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Mixed Macroeconomic Data Weighs On Tuesday’s Stock Market – $ABMD $AG $FSLR $INVO $PRME $UBER $XBI Rise!

By John F. Heerdink, Jr.
Quote of the Day — “Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves.” – Elvis Duran


Happy First Day Of November!

I hope that you experienced a solid kick off to the new month.   As for the stock market, investors and traders were treated to a bit of volatility seeing the broad large cap indices rise significantly in the first 30-minutes or so of the session and then abruptly turning south and trading with a relatively tight range for the balance of the day. The Fed also began their 2-day meeting as investors await their interest rate decision and dialogue at its conclusion tomorrow. In the meantime, the U.S. macroeconomic schedule produced the October ISM Manufacturing Index report that confirmed a fall to 50.2% further signaling a slowdown, while closing just above the expansion line. However, the total construction spending report showed a .2% M/M rise in September & the total private construction report also showed .4% M/M rise, but total public construction spending moved lower by .4%. Interestingly, the total construction spending report also confirmed that it was up 10.9% Y/Y. Lastly, the JOLTS Job openings report came in higher and totaled 10.717M in September.  In turn, the 10-yr note moved down 3 basis points to 4.05% and the 2-yr note moved up by 2 basis points to 4.51%. The US dollar index closed up .03% at 111.56.

As a result, the S&P 500 closed at 3,856.10 (-.41%) with the energy sector leading all and moving up 1.1% as oil prices jumped 2.2% to close at $88.40. The communication services sector fell 1.3% to bring up the rear. The Dow 30 closed at 32,553.20 moving lower by .24% as Dow component and heavily weighted tech giant Apple (AAPL) pulled back by 1.75% to close at $150.65, while Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, $173.09, -.5%) announced that it is buying heart pump maker Abiomed (ABMD, $377.82, +49.9%) for $16.6B. The Nasdaq also moved lower closing at 10,890.85 (-.89%) as EV giant Tesla (TSLA) ticked up .12% to close at $227.82. On the positive side, the small caps on the Russell 2000 showed relative strength today as it closed at 11,851.39 (+.25%). Interestingly, the MicroCaps moved higher as well as the iShares Micro-cap ETF (IWC) closed at $113.44 up .21%.

Biotech stocks edged higher today on the lower end of the spectrum as the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) closed up .82% to close at $82.82. The 52-wk range is $61.78 – $134.79. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) also moved up to close at $129.75, +.90%. The 52-range is $104.29 – $164.83. Mergers, acquisition and now larger public offerings and private placements and a recent and decently sized IPO are beginning to paint a brighter picture in ‘biotech land’ as of late. 

The iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF (IYH) closed at $276.36, +.06%. 

A decent measure of the markets volatility or the CBOE Volatility Index (^VIX) closed down .27% & still below the $30 level at $25.81 as it traded within the range of $25.66 – $26.35. 

Around the crypto and precious metals’ tree, Bitcoin (BTC) moved higher by .30% & still above the 20k level again at $20,465.54 over the last 24-hours at the time of this writing. Gold prices closed at $1,653/oz., +$15/oz. & silver closed at $19.67/oz., +$.48/oz. on the day. Two mining producers closed the day as follows: Hecla Mining Company (HL) closed at $4.63, +1.31% and First Majestic Silver Corp. (AG) closed at $8.69, +3.08%. On Nov. 1, First Majestic Silver Corp. announced positive drilling results from its ongoing exploration program at the Jerritt Canyon Gold Mine located in Elko County, Nevada. The 2022 drilling campaign at Jerritt Canyon consists of short-term focused underground core drilling testing extensions of known ore controls near active mining; mid-term focused drilling planned to validate/test the presence of mineralized volumes near historic workings; and long-term focused drilling aiming to make new gold discoveries in the district.

Note that CVS Health (CVS), Dine Brands (DIN), DISH Network (DISH), Estee Lauder (EL), Ferrari (RACE), Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG), Vulcan Materials (VMC), Yum! Brands (YUM) are a few of the companies that will report their quarterly results before the market’s open tomorrow, Wednesday. 

 
 

FURTHER AFIELD

Shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) rose 11.97% today to close at $29.75 after today’s announcement of their financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2022, which beat expectations. Uber’s Gross Bookings grew 26% year-over-year and 32% year-over-year on a constant currency basis, Mobility Gross Bookings, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin at all-time quarterly highs, & Operating cash flow of $432 million; Free cash flow of $358 million.

