The market can always surprise and I was surprised yesterday with the sector strength. The broader market did better than I expected but the sector clearly outperformed. It is only a day but if we see continued strength today then one has to read these days as a strong signal in the near term. I […]
December 6 Biotech Update
China is back in the news and for good or ill, the sector fundamentals do not matter. Right now it is all about China and the broader market will pull the sector higher or lower. At this point with no trade deal and with the arrest of the Huawei CFO (the daughter of the CEO […]
December 4 Biotech Update
Yesterday was a good day but not as broad based as one would have hoped. Today will be telling in that the confusion over the China “trade deal” has only amplified leading to early pressure. Ideally, the sector would shrug off early weakness and build on yesterday’s strength to end the day green once again. […]
December 3 Biotech Update
It is certainly a great start to the week with generally good news from ASH, merger Monday, and easing trade tensions. If we do not get a gap and run with this news, then we are in trouble. I suspect this will be a multi-day move (or at least it should be on this news). […]
November 29 Biotech Update
We are at an interesting place for the sector. The XBI is approaching the upper end of the downtrend, which has been acting as resistance. I am not totally convinced that will be the case this time as the recent move lower did not form a lower low. That hints that we could be leaving […]
November 28 Biotech Update
Yesterday as a bad day for the sector as it was red with a positive broader market backdrop. To be fair it was a rather odd day in the sector as the large caps also grossly outperformed the SMID space, which was held down by some large losses. I am not quite willing to see […]
November 26 Biotech Update
After a nice long holiday break, I figured there might be some more news to start the week but apparently not. The sector is off to a good start but it seems macro driven in that it is simply following the broader markets higher. As long as the broader market remains positive, I suspect the […]
CEO Interview: Bellus Outlook Post the Positive Ph1 Chronic Cough Study
Back in August I published my deep dive report “Bellus – David vs. Goliath, Can BLU Deliver A Better Chronic Cough Drug Than Merck?” (Link) with a bull thesis stating that Bellus Health (TSX: BLU.TO) (OTC: BLUSF) have a good chance to pass the first true hurdle and achieve positive results from their clinical trial […]
Dave-Trading November 2018
*** David Sobek is a disciplined value investor. Using models, research, and fundamental data, David devises a value for biotech stocks, buys when significantly undervalued, and sells when significantly overvalued.*** As a reminder, this is my personal guide. You can alter it in accordance with your risk tolerance. >3 Standard deviations – No position 2-3 […]
November 20 Biotech Update
I guess we did not get the turn around that could have been a positive sign. There is still a chance for a turnaround Tuesday as we gap lower at the open but the market feels pretty heavy at this point. There just seems to be no interest in buying and/or holding anything. On the […]
November 19 Biotech Update
This should be a relatively slow week but with ASH late breaking abstracts coming out later, it might not be completely devoid of news. There is a little more hope for the sector than the middle of last week. We have had a couple of strong days, although one could argue this has just brought […]
Bria-IMT Combination Study with KEYTRUDA®: What to Know and Why
In a previous interview, BriaCell (TSX:BCT.V) (OTCQB:BCTXF) (or the Company)’s President and CEO, Dr. Bill Williams cited as a near-term catalyst data from the Company’s ongoing Phase IIa combination clinical trial of Bria-IMT™ with Merck’s (NYSE: MRK) KEYTRUDA® [(pembrolizumab) ], as listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03328026, in advanced breast cancer. Initiated in October, the study […]
November 15 Biotech Update
Today is an important day for the sector. We are at very long term support (the 200 week MA) that has rarely been breached (occasionally but never in a sustained manner). At levels that should provide some support we get some partnership news that is positive for SMID (it seems like partnerships are the new […]
November 13 Biotech Update
We are getting what I suspect is a dead cat bounce after the trouncing yesterday. The recent lows need to hold but there really seems to be nothing in terms of sentiment to indicate that those lows will hold. We seem back in the scenario where early green opens fade during the day and turn […]
November 12 Biotech Update
A rough start to the week. The market just feels heavy and looks like it wants to break through the recent lows. It looked for a little like it wanted break from the downtrend and form a new channel higher but the week is not starting off like that is in the cards. Another leg […]
Opinion: No, The Antibiotics Market Is Not Broken
In light of slow drug launches and disappointing sales, there is a growing chorus of voices saying the antibiotics drug market is broken; that the government must step in to save one of our most important resources. With no profits to pursue, it is said, companies will abandon antibiotics, leaving society vulnerable to the spread […]
November 8 Biotech Update
Not a lot going on but there are a couple of quick points I want to make today. 1. AKAO is having the completely predictable slow antibiotic launch. You will never see these launch like anti-virals or oncology drugs. Simply being approved does not mean they will be used as hospitals have to review it […]
November 7 Biotech Update
The midterm elections are over and now we have a couple hour break before the 2020 presidential campaigning begins. The split congress is likely positive for the markets as they tend to favor gridlock over one party rule but I think any bounce or sell-off is not going to be lasting or meaningful as the […]
November 6 Biotech Update
While there are certainly other things happening in the market, I want to focus today on ONCS as I think there are important take aways not only about the data but also more broadly. 1. Looking at the data and presentation, it looks in-line with my expectations. I noted going in that they were likely […]
November 5 Biotech Update
We are entering the heart of the SMID earning season and while it could have an impact on the individual stock, it usually does not have major impacts more broadly. It is once again a quite start to the week and even macro it seems pretty staid. This is nice in that it will provide […]