Earlier today, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) announced the addition of Rick Miller and Randall Miles to its Board of Directors. Glenn Sanford, chief executive officer of EXPI, described the move as a “significant point for the Company and for its shareholders.” In addition to bringing years of experience at the highest levels of leadership and deep and diverse expertise spanning a variety of industries, Miller and Miles offer “greater independence to [the Board’s] composition as the Company progresses, both within the public financial markets and as a rapidly-growing organization,” according to Sanford.

Rick Miller brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience to the EXPI Board, including time with both Fortune 500 companies and young startups. After beginning his career at Sperry/Unisys, he was recruited by AT&T (NYSE: T), where he served as president of its $13 billion Global Services division. Miller later served as president, COO and a Board member at internet startup OPUS360, where he was tasked with overseeing the firm’s IPO. In later years, Miller was recruited by Lucent Technologies to lead its $21 billion worldwide sales efforts. He was also named president, Lucent Government Solutions. Currently, Miller serves as CEO at Being Chief, LLC, where he offers advisory services to a broad range of executives across a diverse collection of industries.

Randall Miles also brings over 25 years of experience in senior leadership positions to the EXPI board, with positions spanning global financial services, financial technology and investment banking. Miles has an extensive investment banking background at bulge bracket, regional and boutique firms, where he has served as an advisor, guiding companies’ strategic and financial needs across many disciplines. This experience is complemented by his work in leadership positions with both public and private equity backed financial technology, specialty finance and software companies. Notably, Miles served as chairman and CEO of LION MTS, CEO of Syngence Corporation, COO of AtlasBanc Holdings Corp., and CEO of Advantage Funding/NAFCO Holdings. Currently, he is a managing partner at SCM Capital Group, a global strategic and financial advisory firm, and Senior Managing Director at Tigress Financial Partners, a full-service institutional broker dealer.

“Rick and Randall are tremendous additions to our Board,” Sanford stated in this morning’s news release.

Through rapidly-growing subsidiary eXp Realty, EXPI is currently operational in 43 states, as well as Alberta, Canada, and the District of Columbia. The Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ offers 24/7 access to collaborative tools, training and socialization features through an innovative cloud-based office environment that effectively eliminates the high costs associated with maintaining a traditional brick and mortar office. eXp Realty’s network of real estate professionals currently includes more than 1,400 members, an increase of more than 60 percent from the beginning of this year.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

Let us hear your thoughts: eXp World Holdings, Inc. Message Board

While the full scope of the health benefits cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp oil have on various human tissues is still not properly understood, a growing body of scientific data has been amassed showing the positive impact on human health from cannabis-derived phtyonutrients, and cannabinoids in particular, from studies directly documenting anti-inflammatory and sebostatic effects (http://nnw.fm/M86rC) (reducing sebum or skin oils), to improved lipid (one of the main structural ingredient of all cells) synthesis and hair growth inhibitor negation (http://nnw.fm/TG4uq). Most CBD is non-psychoactive and therefore perfectly legal in all states as well, so long as the THC concentration of the final product is under 0.3 percent. This means that the burgeoning domestic cannabis market, which is on-track to hit upwards of $6.7 billion in sales this year alone, according to leading sector analysts ArcView Market Research, can rapidly proliferate via the “narrow end of the wedge” in states that have yet to roll back prohibition on marijuana.

Rich in organic omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids (which are sorely lacking in most people’s diets), as well as healthy, natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories – hemp oils and concentrated CBDs in particular are like superfoods for bodily tissues, though the true scope of potential benefits is still a subject of increasingly intense research. The human endocannabinoid receptor system is extremely complex and still represents a vast, undiscovered country. However, we do know these receptors (the ones we have discovered, CB1 and CB2, though there may be others we have not discovered) are all over the body, throughout all major tissue systems, and that they can impact everything from homeostasis and mood, to neurological system stabilization, and even inducing/promoting cell apoptosis (internally programmed, triggered process of cell death) in numerous types of cancers.

One of the most attractive vectors here is skin-care, because these oils lends themselves so readily to being developed into and used in topical applications. Skin-care is also attractive because the skin is the largest organ of the body and the global market for skincare is upwards of $121 billion a year, according to MarketResearch.com (http://nnw.fm/li4J6), dwarfing the as-yet nascent cannabis market.

