The sector was a little manic today in that the large caps continue to find a good bid but as you move down the market cap food chain the price action is more mixed. This makes perfect sense as investors are slowly coming back into the sector and are going after value and the security […]
April 1 Biotech Update- Trying Not to be Fooled by the Rally
So it appears that window dressing is over and people are now willing to buy small cap biotechs but as with every other morning we need to see if this interest continues throughout the day. I am not completely convinced that the small cap selling was entirely window dressing but there is something to be […]
March 31 Biotech Update- Is this the Bounce We are Looking For?
So this seems to be the rally we were looking for but that is assuming it does not fade in the afternoon like every other recent rally attempt. So far the rally is a little more broad based and stronger but we have seen this story before. That being said even if this is the […]
A Follow Up
Just a really quick update. I had a good email exchange with one of the lead ACLF trial investigators and he basically confirmed what CNAT noted in their CC. The exclusion/inclusion criteria were so restrictive that it was virtually impossible for anyone to qualify. The investigator was confident that the issues were corrected with the […]
March 28 Biotech Update- Treading Water Can Be Dangerous
So today was another mixed day for biotechs but the large caps still are above the recent lows and even the “bad” news of the sovaldi new scripts being down for a week was not enough to push GILD to new lows or even really have much pin action across the sector. So all of […]
March 26- Biotechs are Not Dead Yet
This is a better day but sellers still seem there but buying seems more concerted today. It appears that yesterday was the buyers dipping their toes in the water to make sure the coast was clear and today they seemed much more willing to put cash to work. As we saw with yesterday, however, the […]
March 25 Biotech Update- Would it Help to Cry Uncle?
Today certainly started as a better day in the sector but I would be careful of chasing this move. Ideally, we spend time building a base but a day or two of running is possible given the oversold conditions in the space. At this point I would lean towards the sector having put in a […]
March 24 Biotech Update- Being Kicked When You Are Down
Every sell off starts the bubble talk and the more severe the selling the more intense the bubble talk. What is interesting about this time is that the bubble talk has a broader audience as the sector seems to have been on more radars. As I have been saying for awhile, this sell off is […]
March 21 Biotech Update
[This was written Friday but the site was down and I was unable to post it. I am publishing it as it was Friday and will write another column later today for more recent news] Well, it was a manic day with a very nice win followed by the broader morning bloodbath in the sector. […]
March 19 Biotech Update- Staying Focused
The trading today seemed a little calm (could be because I was out most of the morning) but this is not bad given the recent swings. A period of steady base building might be the most productive outcome but we still need to see many more days before we can be confident as to what […]
Quick Confirmation
I just talked to CNAT and confirmed that they have not seen any lipid abnormalities either at the pre-clinical or clinical stages. In addition, they noted that there is no reason to expect the emricisan mechanism of action to generate any lipid abnormalities. Obviously, this does not completely rule anything out but simply confirms my […]
March 18 Biotech Update- Cause for Optimism?
This morning was much more encouraging than yesterday with the sector finally seeming to outperform the broader market. Obviously one day does not make a trend and even despite the price action; most of it seemed on fairly light volume so this could still be the pause that refreshes for the next move down. In […]
March 17 Biotech Update- Due for a Bounce?
The sector looked good this morning but seemed more in line with the broader market and not necessarily a signal of strength. We are at a region where we should see a bounce in the IBB but the move this morning was not really encouraging. It seemed that there were more than enough sellers on […]
March 14 Biotech Update- Seeing Red as Value or the End?
Interesting morning for the sector with the broader market relatively unchanged and the biotech sector selling off hard. Why would this be the case? Is it something fundamental to the sector or just jittery traders dumping unnecessarily? Given the macro uncertainty in the Ukraine it could just be the case that traders are reducing risk […]
March 12 Biotech Update- Ovarian Cancer in the News
The broad sector continues to try and finds its footing, so there is really nothing new on that front. I want to spend this note talking about two companies that I have been receiving questions on the past couple of days. Please keep the questions coming as I want to make sure and touch on […]
March 10 Biotech Update- Do Not Underestimate CNAT
The sector seems to be searching for a bottom and it is not clear whether this is simply part of that process or a pause before the next leg down. As I noted last week, I will not try to call the bottom but will be a buyer on the large moves down. Whether this […]
March 7 Biotech Update- Selling Feeding Selling
I am going to spend today talking about the sector in general and send this note out early in light of the significant sell off that started yesterday afternoon and continued this morning. While the bulk of the discussion seemed to center on GILD it should be noted that it was the sector that got […]
March 6 Biotech Update- Oh the Humanity
It is Thursday again and as usual I do not have much time to write anything in depth. In general, the broad market looked good but the sector seemed pretty heavy. I cannot shake the feeling that the sector is starting to turn in that the runs higher seem further apart and the intraday dips […]
March 5 Biotech Update- Rumors Dispelled
I am back from vacation and it looks like I did not miss much (I say tongue in cheek). Of course, even though I missed two big days of trading, my portfolio is basically unchanged since I left. I think that just goes to show how volatility is dangerous for a portfolio as one is […]
February 28 Biotech Update- Whose Afraid of a Little Selling?
Well, it was a good day for the market and sector, although it seems to be getting weaker as the day goes on. I think we need to be careful going forward as we are getting towards a seasonally weak portion of the year and the sector has had a nice run and is looking […]
