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“Deja Vu Monday” – Markets Propel To New Heights Powered By Promising Vaccine News

By John F. Heerdink, Jr.

The markets indices drove on to new heights again today, much like last Monday, as new and promising coronavirus vaccine news once again surfaced.  The S&P 500 closed at 3,626.91 (+1.16%), the Dow 30 closed at 29,950.44 (+1.6%)/ very near the never seen before 30k level, the tech heavy Nasdaq closed at 11,924.13 (+.8%), the Russell 2000 had a great day to as it finished the session at 1,785.34 (+2.37%).

Before the markets opened today, Moderna (MRNA) ($97.95/share, +9.6%) announced that their COVID-19 Vaccine candidate had met its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE Study. Moderna’s press release highlighted that the first interim analysis included 95 participants with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Phase 3 study met statistical criteria with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5% (p <0.0001) & that they intend to submit for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with U.S. FDA in the coming weeks and expects the EUA to be based on the final analysis of 151 cases and a median follow-up of more than 2 months. This seemed to be enough to further embolden investors and the markets were off to the races today leaving a bit of deja vu in most of our minds as last Monday was much the same with Pfizer’s (PFE) ($37.36/share, -3.3%) vaccine candidate news. 

The somewhat crazy thing is that although it was a very positive day in the markets the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent moves to once again lockdown the US surged forward and the only sector to close in negative territory was healthcare which ticked down -.2%. The energy sector (+6.5%) (oil prices rose 3% at $41.34/bbl), the industrials sector (+2.5%), the financials sector (+2.3%), & the materials sector (+2%) led the balance of the 1o sectors that finished in the green. 

The limited macroeconomic schedule produced the Empire State Manufacturing Survey report which confirmed a drop to 6.3 in November.

The heavily weighted & popular FAANGs rose across the board except for Netflix and ended across the board as follows: Apple (AAPL) ($120.30, +.87%), Amazon (AMZN) ($3,131.06, +.07%), Alphabet (GOOG) ($1,781.38, +.25%), Facebook (FB) ($278.96, +.73%) & Netflix (NFLX) closed at $479.10/share, -.77%.  

EV manufacturer Tesla (TSLA) closed at $408.09/share, -.1% & Chinese EV concern NIO Limited (NIO) closed at $45.58/share UP 2.29% after recently establishing all-time high of $54.20. Leading provider of zero emission hydrogen engines and fueling solutions, Plug Power (PLUG), closed $25/share up 6.7% after establishing a new all time high of $25.49 today. Last week, PLUG beat the street’s Q3 estimates this week and receiving increased price targets from analysts including one that doubled his PT. It has been on a nice run from the $10 range this fall after raising $300 in at $1-.25. Today after the market’s close. Plug again announced a proposed registered public offering of $750M of its common stock with Morgan Stanley acting as sole underwriter. Another deja vu moment indeed. 

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) (15.93/share, +.82%) recently reported its financial results today for Q3 2020 beating wall street’s expectations. They also announced new contracts with U.S. Army and National Institutes of Health & a $300 Million Renewal with Aerospace Customer. Management stated, We generated $289.4 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 52% from the third quarter of 2019, when we generated $190.5 million in revenue. The demand for our software has increased steadily over the past year in the face of significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty in the United States and abroad. We are increasing our guidance for our full-year revenue in 2020 to a range of $1.070 billion to $1.072 billion, which would represent a growth rate of 44% over the prior year, when we generated $743 million in revenue.

Silver prices closed a US $24.81/oz up .07 & gold prices closed at US $1,889/oz down 1. North American silver and gold producer Hecla Mining Company (HL) closed at $5.59/share (+4.88%). HL’s 52-week range is $1.40 – $6.79. Last week, Hecla announced Q3 2020 financial and operating results. Phillips S. Baker, Jr., Hecla’s President and CEO stated, “Because of our strong operating performance and higher prices, Hecla had record adjusted EBITDA, generated the most free cash flow in a decade and repaid our revolver in full. These accomplishments were achieved because of our workforces’ resiliency and our commitment to health and safety. With the Lucky Friday ramp-up ahead of schedule, the expected improvements at Casa Berardi, and our modest planned capital expenditures, we are well positioned to further strengthen our balance sheet, increase exploration activities, and pay our enhanced dividend.” Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD) closed at $25.86/share down .12%. 

As per reports, Dow 30 component, The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) will acquire industrial goods wholesaler HD Supply Holdings in a deal valued at about $8 billion. Home Depot is offering $56 per share in cash to HD Supply shareholders. HD Supply is one of the largest wholesale distributors in North America. The company provides a broad range of products and value-add services to approximately 300,000 customers with leadership positions in the living space maintenance, repair and operations sector. Through approximately 44 distribution centers, across 25 states and two Canadian provinces, the company’s approximately 5,500 associates provide localized, customer-tailored products, services and expertise.

The 2-yr treasury yield moved higher by 1 basis point to .18% while the 10-yr yield bumped up 1 basis point to .90%. The U.S. Dollar Index weakened closing at 92.59. 

TOMORROW

Tomorrow’s macroeconomic calendar will deliver the Retail Sales for October, the Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for October, the NAHB Housing Market Index for November, the Import and Export Prices for October, the Business Inventories for September, and the Net Long-term TIC Flows for September.

WATCH LIST

  • Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (FATE) closed at $52.80/share +4.53% today after recently establishing a new-all-time record high of $54.63/share today.
    • Fate is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders.
    • Fate recently reported business highlights and financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. Scott Wolchko, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fate Therapeutics stated, “The clinical data across our iPSC product platform continue to solidify our conviction that multiple doses of iPSC-derived NK cells can be administered off-the-shelf in the outpatient setting, are well-tolerated, and can drive anti-tumor activity, including in combination with monoclonal antibody therapy. We have now expanded the scope of clinical investigation for FT516 to solid tumors as well as for FT596 to chronic lymphocytic leukemia after observing clinical activity in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at the first dose level. In addition, we have initiated first-in-human investigation of the first-ever CRISPR-edited, iPSC-derived cell therapy FT538, which incorporates three engineered elements to enhance multiple mechanisms of innate immunity, in acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma.”

