July 14, 2017 7:45am
As being long is so dicey in this alternating market with a political news feeding frenzy
A critical indication ahead of “our” universe’s open!
Pre-open indication: six (6) with 2 BUY and 4 SELLs
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Don’t ignore this …
I know what a company is supposed to look like, be like, and smell like to succeed!
Flat to lower open expected
Dow futures are DOWN -0.02% and NASDAQ futures are UP +0.06%
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Friday as traders awaited the release of corporate earnings and looked to Paris where President Donald Trump is visiting French President Emmanuel Macron for Bastille Day celebrations.
European stock markets were slightly higher as investors looked ahead to earnings reports from Wall Street banks and monitored developments from a meeting between the French and U.S. presidents.
Asian markets closed mostly higher as investors digested the second day of Fed Chair Yellen's testimony ahead of earnings season.
Data docket: retail sales and consumer price data, as well as consumer sentiment and business inventory figures.
The cell therapy sector closed NEGATIVE on Thursday, POSITIVE on Wednesday, NEGATIVE on Tuesday and Monday and POSITIVE last Friday.
The cell therapy sector’s record over the last 5 sessions (of 43 covered companies):
· Thursday closed NEGATIVE with 20 decliners, 18 advancers and 5 flats;
· Wednesday closed POSITIVE with 13 decliners, 27 advancers and 3 flats;
· Tuesday closed NEGATIVE with 20 decliners, 19 advancers and 4 flats;
· Monday closed NEGATIVE with 29 decliners, 11 advancers and 3 flats;
· Last Friday closed POSITIVE with 13 decliners, 28 advancers and 2 flats;
As I had stated last night, “referencing The NVS approval, some FDA panel members further suggested CAR-T treatments could eventually replace stem cell transplants.”
Unless you know what happened this week; it is hard to formulate a perspective … “Volume was larger than it has been in several weeks and volume is still all over the map; which seems high in buying yet lower in selling – the opposite of yesterday in most equities but, again it is a gauge of how the sector feels at the moment. As I have stated it’s just too dicey to stay long …!”
I'm NERVOUS about direction today ...
The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB):
… Ready for another reaction … can it last?
• Thursday was up +0.76%
• Wednesday closed up +0.64% …
• Tuesday closed up +0.67% …
• Monday closed down -0.81% while …
What did I see on Thursday …?
· Thursday, the NASDAQ closed up 13.27 points, or 0.2%, to 6,274.44.
· Wednesday, the NASDAQ rose 67.87 points, or 1.1%, to 6,261.17, for a fourth straight day of gains;
· Tuesday, the NASDAQ extending its winning streak to a third session as a pair of political developments dominated the news cycle. The NASDAQ (+0.27%) rose 16.91 points to end at 6,193.30;
·Monday, the NASDAQ and the S&P 500 finished higher Monday
Yesterday, another day of “up/downs”
Review “the count” - decliners versus gainers:
……. look at the differences in the spreads as decliners jump and percentages migrate……….
• Thursday’s decliners ranged from -0.37% <ONVO> to -8.73% <ISCO> in 20 equities;
• Wednesday’s decliners ranged from -0.13% <MESO> to -10.89% <ONCE> in 13 equities;
• Tuesday’s decliners ranged from -0.18% <BLCM> to -7.29% <VTGN> in 20 equities;
• Monday’s decliners ranged from -0.25% <RGNX> to -23.57% <IMUC> in 29 equities
Versus
………… look at the percentage’s (%) and their decreases …….
• Thursday’s gainers ranged from +0.11% <JUNO> to +1.96% <ADVM> in 18 equities;
• Wednesday’s gainers ranged from +0.50% <JUNO> to +10.75% <NWBO> in 27 equities;
• Tuesday’s gainers ranged from +0.23% <ONCE> to +16.23% <VSTM> in 19 equities;
• Monday’s gainers ranged from +0.67% <BCLI> to +16.92% <KOOL> in 11 equities;
You’ve made it to the office, turned on the monitor, having just gotten your coffee and it hits you - what could be today’s trades?
Watch list:
- The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology (IBB) closed up +0.76% on Thursday, and is NOT indicating in Friday’s pre-market;
- The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) closed Thursday up +0.75%, and is NOT indicating in Friday’s pre-market;
- The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) closed up +0.13% Thursday, and is NOT indicating in Friday’s pre-open;
- The iShares Russell 2000 (IWM) closed up +0.08% on Thursday, and is indicating a POSITIVE +0.01% in Friday’s pre-open
Companies in my headlights:
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (BLCM) closed up +$0.51 to $12.26 after Wednesday’s $11.75 (+$0.38). The aftermarket indication is a positive +$0.09 or +0.73% – Maintaining BUY;
bluebird bio (BLUE) closed up +$0.60 to $96.00 with 729.6 K share volume <3 month average =1 M shares> following Wednesday’s $95.70 (+$0.85)with 740.9 K shares traded, Tuesday’s $94.85 (+$0.85) on moderate volume of 848.5 K and Monday’s $94.00 (-$5.80) on large volume of 1.726 M shares . The aftermarket indication is a negative -$0.295 or -0.31% - SELL;
Intrexon (XON) closed up +$0.57 to $24.12 with 598 K shares traded <3 month average = 1 M shares>. July has traded in a range of $23.13 to $25.13 while June started at $21.83 and saw a high of $25.38 and ended the month at $24.09. The aftermarket indication is a negative -$0.30 or -1.23% - SELL;
Juno Therapeutics (JUNO) closed up +$0.03 to $28.06 with 1.84 M shares traded<3 month average = 1.83 M shares> following Wednesday’s $28.03 (+$0.14) with huge volume of 2.3 M shares following Tuesday’s $27.89 (-$0.26) with moderate volume of 1.567 M shares following Monday’s $28.15 (-$0.96) with some big volume of 1.452 M shares traded. The aftermarket indication is positive +$0.46 or +1.64% and the pre-market is negative -$0.46 or -1.64% - BUY to SELL;
Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) closed up +$0.25 to $9.50 with 1.774 M share traded <3 month average = 1.54 M shares>. Sangamo (SGMO) shares rose as metabolic drugs were given FDA fast-track status SB-318 is meant to treat Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I and SB-913 Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II, both are genetic diseases where enzymes needed to break down large sugar chains in bodily tissues are not present and subsequently damage the tissue. The aftermarket indication is a positive +0.25 or +2.63% - BUY;
Verastem (VSTM) closed up +$0.03 to $4.12 with 1.924 M shares traded <3 month average = 879 K shares> following Wednesday’s $4.09 (+$0.08), Tuesday’s $3.45 (-$0.17), Monday’s $3.45 (-$0.17) after last Friday’s $3.62 (+$0.17) after a push by Raymond James. VSTM was a big mover, as the company saw its shares jump almost 42%. The move came on solid volume with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This continues the recent uptrend for the company as the stock is now up over 62% in the past one-month time frame. However, July started at $2.10, June started at $2.18, May at $2.16, April at $2.04, March at $1.15, February at $1.28 and January at $1.15 -- what about all those investors who HAD hung on and were unhappy for many months. The aftermarket indication is a POSITIVE +$0.10 or +2.43% – yet, I’m feeling a SELL mode;
Henry McCusker, the editor and publisher of RegMed Investors does not hold or have positions in securities referred to in this publication.
Henry’s comments are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for personalized advice. Consult your advisor about what is best for you.
