Newsletter 12/02/2020

View this email in your browser

Hello!

I missed our usual Monday morning, but I couldn’t bear to miss this entire letter. There are too many exciting things happening and I am starting to feel like 2020 might actually end someday!

Today, the UK became the first nation to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has a ~95% success rate and will begin rolling out next week! This news puts pressure on our own FDA to give the green light, and we expect the first inoculations to happen in the United States before the new year.

Does this mean a return to normal? Not really. It’s going to take months to reach herd immunity and corporations and governments will spend billions of dollars between then and now. We will still see hotspots and overwhelmed hospitals. In the US, the mentality seems to be “screw the rules, we’ll get a vaccine soon”. Here in Orange County, CA, restaurants and bars are operating indoors and the police department announced they are too wrapped up in other issues to reinforce our 10:00 pm curfew. Citizens really are putting their eggs in the “vaccine basket”. Until most of the population is immunized, nothing much is going to change.

There is a “but” though! This really is the light at the end of the tunnel. This vaccine and its cousins herald the end of the pandemic. The return to normal is not here, but it’s coming down the pipe.

I talk about the virus every week, so I want to take a moment to highlight some different, but equally incredible feats that have been achieved by companies this year. I want these companies to get the applause they deserve. Also, these are some of our portfolio investments!

CRISPR Pharmaceuticals

A “CRISPR” is a piece of a genetic sequence that remembers what a virus looks like. Think of it like a mugshot. As long as a cell has this mugshot it can produce RNA to fight off the virus when it shows up. This company, in 2020, presented a way to

edit this piece of genetic code

to cure sickle cell disease. The treatment is currently in phase 2 of clinical trials and, if it succeeds, would be the first treatment to cure sickle cell anemia in history!

First Solar

In October, the Series 6 solar panel from First Solar became the first panel to receive an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) award from the Green Electronics Council. This rating means the solar panel has met stringent criteria for recycling, reuse, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint. Solar panels are the fastest-growing energy source worldwide, so the early adoption of sustainable practices is incredible.

Lastly, an update on Hoskin Capital

These past two months have been incredibly good to us. We have new clients, new assets under management, and it’s starting to feel like a job instead of a pipe dream. Callaghan will take his Series 65 licensing exam in early January, so you will be hearing from him as well in the near future! As we jump into 2021, our main goal is to encourage people to start their financial journey

early.

We are planning to tour graduate schools and present the benefits of early savings and a concrete plan. We are also hoping to talk to start-up teams, where we can add value by opening investment accounts, administering company benefit plans, and as always, providing free financial planning.

Finally, I will be in Denver on December 13

and 14

and in Crested Butte from December 15 to the 20

! If you would like to connect while I’m there shoot me a text at 970-401-5101 or reply to this email.

Happy holidays,

Nate Hoskin, CIO

Hoskin Capital LLC