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‘Bigs’ & Crypto’s Rule The Week As Micros Struggle to Find A Bid But…

By John F. Heerdink, Jr.
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'Bigs' & Crypto's Rule The Week


“How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.” — Robert G. Allen

Happy Saturday All!

I hope that all of you have made significant progress in the markets again this week & that you are out enjoying a wonderful weekend.

Overall the markets were strong this week, that is, if you were invested in the ‘Bigs’ or large caps, as otherwise it was somewhat painful down in ‘microcapland’ as bids were once again hard to come by. This has been the case over the last month or so in general, but the situation in the micros will change as money ultimately seeks to find value and next week might be the turn.  

Nevertheless, as for as the balance of the markets this week, we once again experienced a broad & strongly positive swing in the ‘Bigs’ and across 10 of the eleven S&P 500 sectors, while only the communications services sector ended down .1%. Out-weighted gains were also seen out of the utilities sector as it rose 3.7%, the materials sector up 3.2%, & the health care sector up 2.9%.  Given this broad sector and large cap strength, the Dow 30 (34,200.67, +1.2%/wk, +11.7% YTD) and the S&P 500 closed at 4,185.47, +1.4%/wk, +11.4% YTD) powered to all time record highs and the Nasdaq gained 1.1% weekly moving above 14k to close at 14,052.34, now up +9% YTD. The larger ‘smalls’, that make of the Russell 2000, also swung higher closing at 2,262.67 (+.9%), now up 14.6% YTD. 

THE MACRO & RATES STORY

Overall, the macroeconomic reports continue to confirm improvement in the good ‘ole USA’s economy as money has been pushed into it by government stimulus and reopening continues as the distribution of the vaccine rolls out further. I will receive my second shot this coming Tuesday and I hope that you already have had yours or that you are scheduled for a shot soon. let’s keep pushing for that 75% mark!

Now as far as the reports went this week, on Monday, the macroeconomic schedule delivered the Treasury Budget report for March, which confirmed a $659.6B deficit vs a $119B deficit in the same period a year ago. The fiscal year-to-date budget was also determined to deficit also stands at $1.71T vs. -$743.5B vs a year ago. On Tuesday, the Total CPI report confirmed a rise by .6% m/m in March while the core CPI rose by .3% m/m. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index report for March moved up to 98.2. On Wednesday, the import prices report confirmed a rise by 1.2% in March while export prices rose 2.1% in March. The MBA Mortgage Applications Index report also showed a drop by 3.7%. On Thursday, the March retail sales report confirmed and impressive 9.8% jump month/month that was surely bolstered by the stimulus measures that put free money in the hands of many Americans. The bar & restaurant industry saw an out-weighted gain of 13.4% as more people got out and had money to burn. The Initial jobless claims report for the week ending April 10 confirmed a drop by 193k to 576k while continuing claims for the week ending April 3 showed a rise of 4k to 3.731M. The total industrial production report confirmed a rise by 1.4% month/month in March while the capacity utilization rate moved higher to 74.4%. The Philadelphia Fed Index report showed a rise to 50.2 in April. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey rose to 26.3 in April. The NAHB Housing Market Index moved up to 83 in April. Business inventories rose .5% month/month in February. On Friday, the Housing starts report confirmed a 19.4% m/m jump in March now at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.739M units  while building permits rose 2.7% m/m to 1.766M aided to a degree by the February in climate weather issues. The preliminary reading for the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for April came in at 86.5.

This week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell also reconfirmed that the Fed would be likely keeping interest rates in check for some time even after the eventual achievement of the Fed’s employment and inflation goals. The 10-yr yield subsequently moved lower wk/wk from 1.67% to 1.57 dropping 10 basis points, while the 2-yr settled 1 basis point higher wk/wk at .16%. The U.S. Dollar Index rose from 92.17 to 92.54. 

FAANG’s, TSLA

The highly weighted FAANG’s slowed their rush up week over week and ended as follows: Apple (AAPL) shares closed at $134.16 up ~$1/share from last Friday’s close of $133, Amazon (AMZN) closed at $3,399.44 up ~26$/share from last Friday’s close of $3,372.20, Alphabet (GOOG) closed at $2,297.76 up ~$15/share from last Friday’s close of $2,285.88, Facebook (FB) closed at $306.18 down ~$6/share from last Friday’s close of $312.46 & Netflix (NFLX) closed at $546.54 down ~$9/share from last Friday’s close of $555.31/share. 

