So it was a busy ASH and not necessarily a good one for the sector. On a net-net basis the data were fine but we had a big miss on perhaps the most important data set for the sector and that drove sentiment and price action. I will go through some of my post-ASH thoughts […]
November 11 Biotech Update
The market seems mixed and searching for direction. It seems hard to see a clear trend in the sector or within the sector. Some large caps are strong and others weak. Some SMID are strong and others weak. Perhaps this is the start of my “stock picking” thesis playing out but it could also simply […]
November 9 Biotech Update
My daughter made it through surgery with flying colors, so I have time for a quick note. I do not want to focus on individual companies but a broader theme that could be developing. Are we seeing the end of biotech leadership, why, and what does it mean? 1. Broadly speaking, I would argue that […]
November 6 Biotech Update
Despite some additional M&A news the sector is off to a weak start. I suspect this eventually reverses today but would also take it as a strong signal if we remain weak or weaken further throughout the day. 1. It seems like only the day before the abstract release that I was talking about larger […]
November 2 Biotech Update
We finally get a merger Monday of sorts although only one of the deals is a public company. It will be telling to a certain extent how the SMIDs respond to the deals. I (and many others) thought that we need a pickup in M&A to spark additional interest in the space as well as […]
October 14 Biotech Update
I am not sure if the sector sold off yesterday as simply a normal short term move or whether there were real concerns about the democratic debate. I suspect a portion of the selling was likely related to the debate, which is silly as I have noted before politicians have moved on from the pricing […]
October 2 Biotech Update
Just when it seemed like the market could have been getting its footing we have the weak jobs report and we are back to a macro driven sell off. I think down continues to be the near term trend until proven otherwise. I am looking at both the VIX and put/call ratios and think they […]
September 23 Biotech Update
The sector and market have been hit hard in recent days and, at least for the sector, it comes down to drug pricing discussions. Drug pricing occasionally comes up as an issue and you have to expect that as long as it is part of the narrative it is going to be a headwind for […]
September 21 Biotech Update
Another slow news start to the week. The market background seems better but with a lack of real news/catalysts, the sector is likely we trade in line with market. It will be interesting to see how the sector trades with a lack of news as it may give us at least some sense as to […]
August 26 Biotech Update
The market had a rough day yesterday where the rally from the “lows” earlier in the week faded at the end of the day. That is never a good sign and at this point we need to ignore the gaps higher until they strengthen into the end of the day as opposed to fade. I […]
August 25 Biotech Update
Despite ending the day down significantly, it actually felt like a good day. I wanted to post a real quick and short note as from now on Tuesday and Thursday are going to be quite busy. So I will try to post on those days if possible but do not be surprised if nothing comes […]
August 24 Biotech Update
Wow. What a start to the week. In terms of news there was not much but we had an incredible flash crash in the large caps at the open. From a technical perspective, I do not know if this signals an end or what but there were some great long term bargains that I missed […]
August 19 Biotech Update
Not much has changed sector wide since I last wrote but we did have a trade play out, although not quite the way I expected. I want to talk about it today both because there have been some questions around it but also because it goes to the larger theme I think is at work […]
August 14 Biotech Update
We had the continuation yesterday only to fail later in the day. It is looking that this bounce might only be setting up another leg lower but it is clearly too early to have any confidence. That being said I would at least be prepared in case there is another leg lower as it would […]
August 13 Biotech Update
We had our reversal yesterday that I talked about, although I had my doubts for a little while. That is probably enough to get some buying interest barring additional negative macro issues. China did a third round of devaluations but I suspect it will have less of an effect on the market given it is […]
August 12 Biotech Update
Essentially more of the same yesterday and into the morning today. At the very least, I think we are probably close to a bounce and would not be surprised to see a gap lower this morning and then a rally into the green by the end of the day. It is amazing that the market […]
August 10 Biotech Update
We are getting a spurt of IO collaborations this morning but no major news or M&A. After the sell off Friday (and come back), I would not be surprised to see that positive momentum continue this morning. Worst case scenario would be early strength and then faded all day. Best case, obviously, would be early […]
August 4 Biotech Update
Looks like the sector was saving the fireworks for today with a lot more news. The reaction so far seems a little tepid given the positives but it is early and I think some are a little worried about the broader market. The collapse in oil may unfortunately signal a return to the macro market […]
July 31 Biotech Update
Not a lot of news so I want to round out a couple of issues this morning and close it out for the week. I am finding it more and more difficult to note whether the sector is strong or weak, which makes me think the best description is choppy. Overall it seems like modest […]
July 29 Biotech Update
The sector was a strong performer after the bell but it did not seem to last long. The sector should be strong given the bulk of the earnings but I cannot shake the feeling that sentiment has slipped. Perhaps it is the broader market acting as a drag but I am not convince the sector […]