One of the more interesting plays on this vector in the space today is network marketing company, Laguna Blends, Inc. (CSE: LAG) (FSE: LB6A.F) (OTC: LAGBF), which has already planted its flag in the most lucrative niche of the cannabis market so far: edibles. Many readers may already know about Laguna Blends from products such as its flagship beverage, the hemp-infused protein coffee Caffé, which is packed with high quality whey protein, and delivers a whopping two grams of protein in every serving. Or perhaps readers have tried one of the many delicious flavors of the company’s functional beverage, Pro369 – an infused, plant-based, single serving “on-the-go” product in the same vein as the 5-hour Energy drink, but packed with HempOmega®, hemp protein, and ginseng.

The company’s move to secure a definitive agreement with and acquire the exclusive license brand name for revolutionary Swiss developer CannaCeuticals’ line of CBD skincare products is a bold move in the right direction, and one which dovetails superbly well with the company’s Affiliate Marketing Program that lets entrepreneurs start their own businesses. Laguna Blends’ proprietary, immersive networking/training platform and its affiliate marketing approach deserves closer examination by interested investors, as it speaks volumes about LAGBF’s momentum potential. However, the CannaCeuticals skincare products could be the company’s core driver moving forward, and thus deserve immediate discussion.

Shares of LAGBF jumped nicely on the recent news that clinical, independent third party testing by BioScreen Testing Services, an FDA-approved lab in the U.S., returned impressive efficacy results, including an astounding 100 percent endpoint in subjects reporting improvement to the appearance of skin within just 14 days of starting to use Canna’s CBD face serum. InvestmentPitch Media even took a closer look at the story (http://nnw.fm/rxR9p), bolstering an already prominent media presence enjoyed by Laguna Blends. CannaCeutical’s specially formulated CBD7 skincare products, using Swiss-acquired CBD, also contain proprietary micro-encapsulated time-release spheres. Similar microspheres are now common in many cosmetics or skincare products and have become an accepted standard method of delivery for time-release ingredients. Here, such microspheres actively shield the rich, organic CBD from oxidation, while simultaneously allowing the product to continue releasing bursts of anti-aging ingredients, even long after the product has been applied to the skin.

CannaCeuticals prides itself on using only the purest cosmeceutical-grade, THC-free CBD, as well. This CBD is always non-toxic and non-GMO. This ironclad commitment to product quality really underscores the antioxidant, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory capabilities of its CBD7 skincare products, and provides LAGBF with an easily marketable and unimpeachable product pedigree. This is the stuff brand recognition is made of and if extant user receptivity is any indication – with sales for the 11-week period ended May 31 totaling $105,000 (unaudited), handily beating internal projections – Laguna Blends could be one of the booming cannabis sector’s brightest rising stars.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

Let us hear your thoughts: Laguna Blends, Inc. Message Board

Agora Holdings (OTC: AGHI) is combining old concepts and new tools with FRAME, its social media management platform. This is not surprising, judging from the company’s name. The agora in ancient Greece was an assembly of people conducting political business. The term later came to describe the location where such assemblies took place, more often than not the marketplace. There’s more to the appellation than geography, however. The root meaning of agora is ‘to gather together’, which is exactly what FRAME does. FRAME gathers together all of your social media accounts on one dashboard. Through FRAME, businesses can speak to the people.

The modern marketplace is democratic. We vote with our purchases, and every one of us can participate. No one is excluded. In addition, we do participate, and to a greater extent than in political elections, since, at the very least, necessities must be procured. The evolution of this democratic process in the Western world began, it is thought, in ancient Greece. Direct participation by citizens was easier and more manageable in the Greek city-states, of course, with their populations numbering in the tens of thousands. However, as cities grew larger, practicing that form of direct democracy grew increasingly difficult. Today, in our cities with their millions, public assembly would be a logistics nightmare to begin with, and a crowd of a million or more could, probably, never be an effective decision-making body. But information technology has changed the social fabric. Now practically everyone has access to ‘the system’. Now everyone, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can make their voices heard.

‘101 Ways Local Businesses Can Leverage Social Media’ (http://nnw.fm/MP3ii) offers some useful ideas of how to do this. Appearing at the top of the list, understandably, is advice to maintain a blog. In the second spot is the admonition to add social sharing tools to the blog. Often overlooked, this is a great idea. A click or two from an enthusiastic fan or customer can increase readership by the hundreds. The third piece of advice is to ‘focus on viral content creation’. Content, as the saying goes, is king. The fourth suggestion is a reminder to update regularly, and the first quintet of ‘101 Ways’ is completed with ‘publicize your social network profiles everywhere’.