Leading EV car maker Tesla (TSLA) moved higher again this week to close at $739.78 & up ~$53/share from the $677.02 close last week.

COIN GOES PUBLIC & CRYPTO’s ROCK

Coinbase (COIN), an American cryptocurrency trading platform founded in 2012 as a way to simplify the purchase of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, went public via a direct listing on the Nasdaq on April 14th. On their opening day of trading, Coinbase shares closed trading at $328.28,- 13.84% (mkt cap = $85.78B) significantly higher than than their reference price of $250, but significantly lower than the intraday high of rising $429.54. On Friday, COIN closed at $342, +5.96%. Apparently, Arc Invest’s PM Cathie Wood PM swooped in to purchase 340k shares. 

Speaking of crypto’s, Bitcoin moved up another 3% and broke the $64k level for the first time, Ethereum jumped 14% eclipsing $2,500, & Doge cruised up a cool +369% over the course of the week.

CA THEME PARKS OPEN

The Walt Disney Co’s (DIS) original Disneyland resort in California is now sold out for all weekends during May, while Universal Studios in LA opened on Friday & was also sold out for 3 consecutive days. Theme parks in California reopened this month for the first time in a year, but only under strict rule & the pent up demand, to no surprise, has proven to be frothy.

BANKS REPORT

Earnings for all 13 major banks that reported this week exceeded estimates. These positive results were steered via lower credit costs, strong trading/investment banking revs even though demands for loans were down.The financial sector is up 19% this year.


VISTA STORIES FROM THE DOW 30

Home Depot Sets-Up 3 New Distribution Centers In The West Palm Beach, Miami, & Fort Myers Area

Caterpillar Announces Retirement Of 2 Long-Time Board Members & Addition Of CEO Of Cargill To Board

American Express Gains 10th Spot On 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list in the U.S.

Verizon Enters SBA/Crown Castle Deal To Quicken Deployment of C-band Equipment For Launch of 5G

UnitedHealth Reports Q1 Earnings – Raises 2021 Earnings Guidance

IBM Is Naming Its Independent Managed Infrastructure Services Business “Kyndryl”

BIOTECH BOUNCES

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) closed at $153.26 up ~5 points from last week’s close of $148.73. The NYSE ARCA Biotech Index (^BTK) closed at 5,549.28 up ~$120 points from last week’s close of 5,427.10. 

GOLD & SILVER MARKETS MOVE HIGHER

Gold prices closed at $1,779 up $33 from the $1,746/oz. close last week. This Friday silver prices closed at $26.02/oz. up $.28 from the $25.30/oz. close last Friday. Hecla Mining (HL) closed at $6.38, 2.15% on Friday.

NEW TRIBE EVENT VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW

I hosted 2 events with exciting healthcare companies (also part of our VP Watchlist) on our sister organization’s Tribe Public Network this week.

The first event was held on Tuesday, April 13th with INVO Bioscience’s (NASDAQ: INVO) CEO Steven Shum who delivered his presentation titled  “Democratizing Infertility – A Severely Underserved Global Market.”  INVO is a medical device company focused on creating simplified, lower cost treatments for patients diagnosed with infertility. Their solution, the INVO® Procedure, is a disruptive new technology in this severely underserved market. The INVO Procedure is a revolutionary in vivo method of vaginal incubation that offers patients a more natural and intimate experience that is significantly less costly than IVF. Their lead product, the INVOcell®, is a patented medical device used in infertility treatment and is considered an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). The INVOcell is the first Intravaginal Culture (IVC) system in the world used for the natural in vivo incubation of eggs and sperm during fertilization and early embryo development, as an alternative to traditional In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). They are seeking to open a number of INVOcell only clinics in the US and have already come to agreements for two clinics in the US this year!  The event video can be viewed now at the Tribe Public YouTube Channel by clicking here!

The second event was held on Thursday, April 15th with CEO Eric Dobmeier & CBO Tom Frohlich of Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KDNY), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of precision medicines for kidney diseases.  Chronic kidney diseases are a severe and growing worldwide problem with a lack of effective treatments often leading to dialysis, transplantation, and high costs to health care systems. In the U.S. alone, kidney diseases affect an estimated 37 million people and account for over $120 billion in annual costs. Their presentation was titled  “Revolutionizing The Treatment of Kidney Disease.” The event video can be viewed now at the Tribe Pubic YouTube Channel by clicking here!

