January 11, 2024 4:40pm

As new inflation number reignites throwing-off expectations displacing visibility of JPM2024 healthcare conference

Join me … in the NO spin zone. 

If you’re looking for sector intel, ideas and facts or Insight in a volatile climate, RMi provides the extenuating factors of share pricing.

Never leave an investor uninformed! A trusted source of factual reporting!

With no sigh of relief today, I answer or qualify equity’s thrown dice, in which company should investors put or keep in their portfolio for the near and long term

Sentiment is slipping. My question, are we facing a prisoner’s dilemma- a situation wherein algorithms acting with electronic trading interest do not achieve the optimal outcome for this investor group

 

Thursday: The Dow closed UP +12.72 points or +0.03%, the S&P closed DOWN -3.18 points or -0.07% while the Nasdaq closed barely UP +0.54 points or +0.00%

 

Henry’omics:

We need to more than consider the economic environment - rising rates and inflation to comprehend the micro re “our” universe of cell and gene therapy companies …

Indexes closed mixed with barely numbers Thursday, spurred by today’s release of inflation data that reflected an uptick in consumer prices for December.

Economic Data Docket: December’s consumer price index report came out slightly higher-than-expected, reflecting a 0.3% increase in consumer prices for the month, pushing the annual rate to 3.4%. Economists polled by Dow Jones had predicted that the CPI rose 0.2% in December and 3.2% on a year-over-year basis.

  • Core CPI, excluding volatile food and energy prices, came out in line with expectations, however, pointing to persistent—yet easing—inflation pressures. The data released on Thursday suggests that future interest rate cuts may be slower to come.

 

52-week low:

Mesoblast (MESO) drops -$0.14 to $1.86 after a 1 for 2 split.

  • Mesoblast Limited (MESO and ASX: MSB), who have seen the share price tank a massive 89% over a 3-year period. The share price down 68% in a year. Furthermore, it's down 21% in about a quarter. 

 

Thursday’s Pre-Open: RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: “CPI data offsets JPM Healthcare conference day#4. Consumer prices increased more than expected in December; after uncle algo and his electronic trading dwarfs have been collecting from the upsiders.” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13282

 

RegMed/Stem/Cell and Gene Therapy’s 35 covered equities’ Advance/Decline (A/D) lines: what happened – differences …

  • Thursday’s advance/decline line was negative at the open with 3 incliners, 28 decliners and 4 flats, ending with a negative close of 8 incliners, 26 decliners and 1 flat

 

Ebb and flow of MY covered sector cell and gene therapy session daily “endings”:

Q1/24: 1 holiday, 5 negative and 3 positive closes

Q4: 

  • 1 holiday, 10 negative and 10 positive closes
  • November – 11 positives, 1 holiday and 10 negative closes
  • October – 12 negative and 10 positive closes

 

Key Metrics:

The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology (IBB) and the SPDR S&P ETF (XBI) indicators:

  • Thursday, the IBB was down -0.78% and the XBI was down -2.23%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Thursday was down -0.23 point or -1.81% at 12.46

 

Thursday’s Closing Down (10 of 26):

  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC -$1.02 after Wednesday’s +$0.21, Tuesday’s -$2.33 and Monday’s +$2.34
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE -$1.01 after Wednesday’s -$1.19 after Tuesday’s -$1.43 after Monday’s +$2.18
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY -$1.53 after Wednesday’s -$1.59, Tuesday’s +$1.37 and Monday’s +$7.45
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$0.78),
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM -$0.65 after Wednesday’s -$0.88, Tuesday’s +$0.10 and Monday’s +$1.79),
  • Caribou Biosciences (CRBU -$0.66 after Wednesday’s +$0.22 and Tuesday’s $0.00)
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.73 after Wednesday’s -$0.41 after Tuesday’s -$0.78 after Monday’s +$1.44),
  • Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR -$0.41 after Wednesday’s -$0.46 after Tuesday’s -$0.19),
  • Prime Medicine (PRME -$0.53 after Wednesday’s -$0.33),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX -$0.30 after Wednesday’s +$0.20),