Agora Holdings’ Geegle Media subsidiary continues to advance its FRAME platform, which enables companies to use a centralized dashboard to conveniently distribute brand-relevant messages to all of the organization’s social media networks. This unique publishing capability, among other features, makes the platform ideal for businesses, public relations firms, and investor relations agencies looking for effective ways to engage customers, track and measure social media campaign performance, and execute the strategic distribution of branded content. Geegle Media developers are currently addressing minor issues discovered in FRAME’s pre-release to a subset of the public.

Agora Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiary Geegle Media and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, TV, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media.

For more information, visit www.agoraholdingsinc.com

Let us hear your thoughts: Agora Holdings, Inc. Message Board

Before the opening bell, Momentous Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTC: MMEG) announced entry into a binding agreement with Poolworks Germany LTD, one of the largest social media firms in Germany, through which Momentous will provide Hollywood quality film and television content to an audience of more than 10 million subscribers. According to the terms of this agreement, Momentous will deliver its content to Poolworks’ leading social media platforms, StudiVZ and MeinVZ. From there, the content will be deployed to audiences through the use of a full over-the-top (OTT) streaming solution. The company’s programming will be available to the platforms’ users on an ad-driven basis, as well as through a pay-per-view model and a recurring monthly subscription fee model.

“This binding agreement enables the Company to create substantive and recurring revenue in addition to our aggressive acquisition program,” Kurt Neubauer, president and chief executive officer of Momentous, stated in this morning’s news release. “Once this system is installed and operational, Momentous Entertainment will offer the service worldwide to other social media and similar platforms.”

This new content streaming solution will feature a shared revenue model that creates an immediate source of revenue for both Momentous and Poolworks. The two companies will share in the multiple revenue streams stemming from various advertising sales, transactional video on demand, and monthly subscription fees charged to users who activate the planned subscription video on demand service.

For Momentous, this new agreement falls in line with the company’s aggressive growth business plan, which was originally outlined in May. Under this strategy, the company plans to take advantage of vertical growth opportunities that supplement organic growth in both its primary and satellite markets. Notably, Momentous intends to own, through strategic acquisition and integration, a variety of entertainment properties in the faith-based entertainment industry and related markets. The company intends to consider potential acquisition targets, such as domestic and foreign film and television distribution firms; film and advertising production agencies; record labels and distribution businesses; and asset-based product firms, in order to leverage both direct response marketing strategies and alternative content delivery methods.

“As we grow the company’s revenues through organic maturity of our Christian Music and sports-based Reality Television markets, we will look to acquisition to build steadfast and robust shareholder value in the near term,” added Neubauer. “The first stage is to complete a consequential acquisition that will complement Momentous Entertainment’s market presence by enhancing scale considerably into a much larger and more diverse firm.”

In recent months, Momentous has made considerable progress toward increasing its presence in the entertainment market. In April, the company announced the commencement of filming for its upcoming reality TV series, ‘The Quarterback Academy’, before unveiling its first music video in early May. Moving forward, Momentous will look to build on this progress through the completion of an accretive acquisition that will increase its presence in the global entertainment space.

For more information, visit www.momentousent.com

Let us hear your thoughts: Momentous Entertainment Group. Message Board

The 21st century has seen a significant change in the lodging industry. This has increased with the growth of the millennial generation. This new demographic of customers has entered into the market with new and different expectations, calling into question what the industry has to offer. This younger audience of travelers is not only more cost conscious, but also more focused on experience.

With this in mind, hoteliers and other industry players have taken into account the fact that this younger generation would prefer a limited service to reduce costs, but with certain added conveniences. To achieve this, many contenders of the lodging industry have cut unnecessary high-cost factors, such as restaurants, large guestrooms, room service, daily housekeeping, and so on. They have worked toward replacing these with more practical alternatives, such as smaller rooms, food to go, free bikes, Wi-Fi, and more.

With these changes, hoteliers and other alternative lodging hosts do have a number of critical success factors to consider. As new lodgings are launched, competitors must know how to position themselves for growth. According to ‘Global Hospitality Insights, Top Thoughts for 2015’ by EY (http://nnw.fm/NvI88), some of the most critical success factors include:

• Analyzing the market for opportunity gaps
• Understanding the target market to stay relevant
• Providing a service that offers an experience not just a place to stay
• Building a differentiation concept that offers guests a unique experience
• Establishing whether to target a market with a new brand or by developing an existing one
• Leading with purpose-driven brand and build a culture based on this
• Planning the long term execution of the brand

Alternative lodgings have become one of the best opportunities for growth, giving travelers a unique experience without the high-costs and unnecessary services. The introduction of technology in the industry has leveled the playing field, giving new contenders the chance to compete with established brands more quickly. Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) offers all of this in one space thanks to its flagship NextTrip.com.

