Immunotherapy Showing Potential Promise - Immunotherapy ETF

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

Immunotherapy has emerged as a new potential frontier in treating a variety of diseases. Immunotherapy has risen to national attention via being showcased on the front cover of Time magazine in 2016 (Figure 1). Now, immunotherapy has been thrust into the forefront as an emerging and exciting therapeutic area that has experienced massive growth in terms of potential pipeline candidates across all capitalization biotech companies. Immunotherapy ushers in a new class of potentially promising therapies by harnessing the body’s immune system to recognize and eradicate debilitating diseases, specifically cancer and chronic viral infections. This immunotherapy approach may inevitably result in a paradigm shift from traditional medical intervention. Immunotherapy possesses holistic attributes by harnessing the body’s immune system to contend with or in some cases prevent disease. In addition to the holistic aspects, immunotherapy has been shown to have a favorable side effect profile and best-in-class efficacy across many different disease states. These therapies may provide a powerful technology to contend with a host of diseases, and in a future state, may potentially serve as a preventative technology similar to a traditional vaccine. Immunotherapy has evolved into many different classifications with differing modalities over the past several years, which has given rise to a growing number mid and small-cap biotechnology companies with potential investment opportunities via an immunotherapy ETF. In late 2015,Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy launched the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF (NASDAQ:CNCR) and provided investors with an opportunity to invest in this unique cohort.

Time Magazine Immunotherapy Cover
Figure 1 - TIME magazine cover showcasing immunotherapy and its potential in treating disease

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Did The Fed Jump The Gun? Now What?

George Yacik - INO.com Contributor - Fed & Interest Rates


Based on the recent direction of the U.S. economy and the drop in Treasury bond yields to six-month lows, it would appear that the Federal Reserve may have been a little too hasty in raising interest rates and ending monetary accommodation. So how will the markets – both stocks and bonds – react if the Fed has to swallow its pride and need to stuff the genie back in the bottle?

As we know, since Donald Trump was elected last November, the Fed has raised the federal funds rate twice, plus promised at least two more increases by the end of this year. At the same time, it’s also said that it plans to start trimming its massive $4.5 trillion securities portfolio before year-end. All of that action has been predicated on the economy growing and potentially over-heating – i.e., causing too much inflation – under President Trump’s stimulative policies, including tax cuts, deregulation and repealing and replacing Obamacare.

But what happens if those assumptions don’t actually become a reality, which is what seems to be happening right now? Will the Fed suddenly start lowering interest rates again, or at least put off its plans for future rate increases? And will it also put on hold its balance sheet reduction plan? Continue reading "Did The Fed Jump The Gun? Now What?"

Silver Stocks: Favorite Failed To Deliver... Or Not?

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals


Dear readers, thank you for sharing a moment to leave your stocks preferences below my previous post! Some of you even trusted me to analyze some high-tech stocks, I am honored, and maybe one day I will find time to do it. Silver stocks and gold stocks are in your focus as I understood. This post is dedicated to the silver stocks.

This February I analyzed the top silver stocks (by market cap) and brought you some interesting and potentially profitable disparity that I found on the chart. After the comparison chart I asked you to pick your favorite stock among the top five and below is the graph of the voting results.

Graph 1. February 2017 Stock Pick Voting Results

INO.com Poll

The majority of you chose Silver Wheaton Corp. (NYSE:SLW) as your favorite. First Majestic Silver Corporation (NYSE:AG) ranked second and Coeur Mining Inc. (NYSE:CDE) was the third. Let’s see how those stocks behaved after the vote in the chart below that covers the period from the vote till now. Continue reading "Silver Stocks: Favorite Failed To Deliver... Or Not?"

Crude Oil Seasonality, Inventory Rebalancing and Production Cuts

Robert Boslego - INO.com Contributor - Energies


The historical stock build from December 2014 through July 2016, and subsequent decline from August through December has led some to conclude that global stocks had started to rebalance. Instead, the normal seasonality in stocks had been masked by the high overproduction of OPEC, but then normal seasonality kicked-in.

Global OECD inventories from past years demonstrate the normal seasonal patterns, with some variability. As shown in the graph below, stocks normal build early in the year and peak around August. Stocks normally drop from September through December.

OECD Oil Inventories 2010-14

But in 2015, the oversupply was so excessive that stock just kept building through the year. They finally peaked in July 2016, then dropped off due to normal seasonal demand. This normal pattern led to a false conclusion that the rebalancing of stocks had begun. Continue reading "Crude Oil Seasonality, Inventory Rebalancing and Production Cuts"