Shares of Prime Medicine, Inc. (PRME), a biotechnology company committed to delivering a new class of differentiated one-time curative genetic therapies, closed at $21.12, +12.22% today. On October 24, Prime announced the closing of its upsized initial public offering of 10,294,118 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $17.00 per share.The gross proceeds of the offering were approximately $175.0 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses. In addition, Prime Medicine has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,544,117 shares of its common stock at the initial public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions. The shares began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 20, 2022 under the ticker symbol “PRME.” All shares in the offering were offered by Prime Medicine. J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley and Jefferies are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

Shares of First Solar, Inc. (FSLR), a leading American solar technology company and global provider of responsibly produced eco-efficient solar modules advancing the fight against climate change, developed at R&D labs in California and Ohio, the company’s advanced thin film PV modules represent the next generation of solar technologies, providing a competitive, high-performance, lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV modules, jumped another 2.06% to close at $148.57.  On October 27, First Solar announced that it plans to invest approximately $270 million in a dedicated research and development (R&D) innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio. The new facility is believed to be the first of its scale in the United States and is expected to accelerate American leadership in the development and production of advanced thin film photovoltaics (PV).

Shares of ADT Inc. (ADT), the most trusted brand in smart home and small business security, closed at $8.45, -.12%. On Oct. 13, ADT, announced that it has issued and sold in a private placement to State Farm 133.3 million shares of ADT common stock for a gross purchase price of $1.2 billion. In September, ADT announced a new partnership with State Farm to revolutionize the homeownership experience through innovation in the detection and mitigation of property losses. In addition to the equity investment, State Farm has committed up to $300 million to fund product and technology innovation, customer growth and marketing activities in connection with the partnership. State Farm has funded the first $100 million and the two companies will collaborate to approve initiatives utilizing the funds.

Memes stock GameStop Corp. (GME) closed at $28.39, +.28% as shorts lost the ongoing daily battle. Note that approx. 20% of GME’s outstanding shares are sold short landing it with a short interest ratio of 7.6. On Sept 7th, GameStop released financial results for the second quarter ended July 30, 2022. Net sales were $1.136 billion for the quarter, compared to $1.183 billion in the prior year’s second quarter. Sales attributable to collectibles, which is a segment the Company intends to grow over the long-term, were $223.2 million for the quarter, compared to $177.2 million in the prior year’s second quarter. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $387.5 million for the quarter, representing a sequential decline of 14.3% from the first quarter of 2022 and reflecting, in part, the Company’s focus on right-sizing costs following a period of significant investment in long-term initiatives. After the close today, September 7, GameStop Corp. also announced that it has entered into a partnership with FTX US (“FTX”). The partnership is intended to introduce more GameStop customers to FTX’s community and its marketplaces for digital assets. In addition to collaborating with FTX on new ecommerce and online marketing initiatives, GameStop will begin carrying FTX gift cards in select stores. During the term of the partnership, GameStop will be FTX’s preferred retail partner in the United States. The financial terms of the partnership are not being disclosed.

Shares of AMC (AMC and APE), the largest movie exhibition company in the United States, the largest in Europe and the largest throughout the world with approximately 950 theaters and 10,500 screens across the globe, moved lower by 7.66% to close at $6.15 and APE closed at $1.89, -7.80% . On October 27, AMC Theatres® announced that it is adding encore showtimes on October 29 and 30 to accommodate fan demand as tickets were rapidly selling out to the first-of-its-kind October 29 big screen sneak peek of Yellowstone, TV’s #1 show, and preview of Tulsa King, Taylor Sheridan’s latest project coming to Paramount+ starring Sylvester Stallone.


VP WATCHLIST UPDATES 
 
Shares of Apple (AAPL) closed at $150.65, -1.75%. Apple enjoys a 6.82% weighting in the S&P 500. On October 27, Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2022 fourth quarter ended September 24, 2022. The Company posted a September quarter record revenue of $90.1 billion, up 8 percent year over year, and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.29, up 4 percent year over year. Annual revenue was $394.3 billion, up 8 percent year over year, and annual earnings per diluted share were $6.11, up 9 percent year over year.


 
 
tesla
 
Shares of Tesla (TSLA) closed at $227.82, +.12% today. Today, it was reported that Tesla is delaying its production schedule for the Cybertruck.

 
The Walt Disney Company (DIS) closed at $106.00, -.51%. On October 25, Reuters reported that Disney’s streaming service Disney+ stated that it would exclusively stream one of BBC’s highly revered shows, “Doctor Who”, to audiences outside the U.K. and Ireland.
 