TRADING & REPORTS NEXT WEEK 

We are back to 5-trading sessions again next week so buckle up while we will receive the LEI index and the PMI composite reports.


 
VP WATCHLIST UPDATES 
Please review our complete VP Watchlist here that includes a brief list of highlighted companies that includes Apple (AAPL), Disney (DIS), Tesla (TSLA) & a select group of emerging names.  The pages will allow you to learn more and keep up with these companies daily.
Below are updates for five of the emerging companies from the VP Watchlist. 

  • Shares of Chinook Therapeutics (KDNY), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicines for kidney diseases, closed at $15.90, +4.33%. Chinook is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering, developing and commercializing precision medicines for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases, a severe and growing worldwide problem with a lack of effective treatments often leading to dialysis, transplantation, and high costs to health care systems. In the U.S. alone, kidney diseases affect an estimated 37 million people and account for over $120 billion in annual costs. 
    • April 15, Chinook announced six poster presentations at the ISN World Congress of Nephrology 2021 (WCN ’21). Eric Dobmeier, president and chief executive officer of Chinook stated, “The depth and breadth of our presence at this year’s WCN ’21 is a testament to Chinook’s role as a leading kidney disease company. Our data demonstrating BION-1301’s ability to significantly reduce Gd-IgA1 levels in healthy volunteers, as well as the favorable pharmacodynamics of subcutaneous administration of BION-1301, position the program well to move forward in demonstrating its disease-modifying potential for IgA nephropathy patients. In addition, our preclinical poster presentations on atrasentan provide broader insights into its anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties that are additive and complementary to its proteinuria-lowering mechanism of action.”
    • On April 7, KDNY provided a business update and reported financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2020. Eric Dobmeier, President and chief executive officer of Chinook Therapeutics stated, “We are executing well on our goal of building Chinook into a leading kidney disease company. 2020 was a very busy and productive year, as we in-licensed atrasentan from AbbVie, closed a $115 million financing, brought BION-1301 into our pipeline through the merger with Aduro, unveiled CHK-336, our first internally-developed program, and bolstered our precision medicine discovery and research efforts. We are excited to have recently initiated our atrasentan phase 3 ALIGN and phase 2 AFFINITY trials and announced our collaboration with Evotec. We look forward to multiple data announcements from our BION-1301 program this year, as well as continuing to move CHK-336 towards the clinic. Our team has grown over 300 percent since the beginning of 2020, and we’re continuing to execute on our hiring plans to ensure we have strong resourcing in place to advance our pipeline. Our solid cash position, which we expect to fund our operations to the middle of 2023, enables us to achieve key milestones across our programs.”
    • On April 5th, KDNY announced a transaction with Van Herk Investments, a leading European life science investor, to create and fund a new company called Sairopa, with a pipeline focused on research and development of non-renal monoclonal antibodies generated through Aduro Biotech’s B-Select platform. Chinook will own approximately 40 percent of Sairopa after the first tranche of financing from Van Herk and have one seat on Sairopa’s Board of Directors.
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    • On March 16, Chinook announced that the first patient with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) has been enrolled in the ALIGN Study, a pivotal phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of atrasentan, a potent and selective inhibitor of the endothelin A receptor. “The initiation of the phase 3 ALIGN Study is an important milestone for Chinook as we advance our pipeline of programs for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases,” said Alan Glicklich, M.D., chief medical officer of Chinook. “Atrasentan has been studied in over 5,300 diabetic kidney disease patients in the phase 2 RADAR and phase 3 SONAR studies, demonstrating rapid, sustained proteinuria reductions of approximately 30 to 35 percent as well as improved eGFR. Importantly, treatment with atrasentan also resulted in a reduction in clinical outcomes of development of end-stage kidney disease and doubling of serum creatinine. We look forward to exploring the proteinuria-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of atrasentan in patients with IgA nephropathy, a serious progressive disease for which there are no approved therapies.”
    • On March 1, Chinook and and Evotec SE announced a strategic collaboration focused on the discovery and development of novel precision medicine therapies for patients with chronic kidney diseases. Based on Evotec’s proprietary comprehensive molecular datasets from thousands of patients across chronic kidney diseases of multiple underlying etiologies, Chinook and Evotec will jointly identify, characterize and validate novel mechanisms and discover precision medicines for PKD, lupus nephritis, IgA nephropathy and other primary glomerular diseases. The collaboration will also involve further characterization of pathways and patient stratification strategies for programs currently in Chinook’s clinical and preclinical pipeline. “We are excited to embark on this strategic collaboration with Evotec, the leading drug discovery alliance and development partner in nephrology,” said Andrew King, D.V.M., Ph.D., Head of Renal Discovery and Translational Medicine at Chinook. “Gaining access to the NURTuRE cohort study and other proprietary patient biobanks, along with Evotec’s multi-omics integration platform, will enable us to define the molecular drivers of kidney diseases, identify novel targets for drug development in selected patient sub-populations and continue to build the foundation for our precision medicine approach. With a focus on comprehensive molecular disease classification, combined with prospective clinical outcomes, Chinook has the opportunity to potentially deliver targeted therapies to the right patient populations.”
    • Recently, Chinook announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted rare pediatric disease designation for CHK-336, an investigational oral small molecule inhibitor of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) for primary hyperoxaluria (PH). PH is a group (PH1, PH2 and PH3) of ultra-rare genetic diseases caused by enzyme mutations that result in excess oxalate production in the liver, and in its most severe forms, can lead to end-stage kidney disease at a young age. Inhibition of LDHA with CHK-336 allows for the potential to treat all forms of PH and other disorders arising from excess oxalate, while its liver-targeted tissue distribution profile enables maximal inhibition of liver oxalate production with minimal systemic exposure. Please read the story here.
    • Chinook has well-funded development programs with participation in a $115 million private placement financing concurrent with the close of a merger with Aduro Biotech in Q4 2020 from top-tier healthcare investors including, EcoR1 Capital, OrbiMed Advisors, funds managed by Rock Springs Capital, Fidelity Management and Research Company LLC, Avidity Partners, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Ally Bridge Group, Monashee Investment Management LLC, Northleaf Capital Partners, Janus Henderson Investors, Sphera Biotech and others.


