Wednesday Brings Market Surge As ATOS, FB, VIR, Oil, Silver & Gold Leap Higher

We now have seen more than 4,952,882 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world with 1.723M cases that have recovered and more than 325k worldwide deaths. In the US, we have 1.57M confirmed cases with 290k that have recovered with 93,111 deaths. At the same time, the reopening processes across the US are proceeding for a number of states. Stimulus measures are being pushed forward through the legislature and more, is on the way as many have collected their checks and these moves will hopefully speed up economic recovery.

Today, the stock market reversed again moving into positive territory throughout as we continue to ride its rollercoaster this week. All eleven S&P 500 sectors were in the green today. The S&P 500 closed up 1.67% as the energy sector led all sectors rising 3.8% with oil prices jumping again today 3.8%  (~+21.5% in the last 3 days) and closed at $33.51/bbl. The reopening moves across the world and the tightening of its supply are definitely putting wind behind the sails of oil these days. Chevron (CVX) closed at $93/share up 3.77%, Exxon (XOM) closed at $45.37/share up by 3.25% & Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) closed at $14.99/share up 4.31%.  The Dow gained 1.52%, the Nasdaq closed up 2.08% & the Russell 2000 jumped 3%. 

On the macroeconomic front, we received the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index which confirmed a drop of 2.6%. 

The popular FAANG stocks were overall strong today and closed as follows: Facebook (FB) closed at $229.97/share, up by 6.04% after hitting an all-time high of $231.34 and announcing is launch of e-commerce tool “shops” with Instagram, Amazon (AMZN) closed at $2,497.94/share, up 1.98%,  Apple (AAPL) closed at $319.23/share up by 1.94%, & Netflix (NFLX) cooled off again today dropping .-75% closing at $447.67/share, & Alphabet (GOOG) closed at $1,406.72/share up 2.42%.

The 2-yr US treasury yield moved down 2 basis points to end at .16% & the 10-yr yield moved down by 3 basis points to end at .68%. The U.S. Dollar Index weakened by .2% to end at 99.14. 

Gold prices ended at $1,754/oz (+4) while silver prices closed at $18/oz (+.20). North American silver and gold producer Hecla Mining Company (HL) continued its recent run closing at $3.53/share up 5.37% while First Majestic Silver (AG) rose 3.08% closing at $9.71/share.

MOVERS

• Shares Atossa Therapeutics (ATOS0 rose 25.71% closing at $2.20/share on 8.75M shares of trading. Earlier today, 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, today announced the successful results from in vitro testing of AT-H201, Atossa’s proprietary COVID-19 drug candidate. The preliminary study results show that AT-H201 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infectivity of VERO cells in a laboratory culture, which are the standard cell types being used to study the infectivity of the coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2, sometimes called the coronavirus, is the COVID-19 infectious agent. This is the first submicromolar inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 identified to date in published literature, meaning that a relatively small amount of the drug is necessary to result in an anti-viral effect. The testing was conducted on behalf of Atossa by a leading academic research institute. Atossa plans to publish a manuscript of these test results. Successful in vitro tests do not guarantee similar results from in vivo studies, including in human clinical trials. Additional safety and efficacy studies must be successfully completed and regulatory approvals must be obtained before AT-H201 may be commercialized. AT-H201 is reportedly designed to act as a “chemical vaccine” by binding to the surface of the coronavirus and inhibiting the ability of the virus to enter a cell (“viral infectivity”). Significant findings from the testing include: AT-H201 components inhibited SARS-CoV-2 from infecting VERO cells in a laboratory culture & This is the first submicromolar inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 identified to date in published literature, meaning that a relatively small amount of the drug is necessary to result in an anti-viral effect. Testing was also performed on Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) remdesivir, an anti-viral medication being studied by others for use in COVID-19 patients, and the generic anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which is also being studied by others in COVID-19 patients. In these laboratory tests, the components of AT-H201 were found to be at least four-times more potent than remdesivir and at least twenty-times more potent than hydroxychloroquine. Potency was measured by microscopic examination of the cytopathic effect caused by SARS-CoV-2 in VERO cells. Learn More. 

• Another COVID-19 vaccine play Vir Biotechnology (VIR) jumped 17.45% closing at $39.91/share

TOMORROW

Tomorrow’s significant economic data report schedule will include the following:

• The weekly Initial and Continuing Claims report
• The Existing Home Sales for April
• The Philadelphia Fed Index for May
• The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index for April

Economic Reports

• On Monday, we received the NAHB Housing Market Index Report for May, which confirmed a rise of 37 up from 30 the month before.
• On Tuesday, we received the Housing starts report which confirmed a precipitous drop of 30.2% month/month in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 891k while building permits dropped significantly by 20.8% month/month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.074M. Housing permits for single-family dwellings dropped a whopping 24.3% month/month to 669k. 
• On Wednesday, we received the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index which confirmed a drop of 2.6%. 

Investing & Inspiration

“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

“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, Ceo of Disney

“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

Tomorrow

Tomorrow’s significant economic data report schedule will include the following:

• The Employment Situation Report for April
• The Wholesale Inventories for March