According to CEO Bill Kerby, the company is “committed to building innovative technology platforms and unique product sets for the travel marketplace. We are excited about our current focus and initiatives, and believe we are well positioned to take advantage of the current major uptrend in Alternative Lodging and Travel.” The company’s real-time booking engine features a variety of alternative lodging, from vacation home rentals to resort residences and unused timeshares. From this platform holidaymakers of all demographics can book their entire trips, including accommodation, flights, car rentals, and everything in between.

For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com

Let us hear your thoughts: Monaker Group, Inc. Message Board

Houston-based Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSEMKT: LEI) is a growth-oriented, independent oil and gas company developing significant acreage positions in the Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk resource plays in South Texas. Since mid-2014, the price of a barrel of oil has dropped from over $100 to less than $50, bottoming at about $26 in February of this year. The result has been more than 80 bankruptcies in the energy sector over the past 18 months, with survival becoming the primary objective for industry operators.

Leaning on the experience of its management team, Lucas Energy has survived the recent downturn in energy prices while simultaneously positioning itself to capitalize on the current market environment and expand its national footprint. As part of these efforts, the company announced a purchase agreement to acquire working interests in producing properties and undeveloped acreage in two largely contiguous acreage blocks in the Mid-Continent region. This proposed acquisition, which includes assets from 21 different entities and individuals, is currently under review by the Securities and Exchange Commission, with closing expected to occur by October 2016.

“While the past year was another difficult one for the energy industry, it afforded our Company with multiple opportunities, with the most significant being our agreement to acquire the working interests in certain oil and gas properties in Texas and Oklahoma from Segundo Resources,” Anthony C. Schnur, chief executive officer of Lucas Energy, added in a recent news release.

Moving forward, the completion of the Mid-Continent acquisition will play a key role in Lucas Energy’s growth strategy. The company anticipates a significant increase in daily production stemming from this transaction that will effectively redirect its strategic vision. To better reflect this updated vision, Lucas Energy has also announced plans for a rebranding name change to Camber Energy, a name which the company believes better reflects the inclining production rates typically observed with assets in the Hunton formation of Central Oklahoma’s Mid-continent reserves.

Outside of this planned acquisition, Lucas Energy’s primary development activities are located in the Eagle Ford Shale trend, which is recognized as one of the most active plays in the United States. With the precipitous drop in oil prices over the past year and a half, activity at the company’s Eagle Ford assets has been limited. However, advances in drilling and completion technologies continue to decrease drilling costs, and Lucas Energy will continue to review opportunities to accelerate development of its five million barrels of proved reserves through direct development or strategic partnerships.

Though revenues are down across the board in the oil and gas industry, Lucas Energy paints a promising picture for the future with a three-pronged long-term strategy designed to navigate the prolonged down cycle. First, the company intends to continue developing its acquired and existing assets by working closely with its lender and entering agreements with institutional investors. Second, Lucas Energy will look to capitalize on the down cycle through the completion of bolt-on acquisitions that offer significant value with minimal upfront costs. Finally, the company will continue to pursue material acquisitions in order to create a marketable asset portfolio with expanded drilling inventory.

“The last several years have been difficult for Lucas, and the fiscal 2016 results bear that out. However, we are confident in our future direction and ambitious growth initiative,” reads a recent statement from the company’s management team. “What we will create with Segundo and the establishment of Camber is a platform on which to build our Company, through the acquisition, and development of additional reserves through and out of this cyclical downturn.”

For more information visit www.lucasenergy.com

With advancements in technology hitting each sector of the world, the real estate industry is not far behind. Almost every industry has been subject to some form of digitization, allowing these industries to grow and reach new audiences. This virtual world has enabled real estate companies to reach not only new audiences, but audiences further afield. From the comfort of a computer or a mobile device, people can choose their next homes, no matter where they are.

The real estate industry did not just lean toward a more digital approach because it would sell to more people. This phenomenon has enabled people to gain more information and imagery concerning residential and commercial properties. Thanks to the digital revolution, consumers have more knowledge, context, content and understanding of what they are purchasing. eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) offers just this with its marketing and cloud technology.

EXPI realized that, despite the evolution of technology, consumers still need real estate agents. They need agents to help them navigate through an emotional process. These services allow agents to give more information, offer perspective and market expertise, and to communicate with sellers on their behalf. As a result, eXp World Holdings created a real estate brokerage with the right people in mind, but without the brick and mortar expenses.

