So much for plans. I was going to write about looking forward to graphene batteries, next-generation electric vehicles, and affordable rebates. Reality happened. Instead, I’m going to write about – let me check my scribbled notes from this week’s investment news – treatments for dry-eye, a reversal of an electric vehicle company’s fortune, augmented reality headset advances, and an unexpected delivery of cash. Apologies for any lack of literary content, but in personal finance, substance rules over style.

Pardon me as I sip some wine while pondering and typing.

Lineage Cell Therapeutics (LCTX)

“Results of imaging analyses demonstrating evidence of rapid improvement in outer retinal structure from a Phase 1/2a clinical study of RG6501 (OpRegen) were presented at the 23rd EURETINA Congress.”

Or,
Their treatment for dry-eye related macular degeneration did well. That long name of an ailment describes why it is hard for some people to see. That’s good news, especially because, as I understand it, there aren’t many good treatments. The caveat is that the data is from a Phase 1/2a study. They still have to get through Phase 3. After that is applying for FDA approval. Each of those steps can be measured in months to years.

Electrameccanica (SOLO)

First, they actually launched and sold a three-wheeled electric vehicle, which failed, the CEO left, a new CEO came in, reconfigured the company, announced a merger with a UK manufacturer of electric commercial vehicles – and just announced that the merger failed. Sigh. Investing in innovative companies can involve exercising coping strategies, especially when the stock is worth so little that selling isn’t worth the effort. Some day, they may revive and return. I hope.

MicroVision (MVIS)

Yes, here we are again, MVIS. They still haven’t announced their $10M-$14M 2023 deal. Check the calendar, dudes. We’re within three months of the end of the year. But, the augmented reality headsets they designed and delivered to the US Army over a year ago have been updated. There’s hope yet! And MVIS has survived on hope. I hope they’ll be able to rely on a significant, quantifiable, and positive reality. Been waiting decades for this one.

Look at their three charts and see bumps and weirdness for the previous twelve months. The companies continue, ideally, to that significant, quantifiable, and positive reality – but not yet.

But that is also the basis of long-term investing. Besides watching their news and voting, they are my attempt at giving my money the opportunity to make money from my money.

So, here’s the irony. 

I received two letters from my brokerage. Years ago, I liked one stock well enough that I held shares in my regular account and in my IRA: Asterias. I will quote from one of my posts. (Sigh And Bye Asterias)

“Rats. It happened again. A corporation agreed with me. A company with great potential and an undervalued stock can be a great investment. In the case of Asterias, that meant BioTime is buying the entire company. Yet again, one of my tiny stocks gets absorbed before it succeeds.“

Gone and forgotten. The news, however, was that some court case that I wasn’t aware of was settled in favor of some of the shareholders. A few hundred dollars were added to my portfolios. Not a big deal because the sums involved were thousands and the lost appreciation could’ve been in the tens of thousands, but a plus sign is a plus sign. And I had to do so little that I didn’t know anything had been done. Fine by me.

But, so what? Some tourist on vacation at a local fine restaurant will probably spend more on dinner tonight. Our monies have lives. Stocks have lives. Their companies have lives. Their employees have lives. I understand the advice to young people that they should invest early, often, and pay little (but not no) attention to it. But for me, it is worth remembering that investments are that opportunity to work over here and get paid from over there. Good news can come unbidden, and that’s worth remembering about many things, not just money.