Investing in biotech stocks - My experience so far

richtips86

Really interesting thread. What are your views on AI in the sector? Companies like IXICO supporting medical trials and Intelligent Ultrasound using AI with diagnostic imaging?

richtips86

Really interesting thread! What are your views on AI within the sector such as IXICO supporting medical trials and Intelligent Ultrasound using AI in diagnostic imaging?

coachman12

Until the renowned owner of this forum site makes an appearance, and as I am his apprentice  , 
I can only say that , though I am no expert in biotech, I am completely au fait with AI, robotics and similar topics----via my massive interest and moderate investment in Ocado which has made an art form of AI, robotics and related tech and hold over 200 patents which have roots in AI, robotics and similar tech.
Of course, Ocado are not in the field of biotech, but the exciting fact about AI and related advances is that they intersect and hybridise ( if that is a word  across a whole range of share sectors. For example, some of the biggest companies that are and will benefit from AI companies' work are Facebook and Oracle ; all companies looking to prevent online fraud, a massive market, are looking to Deep Learning algorithms.
And, as you say, a number of biotech companies and academic institutes are already benefitting from AI companies. As far as I am aware, IXICO is at the forefront of new AI tech aimed at aiding medical brain imaging, especially in the fight against Huntington's Disease. I believe trials are well advanced now on the treatment of that disease, with the help of IXICO's specialist systems.
I will be looking more at AI and related companies as I believe they have a massive future in many areas of activity. Personally, not being a biotech expert, I will be concentrating on AI companies that devote their attentions to other more widely known sectors. There are a great many companies out there to research but , in time, I have no doubt that I will be buying shares in the company/ies that attract me most. As a long term investment I think they represent future winners.

bundoran

coachman12 said:

Until the renowned owner of this forum site makes an appearance

The "renowned owner" of this forum site is Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC, a constituent of the FTSE 250. They bought it for £87million in September 2012.

coachman12

bundoran said:

coachman12 said:

Until the renowned owner of this forum site makes an appearance

The "renowned owner" of this forum site is Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC, a constituent of the FTSE 250. They bought it for £87million in September 2012.

Just a light quip that you have taken too seriously and too sternly, bundaron. I know very well who owns the MSE site etc. I was talking about the poster who created and keeps alive this particularly fascinating thread. My fault, I suppose-----I should have placed the emphasis on the word "thread" rather than suggesting a wider spectrum.

BrockStoker

bundoran said:

coachman12 said:

Until the renowned owner of this forum site makes an appearance

The "renowned owner" of this forum site is Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC, a constituent of the FTSE 250. They bought it for £87million in September 2012.

I think coachman meant to say thread owner?

richtips86,

Like coachman, I'm also very bullish on the future of AI (and tech in general). Having said that, without knowing the AI/medical field very well, it's going to be hard to pick any winners in this sub-sector, especially so early on. I do remember hearing that the likes of Google are getting involved in medical AI, so there is likely to be much competition, and you would not want to bet against Google with it's massive resources and access to the most cutting edge AI available. Invest in small companies at your own risk!

Thrugelmir

BrockStoker said:

bundoran said:

coachman12 said:

Until the renowned owner of this forum site makes an appearance

The "renowned owner" of this forum site is Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC, a constituent of the FTSE 250. They bought it for £87million in September 2012.

Invest in small companies at your own risk!

Small companies are started by people who fall out of the Corporate mainstream. Often the most creative. Good ideas once commercialised are worth a lot of money to the big corporations. Generating sizable returns for early stage investors. 

BrockStoker

Thrugelmir said:

Institutional investors require confidence in the management. Lose trust you lose respect. What else is the management doing to feather their own nest? 

Yes, I do see that. In my eyes, what the CEO did was justified (why should she not make some money from her hard work?), but the market does not have a heart, and only sees $$. I understand that too, but I think they (the market) are missing the big picture in this case. I have since sold the stock (at a loss) never the less - not because I think it is a bad investment, but because I believe my money will work harder for me if invested elsewhere.

BrockStoker

Thrugelmir said:

Small companies are started by people who fall out of the Corporate mainstream. Often the most creative. Good ideas once commercialised are worth a lot of money to the big corporations. Generating sizable returns for early stage investors. 

Yes, I fully agree, and prefer to invest in smaller companies where possible due to the growth possibilities. However, there are many risks with smaller companies, and if it's a competitive sector, unless you really know what you are doing, you may lose rather than gain, even when a company has a great idea/product.

Thrugelmir

BrockStoker said:

Thrugelmir said:

Institutional investors require confidence in the management. Lose trust you lose respect. What else is the management doing to feather their own nest? 

Yes, I do see that. In my eyes, what the CEO did was justified (why should she not make some money from her hard work?), but the market does not have a heart, and only sees $$. I understand that too, but I think they (the market) are missing the big picture in this case. I have since sold the stock (at a loss) never the less - not because I think it is a bad investment, but because I believe my money will work harder for me if invested elsewhere.

Sometimes one needs to be patient to be a contrarian investor.  Think years not months.  All that matters is the final outcome. If the share offers value buy more!  One day others will come round to your way of thinking. There's often short termism in the markets. As
people cannot afford to underperform. You are only accountable to yourself.