Categories Trading

7 days 30 days All time Recent Popular
The proposal for $2000 stimulus checks is divisive, and not along simple left-right lines. Lots of disagreement among progressives, with people like Bernie Sanders very pro but many others not on board. Both sides have a point 1/

My take: the economics aren't very good, but the political economy may make such checks necessary 2/
https://t.co/XY7d9E8SDY


The key economic argument, which @crampell picks up on, is that given a slump that has affected people very unevenly, aid should concentrate on those actually suffering 3/

So if you have a fixed amount to spend, unemployment benefits and maybe small-business aid should be priorities, not checks that will in many cases go to people who are doing OK 4/

But is there a fixed amount to spend? No binding budget constraint for the feds, so this is all about politics. And my sense is that broad issuance of checks is actually kind of a loss leader, helping to sell a package that includes UI 5/
$ARPO Thread: Raz P2b glaucoma readout Dec 15 to Jan 15, assigning 90% POS, potential 3 to 5x, with (likely) partnership 1H21. Glaucoma dead for Big Pharma unless there’s a brand new MOA or pathway being targeted. Here we have both…a new MOA (Tie2) and a new location (SC)

https://t.co/zsc2eBVI4e Tons of great preclinical work on TIE2 MOA showing clear correlation to SC integrity, adult-onset glaucoma, and disease-modifying effects. See mosaic if interested


What do KOL's think of the new MOA: Special session held at ARVO 2019 to discuss Tie2 for Glaucoma. $ARPO then completed a closely watched P1b with a topical formulation. Now, a P2b trial in 195 pts enrolled within 3 mos, a month ahead of schedule, in the middle of a pandemic.

SOC is PG (-7 mm Hg IOP) +/- adjunct (-1 to -1.5 mm delta). Best efficacy adjunct is Rocklatan (-1.5), but AE profile: hyperemia (60 vs 15%), pruritus (8 vs 2%) site pain (20 vs 7%) vs PG , + other AE’s not seen with PG: 10% conjunctival hemorrhage, 15% verticillata. Almost DOA

But, sells $80 to $100M/yr US (same as $ARPO MC ha!). Every 0.3 mm reduction critical towards delaying vision loss. Rocklatan MOA was projected to make it a $1B drug, until AE profile (& payor delays) killed launch. $ARPO thesis: Raz efficacy >/= Rocklatan, without AE baggage.
I have started a position in $SSPK.
-
SPAC - $SSPK Silver Spike Acquisition Comp

They are merging with WM Holdings, Inc who owns Weedmaps. Founded in 2008. Lead by CEO Chris Beals. Former life-sciences attorney (important - will come in later).


Basic Description:

The business is a two-sided marketplace which serves customers and sellers of marijuana products.

Who are they?

On the consumer side, https://t.co/sHZKPFCY7I which is a marketplace for standardized marijuana products.

Weed Maps is the world’s largest base of cannabis users with over 10M MAUs, 90% of which are cannabis users, and a stunning 70% are DAILY users.


A key part of the marketplace is the differentiation between alcohol/tobacco and cannabis. Cannabis is *not* a standardized product so Weedmaps compiles millions of data points from strain traits, user feedback, effects, etc., to suggest the best products for the user.

Weedmaps is operating at a 1.5B GMV run rate. With cannabis illegal on the Federal level, they do not currently take a percentage of this GMW but stated that they plan to with Federal legalization.
The guy I used to work with (I’ll call him ā€œQā€) who shorted $TSLA at $600 in Dec called me today:

Q: Why is $TSLA up 6% on no news?

GB: Because it was down 8% yesterday on no news - unless you call a 10 bp rise in treasury yields and $BTC collapsing news. You still short?


2/ Q: Of course I’m still short. It’s up another 30% since we talked two weeks ago. It’s all mo’.

GB: $TSLA MIC Y has a 4 mo wait. It’s entering India. Analysts are playing leapfrog raising PTs. Active mgrs have to own it or get fired. It’s cheap at 80x 2022 EPS vs 55% growth.

3/ Q: Your earnings estimates are like twice consensus.

GB: The Street’s been wrong on $TSLA forever. Why do you listen to them? You really shouldn’t be short going into Biden’s inaugural speech and the FY’21 volume guide at the end of Jan. You’re going to get run over.

4/ Q: Whatever.

GB: Did you rent a Tesla for a week like I told you?

Q: No. You know I don’t drive.

GB: Did you build a $TSLA 5-yr volume, earnings, cash flow model?

Q: No. No one can forecast out 5 years.

GB: Did you talk to any Audi or BMW dealers? Or Tesla owners?

5/ Q: I don’t have time for that.

GB: Q, you haven’t done any real research. $TSLA ā€˜s up 40% since you shorted it. Maybe you should figure out why it keeps going up.

Q: It keeps going up because people like you are pumping it.

GB: You’re giving people like me too much credit.