Just as President Obama lifted the executive order banning the use of embryonic stem cells for research, Roche and Genentech (NYSE: DNA) appear to have reached an agreement on Roche's bid to acquire the 44% of DNA that Roche does not currently own.

Shares of biotech companies engaged in stem cell protocols rallied after the Obama announcement. While most of these companies are small in size with stock prices below $2 per share, the announcement gave impetus to price increases of 17% to 100%.

Continue reading Beware biotech

Beware biotech originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Do not underestimate the power of a new administration in Washington. With the ability to spend a huge amount of dollars, team Obama can wield tremendous influence in the market.

Case in point is the stem cell space. It is widely expected that Obama will issue an executive order eliminating restrictions on stem cell research.

Stocks like StemCells Inc. (NASDAQ: STEM) and Geron Corp. (NASDAQ: GERN) have been moving higher since the inaugural.

Coincidentally, on Friday, GERN announced approval for human trials for its treatment of spinal chord injuries using stem cells. Both GERN and STEM were up big as a result.

Another space expected to do well under the Obama administration is construction. A massive stimulus plan is said to be coming in February. A key point of the plan will be to boost infrastructure spending.

The dollars will benefit companies like Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) and Jacobs Engineering (NYSE: JEC). Unlike stem cells, the market has yet to move these stocks higher. FLR is down more than 10% and JEC is down nearly 18% so far this year.

Continue reading Missed the stem cell move? Make a play at Jacobs Engineering

Missed the stem cell move? Make a play at Jacobs Engineering originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Geron (GERN) rockets 50% on trial's FDA clearance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Last November, Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) and 30 partners were said be developing a new type of handset using Android that was expected to revolutionize the industry. The first new phones were expected to be available in this year's second half but are now slated for the fourth quarter the Wall Street Journal reported.
• According to people familiar with the situation, the Wall Street Journal reported that Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) will make sharp cuts in its investment banking division this week.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Live Nation Inc's (NYSE: LYV) Chairman, Michael Cohl, stepped down down as a director and executive to end the strategy feud with CEO Michael Rapino. over how to pursue the "360 deals" with music superstars.
• The Financial Times reported that there are worries that investment banks will accelerate the pace of their layoffs this summer, after it became known that The Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) gave pink slips to workers in its investment banking division last week. Goldman is now expected to lay off up to 10% of the workers at the division.

• New Jersey put its $150M center for stem cell research on hold, the Star Ledger reported, eight months after ground was broken on the project.

Newspaper wrap-up: Google's plans for cellphone delayed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GE Healthcare recently announced that it will join forces with Columbia University's Earth Institute, directed by Jeff Sachs, to address pressing healthcare needs in rural Africa. Over the next 5 years GE Healthcare will donate $20 million worth of water filtration systems, power generation systems, healthcare materials, and other equipment to be used at UN Millennium Village Project sites in as many as 10 African nations with particularly acute rural health care needs. The UN Millennium Village Project is designed to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and disease by improving community health and reducing infant and maternal mortality rates. Participating countries include Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Malawi.

In addition to providing healthcare and water filtration equipment, GE will offer its expertise for industrial infrastructure development. This will insure that adequate training in the use and maintenance of the equipment is provided so that Millennium Village Project sites will continue to benefit from GE's donation. GE Healthcare's donation will be combined with contributions from other NGO's to expand the reach of the Millennium Village Project.

In the U.S., GE Healthcare recently signed a 15-year deal to supply stem cell harvesting systems so that parents can have stem cells from their children's umbilical cords harvested and stored for possible later use to treat such diseases as leukemia, lymphoma and genetic blood disorders. ThermoGenesis Corporation developed the stem cell harvesting system called AutoXpress System. GE Healthcare will control the manufacture and distribution of the AutoXpress System. ThermoGenesis Corporation expects to gain $50 million in revenue over the course of the 15 year agreement.

GE Healthcare makes big African donation; stem cell systems in U.S. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GE after the bell 6/7/06: NBC to license more shows on iTunes, biotechnology improvements originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.