  • Shares of Natural-Killer cell (NKcell) focused biopharmaceutical firm Fate Therapeutics (FATE) closed at $81.17 up from last Friday’s close of $77.99. 
    • On March 25, Daniel D. Shoemaker, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, advised the Company that he is retiring as of June 30, 2021 after more than 12 years with the Company. Dr. Shoemaker has been with Fate Therapeutics since February 2009, having served as the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer since May 2015. Bob Valamehr, Ph.D., Chief Research and Development Officer of Fate Therapeutics and scientific leader of its iPSC Product Platform since January 2010, will continue to lead all research and development activities.
    • Fate announced that the Company will host a conference call and live audio webcast on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. ET to report its fourth quarter and full year 2020 financial results and provide a corporate update. Learn more here. 
    • Recently, Fate presented a patient case study from the Company’s Phase 1 clinical trial of FT596, its universal, off-the-shelf, CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cell product candidate, at the 62nd Annual Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition and the street loved it. NK cells are the body’s first line of defense against viral infections and cancerous cells with an innate ability to rapidly seek and destroy transformed cells. NK cell therapy has the potential to 1) target multiple pathogenic antigens with measurably more efficient cytotoxicity, 2) be better controlled to reduce risk of cytokine storms and 3) be produced from a variety of sources without relying on patient-specific immune cells. Dr. Wayne Chu, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development of Fate Therapeutics stated, “The safety, pharmacokinetics and clinical activity observed following both the first and second single-dose treatment cycles of FT596 are compelling, especially when considering that the administered cell dose was significantly lower than the recommended cell dose of FDA-approved autologous CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapies and that the heavily pre-treated patient was refractory to last prior therapy. We are excited the CAR component of FT596 has shown clinical activity at this low dose level, and we continue to enroll patients in dose escalation with FT596 as a monotherapy and in combination with rituximab. Our recent Phase 1 clinical data with FT516 in combination with rituximab, which demonstrate the potential of our novel hnCD16 Fc receptor to potentiate ADCC and drive complete responses, support our belief that the multi-antigen targeting functionality of FT596 may offer best-in-class potential for patients with B-cell malignancies.” 
    • We have made another investment in a private company called Cytovia Therapeutics that owns its own NK cell platform that some investors are calling “FATE 2.0”. They are seeking to go next year in Q2/Q3 as there is room in the markets for another NK cell company. Their website is www.cytoviatx.com.