 
 
Atossa Therapeutics (ATOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company seeking to develop innovative proprietary medicines in oncology and infectious disease with a current focus on breast cancer and COVID-19, rose to an intraday high of $1.02 prior to closing at $.9256, -6.05% on 521,712 shares of trading volume.
 
On November 1, Atossa announced that it is investing in privately-held developer of CAR-T therapies, Dynamic Cell Therapies, Inc. (DCT), a venture capital backed company that is based in Boston, MA. DCT is in the pre-clinical phase of developing controllable CAR-T cells to address difficult-to-treat cancers. Its platform technology of dynamic control of engineered T-cells is designed to improve the safety, efficacy, and durability of CAR-T cell therapies. This system should find initial applications in hematological cancers, with future approaches in solid tumors and autoimmune diseases. The company’s platform technology uncouples tumor targeting from CAR-T cell activation. Each CAR-T cell recognizes an inert small molecule. This small molecule is conjugated to a tumor-specific antibody. By dosing a small molecule-antibody conjugate, the physician could dynamically control CAR-T cell activity and potentially minimize the risk of life-threatening side effects. Increasing the dose of the small molecule-antibody conjugate should strengthen the immune attack against tumor cells. In addition, the same small molecule can be coupled to different tumor targeting antibodies, allowing the physician to maximize on-target on-tumor efficacy and reduce off-tumor toxicities. To learn more, please visit www.dynamiccelltherapies.com. Steven Quay, M.D., Ph.D., Atossa’s CEO, Chairman and President stated, “This investment in DCT is an important step in pursuing our strategy to develop CAR-T therapies or adjacent opportunities within the immuno-oncology space. We believe that as an active investor in the development of DCT we will be well positioned to evaluate future opportunities while strategically managing our cash position.” Atossa will acquire shares equal to 19.99% of the outstanding capital stock of DCT as of today for a cash payment of $2 million (in addition to $3 million previously paid to DCT). The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.
 
On October 25, Atossa announced that it has retained Richard Graydon, M.D., Ph.D. as interim chief medical officer. Dr. Graydon will devote all of his professional time to the Atossa clinical programs. Prior to joining Atossa, Dr. Graydon served as Senior Director of Clinical Development at Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) where he was responsible for leading compound development and clinical trial programs for Janssen Pharmaceuticals. At Janssen, he oversaw the early to late-stage development and the 2022 approval of BCMA-directed CAR T-Cell therapy (cilta-cel) for Multiple Myeloma, as well as daratumumab, imbruvica, siltuximab and other compounds for solid tumor and hematological malignancies. Previously, he held the role of Director of Clinical Development at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., where he led the early and late-stage development of the small molecule targeted therapy quizartinib for FLT3-positive Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Additionally, he led the early-stage development of the MDM2 inhibitor milademetan in hematological malignancies and liposarcomas. Dr. Graydon spent time in clinical practice following completion of his specialty training in hematology and oncology at Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. at Stanford University, and undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Graydon is the author of The Genetic Risks of Cancer: The Effects of DNA, Genomics and Inheritance on Aging and Survival.

On Oct. 24, Atossa announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold and authorized initiation of its Phase 2 neoadjuvant clinical study of (Z)-endoxifen in premenopausal women with early-stage estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer. This is the first study of Atossa’s proprietary (Z)-endoxifen in the United States. At this time, Atossa also announced that it is discontinuing its COVID-19 program (AT-301) so that it can refocus resources on this critical study in breast cancer. “Continuing the development of our proprietary (Z)-endoxifen here in the United States has been a key goal which builds on the recent issuance of a U.S. patent for our proprietary (Z)-endoxifen and results from our Phase 2 “window-of-opportunity” study in Australia,” commented Steven Quay, M.D., Ph.D., Atossa’s CEO, Chairman and President. “We are excited to have engaged Dr. Matthew Goetz, the Erivan K. Haub Family Professor of Cancer Research Honoring Richard F. Emslander, M.D. at Mayo Clinic and Director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer SPORE, as the lead principal investigator for this multi-center study. We look forward to opening the study in the fourth quarter.”

 
 
 
On Aug. 25th, Atossa’s CEO, Dr. Steven Quay, M.D., Ph.D., and Kyle Guse, GC & CFO presented at Tribe Public’s Webinar Presentation and Q&A Event. During this complimentary event, Atossa management spoke of new opportunities for its inhalation therapy, AT-H201, to potentially treat lung injury caused by cancer treatment and were available for a Q&A session focused on Atossa’s research programs and future development. To watch the event video titled The Important Role For Inhalation Therapy In Oncology” please visit the Tribe Public YouTube Channel. 
 