  • Shares of INVO Bioscience (INVO) closed trading at $3.06/share after recently being added to the Nasdaq. 
    • INVO is 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. 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.
    • Last week, INVO announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 3,625,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $3.20 per share. The gross proceeds to INVO Bioscience from this offering are expected to be approximately $11.6 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses. INVO Bioscience has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 543,750 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The offering is expected to close on November 17, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. Shares of their common stock  began trading on Friday, November 13, 2020 under the symbol “INVO” on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Roth Capital Partners acted as the sole book-running manager, with Colliers Securities LLC and Paulson Investment Company, LLC acting as co-managers for the offering. Learn More Now.
    • INVO recently announced that it has teamed up with Dr. Francisco Arredondo, MD, a respected and experienced board certified reproductive endocrinologist, and Dr. Ramiro Ramirez, MD, a physician and owner of several successful enterprises in Mexico, to establish a joint venture through its wholly-owned subsidiary INVO Centers, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“INVO Centers”), focusing on developing the Mexico market for INVOcell. The new jointly-owned operation, named Positib Fertility, S.A. de C.V. (“Positib Fertility”), is a Mexico registered company that will focus on establishing fertility centers dedicated to offering INVOcell, with the initial center to be located in the city of Monterrey, Mexico.
  • Shares of NeuBase Therapeutics (NBSE) closed at $8.16/share, -2.28% after recently reaching a new 52-week high recently of $11.78/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. NeuBase is continuing its progress towards developing treatment candidates in Huntington’s Disease (HD) and Myotonic Dystrophy (DM1) and is expected to release further data prior to year end 2020
  • Shares of Atossa Therapeutics (ATOS) closed at $1.51/share. 
    • Atossa is 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.
    • Last week Atossa announced blinded preliminary results from its Phase 1 clinical study using Atossa’s proprietary drug candidate AT-301 administered by nasal spray. AT-301 was found to be safe and well tolerated in this study at two different dose levels in both single and multiple dose forms 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. Learn more.
    • Today, Edward Woo, CFA, analyst at Ascendiant Capital Markets, Inc. issued an update report raising his price target to $7.50 citing “Q3 inline. Strong potential for its drugs to treat COVID-19 and breast cancer makes stock attractive” after Atossa had announced their financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, and provided an update on recent company developments On Friday. Contact Edward M. Woo, CFA at 949.259.4932 or ewoo@ascendiant.com to gain access to his report. 

Economic Reports

  • On Monday we did not receive any significant reports.
  • On Tuesday, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index report for October came in flat at 104 & the September job openings report confirmed a rise to 6.436M.
  • On Wednesday, the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index report confirmed a drop by .5%.
  • On Thursday, the Consumer Price Index report confirmed that it stayed pat in October as inflation was kept in check once again. The Initial jobless claims report also confirmed a drop by 48k for the week ending November 7 to 709k as continuing claims for the week ending October 31 dropped by 436,k to 6.786M.
    While the downward trend in initial claims is nice to see, the key takeaway is that market participants have reason to think, with the announcement of new curfews and restrictions on business activity in many cities and states due to rising coronavirus infections, that there could be a pickup in jobless claims in coming weeks. The Treasury Budget report confirmed a $284B deficit in October.

Investing & Inspiration

“Money is like a sixth sense – and you can’t make use of the other five without it.” – William Somerset Maugham

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it.” — Albert Einstein

“Never count on making a good sale. Have the purchase price be so attractive that even a mediocre sale gives good results” — Warren Buffett

“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” – Warren Buffett

“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

“Investing puts money to work. The only reason to save money is to invest it.” – Grant Cardone

“You cannot save time for your future use however you can invest time for your future.” – John F. Heerdink, Jr. 

“Know what you own, and know why you own it.” – Peter Lynch

“Liquidity is only there when you don’t need it.” -Old Proverb

“If you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.” – Richard Branson

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

“In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.” – Robert Arnott

“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up.” – Charlie Munger

“The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy.” – Edward Lampert

“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” – Pope Francis

“It is impossible to produce superior performance unless you do something different from the majority.” – John Templeton

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin.

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

“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

“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

“If all the economists were laid end to end, they’d never reach a conclusion. -George Bernard Shaw

“There are old traders and there are bold traders, but there are very few old, bold traders.”-Ed Seykota

“Let this scenario play out on its own, in its own fashion. As you watch it unfold, you will soon be grateful that you choose the peaceful path. Remember — those who live by the sword, die by the sword.”

“As long as you enjoy investing, you’ll be willing to do the homework and stay in the game.” -Jim Cramer

“I rarely think the market is right. I believe non-dividend stocks aren’t much more than baseball cards. They are worth what you can convince someone to pay for it.” -Mark Cuban

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

“The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.” -Jawaharlal Nehru

“The only true test of whether a stock is “cheap” or “high” is not its current price in relation to some former price, no matter how accustomed we may have become to that former price, but whether the company’s fundamentals are significantly more or less favorable than the current financial-community appraisal of that stock.” -Philip Fisher

“I learned to avoid trying to catch up or double up to recoup losses. I also learned that a certain amount of loss will affect your judgment, so you have to put some time between that loss and the next trade.” -Richard Dennis

“The four most dangerous words in investing are: ‘this time it’s different.” -Sir John Templeton

“Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger

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