  • Shares of Atossa Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company seeking to discover and develop innovative medicines in areas of significant unmet medical need with a current focus on breast cancer and COVID-19, closed at $1.63/share close last Friday and is trading 22.33M shares a day.
    • On April 8, Atossa announced that an ovarian cancer patient has begun treatment with Atossa’s proprietary oral Endoxifen. The FDA previously issued a “Safe to Proceed” letter under their expanded access pathway, permitting the use of Atossa’s oral Endoxifen in this patient. The patient is being treated at the University of Washington Medical Center by Dr. Barbara Goff, Surgeon-in-Chief. “The patient has recurrent ovarian cancer and did not tolerate tamoxifen, which is sometimes prescribed for ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer,” commented Steven Quay, M.D., Ph.D., Atossa’s President and CEO. “The patient recently underwent functional molecular genomic testing using 3D tumor organoid cultures grown in the laboratory from the patient’s tumor to help determine potential therapies. This testing revealed that the combination of Endoxifen and alpelisib produced an exceptional tumor response. We will follow the progress of this patient and consider additional clinical studies in patients with ovarian cancer.” Under the FDA expanded access program, the use of Atossa’s proprietary oral Endoxifen is restricted solely to this patient.
    • On Monday, March 22, Atossa  announced that it had entered into a securities purchase agreement with institutional investors to purchase $50 million of its shares of common stock and warrants in a registered direct offering priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules. Read Story.  Atossa has now raised ~$141M in gross proceeds (via registered directs and warrant exercises) since Dec. 2020 affording the company a significant development runway and many more options to be considering including acquisitions. 
    • Recently , Atossa announced the FDA has issued a “Safe to Proceed” letter under their Expanded Access Pathway, permitting the use of Atossa’s oral Endoxifen as a treatment in an ovarian cancer patient. The patient is being treated at the University of Washington Medical Center by Dr. Barbara Goff, Surgeon-in-Chief. Under the FDA expanded access program, the use of Atossa’s proprietary oral Endoxifen is restricted solely to this patient. Approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) must be obtained prior to providing oral Endoxifen to this patient.
    • Recently Atossa announced final results from its Phase 1 double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study using Atossa’s proprietary drug candidate AT-301 administered by nasal spray. AT-301 was considered to be safe and well tolerated in healthy male and female participants in this study at two different dose levels over 14 days. AT-301 is being developed for at home use for patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19. There are currently no FDA-approved therapies to treat COVID-19 at home. Steven Quay, M.D., Ph.D., Atossa’s President and CEO stated, “The results from this study are very encouraging and we look forward to quickly commencing the next study of AT-301. We recently received input from the FDA on this program and based in part on that input, we are now preparing to conduct an additional pre-clinical study, which we expect to start this quarter. Following that, we expect to apply to the FDA to commence a Phase 2 study here in the United States.” Learn more here.
    • Atossa recently announced updated findings following 26 months of Expanded Access (or “compassionate use”) single-patient studies of Atossa’s Endoxifen. “To date, the patient has not had a recurrence of breast cancer, as assessed by clinical breast examination and mammography; has not had treatment-related changes in periodic laboratory blood tests and general clinical examinations; and, the treatment has been well tolerated, including an absence of typical vasomotor symptoms commonly associated with tamoxifen (for example, night sweats and hot flashes), an FDA-approved drug frequently prescribed for breast cancer treatment,” commented Sidney Goldblatt, M.D., Principal Investigator. “This patient, like many breast cancer patients, was reluctant to take tamoxifen because of the well-documented side effects associated with that drug and because she lacked the proper liver enzymes to properly metabolize tamoxifen. We are very encouraged by this patient’s experience with our Endoxifen over the past two years. Her experience serves as a model for ongoing development efforts,” commented Steve Quay, Ph.D., M.D., Atossa’s President and CEO.
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  • Shares of  INVO Bioscience, Inc. (INVO), a medical device company focused on creating alternative treatments for patients diagnosed with infertility and developers of INVOcell®, the world’s only in vivo Intravaginal Culture System, closed at $4.08/share this Friday.
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    • After the close March 30, INVO announced 2020 financial results and highlights.  Steve Shum, Chief Executive Officer of INVO Bioscience stated, “In the face of a difficult year for many industries, including the fertility business, I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of the entire INVO Bioscience team. During the year, we put in place a number of building blocks for the future, which are already beginning to pay dividends. Recently we announced our plan to open our first U.S.-based INVOcell clinic in partnership with some of the most highly accomplished INVOcell practitioners in the world. Our partners are not only extremely well-versed in the INVOcell technology, but also have a proven track record of successful implementation of the platform within an established clinical setting. A few months prior, we announced that we plan to open dedicated INVOcell clinics in Mexico with Dr. Francisco Arredondo and Dr. Ramiro Ramirez, who were also early adopters of the INVOcell solution and have established a successful track record of successful implementation of INVOcell in a clinical setting. We believe the combination of strong distribution partners such as Ferring in the U.S. and other locations around the world, coupled with dedicated INVOcell clinics partnerships which INVO Bioscience has an equity interest in, position the Company well for the future. Another key development during the year was the availability of additional positive real-world usage data highlighting the success of INVOcell, including a published peer-reviewed manuscript (report). We expect to see further data from this year’s SART information in the near future. In our opinion, this expanded retrospective, real world validated data is extremely valuable to our commercial efforts and builds confidence with practitioners. We believe that this expanding portfolio of usage data will play an important role in expanding and accelerating market adoption.”
    • On March 8, after the close INVO announced that they has agreed to an amendment of their agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals that provides for an increase in the number of INVO company-owned US-based clinics initially allowable under the agreement and removes certain geographical restrictions. The amendment also adjusted the remaining annual 2020 minimum contractual product purchase requirement, whereby Ferring will place a $501,000 order, which will be recognized as revenue by INVO Bioscience in the first quarter of 2021. READ STORY.
    • On March 1, INVO announced the Company has received approval by COFEPRIS to import INVOcell into Mexico. In late 2020, INVO Bioscience established a joint venture focused on establishing fertility centers dedicated to offering INVOcell, with the initial center, called Positib Fertility, to be located in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Steve Shum, CEO of INVO Bioscience, commented, “We are extremely pleased to have received approval by COFEPRIS to begin importing INVOcell into Mexico. This was a key step in the process to open our first joint venture owned clinic in the large and growing Mexico market for infertility services. Our internal team along with our JV partners have and continue to work aggressively and with a relentless focus to bring the INVOcell treatment option to the many patients in need of care within Mexico.”
    • On Jan 27, INVO announced it has advanced its commercialization efforts into the European fertility market by securing initial orders of INVOcell in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. INVOcell will initially be available at three separate existing fertility clinics which have placed orders and commenced training. Please read the story here.
    • Industry forecasts suggest that only 1% to 2% of the estimated 150 million infertile couples worldwide are currently being treated. INVO’s mission is to increase access to care and expand infertility treatment across the globe with a goal of improving patient affordability and industry capacity. Since January 2019, INVO Bioscience has signed commercialization agreements in the United States, India, as well as parts of Africa and Eurasia and Mexico for the INVOcell device.