 
On Aug. 18, Atossa announced the appointment of Dr. Paul Wabnitz to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The Company has also re-appointed Drs. Mak Jawadekar, Per Hall, and Carl Novina to the SAB. Dr. Wabnitz has extensive experience in clinical development with a unique combination of clinical medicine, pharmacology, toxicology, and industry drug development experience. He has acted as an investigator and Medical Monitor on over 50 first in human Phase I/II clinical trials over the last two years, including several Phase I/II first in human oncology studies, as well as previously being the Executive Medical Director of a leading Australian Phase I clinical unit. His scientific background includes a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, a Post Doc at Parke-Davis (Ann Arbor, MI), 6.5 years of drug development industry experience (Pfizer/Esperion), an M.B.A. from the Stephen Ross School of Business (University of Ann Arbor, MI), and a Drug Development certificate in Regulatory Affairs from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). His clinical background includes a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), and he is a qualified Specialist Physician and Clinical Pharmacologist (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physician, Australia).
 
Jason McCarthy Ph.D., a biotech analyst at the Maxim Group, put out a note on July 28th reconfirming his BUY rating and a $4 target price on Atossa.
 
 
 
 
Shares of Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for patients with cancer, closed at $20.99, +.33%.
 
Fate will host a conference call and live audio webcast on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 5:00 PM ET to report its third quarter 2022 financial results and provide a corporate update. In order to participate in the conference call, please register using the conference link here. The live webcast can be accessed under “Events & Presentations” in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.fatetherapeutics.com.
 
 
On Aug. 8, Fate Therapeutics announced the publication of preclinical study results demonstrating the successful generation, durable anti-tumor response, and functional persistence of TCR-CAR+ iPSC-derived CD8αβ T cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The CD8αβ T cells were derived from a single engineered iPSC integrating a novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) transgene into the T-cell receptor alpha constant (TRAC) locus, ensuring complete bi-allelic disruption of T-cell receptor (TCR) expression and promoting uniform CAR expression. The discoveries were made under a multi-year research collaboration between the Company and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) led by Michel Sadelain, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Center for Cell Engineering and Head, Gene Expression and Gene Transfer Laboratory, and were published this week in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
 
 
Shares of INVO Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVO), a commercial-stage fertility company focused on expanding access to advanced treatment worldwide with its INVOcell® medical device and the IVC procedure it enables, closed at $1.18, +2.61% and has traded up to $1.23, +4.24%.

On Nov. 1, INVO announced a successful showcasing of INVOcell at last week’s 2022 Scientific Congress & Expo of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) held on October 22-26, 2022 in Anaheim, California. INVO highlighted the following: 1) The multi-billion-dollar global fertility market is predicted to reach approximately US$47.9 billion by 2030, yet remains severely underserved with many patients (upwards of 90% by many estimates) unable to access affordable treatment,  2) The INVOcell solution provides an advanced, effective and affordable infertility treatment to help increase access to care, & 3) INVO Is commercially advancing INVOcell through the opening of INVO Centers, opportunistically now pursuing acquisitions of established fertility (IVF) clinics in the U.S., and continuing to offer the technology to existing fertility practices. Steve Shum, CEO of INVO Bioscience stated,  “INVO’s cumulative progress over the past two years, on both the commercial front as well as additional real world patient outcomes data, allowed us to further highlight our innovative INVOcell solution at last week’s ASRM conference. It was clear at this year’s annual conference that INVOcell’s presence in the marketplace is growing, and our expanded commercial approach is attractive. Our business development team engaged in a number of productive discussions with interested parties at the conference revolving around our commercial efforts toward providing INVOcell to existing clinics, opening our own INVO Centers, and now selectively acquiring existing fertility practices. We believe the strategy to acquire established fertility clinics in the U.S. complements our existing INVO Center strategy and will allow us to accelerate our growth plans and help expand the use of INVOcell. Potential acquisitions of established profitable fertility clinics in the U.S. represents a logical extension of our strategy. We believe the ASRM conference provided a great opportunity to further communicate our overall progress and technology achievements as well as our unique commercial approach toward helping to democratize fertility care.”

