11/24/25…Update-4—11:00a EST—–GREEN SCREEN DAY in early trading with both IBB and XBI at new 2025 highs, laggard ARKG catching up at $29.34 up over 3%. Many 4% movers from our trading list—DNTH new buy, ADPT, ABOS, DNLI, GH, PACB, RYTM,TXG,TEM, and XNCR at a new 2025 high.
- We will update our SMID biotech trading list early this week.
- Value stock Quidel (QDEL) bought last week at $20-21 now at $25.44.
11/23/25… Both the IBB and XBI are at new highs for 2025. The ARKG has been lagging but had a huge BUY-IN last week, up 6% on FRIDAY at the $29 level. SO based on our holdings of SMID Biotech stocks and the moves of all major ETFs we wolud expect a good week coming up,
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oUpdate-1 11/20;25…..Abbott enters cancer care business with $21B acquisition of Exact Sciences (EXAS) with Cologuard Screening tests. Will add $3B in revenue in 2025 and be part of a subsidiary with $12B in sales annually. This is a $60B market for cancer screening and Precision Oncology diagnostics.
- Other movers in Precision Oncology: ADPT up 7.7% at $16.32; GH up 0.75% at $100.30; NTRA up 3.3% at $225; PSNL up 0.49% at $8.28; VCYT up 2.35 at $40.85.
- From our trading list yesterday we bought a little QDEL in $20-21 range at a low since the merger with Ortho (about 3 yrs ago) as a value play in diagnostics at a P/S of 0.53,P/B of 0.71 and a Forward PE of 8.57.
11/21/25. Update-3…Added QDEL to SMID Portfolio at $24 as a value play. And the IWM is up over 3% today a big plus for SMID caps .
And the IBB and XBI have resumed their climbs.
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Biotech Stocks Transform Healthcare Sector with Dealmaking
- Deals revive healthcare sector with XLV up over10% YTD
- SMID stocks continue to run hot with new 2025 highs in IBB and XBI.
- Large caps are doing well, have low forward PE’s and show gains from synergistic deals.
Biotech stocks regained some momentum as Technology stocks falter a bit. The equal weighted iShares (IBB) up 25% YTD, cruised to a 2025 high at the $167 level just as investors questioned the valuations of technology stocks and exuberance of AI. The strength of the large cap weighted IBB shows the balance of biotechnology markets in that both large caps and SMID caps are participating. The SPDR S&P Biotechnology (XBI) is also surging 27.9% YTD to a four year high of $115.18. The XBI is equal cap weighted and usually has more momentum than the IBB but this year they are moving in tandem after Q3 earnings. Now we may continue to see the dealmaking effect because large caps have strong balance sheets and need to seek innovative technology and expand product pipelines thru M&A and licensing.
Yesterday we saw JNJ acquire a start-up a Cancer drugmaker Halda Therapeutics for $3.1 B. Halda fits into the current major theme of Precision Oncology with technology to overcome common types of resistance to treating prostate cancer and a platform for treating other types of cancers. The newly transformed JNJ is up 39% YTD and is now a major oncology drug and device Company with over $92B in sales. Over the past five years the Company has restructured through spinoffs such as the OTC retailer Kenvue (KVUE) and Ortho Diagnostics into Quidel (QDEL).
Last week Merck (MRK) acquired Cidara Therapeutics in a deal worth about $9.2B for CD388 an investigational long acting, strain agnostic antiviral agent in Ph 3 designed to prevent flu infections in individuals with a higher risk of complications.
Large cap biopharma was strong this month for example here are some laggards : AZN up 5.7% MTD, 36..5 %YTD, JNJ 3.61% MTD,38.3% YTD, MRK up 3.84%,13.% MTD,. RHHBY up 9,8%,39% YTD.
Our SMID biotech trading list had many outstanding winners that we still hold: ADPT, COGT, CRMD, EYPT, GH, PSNL, ROIV, RYTM, SUPN, and XNCR.