  • Shares of NeuBase Therapeutics (NBSE) closed trading this week at $6.06/share. NeuBase is developing the next generation of gene silencing therapies with its flexible, highly specific synthetic antisense oligonucleotides. The proprietary NeuBase peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) antisense oligonucleotide (PATrOL™) platform allows for the rapid development of targeted drugs, increasing the treatment opportunities for the hundreds of millions of people affected by rare genetic diseases, including those that can only be treated through accessing of secondary RNA structures. Using PATrOL technology, NeuBase aims to first tackle rare, genetic neurological disorders.

    • On April 8, NBSE announced that it will host a virtual R&D day for investors and analysts on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. During the event, NeuBase will present new data, along with an in-depth review of the Company’s pipeline of drug candidates – including in Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy type 1, and a new oncology program for a target that has previously been thought of as undruggable – as well as an introduction to the expanded management team. Additional details will be made available prior to the event. The event will be webcast live on NeuBase’s website at https://ir.neubasetherapeutics.com/news-events/ir-calendar. Following the live webcast, a replay will be available on the Company’s website and archived for approximately 90 days.

    • Recently, Neubase reported its financial results for the three-month period ended December 31, 2020. Review the story here.

    • Oppenheimer’s analyst Hartaj Singh has reiterated his OUTPERFORM Rating and his Price Target of $17.