The company uses the Unity3D virtual reality platform to not only help consumers make decisions on their property choices, but also to train, educate, and help their agents build their own businesses. With this, EXPI has been able to grow an internationally renowned brokerage, owned by the agents themselves. Most recently, EXPI was compared to Pokemon Go, the wildly popular location-based reality mobile game that has developed a compelling merger of game and technology. The key difference between the two is that eXp World Holdings uses its unique technological platforms for business in order to help consumers buy and/or sell their homes.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

Let us hear your thoughts: eXp World Holdings, Inc. Message Board

Before the opening bell, WRIT Media Group, Inc. (OTCQB: WRIT) took a significant step toward the completion of the final phase of development for its proprietary CrypStock digital trading platform when it announced securement of an additional $100,000 in capital through a new funding round. The financing comes as the result of a co-investment by one of the company’s existing investors and a private equity firm. WRIT intends to allocate this capital to the completion of its SEC filings, as well as the payment of expenses associated with the recent acquisition of Pandora Venture Capital and Pelecoin digital currency.

“This round of financing is a vital component of our broader plans to aggressively advance the CrypStock trading platform,” Eric Mitchell, president of WRIT, stated in this morning’s news release. “When launched, it will combine the best digital currency marketing model offered by Pelecoin, with the most widely used digital currencies and real currencies traded on exchanges around the world.”

Since announcing the acquisition of Pandora Venture Capital in mid-June, WRIT has wasted little time in charting its course into the expansive digital currency market. Earlier this month, the company announced beta availability of CrypStock, a proprietary cryptocurrency exchange combining a user-friendly interface with a sophisticated trading platform. Following its planned commercial launch in 2017, CrypStock will offer users more direct access to WRIT’s Pelecoin currency alongside bitcoin, other popular digital currencies and select fiat currencies. WRIT has also outlined plans to introduce a number of proprietary trading modules, including binary options, futures and an algorithm trading subsystem.

Central to the marketability of the CrypStock platform is WRIT’s newly-launched bitcoin alternative, Pelecoin. This digital currency option strays from the traditional cryptocurrency emission system, which generates new currency on a set schedule without regard to the currency’s market value, in favor of an innovative system that focuses on rules and events that increase the market value of Pelecoin. These events include new user registration, acceptance of Pelecoin for real goods or services, and trades between Pelecoin and fiat currencies. When one of these events occur, Pelecoin automatically increases the balance of the individuals who participated, effectively eliminating the complicated ‘mining’ process and putting new coin distribution within reach of new users.

“We are pleased to introduce to market our unique Pelecoin technology, and look forward to the potential it creates not only for WRIT Media and company shareholders, but for the broader digital currency space as well,” added Mitchell. “There are several advantageous ways Pelecoin differs from other digital currencies on the market, and we’re excited to be part of the many advances taking place in cryptocurrency.”

For more information about the company, visit www.writmediagroup.com

Let us hear your thoughts: WRIT Media Group, Inc. Message Board

In the United States, 2012 was the year of entrepreneurship. According to GEM’s 2012 United States Report, Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) reached its highest since 1999. The study found that more than 59% of businesses have become home-based. GEM’s findings show that some of the reasons for the growth of home-based businesses include:

• Lower startup costs
• No demographic limitations (age group, ethnicity etc.)
• Easier to outsource volunteers, family members and part time employees

Although many businesses redesigned or started their companies from the comforts of their homes, others opted to simply work remotely. Laguna Blends, Inc. (OTC: LAGBF), a network marketing company focused on the nutritional benefits of hemp-based products, allows its affiliates to build their own home-based businesses. The company operates from a fully virtual 3D technology platform, enabling affiliates to train, recruit, and drive sales from their own computers. LAGBF believes that interactive customer service, consistent corporate communication, and training provided by Laguna Blends’ corporate executives allow the affiliates to be more successful marketers.

Although some companies worry about the levels of productivity, there are a number of benefits arising from this new way of working. For example, companies are cutting costs, including the cost of brick and mortar facilities and unnecessary staffing. The New York Times reported (http://dtn.fm/9OEEu): “Federal employees in Washington who worked from home during four official snow days saved the government an estimated $32 million, according to Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, and its research arm Telework Research Network.”

Similarly, Forbes reported (http://dtn.fm/C02Jp) that “half-time home-based work accounts for savings of more than $10,000 per employee per year, according to Telework—the result of increased productivity, reduced facility costs, lowered absenteeism, and reduced turnover. Employees save somewhere between $1,600 to $6,800 and 15 days of time once used driving to work or taking public transportation.”

