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Investing is complex and difficult. The "Big Lie" of the 1998-2000 time period was that investing was an easy hobby. To be a successful investor over time requires hard work and help from people you trust. We founded BSR in order to help investors. This no-charge area of our site is but one of the ways we fulfill this mission.
We have samples of our research so you can "try before you buy", so to speak. We don't offer a free trial out of respect for those who subscribe to our research. We also don't offer a wide variety of free samples for the same reason. If you are interested in subscribing, but don't want to make a big commitment until you read more, you can either buy a single issue of Biotech Monthly or take advantage of our inexpensive introductory subscription.
We have samples of our research so you can "try before you buy", so to speak. We don't offer a free trial out of respect for those who subscribe to our research. We also don't offer a wide variety of free samples for the same reason. If you are interested in subscribing, but don't want to make a big commitment until you read more, you can either buy a single issue of Biotech Monthly or take advantage of our inexpensive introductory subscription.
BSR Alert samples
BSR Alerts cover breaking news in the companies we cover. Any time a company releases news we believe could use some additional commentary, we'll publish a BSR Alert. In 2006, we published nearly 300 of these research notes.
We also use BSR Alerts to share opinions on the overall Macro Market. While biotech stocks are their own unique universe, they are subject to trends and attitudes in the overall market. When situations arise where the macro market is likely to affect the stocks we cover, we'll issue an Alert to share our thoughts.
We've prepared five samples of our Alerts so you can see for yourself what they are like. Please note the dates for each of these Alerts. Each of these Alerts has been updated since they were published.
Company specific
The first sample Alert followed up a company conference call by ZymoGenetics (ZGEN) to add more detail on recently released positive pivotal trial data on their drug rhThrombin. The date on the Alert is September 18, 2006 and was published that day at 11:40am ET. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
The second sample is actually something we try not to do too often since our focus is primarily on long-term fundamentals. But the trading pattern in YM Biosciences (YMI) had been so out of character we were flooded with questions. We called a bunch of our contacts to put together what was going on, and issued this Alert on October 11, 2006 at 11:30am ET. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
Macro Market
We put together a series of three alerts from the second half of 2006 that should give you a good picture of what we try to do with this type of Alert. We do address the overall macro market in our research notes, but we're firmly a biotech shop here at BSR so you can expect most of our macro notes to be specific to the biotech sector.
The first one outlines our thoughts on the sector and initiates a position in the biotech ETF IBB. We're not big fans of the IBB as a vehicle for development stage biotech. It has too many biopharma companies and the weighting inside the index is screwy. Our own BSR Biotech Indextm is much better, but at the time these Alerts were published there was no trading vehicle for our index. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
We included the second Alert as an example of the basic options strategies we include as part of our BSR Model Portfolio. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
The biggest story in the second half of 2006 was the failure of Pfizer's (PFE) torcetrapib. We'd predicted this outcome for over two years, though we did not expect the problems with the drug to be serious enough to halt the trials before they were over. This Alert not only addresses the macro impacts of this event on the biotechnology sector, but provides our opinion on what went wrong with the drug. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
We also use BSR Alerts to share opinions on the overall Macro Market. While biotech stocks are their own unique universe, they are subject to trends and attitudes in the overall market. When situations arise where the macro market is likely to affect the stocks we cover, we'll issue an Alert to share our thoughts.
We've prepared five samples of our Alerts so you can see for yourself what they are like. Please note the dates for each of these Alerts. Each of these Alerts has been updated since they were published.
Company specific
The first sample Alert followed up a company conference call by ZymoGenetics (ZGEN) to add more detail on recently released positive pivotal trial data on their drug rhThrombin. The date on the Alert is September 18, 2006 and was published that day at 11:40am ET. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
The second sample is actually something we try not to do too often since our focus is primarily on long-term fundamentals. But the trading pattern in YM Biosciences (YMI) had been so out of character we were flooded with questions. We called a bunch of our contacts to put together what was going on, and issued this Alert on October 11, 2006 at 11:30am ET. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
Macro Market
We put together a series of three alerts from the second half of 2006 that should give you a good picture of what we try to do with this type of Alert. We do address the overall macro market in our research notes, but we're firmly a biotech shop here at BSR so you can expect most of our macro notes to be specific to the biotech sector.
The first one outlines our thoughts on the sector and initiates a position in the biotech ETF IBB. We're not big fans of the IBB as a vehicle for development stage biotech. It has too many biopharma companies and the weighting inside the index is screwy. Our own BSR Biotech Indextm is much better, but at the time these Alerts were published there was no trading vehicle for our index. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
We included the second Alert as an example of the basic options strategies we include as part of our BSR Model Portfolio. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
The biggest story in the second half of 2006 was the failure of Pfizer's (PFE) torcetrapib. We'd predicted this outcome for over two years, though we did not expect the problems with the drug to be serious enough to halt the trials before they were over. This Alert not only addresses the macro impacts of this event on the biotechnology sector, but provides our opinion on what went wrong with the drug. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
BSR's Biotech Monthly samples
In addition to the 250+ BSR Alerts we publish each year, we also publish Biotech Monthly at the
end of each month. We use this research publication to update the 25+ companies in our coverage universe, debut new
coverage, and communicate macro-level issues we believe are important to biotech investors. Each issue ranges from 30-50 pages.
