March 17, 2016 6:31am

 

Let’s get the focus back to Q1/16!

 

For your pre-open briefing, subscribe … http://www.regmedinvestors.com/create-account

 

 

I say today what others won't, so you can do what others can't; whether information or intelligence is good, bad or somewhere in between – it defines the who, when, where, which and what of it …

 

 

Dow futures are DOWN -0.06% and NASDAQ futures are DOWN - 0.2%

 

 

U.S. stock index futures indicated a lower open on Thursday as traders eyed the release of several pieces of data and continued digesting the Federal Reserve's decision .

European equities opened higher but soon pared gains despite the U.S. FED signaling fewer interest rate hikes this year.

Asian markets advanced as investors cheered clarity from the U.S. FED and a rise in oil prices, but Japan shares lost ground as the yen strengthened.

 

Data docket: Initial claims are due at 8:30 a.m. ET, along with the Philly Fed survey and current account data. Leading Indicators and January's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for are set to be released at 10:00 a.m.

 

 

The stem, cell and gene therapy RegMed sector closed NEGATIVE on Wednesday and Tuesday, POSITIVE on Monday and Friday, NEGATIVE on Thursday and POSITIVE on last Wednesday.

 

Last five (5) days (of 43 covered companies):

·         Wednesday closed NEGATIVE with 23 decliners, 19 advancers and 1 flat;

·         Tuesday closed NEGATIVE with 32 decliners, 9 advancers and 2 flats;

·         Monday closed POSITIVE with 18 decliners, 23 advancers and 2 flats;

·         Friday closed POSITIVE with 7 decliners, 34 advancers and 2 flats;

·         Last, Thursday closed NEGATIVE with 27 decliners, 15 advancers and 1 flat;

 

 

The stem, cell and gene therapy regenerative medicine (SCGT&RM) sector opened down, stayed negative at the mid-day and closed to the downside of 43 companies on Wedrsday!

  • Keeping Wednesday’s end-of-day hat on … “the sector has reacted poorly to good news and strongly to a bad news.  A drop and pop scenario … the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gave up attempts at gains to close .5 % lower, following a 3.8% drop on Tuesday.”

The emphasis needs to be on platforms and not pricing but, whose fault is this – the companies themselves. They must start guiding and explaining their pipelines, their relationship to comparables and the timeline to commercialization.

  • Companies and CEOs need to present a believable and credible definition of where they are, what catalysts and milestones are forthcoming. And the ultimate when – will results come to fruition and at what cost to shareholders?

 

 

You’ve made it to the office, turned on the monitor having just gotten your coffee and it hits you - what could be Thursday’s trades?

  • Applied Genetic Technologies (AGTC) closed DOWN -$0.12 to $13.30 after Tuesday’s -$1.01. AGTC bolts, fades and bolts again after Monday’s $14.43, Friday’s $14.20, Thursday’s $13.92, last Wednesday’s $14.28, Tuesday’s $13.99 and the previous Monday’s $14.76. The closing numbers speak of being oversold – Maintaining BUY;
  • Caladrius Biosciences (CLBS) closed DOWN -$0.05 to $0.81 after Tuesday’s -$0.09. The net loss attributable to stockholders for Q4/15 was $33.2 M or $0.59 per share, compared to $11.6 M or $0.32 per share for Q4/14. The real issue is the net loss to stockholders for 2015 was $80.9 M or $1.67 per share based on 48.5 M shares outstanding, compared to $54.9 M or $1.68 per share based on 32.8 M shares outstanding for 2014. This company is in trouble beyond  theNASDAQ knocking re listing issues. The after-market indication is -$0.04 – short-term Maintaining SELL;
  • Intrexon (XON) closed UP +$0.33 to $34.52 after Tuesday’s -$3.23. The ZIKA virus is not going away. XON announced <Saturday> the FDA-CVM published preliminary Findings-Of-No-Significant Impact. A FONSI is issued when environmental analysis and interagency review during the EA process find a project to have no significant impacts on the quality of the environment.> on its self-limiting OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquito.  The US FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine today released in the Federal Register this preliminary FONSI on Oxitec's (a subsidiary of XON) self-limiting OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquito for an investigational trial in the Florida Keys. The finding agrees with the draft environmental assessment submitted by Oxitec that concludes a field trial of XON's genetically engineered OX513A mosquitoes in Key Haven, Florida, will not result in a significant impact on the environment. The after-market indication is +$0.30 – Maintaining BUY;
  • Kite Pharma (KITE) closed DOWN -$0.78 to $44.13 after Tuesday’s -$3.98. Another hopscotch game of jumping forward and back again. The after-market indication is -$0.13. It’s a trading market, not an investing scenario – SELL;
  • Osiris (OSIR) closed DOWN -$0.27 to $4.86 after Tuesday’s -$0.23 after Monday’s -$0.05. On March 15, 2016, OSIR notified The NASDAQ of the company's anticipated failure to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 12/31/15 in compliance with NASDAQ's Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires that listed companies file their required periodic financial reports with the SEC on a timely basis. The stock's relative strength index was below 30 indicating that it may be oversold – SELL to BUY;

 

 

Opinions expressed are those of the author and are subject to change, and are 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.