On Oct. 21, INVO Bioscience announced the publication of a review discussing existing literature and current use of intravaginal culture (IVC) as an option for patients seeking fertility therapies. The review, titled “Intravaginal embryo culture: a successful alternative to standard IVF that may improve access to care,” by Dr. Amber R. Cooper was published in the Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Findings included that Intravaginal culture (IVC) of embryos is a successful and well-tolerated option for many patients & IVC has similar outcomes when compared to standard IVF with or without ICSI. Findings included: Intravaginal culture (IVC) of embryos is a successful and well-tolerated option for many patients & IVC has similar outcomes when compared to standard IVF with or without ICSI. A copy of the publication is available at:Intravaginal embryo culture: a successful alternative to standard IVF that may improve access to care.

 
On September 29th, a study, titled “Comparison of Treatment Outcomes among Sibling Oocytes Using Different Culture Systems—Conventional IVF versus INVOcell Device—And Evaluation of INVOcell User Satisfaction: The INVOcIVF Study,” was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study was conducted by Advanced Reproductive Centre (ARC), at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), at the National University of Malaysia, from January 2021 to January 2022. Here’s a link to the study “Comparison of Treatment Outcomes among Sibling Oocytes Using Different Culture Systems—Conventional IVF versus INVOcell Device—And Evaluation of INVOcell User Satisfaction: The INVOcIVF Study.”
 
Key findings of the study included:

• The fertilization rate and good embryo quality were comparable (not significantly different) between INVOcell and cIVF.
• Although both methods produce similar fertilization rates and good-quality embryos, the blastulation rates were better in the INVOcell group.
• INVOcell can be used as an alternative method for reproductive treatment in carefully selected patients without jeopardizing outcomes.
• cIVF is costly and not applicable in most rural and district areas, therefore, the INVOcell can be utilized as a cost-effective alternative to cIVF without sacrificing comfort and outcomes.
 
 
On Sept 22, INVO announced that Dr. Sue Ellen Carpenter of Bloom Fertility, the Company’s Atlanta-based INVO Center, was named a recipient of the Castle Connolly Top Doctor Award for 2023. Castle Connolly Top Doctor recipients are nominated by fellow physicians and other healthcare leaders around the country identifying doctors that embody excellence in clinical care as well as interpersonal skills such as listening and communicating, demonstrating empathy and instilling trust and confidence in patients. Dr. Carpenter has been a recipient of the merit-based Castle Connolly Top Doctor Award since 2018.
 
On Aug. 25th, INVO Bioscience announced that Advanced Reproductive Centre, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), formally known as Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM), based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is making IVC available for their patients. The move follows the successful completion of the first IVC case in the country recently with data presented at the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Malaysia (“OGSM”) where it was awarded a prize as a new and innovative fertility treatment. A signing ceremony announcing the launch of IVC was witnessed by the Minister of Science and Innovation and Deputy Secretary General. HCTM, one of the five university hospitals in Malaysia, is currently the highest volume fertility center in the country. Steve Shum, CEO of INVO Bioscience, commented, “We are excited that INVOcell will officially be commercialized at HCTM in Kuala Lumpur following the successful presentation of data at OGSM and government support by the Minister of Science and Innovation and Deputy Secretary General. HCTM will start offering IVC both in their public and private sectors with an expectation to complete a number of cycles by the end of 2022. We are also working with partners in Malaysia to open up an INVO Centers in their existing practice as we strive to bring our innovative advanced fertility treatment to the people of Malaysia.”
 
 
***INSIDER BUYING ALERT***– On Friday June 3, after the close, a number of Form 4’s were filed at www.sec.gov confirming that the CEO, COO, CFO and 5 members of the board of directors purchased shares at $.95/share on June 1, 2022. Here’s the link to view all of the share purchases. 
 
 
 

Shares of Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. (KDNY), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of precision medicines for kidney diseases, closed at $21.96, +.97%.

On Aug. 8, Chinook provided a business update and reported financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2022. “During the second quarter of 2022, we executed well on advancing our pipeline of clinical and preclinical programs for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases. We continue to ramp up enrollment of patients in the phase 3 ALIGN trial for atrasentan, and the data we presented at ERA from the ongoing phase 2 AFFINITY trial of atrasentan demonstrated consistent and clinically meaningful proteinuria reductions in patients with IgAN,” said Eric Dobmeier, president and chief executive officer of Chinook Therapeutics. “For BION-1301, the additional data presented at ERA from the ongoing phase 1/2 trial reaffirms its disease-modifying potential in IgAN by demonstrating durable reductions in mechanistic biomarkers and corresponding impressive proteinuria reductions. We look forward to advancing BION-1301 into a phase 3 study for patients with IgAN in 2023. We are also continuing to make progress with dose escalation in the ongoing phase 1 trial of CHK-336 in healthy volunteers and expect to report data in the first half of 2023.”



