bluebird bio (BLUE) closed UP +$1,29 , could a slow resurrection become a reality? I am inclined especially with $707.49 M in cash, 36.31 M shares, 98.1 % institutional holdings with insiders owning 3.15%. The issue is the 15.71% short positions as of 11/15/15 and $43.78M in debt. BLUE is up in Wednesday’s aftermarket +$0.67 – take a flyer, BUY;
  • Capricor (CAPR) closed UP +$0.18 to $3.88 <still under $4.00 and the $10.25 on March 18.2015> on small 10.090 share volume <3 month average = 21.71 K shares>. Maintaining SELL;
  • Cellectis S.A. (CLLS) closed DOWN -$0.7 to $28.21 on parity 297.3 K shares <3 month average = 283.3 K shares>. Oversold – BUY;
  • Kite Pharma (KITE) closed DOWN -$4.81 to $70.04 on the basis of a $250 M overnight offering – expectation for more downside and offering fulfillment – SELL;

 

                                                                                                           

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.

Henry McCusker, the editor and publisher of RegMed Investors does not hold or have positions in securities referred to in this publication.