"Vaxart oral COVID-19 vaccine; hold the ice and the needles" - Is the VXRT run for real?

 

Stock Talk

Today's post is with some reluctance caused by past experience with a stock. However, due to watching reports from India where C19 is raging with grave diggers working round the clock.  I have posted before about a company with an oral vaccine that is timed to dissolve in the mucus of the lower bowel.  We have read the reports in early clinical testing showed that Golden Siberian hamsters showed robust immunity against C19 challenges. And then the phase 1 human trial results we highly anticipated as the stock surged from a single digit into the double digits and then the 20's.  But anybody who held the night that the report came in was sorry the next day as the stock sank right back to single digits. Man! did that hurt!  The thing that killed the run was lack of neutralizing antibodies (NAb), but t cell response was shown.

 Back then the shorts were keen to attack  on anything that did not specifically state NAb's.  But as the approved Pfizer and other mRNA vaccines have shown NAb's, prevailing thinking is that they will not be long lasting past 6 months.  and then the companies are gearing up for booster shots.

There is a growing school of though that it may be actually the t- helper and t fighter cell immunity that may be a more durable marker for long term protection.  The market has responded to anticipating a coming presentation by Vaxart chief scientific office.

Dr. Tucker’s presentation titled, “Vaxart oral COVID-19 vaccine; hold the ice and the needles,” will provide insight into the Company’s response and approach to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic with a room temperature oral tablet vaccine that is potentially protective against new and emerging COVID-19 strains.  

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vaxart-present-world-vaccine-congress-120000069.html

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 It's a worldwide presentation. India, Brazil and many countries could really use a simple oral vaccine. Will the Vaxart pill gain traction in lands where C19 suffering and death prevails?  If so, it could be huge. key words "could be".

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ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more..

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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Chip Shortage hits Auto Stocks again - STM Electronics revenues are benefiting

 

 Market Talk

 Prolonged semiconductor shortages are hitting the auto stocks again.  Meanwhile the state of the union by the President espoused huge social spending on pulling babies from their mothers arms at 3 years and sending them to indoctrination schools all the way through the first two years of community college.  Karl Marx is smiling at big government anti-capitalist socialists running America. The teachers union and Jill Biden seems to be in control.  Will this huge agenda be approved?  Perhaps. What happened to mothers these days?

Stock Talk

At the moment GM and Ford are taking a hit on the prolonged chip shortage. Shuttered plants are revised earnings estimates  over riding plans for future electric vehicles.

STM electronics (STM) a chip company in Geneva seems to be benefiting with higher revenues and earnings and share price at $39 .

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stmicroelectronics-reports-2021-first-quarter-050000757.html

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ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more..

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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GM and Ford could get huge goverment grants for Electric vehicles, (maybe).

 

 Stock Talk

 Back in October 2020, I posted this about the ev space...

 

"Electric vehicles are coming on. Tesla has worked its way as the leader and is currently trading at $431 per share after the split. The TSLA eps is listed as 0.39 and a PE of a whopping 1,118.  General Motors (GM) trades as $36 with an eps of $1.06 and a PE of 34."

 

That was when GM was at $36.  Today, GM is at $57 ish.

 

Looking at recent quarters GM earnings remained very good.  However the global chip shortage in semiconductors that control some of the basic features of automobiles had caused both Ford and GM to shutter some production and downward revise earnings estimate.  When it looked like the chip shortage could be protracted, GM faded from pushing into the 60's to the current 57 range.  But things could change.

The support comes from the hope from the "Green new deal" strongly pushing for electric vehicles built in America.  It's hard to predict how this new "infrastructure" plan that has a lot of socialist inclined pork will actually play out.

The Democrats have the majority votes and we have seen how they work it.  The one thing that may last is the ev plans because China has many ev car companies and the US is currently behind.  That does not play well and maybe our Government is justified in helping GM and Ford.

 

The Jones view:   For these reasons and the fact that fundamentally on a PE basis -  (for example) GM is a much under appreciated as compared to the highly priced Tesla , it seems like dipping toes into GM and Ford in small buy lots  may have a chance to do well.  If huge government grants go to GM and Ford , watch out.  These are possibilities of the future but we can't trust a crystal ball, so perhaps -  "some" is a word that applies.

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ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.. 

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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Two under the radar Battery Stocks - NEOV and NNOMF

 

 Market Talk

In spite of yesterday's tax hike warning on capital gains, the market mostly shrugged it off.  Bitcoin seems to have taken a hit and the sell off on crypto mining stocks is a conundrum, but watching it gets to be like looking at a train wreck and trying to predict when it turns will feel like driving into the fog.  Talk of more government regulation on Crypto may be contributing to the recent fade.

Meanwhile , in another stock I was once keen on but had to let go awhile ago, Inovio, had a setback today.   The DoD pulled financing on a planned Phase 3 trial of the C19 vaccine INO4800.  It was not because it is bad vaccine. In fact, I still believe it may be the best vaccine.  But the wonderful jugheads in the FDA stalled it on device questions before allowing the phase 2 trial.  By the time Inovio proceeded, their chosen mRNA vaccines had gotten too far ahead. I believe the system was rigged against small Bio Inovio.  But no matter, the INO stock is down to a lower single digit.  Point is -- sometimes , it's best to objectively assess your position and just bail out even when your heart say's it is the right one.  Recall one of my "sayings" - The market has no soul and has no heart.

Okay. let's move forward..

