VXRT

Vaxart up almost 50% today (as of 2 p.m. before closing up 37.46%) on what?

As of 2 p.m. New York time, Vaxart (VXRT), a biotech developing a coronavirus vaccine in a pill, was up 48.26% to $9.04. It closed up 37.46% The stock had traded 151 million shares as of 2 p.m., about 11 times the average volume over the last 60 days. I think what we’re seeing is another one of those speculative moves built on a possible news event–Vaxart has announced a webinar for May 3 that is expected to include the release of new Phase 1 data on the efficacy of its Cover-19 vaccine in a pill–plus a plausible story–a vaccine in a pill would be exactly what India needs to stop its current pandemic surge and a vaccine in a pill would be helpful in convincing some of the vaccine hesitant to get vaccinated (no needle)–plus a big short position. According to Seeking Alpha short positions account for about 20.4% of total outstanding shares.

More on Vaxart potential gains and risks–including my thoughts on when to re-enter

More on Vaxart potential gains and risks–including my thoughts on when to re-enter

I thought there was a possibility that Vaxart (VXRT) would recover from yesterday’s 60% drop on data from the initial Phase 1 trials of its coronavirus-vaccine-in-a-pill candidate. Especially because the initial reaction over-emphasized, in my opinion, the negatives in that data. But I suspected that yesterday’s downward trend would continue for at least another day and therefore chose to sell Vaxart shares out of my Volatility Portfolio.

More on Vaxart potential gains and risks–including my thoughts on when to re-enter

Vaxart is looking like a “short-squeeze rocket”–is it?

Ok, I don’t want to see “the next GameStop under every rock.” But Vaxart (VXRT) deserves a look or two. (The stock is a member of my Volatility Portfolio where it’s up 5.27 as of the close on February 1 since I added it to the portfolio on July 22, 2020. I also own shares in my personal portfolio.) Here’s what I see with the shares of this company that is in clinical trials of a vaccine for the coronavirus. Vaxart’s vaccine is a pill and it’s the only vaccine pill under development. Shares of Vaxart are up (as of the February 1 close) 54.93% in the last week and 172.68% in the last month. They’ve added 216.46% in the last 3 months and are up 172.68% for 2021 to date as of the close on February 1. The shares moved up another 29.97% today to $15.57 a share.

Accepting what we don’t know (what no one knows) about prices in this market

Accepting what we don’t know (what no one knows) about prices in this market

I looked at my Jubak Picks Portfolio with more than a tinge of seller’s remorse this morning. I sold shares of First Majestic Silver (AG) out of that portfolio on Friday, January 29, after the stock rose 21.38% on Thursday. That gave me a gain of 45.52% since I began this position on July 6, 2019.I argued in justification for this sell that the attempt by individual investors on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum to force a short squeeze in silver, as they had in GameStop (GME), were likely to fail because there was such a big stockpile of physical silver ready to enter the market. So I took my profit. Only to have the stock climb an other 21.3% today, February 1, as of 2:30 p.m. New York time as individual investors did indeed drive up the price of silver futures. The Shares Silver Trust (SLV) was up 6.40% as of 2:30 New York time today as the intraday price of silver limbed to the highest level since 2013. And then I thought about that seller’s remorse.