The PARP wars have ramped up with the AZN data. This was important data for the PARP wars but sort of important for the sector more broadly as this is a new class of drugs that seemingly has an impressive impact on the lives of patients. I think the PCSK9 data later this week are […]
March 14 Biotech Update
The sector is on the edge of either breaking down or breaking out. While it is hard to have very strong conviction, I would lean towards a breakout especially given the potential news this week. Obviously the data can change where we move but I do think it will send a sign as to the […]
February 10 Biotech Update
So I think we need to be prepared for some more backlash and bad press given the decision by Marathon to think it is business as usual. So far the backlash has been isolated but it is difficult to see this not become a political talking point. 1. Marathon licensed an old, generic steroid (DFZ) […]
December 20 Biotech Update
Well, this has been a strangely interesting day for the week before Christmas. I thought the bulk of news was done but I clearly spoke too soon. There is some good news for the sector as well as some good-well-maybe-bad-let-us-argue news. I am going to go through these as sort of quick hits as none […]
October 7 Biotech Update
There have been some interesting moves and news since Wednesday but even looking at the sector today, the volumes seem a little weak in most names. As such, there are some moves that seem meaningful in individual names with high volume but I am not reading any of those moves (or the other low volume […]
August 24 Biotech Update
Sector is doing well in essentially a flat market, although volumes generally remain low. It is the summer doldrums so the sector is not unique for low volumes. We have some interesting news to talk about and while I am not sure they are moving the sector, they certainly could be contributing. 1. CLVS reported […]
April 13 Biotech Update
It has been a strange sort of trading. The sector did well last week but has been underperforming for a couple days now. Ideally this is simply back testing the move from the AGN/PFE breakup but we clearly need to turn it around soon. We seem to be stuck in the sell every rally environment […]
April 8 Biotech Update
While the sector did not do great on an absolute basis yesterday, it clearly outperformed the broader market. Given the relatively underperformance in the first quarter (the biggest underperformance for the NBI on record), it is not surprising to see it catch up especially with the positive news we have seen. I suspect this patter […]
March 3 Biotech Update
We are actually seeing something interesting in the sector where small caps are outperforming large caps (by a wide margin). Are investors finally starting to get more comfortable and increasing their risk? Could certainly be the case but it also is consistent with the short covering rally thesis. Just about all of the SMID biotech […]
December 9 Biotech Update
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 […]
December 4 Biotech Update
It has been a bad week for the sector as we head into ASH. Perhaps this is setting up good run ups on positive data but usually weak tapes do not generate significant upside on positive catalysts. It seems that these moves are macro related (perhaps worry about interest rate hike), although we have had […]
December 2 Biotech Update
The sector was weak yesterday and this morning at the open. It is not clear to me if the weakness is just a give back from the low volume rallies last week or something news related. There was some noise out of DC about GILD and the pricing of Sovaldi. There was a massive report […]
November 18 Biotech Update
It seems like every time I am out of town something major happens. I have not really followed the sector trading, so I cannot really comment on that but obviously there is some major news that will be the focus of a couple of articles. 1. As much as one tries to avoid blowups, if […]
November 13 Biotech Update
It has been a tough couple of days with pretty broad weakness but we will see how we end the week as many stocks have had a decent run so a pause is not unexpected (or bearish- yet). I am still not convinced the rallies have not been short covering and if we are to […]
October 9 Biotech Update
I would say after yesterday that the sector looks a little better but I think more to the point it seems that volatility is the best word that describes the trading action. The biased bull in me sees this volatility as slowly healing the charts and putting in a bottom. The bear in me sees […]
September 16 Biotech Update
The market has done well recently but it is all meaningless for the most part until we get the Fed decision. To be honest, I do not know whether to root for a hike or no-hike. I can come up with what I think are reasonable cases for why the market would rally on either […]
September 11 Biotech Update
Macro seems to be slowly fading into the background but note that I said slowly as it will likely take more time and it should remain meaningful in the short term. Of course, fading into the background does not mean all is clear for the next move higher as I read the market as simply […]
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 7 Biotech Update
I am not able to write for a couple of days and the market goes to crap, I figured you all would be able to keep down the fort better than that. As much as it seems like a beating (it is) I do not think we are seeing the bubble burst (of course, I […]
June 10 Biotech Update
This is sort of a different start to the day with the market off to a good start but biotechs the obvious laggard. The sector had been one of the relative bright spots but now that the market is recovering, they are lagging. This seems more news related (discussed below) and we need to see […]
