A decent start to the market with biotech generally participating. GILD seems to remain the odd stock and continues to struggle at these levels for reasons that I will follow up on tomorrow. Sentiment seems to be changing in GILD and we certainly need to keep an eye on it even if you do not […]
November 7 Biotech Update
To say it has been a busy day is an understatement. Rather than try and cover everything that is happening, I would prefer to focus on a couple items a day. I would also note that the sector seems weakening which is probably an early signal for the broader market but it is difficult to […]
November 6 Biotech Update- ASH Abstract Galore
So we have a massive dump of information today that I want to touch on but it is not possible to cover everything. I will do a series of quick hits to cover as much as I can and get it out as early as possible. I will then spend the next week or so […]
September 22 Biotech Update
The sector really seems bifurcated at this point. While the large caps have been pretty reliable winners the past couple of months, it seems like they are taking a break. Obviously, they are still close to their highs but more often than not they appear to struggle to gain and when they do the gains […]
September 17 Biotech Update
The sector rallied yesterday and seems to be trying to continue the move this morning. I think we are in no man’s land at this point as a lot of stocks are getting close to lines of resistance (for instance, GILD and CELG are both approaching the 20 day SMA). Will we pause and breakout […]
September 10 Biotech Update
Market seems a little heavy as does the sector. This is not to say that we cannot rally further from here but my base case is that the next move is likely to be a consolidation. While it is possible that this occurs through time, I expect it is more likely to occur through price. […]
September 5 Biotech Update
It was an interesting day in the markets with NFP coming in under expectations. Rumors of a new ceasefire in the Ukraine and flash crashes in mega-cap companies. What is sort of interesting is that despite all of these events the market itself is basically flat, although I doubt it will stay flat and expect […]
August 18 Biotech Update
The markets are rallying and taking everything with it (for the most part). The proximate reason seems to be that the Ukraine crisis did not escalate, which should not be a total surprise as I have been talking down that situation for awhile. That is not to say it could not escalate again but at […]
August 15 Biotech Update
More of the same in the market and the sector, although the large caps seem to have gotten more of a bid today with GILD breaking out yesterday and CELG threatening to do the same today. This is the first time in a little while that we have seen a strong bid in the large […]
August 14 Biotech Update
While the general trends have not changed much today, I do want to highlight one cautionary note. We are now through most earnings so that catalyst flow is going to slow and we all know that a biotech without a catalyst tends to underperform. The saving grace is that we are getting close to the […]
August 13 Biotech Update
It is really more of the same with the market drifting and large cap biotechs not really leading and the small caps having some nice moves. I know I have been talking about a potential scenario where small cap biotechs take over as the best performers in the space but it still seems up in […]
August 7 Biotech Update
A good start for the market but biotechs seemed to not be participating. While nothing in biotech stood out as particularly strong in the morning, it seems like small caps were slightly better than large caps. This was a trend I want to follow as it would mark a significant change in the sector as […]
July 1 Biotech Update
It was a good morning in the sector with some positive news and momentum, although we seemed to have faded a little. As I have been saying for awhile, I think the sector has a good shot to hit new all-time highs as long as the macro environment does not turn bearish. I do not […]
May 29 Biotech Update
Generally a good day in the market and it is nice to see small caps participating in the rally. All of my previous caveats apply as to where the market may go. I would also note that the sector generally sells off after ASCO. So even if we get a continuation of this positive price […]
May 14 Biotech Update- The Wait is Almost Over
Happy ASCO abstracts day. I would expect volatility as we get later into the day and perhaps some significant moves into tomorrow and then ASCO. I know the expectation of no ASCO run up but I still lean against that consensus and expect a run up into ASCO (especially if there is something to spark […]
May 8- The Biotech Draft
While there are some stock specific pieces of news, I want to do something a little different today in honor of the NFL draft. I am going to draft my top 10 stocks. This is assuming that I have no positions at all, so this is not what I would be buying now but if […]
April 22- Building Some Momentum
Everyone loves biotechs again. Has the bottom been put in? Perhaps but there was a lot of damage done to the sector, so I would remain selective on buys and not chase any of these early moves. That being said the coast is likely clear for the near term assuming that the large cap biotechs […]
April 11 Biotech Update- The Beating Continues
Well, there is not much to say about the market and sector other than selling is in vogue and there does not seem to be a clear catalyst that could change the tone of the market. I would also remind you that the apparent catalyst of this negative turn (pricing letter from Congress to GILD) […]
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 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. […]