Borqs Technologies, Inc. (BRQS, $.7786, -4.03%), a global provider of 5G wireless solutions, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and innovative clean energy, recently provided the following updates on the Company.

  • On Sept 20, Borqs announced its solar energy storage subsidiary, Holu Hou Energy LLC (HHE), a company that offers state-of-the-art renewable energy and energy storage systems to the Single-Family Residential, Multi-Dwelling Unit Residential and Commercial building markets, has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Kapolei Diversified Properties, LLC to deliver energy to Luhauola, a new mixed-use development in Kapolei, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The property includes 10,000 square feet of commercial space, plus outdoor dining for local food establishments. The residential portion of the property includes 29 workforce housing rental apartments. U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows oil generated about two-thirds of Hawaii’s electricity in 2021. That makes Hawaii the most petroleum-dependent state.


  • HHE is a premier provider of an energy storage system that is engineered to provide a new level of resilience to homeowner, multi-dwelling units and businesses, giving energy security in uncertain and unstable times. The Holu system is completely integrated, meaning engineered and tested from the start, at the system level. Other suppliers piece together components made by multiple vendors in unknown factories with unknown work conditions, causing the customer to have questionable reliability, safety and performance when all the disparate pieces are put together. Our energy storage system is certified and warrantied as an integrated product, including our breakthrough “modular energy controller”, so you get resilience, safety and performance you can count on day in and day out, and you get “cloud-based” upgrades and performance enhancements based upon the rate structures you reside in. Holu Hou Energy will construct the Solar + Energy Storage system utilizing its market leading HoluPower Residential Energy Storage System, combined with the Residential and Commercial scale solar generation. The contract is valued at several million dollars and includes 200KW of PV and 500KWh of energy storage. The system will be placed into service in 2023.

Brad Hansen, CEO of Holu Hou Energy

“Our products and services are improving the lives of customers every day by delivering cheaper, cleaner and more reliable electricity, including to those living in Multi-Dwelling Unit residential housing,” stated Brad Hansen, CEO of Holu Hou Energy. “We look forward to building on our Hawaii leadership position and bringing this same energy independence to markets like California in the near future. The cost of utility electricity in Hawaii has risen by about 60% over the last 18-months, with residential rates being at a historical high of around $0.50/kWh. Reliance on fuel oil for a significant part of Hawaii’s power generation means that these unprecedented rates are not likely to abate soon. HHE brings the most safe and productive solar and energy storage solutions to customers, including to those in income brackets not historically able to have their energy needs met by renewables.”


  • U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows oil generated about two-thirds of Hawaii’s electricity in 2021. That makes Hawaii the most petroleum-dependent state.
  • On July 15, Borqs Technologies announced that its majority owned solar energy storage systems subsidiary, Holu Hou Energy LLC (“HHE”), has signed agreement with Honokea Villages to deliver a major renewable energy generation and storage system to Honokea’s planned ecological sports training and Hawaiian Cultural facility in their “ahupua’a”, or local community. The development will have Olympic calibre training facilities for surfing, sport climbing, kayaking, beach volleyball, and more, and will serve as tool to celebrate athletics in Hawaii. The renewable energy system will feature over 3 MW of PV generation and over 4 MWh of energy storage, enough to power 100% of the operations of the facility, and will be financed under a 20-year power purchase agreement, or PPA. The system provided by HHE will begin construction in 2023 and its value is estimated at nearly $20M. This project is included in the $49.8 million of Q2 2022 signed contracts announced earlier this month. Honokea Villages was co-founded by Brian Keaulana in 2011 to address the need for Hawaiian Surf Culture to be incorporated into, what was at the time, the fledgling surf park industry. Now 11 years later there are 100+ surf parks being planned around the world with names like Kelly Slater and in places as foreign as Switzerland. “Honokea aims to ensure Hawaiian Culture is incorporated into every aspect of the planning of the family destination: excellence in sports, sustainability, arts and culture. It’s a place for the whole family that’s truly designed to benefit our community in as many ways as possible especially on our side of the island,” says Keaulana.

Economic Reports

On Monday, the October Chicago PMI clocked in lower at 45.