This said, saving money is not the only objective of introducing remote working to businesses. Forbes also reported that “47% of people who have the option to telework are ‘very satisfied’ with their jobs, compared to 27% of those who are office-bound, according to Telework. Over two-thirds of employers report increased productivity among their teleworkers. Contributing factors include fewer interruptions from colleagues, more effective time management, feelings of empowerment, flexible hours and, of course, even longer hours. The home office never closes.”

Laguna Blends has not only entered into an evolving way of running its business, it is also enabling its affiliates to benefit and thrive from these opportunities. In addition to the fact that affiliates can work from home, the company has put together a number of incentives and competitions to drive affiliates to perform and keep them motivated.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

Let us hear your thoughts: Laguna Blends, Inc. Message Board

Recent Form 4 filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicate that the management team of International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) is bullish on the company. Form 4 is a Statement of Changes of Beneficial Ownership of Securities which every officer, director or holder of 10 percent (insiders) must file to report the acquisition or disposition of a company’s non-derivative and derivative securities. Five Form 4s filed at the end of June this year report purchases of 239,534 shares. Things appear to be looking up at ISCO. Could it be the imminent start of clinical trials that has made insiders so sanguine?

The term ‘insider trading’ has come to mean the illegal practice of using information, not available to the public, to execute trades. However, it is neither immoral nor illegal for insiders to trade. So how can we tell when insiders are trading on private information? A lot depends on the circumstances. Sometimes it may be obvious; sometimes it is not. Therefore, to increase transparency, the SEC requires that share purchases by insiders be made public.

Previously, a Form 4 filing had to be made by the 10th day of the month following the actual transaction. Now, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandates that a Form 4 must be filed electronically via EDGAR within two business days of each transaction. With regard to sales of shares by insiders, there may be further filing requirements, perhaps because share sales may signal adverse circumstances. A Form 144 must be filed by any insider (or outsider), who intends to sell more than 500 shares or $10,000 worth of restricted, unregistered securities within the next 90 days.

Share purchases by insiders, typically, signal good things ahead. Since insiders know more about their company, they can spot valuation anomalies in the market. Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management has said that, in mapping out an investment strategy, insider trading ‘is about the only thing I would pay attention to’. Prof. Martin is the co-author, with A.G. Lafley, of the best-selling Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works that ‘outlines the strategic approach Lafley, in close partnership with… Martin, used to double P&G’s sales, quadruple its profits, and increase its market value by more than $100 billion’.

Backing that up is this Investopedia entry (http://dtn.fm/A3pAv):

‘Nejat Seyhun, a renowned professor and researcher in the field of insider trading at the University of Michigan found that when executives bought shares in their own companies, the stock tended to outperform the total market by 8.9% over the next 12 months. Conversely when they sold shares, the stock underperformed the market by 5.4%.’

Widespread share purchases by managements across the board are sure signs of a rising market. The Financial Times cites Ben Silverman, research director of InsiderScore, which tracks insider trades:

“… in the past 30 years, there has been no time when the market bottomed and rallied when it wasn’t preceded by a critical mass of insider buying”. As the saying goes: actions speak louder than words.

International Stem Cell Corporation recently published the results of a 12-month preclinical, non-human primate study. The data demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the company’s proprietary ISC-hpNSC® readily expandable neural stem cell derived treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The results of the study were published in the academic journal Cell Transplantation and end the preclinical stage of ISCO’s Parkinson’s disease program. The data provides further evidence that parthenogenetic neural stem cells can be effective in treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and, along with the previously revealed safety data, formed the basis of ISCO’s application to the Australian regulatory authorities to move this program to the clinical stage.

The Phase I clinical study is a dose escalation safety and preliminary efficacy study of ISC-hpNSC®, intracranially transplanted into patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. The open-label, single center, uncontrolled clinical trial will evaluate three different dose regimens. A total of 12 participants with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease will be treated. Following transplantation, the patients will be monitored for 12 months at specified intervals, to evaluate the safety and biologic activity of ISC-hpNSC®. PET scans will be performed at baseline, as part of the screening assessment, and at six and 12 months after surgical intervention. Clinical responses compared to baseline after the administration of ISC-hpNSC® will be evaluated using various neurological assessments such as the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr rating scales. The study will be performed at Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

Let us hear your thoughts: International Stem Cell Corp. Message Board