    • NBSE recently announced the execution of a binding agreement to acquire infrastructure, programs and intellectual property for several peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) scaffolds from Vera Therapeutics, formerly known as TruCode Gene Repair, Inc. The technology has demonstrated the ability to resolve disease in genetic models of several human indications. The acquisition was reported to bolster NeuBase’s capabilities and reinforces the Company’s position as a leader in the field of genetic medicine. Read the complete story.

    • NeuBase is developing the next generation of gene silencing therapies with its flexible, highly specific synthetic antisense oligonucleotides. The proprietary NeuBase peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) antisense oligonucleotide (PATrOL™) platform allows for the rapid development of targeted drugs, increasing the treatment opportunities for the hundreds of millions of people affected by rare genetic diseases, including those that can only be treated through accessing of secondary RNA structures. Using PATrOL technology, NeuBase aims to first tackle rare, genetic neurological disorders.
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Thanks again for your attention this week. Please continue to share your thoughts, questions, & ideas as we move forward. 

In the meantime, please enjoy the balance of the weekly newsletter’s videos, quotes, updates. 

Investing & Inspiration

  1. “How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.” — Robert G. Allen
  2. “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price, than a fair company at a wonderful price.” – Warren Buffett
  3. “A market downturn doesn’t bother us. It is an opportunity to increase our ownership of great companies with great management at good prices.” — Warren Buffett
  4. “Every once in a while, the market does something so stupid it takes your breath away.” — Jim Cramer
  5. “The person who starts simply with the idea of getting rich won’t succeed; you must have a larger ambition.” — John D. Rockefeller
  6. “Know what you own, and know why you own it.” – Peter Lynch
  7. “Although it’s easy to forget sometimes, a share is not a lottery ticket… it’s part ownership of a business.” – Peter Lynch

  8. “Wise spending is part of wise investing. And it’s never too late to start.” – Rhonda Katz

  9. “Invest for the long haul. Don’t get too greedy and don’t get too scared.” – Shelby M.C. Davis

  10. “Fear incites human action far more urgently than does the impressive weight of historical evidence.”
    -Jeremy Siegel