July 2006 - Dynavax
Our first sample issue comes from July 2006. In it we debut our coverage on Dynavax (DVAX). The issue is a good cross-section of the type of work we include in each issue of Biotech Monthly. Please recognize we've updated all the opinions contained in this issue since the time it was published. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
April 2002 - Esperion
Our second sample issue is much older, but it has proved so popular over the years we couldn't imagine not including it. It is our April 2002 issue of Biotech Monthly adding on to our initial coverage of Esperion. At the time it was written, HDL-directed therapy was relatively new and the company was trading for less than $6. A little over a year later, the company was acquired by Pfizer (PFE) for $23/share. The reason this issue is so popular is it is among the best, if not the best, lay description of the Reverse Lipid Transport process that allows investors to delineate between HDL therapies that will work and those that will not. It was also our first detailed criticism of CETP-inhibitors. Keep in mind this was published in 2002 and our research products have changed considerably since then. We've also published thousands of pages of updated research on the companies mentioned within the issue. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
July 2006 - Dynavax
Our first sample issue comes from July 2006. In it we debut our coverage on Dynavax (DVAX). The issue is a good cross-section of the type of work we include in each issue of Biotech Monthly. Please recognize we've updated all the opinions contained in this issue since the time it was published. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
April 2002 - Esperion
Our second sample issue is much older, but it has proved so popular over the years we couldn't imagine not including it. It is our April 2002 issue of Biotech Monthly adding on to our initial coverage of Esperion. At the time it was written, HDL-directed therapy was relatively new and the company was trading for less than $6. A little over a year later, the company was acquired by Pfizer (PFE) for $23/share. The reason this issue is so popular is it is among the best, if not the best, lay description of the Reverse Lipid Transport process that allows investors to delineate between HDL therapies that will work and those that will not. It was also our first detailed criticism of CETP-inhibitors. Keep in mind this was published in 2002 and our research products have changed considerably since then. We've also published thousands of pages of updated research on the companies mentioned within the issue. As with all of our research, the Alert is in PDF format. Make sure you have a current copy of the free Acrobat Reader, then click here to access this free sample.
We see our mission at BSR as including a large portion of investor education. Take a look at the following items and see if they help you become a better investor.
Long Term Investor Worksheet
Downloaded by thousands and thousands of investors since it was created in the late 1990s, our e-mail indicates those who follow this worksheet are considerably more likely to avoid significant portfolio losses. Based on the simple, but rarely followed idea that you should decide why to sell a stock before you ever purchased it, this worksheet help you make smart investment decisions. People have written us saying they force their stockbroker to fill it out each time he/she pitches a stock for their portfolio.
Minyanville
Minyanville.com is a great site for experienced investors who want no-nonsense, no-hype commentary on the market. Minyanville was founded by former Cramer/Berkowitz head trader Todd Harrison. BSR's CEO David Miller has been writing regularly for Minyanville since 2004. Below appear a selection of freely-available articles biotech investors will find interesting.
Death of the Blockbuster Drug - Penned in 2004, this describes a developing paradigm shift in drug development.
Are drugs safe? - There is no such thing as a safe drug. Drug approval is about balancing risk and benefit.
Wrong end of the telescope - Warns against deferring to the 'sky is falling' mentality of macro market bears.
Five rules - Five important rules for all biotech investors.
Clinical trial basics - Explaining the different clinical trial phases.
Making sense of FDA designations - Orphan, accelerated, Subpart H defined here.
The Age of the SPA - The most important development out of the FDA in the early "naughts".
Understanding the Science Behind Cancer - A layperson's primer on tumor antigens and active cancer immunotherapy.
The complete collection of David's Minyanville writings.
Long Term Investor Worksheet
Downloaded by thousands and thousands of investors since it was created in the late 1990s, our e-mail indicates those who follow this worksheet are considerably more likely to avoid significant portfolio losses. Based on the simple, but rarely followed idea that you should decide why to sell a stock before you ever purchased it, this worksheet help you make smart investment decisions. People have written us saying they force their stockbroker to fill it out each time he/she pitches a stock for their portfolio.
Minyanville
Minyanville.com is a great site for experienced investors who want no-nonsense, no-hype commentary on the market. Minyanville was founded by former Cramer/Berkowitz head trader Todd Harrison. BSR's CEO David Miller has been writing regularly for Minyanville since 2004. Below appear a selection of freely-available articles biotech investors will find interesting.
Death of the Blockbuster Drug - Penned in 2004, this describes a developing paradigm shift in drug development.
Are drugs safe? - There is no such thing as a safe drug. Drug approval is about balancing risk and benefit.
Wrong end of the telescope - Warns against deferring to the 'sky is falling' mentality of macro market bears.
Five rules - Five important rules for all biotech investors.
Clinical trial basics - Explaining the different clinical trial phases.
Making sense of FDA designations - Orphan, accelerated, Subpart H defined here.
The Age of the SPA - The most important development out of the FDA in the early "naughts".
Understanding the Science Behind Cancer - A layperson's primer on tumor antigens and active cancer immunotherapy.
The complete collection of David's Minyanville writings.
We compile macro market data on a regular basis. We take public information and format it in unique ways in order to better explain the data -- or make them into a predictive tool for future market behavior. These compilations are made available to our Subscribers to help them frame their biotech investments within the character of the overall macro market.
This link will take you to an article we pen near the end of each month concerning market short interest. This series was started in 2004 and originally penned for the Minyanville site. Updates to this popular piece now has its home here on the BSR web site.
This link will take you to an article we pen near the end of each month concerning market short interest. This series was started in 2004 and originally penned for the Minyanville site. Updates to this popular piece now has its home here on the BSR web site.