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The First "Screaming Buy" of 2008

By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud
Thursday, August 7, 2008

"A New Age of biotech has begun... Here are the best ways to own it."

That's how biotech guru Rob Fannon starts off the just-released issue of his newsletter, Phase 1 Investor.

I trust Rob... He's the man I call when I want to talk about biotech stocks.

I like Rob in part because he isn't prone to hype. For the last few years, I've called Rob, asking him about biotech and pharmaceutical stocks, thinking they're cheap. But he kept telling me the timing wasn't perfect yet. It turned out, he was exactly right.

Now, after years of this, Rob says it's finally time...

I'm ecstatic to hear it.DailyWealth readers know our view here: "If you just catch one biotech bull market in your lifetime, you may never have to work again."The latest issue of Rob's Phase 1 newsletter gives me more conviction that the major biotech bull market we called in the July 22 DailyWealth is here.

You really need to get on board... Though biotech stocks have started rising, it's still very early on. Really, nobody is paying attention.

For example, I remember listening to Rob Fannon speak at a private conference earlier this year. Rob said extraordinary things throughout his talk. Things like "This biotech stock will revolutionize its industry. And it's trading for less than its cash in the bank." But nobody got it... People were mesmerized by commodities stories, but couldn't care less about biotech. I took that as a sign that we were near the bottom.

Since then, the uptrend in biotech stocks has kicked in... And now Rob Fannon is excited again. It is exactly what I want to see.

I asked Rob about the Genentech buyout offer from Roche – the one that I called the "catalyst" for the sector back in July.

Rob said the Genentech bid "is a bad move for Roche... but it's terrific for the industry, for a couple reasons."

First, big, profitable biotech companies like Biogen (BIIB), Gilead (GILD), Genzyme (GENZ), or Celgene (CELG) are perceived as safer ways to play biotech. Like Genentech, these companies already have drugs on the market that command premium pricing and offer multiple years of remaining patent protection. They could be takeover candidates as well.
Second, once Genentech is acquired, $40 billion of money dedicated to biotech will need to find a new home. Investors will search for new spots to park this cash... We're seeing it already. Sector valuations are already on the rise.

According to Rob, the whole sector "is prone to swift surges of joy." An easy and diversified way to own biotech is through the SPDR biotech ETF (XBI). It holds mostly mid- and large-cap companies.

But Rob says the real money will be made in small-cap biotechs – like the ones he often features in his newsletter. He told his readers, "I'm betting the entire small-cap space could jump as high as 25% in the coming months. And that could be just the beginning..."


In short, if you haven't bought biotech yet, buy it now! It's the first "screaming buy" of 2008.I trust Rob, who's finally bullish about biotech. Everything is lined up, as far as our "cheap, hated, uptrend" mantra goes. And the sector has just begun to rise. You haven't missed a thing.

Good investing,

Steve

Editor's note: Steve Sjuggerud is a regular contributor to DailyWealth, a free investment newsletter focused on the world's best contrarian opportunities. We write with a simple belief in mind: You don't have to take big risks to make big money with your investments. 

 






IF YOU LISTENED TO US IN APRIL, YOU SAVED A LOT OF MONEY

The "stupid" market in fertilizer stocks is getting "less stupid."

Back in April, we warned you things had gotten crazy in fertilizer stocks. Popular names like Potash, Agrium, and Mosaic had doubled in just a few months. Everyone on CNBC called them a screaming buy. Never mind they were trading for ridiculous valuations. We said anyone buying would get burned.

In the past month, the market has fulfilled our prediction. Fertilizer shares are down 20% from their highs and have shattered their uptrend. Good news leads to selling. Great news leads to more selling. And bad news? Don't ask.

Long-term, the argument for agriculture and fertilizer shares is a great one. But like all bull markets, this one ran too far too fast. News reports of runaway food prices made everyone pile into fertilizer shares without considering the value they were getting for their money. Consider the darlings of early 2008 "dead money" for a while.

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