  11. “With a good perspective on history, we can have a better understanding of the past and present, and thus a clear vision of the future.” — Carlos Slim Helu
  12. “If we like a business, we’re going to buy as much of it as we can and keep it as long as we can. And when we change our mind, we don’t take half measures.” – Warren Buffett
  13. “The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.” — Peter Thiel
  14. “Never depend on a single income, make an investment to create a second source.” Warren Buffet“Games are won by players who focus on the playing field –- not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard.” ― Warren Buffett
  15. “The key to making money in stocks is not to get scared out of them.” – Peter Lynch
  16. “Courage taught me no matter how bad a crisis gets … any sound investment will eventually pay off.” — Carlos Slim Helu
  17. “Investing puts money to work. The only reason to save money is to invest it.” – Grant Cardone
  18. “As time goes on, I get more and more convinced that the right method of investment is to put fairly large sums into enterprises which one thinks one knows something about and in the management of which one thoroughly believes.” — John Maynard Keynes
  19. “Given a 10% chance of a 100 times payoff, you should take that bet every time.” — Jeff Bezos
  20. “Money is always eager and ready to work for anyone who is ready to employ it.” ― Idowu Koyenikan
  21. “The secret to investing is to figure out the value of something – and then pay a lot less.” – Joel Greenblatt
  22. “We don’t have an analytical advantage, we just look in the right place.” – Seth Klarman
  23. “Men, it has been well said, think in herds. It will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.” – Charles Mackay
  24. “It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong.” – George Soros
  25. “In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.” — Robert Arnott
  26. “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack!” — John Bogle
  27. “No Price is too low for a bear or too high for a bull.” — Anonymous
  28. “Investment is an asset or item that is purchased with the hope that it will generate income or appreciate in the future.” — Anonymous
  29. “Behind every stock is a company. Find out what it’s doing.” — Peter Lynch
  30. “Wise spending is part of wise investing. And it’s never too late to start.” –Rhonda Katz
  31. “If there is one common theme to the vast range of the world’s financial crises, it is that excessive debt accumulation, whether by the government, banks, corporations, or consumers, often poses greater systemic risks than it seems during a boom.” — Carmen Reinhart
  32. “It amazes me how people are often more willing to act based on little or no data than to use data that is a challenge to assemble.” ― Robert Shiller
  33. “A bull market is like sex. It feels best just before it ends.” — Barton Biggs
  34. “The investor’s chief problem — even his worst enemy — is likely to be himself.” — Benjamin Graham
  35. “No profession requires more hard work, intelligence, patience, and mental discipline than successful speculation.” – Robert Rhea
  36. “The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.” — Peter Thiel
  37. “Money is like a sixth sense – and you can’t make use of the other five without it.” – William Somerset Maugham
  38. “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it.” — Albert Einstein
  39. “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” – Warren Buffett
  40. “Thousands of experts study overbought indicators, head-and-shoulder patterns, put-call ratios, the Fed’s policy on money supply…and they can’t predict markets with any useful consistency, any more than the gizzard squeezers could tell the Roman emperors when the Huns would attack.” – Peter Lynch
  41. “Investing puts money to work. The only reason to save money is to invest it.” – Grant Cardone
  42. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn
  43. “You cannot save time for your future use however you can invest time for your future.” – John F. Heerdink, Jr. 
  44. “We always live in an uncertain world. What is certain is that the United States will go forward over time.” – Warren Buffett
  45. “Never test the depth of the river with both of your feet.” – Warren Buffet
  46. “Know what you own, and know why you own it.” – Peter Lynch
  47. “Liquidity is only there when you don’t need it.” -Old Proverb
  48. “There is no such thing as no risk. There’s only this choice of what to risk, and when to risk it.” – Nick Murray
  49. “If you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.” – Richard Branson
  50. “Fear incites human action far more urgently than does the impressive weight of historical evidence.” – Jeremy Siegel
  51. “In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.” – Robert Arnott
  52. “Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up.” – Charlie Munger
  53. “The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy.” – Edward Lampert
  54. “The rivers don’t drink their own water; Trees don’t eat their own fruits. The sun does not shine for itself, And flowers do not spread their fragrance For themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature” – PopeFrancis
  55. “It is impossible to produce superior performance unless you do something different from the majority.” – John Templeton
  56. “Inaction and patience are almost always the wisest options for investors in the stock market.” – Guy Spier
  57. “Remember that the stock market is a manic depressive.”  – Warren Buffett
  58. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin
  59. “I believe the returns on investment in the poor are just as exciting as successes achieved in the business arena, and they are even more meaningful!” -Bill Gates
  60. “Every portfolio benefits from bonds; they provide a cushion when the stock market hits a rough patch. But avoiding stocks completely could mean your investment won’t grow any faster than the rate of inflation.” – Suze Orman
  61. “The tax on capital gains directly affects investment decisions, the mobility and flow of risk capital… the ease or difficulty experienced by new ventures in obtaining capital, and thereby the strength and potential for growth in the economy.” – John F. Kennedy
  62. “If all the economists were laid end to end, they’d never reach a conclusion.
    -George Bernard Shaw
  63. “The riskiest thing we can do is just maintain the status quo. I get up at 4:30 in the morning, seven days a week, no matter where I am in the world. I think it is important for people who are given leadership roles to assume that role immediately. What I’ve really learned over time is that optimism is a very, very important part of leadership.” – Bob Iger, Former Ceo of Disney
  64. “In the short run, the market is a voting machine. But in the long run, it is a weighing machine.” – Ben Graham
  65. “In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.” -Robert Arnott
  66. “The fundamental law of investing is the uncertainty of the future.” -Peter Bernstein
  67. “How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts?” -Robert G Allen
  68. “Greed is all right, by the way. I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself.”-Ivan Boesky
  69. “Michael Marcus taught me one other thing that is absolutely critical: You have to be willing to make mistakes regularly; there is nothing wrong with it. Michael taught me about making your best judgment, being wrong, making your next best judgment, being wrong, making your third best judgment, and then doubling your money.” -Bruce Kovner
  70. “The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.” -Jawaharlal Nehru
  71. “I talk about macro themes a lot because they are fun to talk about, but it is the risk management that is the most important thing. The risk control is all bottom-up. I structured the business right from the get-go so that we would have lots of diversification.” -Michael Platt
  72. “Blaming speculators as a response to financial crisis goes back at least to the Greeks. It’s almost always the wrong response.” -Larry Summers

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