On Tuesday, the U.S. macroeconomic schedule produced the October ISM Manufacturing Index report that confirmed a fall to 50.2% further signaling a slowdown and closing just above the expansion line. However, the total construction spending report showed a .2% M/M rise in September & the total private construction report also showed .4% M/M rise, but total public construction spending moved lower by .4%. Interestingly, the total construction spending report also confirmed that it was up 10.9% Y/Y. Lastly, the JOLTS Job openings report came in higher and totaled 10.717M in September. 

Investing & Inspiration

  1. “Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves.” – Elvis Duran
  2. “Everything in the world may be endured except continual prosperity.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  3. “Where is all the knowledge we lost with information?” – T. S. Eliot
  4. “All I ask is the chance to prove that money can’t make me happy.” – Spike Milligan
  5. “Out of difficulties grow miracles.” – Jean de la Bruyere
  6. “Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time.” – Theodore Roosevelt
  7. “Time is money.” – Benjamin Franklin
  8. “I can, therefore I am.” – Simone Weil
  9. “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver
  10. “Greatness is a road leading towards the unknown.” – Charles de Gaulle
  11. “Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” – Blaise Pascal
  12. “The world is round so that friendship may encircle it.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
  13. “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” – George Eliot
  14. “The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.” – William James
  15. Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama
  16. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle

