The XBI is breaking above the top end of the narrowing range, which is a strong signal of an upside breakout but it needs to build off of this move. A little break followed by churning and/or closing the day under the breakout level is not great. All that being said the table is being […]
April 2nd Biotech Update
The sector seems to be setting up for a breakout(down). Since the gap higher in late February, it looks like we are getting higher lows and lower highs. The range is narrowing and we should soon be breaking out of the narrowing range and that is going to generate the next significant move. I still […]
March 28 Biotech Update
Yesterday was not a great day for the sector but we seem to be bouncing back today. It appears that the next move will not be easy in that this churn and volatility is going to be difficult to play. I still think we go with the trend (which is higher) and ignore the near […]
March 27 Biotech Update
Yesterday was a nice little rally in the sector, which given the sharp pullback was not completely unexpected. The more interesting question is whether that rally can be built upon over the next couple days. The sentiment from Friday and Monday was so negative that many are likely expecting more selling. That is certainly possible […]
March 26 Biotech Update
The sector has had a nice sharp pullback that has challenged sentiment a little. I was a little surprised about how quickly sentiment got negative yesterday as we have had a pretty solid move higher. It seems that sentiment is a little more fragile under the surface than I thought. In some ways that is […]
March 21 Biotech Update
This will certainly be a bad day for the large cap but I would not be surprised to see the XBI outperform if not eventually turn green as M&A fever hits the space. The BIIB failure is large and important for a number of reasons, which I will go through today. 1. While many did […]
March 14 (Pi day) biotech update
A nice late day rally yesterday was a good sign. That was what I was waiting for after a morning of listless direction. It is looking more and more likely that the sector wants to test the recent high in the mid $93s in relative short order. Given the strength it would not stun me […]
March 13 Biotech Update
Yesterday was a good day for the sector and we are right back to what could be some resistance on the XBI at $90. There was some good news coming out that sort of stoked the move and it will be interesting to see if we pause today or extend. Clearly we are pausing in […]
March 12 Biotech Update
I am finally back and the sector appears to have pulled back a little. I do not see this a particularly bad pull back as it looks to have closed a gap and bounced off of it. In my mind, it appears to be setting up as a successful test of the recent breakout assuming […]
February 26 Biotech Update
The sector has gapped above the range with merger Monday. Interestingly the last gap we saw in the XBI (JPM week) saw a gap and run instead of a test of the gap. While it is not impossible to see a similar gap and run in this case, we are already hitting what could be […]
February 6 Biotech Update
The sector faded yesterday and seems to be in a little range between $80 and $86. This is not necessarily a bad thing after the big bounce we had. Sitting in this range resetting the chart and building a base of support is not bad for the longer term. It is certainly better than charging […]
February 5 Biotech Update
There might be reason for optimism in the sector. The XBI seems to be breaking above its recent range and the $80 level might have been support for this new move. That would certainly be the best case scenario as it would be a higher low ($80) and one that is a little higher than […]
February 1st Biotech Update
The sector seems to have gotten its footing in a way I was not expecting. Perhaps there is a bigger underlying bid than I thought. Perhaps the dovish turn in the Fed has put risk on again. In either case, it looks like $80 on the XBI acted as support and now the question is […]
January 29 Biotech Update
An interesting start to large cap earnings. The sector was weak yesterday and this could be the long awaited pullback (or another head fake). Ideally, the pullback bottoms out in the $73-$75 range on the XBI to form a higher low. While a retest of the recent low around $64 is not impossible it would […]
January 24 Biotech Update
Another day and another chance to grind away at these levels. Yesterday was pretty weak and it will be interesting to see how the sector reacts. If we have an inside day, then perhaps the near term trend remains the grind but if we break below yesterday’s low then it is another sign that the […]
January 22 Biotech Update
Certainly not the best start to the week but it remains early. As long as the XBI remains above $80 I would not worry too much about this being the long awaited correction but this is certainly price action that one needs to watch. I think today offers the strongest test of the recent move […]
January 15 Biotech Update
We are clearly not out of the woods for a correction but we should also remember that corrections can occur through price or time. In other words, most think of a correction as a retracement of a move higher and while that is most common, it can also occur through time where prices grind in […]
January 11 Biotech Update
Everyone continues to expect a pullback and yesterday looked like it would be the day that starts the correction but we ended up green again. This has been on the of the strongest JPM weeks I remember (at least from a price action perspective). Yesterday is another brick in the wall of the idea that […]
January 8 Biotech Update
The sector is ripping higher the past couple days, which makes sense given the news flow. I thought the XBI could hit $80 and it did. This is an area of some resistance and the question is whether or not this momentum could actually carry it to the $85 area. Over the near term I […]
December 31 Biotech Update
The selling has been relentless but we are now seeing a nice rally/dead cat bounce. While one has to be very careful with any rally as countertrend rallies in bear markets can be face ripping, there are some nice signs for the biotech sector. While there is some reason for optimism one still has to […]
