We are thrilled to report that our Amp Core hypothetical fund is off to a tremendous start in 2019. This fund is up around 13% since the beginning of the year. It has been an excellent start to 2019 for small and mid-cap biopharma stocks at a macro level, and all of our hypothetical and real funds are enjoying good gains this year. Our Amp Core fund continues to outperform. It is possible that there is a single-digit percent pullback in the second half of the quarter given the quick rebound in the beginning of the year, especially if macro trends of uncertainty in trade and government shutdown are not resolved.
The government shutdown created uncertainty for some of our late stage companies who are filing or about to file for approval with the FDA, which was only partially operational during the shutdown. With another possible shutdown looming, there is still a shadow of uncertainty hanging over some of our Core picks such as AIMT, ESPR, and GBT, and will create issues for more Amp Core picks if a protracted shutdown occurs. However, we are still bullish on these companies in a 1 to 2 year horizon.
We remain bullish on the Amp Core fund overall this year, despite some looming macro pressures. Our biggest macro risk relates to the continuous drug pricing debate. Regardless of whether progress is made in enacting legislation to lower drug prices, our Amp Core companies have outstanding drug/biologic candidates, that should drive valuations for our Amp Core companies. See our catalyst calendar at https://www.ampbioresearch.com/member-catalyst-calendar for details on noteworthy upcoming events for Core companies and other small-mid biopharma companies of interest to us. Furthermore, see our blog entries for updates on some of the Amp Core companies below, on our subscriber blog page at: https://www.ampbioresearch.com/amp-member. Finally, you can see our current Amp Core portfolio positions and get on our Twitter feed of trades that we make, all from our Amp Core subscriber launch page: https://www.ampbioresearch.com/amp-member.
Updates in the Amp Core subscriber blog provided for the following: AIMT: Peanut allergy desensitization CARA: Pruritis (severe itching) in kidney disease, and possibly liver and dermatologic conditions ESPR: Cardio-vascular: Lowering of LDL-C in people who can't get them low-enough from statins. QURE: Gene therapy for hemophilia B HRTX: non-opioid post-surgical pain ARRY: Targeted kinase inhibitors for cancer