  17. “I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty.” – Edgar Allan Poe
  18. “There are people who have money and people who are rich.” – Coco Chanel
  19. “The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
  20. “The past always looks better than it was. It’s only pleasant because it isn’t here.” – Finley Peter Dunne
    “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
    “Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
    “To begin, begin.” – William Wordsworth
    “You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin
    “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” – Edmund Burke
    “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
    “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” – H. G. Wells
    “Won’t be long before we view gasoline cars the same way we view steam engines today.” – Elon Musk
    “The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” – Henry Miller
    “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison“Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing.” – Oscar Wilde
    “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke
    “Good questions outrank easy answers.” – Paul Samuelson
    “Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself.” – Plato
    “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” – Anne Frank
    “All money is a matter of belief.” – Adam Smith
    “People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.” – Epictetus
    “Uncertainty is seen to retard investment independently of considerations of risk or expected return.” – Ben Bernanke
    “I never called my work an ‘art’. It’s part of show business, the business of building entertainment.” – Walt Disney
    “Hitch your wagon to a star.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
    “The greatest remedy for anger is delay.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
    “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
    “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
    “Success – keeping your mind awake and your desire asleep.” – Walter Scott
    “If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.” – Tallulah Bankhead
    “When one must, one can.” – Charlotte Whitton
    “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” – Epictetus
    “If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” – Winston Churchill
    “Hope is patience with the lamp lit.” – Tertullian
    “A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.” – Francis of Assisi
    “With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
    “Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.” – Anne Frank
    “I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.” – Albert Einstein
    Hope is but the dream of those who wake.” – Matthew Prior
    “The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.” – Jean Paul
    “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius
    “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.” – George Bernard Shaw
    “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
    “History is a vast early warning system.” – Norman Cousins
    “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” – John Dryden
    “The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton
    “Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aesop
    “We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
    “The return we reap from generous actions is not always evident.” – Francesco Guicciardini
    “Courage is knowing what not to fear.” – Plato
    “Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break.” – Earl Wilson
    “Progress was all right. Only it went on too long.” – James Thurber
    “If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.” – Hal Borland
    “We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
    “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
    “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
    “Patience is a virtue, and I’m learning patience. It’s a tough lesson.” – Elon Musk
    “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” – William Blake
    “The man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali
    “Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil.” – J. Paul Getty
    “Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso
    “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” – Samuel Smiles
    “The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.” – Carl von Clausewitz
    “There are no shortcuts in evolution.” – Louis D. Brandeis
    “I am fascinated by what is beautiful, strong, healthy, what is living. I seek harmony.” – Leni Riefenstahl
    “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau
    “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
    “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle Onassis
    “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” – George S. Patton
    “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
    “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
    “It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.” – Aeschylus
    “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
    “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” – Oprah Winfrey
    “Anything simple always interests me.” – David Hockney
    “He who angers you conquers you.” – Elizabeth Kenny
    “Concision in style, precision in thought, decision in life.” – Victor Hugo
    “The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.” – Aldous Huxley
    “View health as an investment, not an expense.” – John Quelch
    “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” – Amelia Earhart
    “Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
    “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
    “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” – Edmund Burke
    “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”- Eleanor Roosevelt
    “Success is dependent on effort.” – Sophocles
    “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” – George Halas
    “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
    “And when I breathed, my breath was lightning.” – Black Elk
    “Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues.” – Joseph Hall
    “You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” – Maya Angelou
    “If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.” – Clint Eastwood
    “We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.” – Ray Bradbury
    “If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” – Confucius
    “I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed.” – Robert H. Schuller
    “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu
    “It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” – Thomas Sowell
    “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha”
    Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” – Boris Pasternak
    “Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.” – Khalil Gibran
    “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – Bruce Lee
    “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
    “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
    “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
    “Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.” – Allen Klein
    “Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.” – W. Clement Stone
    “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
    “In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.” – Albert Einstein
    “Life is too short for long-term grudges.” – Elon Musk
    “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” – Henry Kissinger
    “Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.” – Oliver Goldsmith
    “The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.” – Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
    “Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war that we know about peace, more about killing that we know about living.” – Omar N. Bradley
    “Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it.” – Rumi
    “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” – Ernest Hemingway
    “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
    “Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.” – Nelson Mandela
    “The social object of skilled investment should be to defeat the dark forces of time and ignorance which envelope our future.” – John Maynard Keynes
    “A successful society is characterized by a rising living standard for its population, increasing investment in factories and basic infrastructure, and the generation of additional surplus, which is invested in generating new discoveries in science and technology.” – Robert Trout
    “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert Einstein
    “It is the fight alone that pleases us, not the victory.” – Blaise Pascal
    “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” – W. Edwards Deming
    “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
    “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” – Abraham Lincoln
    “Without investment there will not be growth, and without growth there will not be employment.” – Muhtar Kent
    “You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.” – Abraham Lincoln
    “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” – John F. Kennedy
    “Delete the negative; accentuate the positive!” – Donna Karan
    “It’s crazy how fast time flies and how things progress.” – Nathan Chen
    “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein
    “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
    “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confucius
    “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” – John C. Maxwell
    “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” – Helen Keller
    “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” – Charles Darwin
    “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo
    “Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity.” – Thor Heyerdahl
    “I like to encourage people to realize that any action is a good action if it’s proactive and there is positive intent behind it.” – Michael J. Fox
    “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” – Audrey Hepburn
    “But investment in space stimulates society, it stimulates it economically, it stimulates it intellectually, and it gives us all passion.” – Bill Nye
    “Bitcoin, in the short or even long term, may turn out be a good investment in the same way that anything that is rare can be considered valuable. Like baseball cards. Or a Picasso.” – Andrew Ross Sorkin
    “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” – Charlie Chaplin
    “No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it may seem hard to get to it but you can do it and just keep working towards it and you’ll find the positive side of things.” – Demi Lovato
    “Infrastructure investment in science is an investment in jobs, in health, in economic growth and environmental solutions.” – Oren Etzioni
    “Educating our children and giving them the skills they need to compete in a global economy is a smart investment in our country’s future.” – Sheldon Whitehouse
    “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” – Sun Tzu
    “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
    “Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day.” – Franz Liszt
    “The sofa is a really important investment for anybody, and I don’t mean financially. You need to find a really great sofa that can transition with you, and you can build from there.” – Jeremiah Brent
    “There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment.” – Orison Swett Marden
    “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” – Marie Curie
    “There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself.” – Louis XIV
    “In tennis, you strike a ball just after the rebound for the fastest return. It’s the same with investment.” – Masayoshi Son
    “A camel makes an elephant feel like a jet plane.” – Jackie Kennedy
    “The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.” – Bill Gates
    “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” – Confucius, Chinese
    “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Edward Everett Hale
    “Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.”– Albert Einstein
    “Education is not only a ladder of opportunity, but it is also an investment in our future.” – Ed Markey
    “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” – Samuel Johnson
    “In my view, the biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. Not only is the mere drop in stock prices not risk, but it is an opportunity. Where else do you look for cheap stocks?” – Li Lu
    “A successful society is characterized by a rising living standard for its population, increasing investment in factories and basic infrastructure, and the generation of additional surplus, which is invested in generating new discoveries in science and technology.” – Robert Trout
    “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
    “Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” – Elie Wiesel
    “Investing in women’s lives is an investment in sustainable development, in human rights, in future generations – and consequently in our own long-term national interests.” – Liya Kebede
    “Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” – Mike Ditka
    “No matter how many goals you have achieved, you must set your sights on a higher one.” – Jessica Savitch
    “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”– Arthur Ashe
    “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
    “The amount of work and the amount of both physical and emotional investment it takes to get to the top.” – Drew Bledsoe


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