Flat (1):

  • bluebird bio (BLUE)

Thursday’s Closing Up (8 of 8):

  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP +$1.50 after Wednesday’s +$0.71),
  • Sage Therapeutics (SAGE +$1.49 after Wednesday’s -$0.97, Tuesday’s +$1.27 and Monday’s +$3.63
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$1.34 after Wednesday’s -$0.67, Tuesday’s +$0.56 and Monday’s +$1.62)
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS +$0.21 after Wednesday’s -$0.27),
  • Vericel (VCEL +$0.06),
  • Precigen (PGEN +$0.03),
  • Agenus (AGEN +$0.0031),
  • Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM +$0.0075)

 

Q1/24 – January

  • Thursday closed negative with 8 incliners, 26 decliners and 1 flat

 

The BOTTOM LINE: the cell and gene therapy sector showed another touch of weakness on Thursday, Wednesday after Tuesday’s decline.

… Back from the good old days of JPM Healthcare conference boosting appeal to cell and gene therapy companies.

As the Nasdaq lost Thursday closed flat 0.00% after gaining +0.75% on Wednesday after Tuesday’s gain of +0.09% post Monday’s +2%.

 

But remember, “News, financings, Q4 earnings LPS (loss-per-share) and “runways” will be the under-current or headwind for January through March 2024. Pricing for gene therapies will continue to dominate share ascensions and downfalls!” <me>

 

Coming Attractions: today …

US consumer prices rise more than expected in December … CPI rose 0.3% last month, for an annual gain of 3.4%. That was expected to be 0.2% and 3.2%, respectively.

  • Dampening hopes for early interest rate cuts by the Fed this year?
  • "These are not bad numbers, but they do show that disinflation progress is still slow and unlikely to be a straight line down to 2%. Yet, while the market was probably over-enthusiastic in its initial expectations, the stars should finally align for Fed cuts – most likely around mid-year." <Reuters>

U.S. Treasury yields were mixed in volatile trading, in the wake of the U.S. inflation data, with those on the long end trading slightly higher. The benchmark 10-year yield was last up 1.3 basis points (bps) at 4.045%.

 

Harvard Apparatus RN (HRGN -$0.14 after Wednesday’s +$0.07, Tuesday’s -$0.27 and Monday’s $0.00)

WHY do I keep analyzing Harvard Apparatus GN (HRGN) formerly, Biostage (BSTG): I WAS there to experience the lack of investor prerogatives and saw the decay of transparency and much more; it takes courage, resolve and patience to stay the course of asking the questions without response!

  • Question: WHY does Chinese investor DST Capital and Beijing based D. Phone and its sub Dixintong Technology Group need - Harvard Apparatus GN (OTCQB: HRGN) an OTC listed money losing ($90.1 M since split from HBIO) company that resides in the middle of medical and scientific innovation in America? A Ponzi Scheme or just a MSS (Chinese Security Servies) “plant” – check the Beijing, China officers, directors and employees and from where the “investment/money” flows aligned with Lui Dong Hai, chairman of D. Phone, the largest smartphone retailer in China; also, the husband of Mrs. bin Zhao, who resides in Weston, Ma. of DST Capital?

 

The top three (3) performing in the session:

  • Thursday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS)
  • Wednesday:  Blueprint Medicine (BPMC), Generation Bio (GBIO) and Caribou Biosciences (CRBU)
  • Tuesday: Vericel (VCEL), Solid Biosciences (SLDB) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY),
  • Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE) and Blueprint Medicine (BPMC)

The worst three (3) in the session:

  • Thursday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) and Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE)
  • Wednesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) and Beam therapeutics (BEAM)
  • Tuesday: Blueprint Medicine (BPMC), Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA)
  • Monday: Regenxbio (RGNX), Homology Medicine (FIXX) and Agenus (AGEN)

Welcome to my world of defining the “grey’ in our universe!

  • Right up front, “I also hate to be so negative or contrarian but, this is a NO spin zone and facts are its product; I can always be WRONG but … I am mostly EARLY!”

 

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 its 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.