So here are two issues  in the Battery space.. Low share priced and speculative with stock symbols:

 

• NEOV 

 https://www.neovolta.com/
 

• NNOMF

The first, Neovolta, is actively manufacturing batteries for home solar applications. Based in California and uses sources in China for materials. I have noticed that sales seem to be picking up with their batteries built using Lithium Iron Phosphate which they report to be fire safer and longer-lasting than competitors. The share price  has been floating in the 5's for awhile and it's been under the radar of most it seems.

The second stock,  NanoOne Materials, a Canadian research company listed on the Vancouver exchange and trades as NNOMF on pink sheets.  NanoOne has a patented one step process for manufacture of Cathodes to be used in Li-ion batteries.  Tests have been conducted  at the University of Michigan and the results were reported favorable. The company recently made a deal for $28.9 Million to finance a pilot plant in Canada.  

"The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for ongoing research and development, pilot plant expansion, business development and strategic initiatives with partners and collaborators and for general corporate purposes."

 I currently hold 200 shares of NNOMF and have been holding them awhile.  But in my view, it'sa speculative hold to wait and see if their cathode process gains traction for deployment into Li ion batteries for electric vehicles.  The cathode that NanoOne manufactures may have advantage in reducing the dendrite effect that wears down current Li-ion batteries and can make them dangerous fire hazards.

In closing, these two stocks have not been barn burners as far as share price movement - and do not seem to have much following. But I am watching them on the back burner so to speak because they could start to capture interest on any of several possible catalysts.  That said, they are spec stocks and I use the word just "some" , maybe a little some -  and then forget about it for awhile.

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 All in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more..

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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The Biden Tax Hike report could be a "something always happens " moment?

 Market Talk

Today, Bloomberg reports that  that Biden and the Democrats are proposing to nearly double capital gains tax on the wealthy.

With such notions with the majority of votes in the congress--   It keeps me circumspect on the overall market.

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ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.. 

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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Today's Paradox of Crypto stocks

 Stock Talk

It seems to be a paradox phenomena going on in the crypto stocks today.  

 

While Bitcoin is near peak price of $62 K and the Coinbase ipo yesterday that was a wild ride and back down again to settle. The miners and other are lagging. Its a very volatile day. This leaves me to wonder if it's a signal of peak bitcoin for awhile or the dip to buy.  Many young Crypto nerds will say never sell. But as I watch  the Bloomberg and Cnbc networks bring up the Crypto execs, they all are very young.  I can see they are enamored with the Crypto craze.  But did they live long enough to know about how the Government banned owning Gold bullion in 1933 to 1974 because it was a threat to confidence in the US Dollar?  Yea that's just "Boomer" think is what they call it.

 

But looking at stocks like RIOT and MARA, they have  really sunk in just two days. The volatility is not for many.  In closing, I will leave it up to the reader to check some stocks of interest out and perform their own due diligence.

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ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.. 

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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Today is yesterday's Tomorrow -- COIN got too hyped, MARA dumped - and CLSK in a microgrid deal in Walmarts?

 Stock Talk 

Well, this morning, the long awaited crypto exchange known as "Coinbase" has not yet opened  as symbol COIN -  and it is now after high noon.  Earlier, Cnbc announced the "reference price" is $250.  But as time passed and they put up various original private investors "pumping" the story, they are saying it will probably open near $375 ish.

This explains why I previously read estimates of a $375 open because "they" knew it would be pumped up higher. That gives a market evaluation of over $100 BILLION !  Is this a bubble or a healthy beginning for a new public Crypto exchange?  (I don't know -  it seems high - but traders and institutions may still want in.)

Yesterday, I posted it will be interesting to watch the other "Crypto" type stocks such as the miners and "asic" stocks.  As of this note we can get an idea by watching a widely traded "miner", MARA.

What is MARA doing?  We know from watching, MARA is a very volatile stock as I pointed out the other day and said - nah not for "moi" at the moment.  Today, on the very day that Bitcoin is at its peak and the COIN ipo is about to debut, funny - we see MARA down over $5,  near $45 a share !

Five dynamics are crashing MARA at this moment.

1.   profit taking on MARA
   
2.  COIN opening being hyped all over
3.  MARA got pumped by well known "handlers".
4.  People are starting to learn the " pump" is often followed by a major release "Dump".
5.  no eps yet.
   
6.  Traders dumping to buy hyped up COIN when it opens

Meanwhile did Goldman Sachs just recommend people buy a May 21 put on the overall market?  That is a cautious hedge from a major "hedge" company filled with " fancy pants hedge heads" , but they "short sell" the market too.  BUT we keep an eye on the movers because it's all part of stock watching.

Meanwhile, the "good guy", J. Powell just announced that the Fed will likely not raise interest rates until signs point to the need in 2022.  More Candy land into the summer? Does that  contrast the fancy pants at Goldman to  hedge your bets for next month?  Kinda. I'm still thinkin' on it ...

Update: they hyped COIN too much. It went up and then the originators probably dumped  it.

 and I often say here to maintain.

•  Some Dry $ Powder
  

Addendum of Note:

Another stock I am watching is CleanSpark (CLSK) announced that a major retailer is expanding Microgrid energy platforms with a partner.  Scuttlebutt is - it's Walmart.

CLSK may be turning the corner. If no further dilutions, I am taking it out of my dilution penalty box. After all, there are still only about 34 mil shares outstanding. I'm watching CLSK for further updates on their mining results.

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ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.. 

This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.
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