The Markets IQ

Understanding clinical trials is crucial if you are interested in investing in pharmaceutical or biotech stocks. These trials are the make or break for a company in this sector, so you need to get your head around them.

Even the most exciting treatments with massive Total Addressable Markets (TAM) are meaningless without successful trial data to back them up.

The Four Phases of Clinical Trials: Breaking it Down

Clinical trials are conducted in four distinct phases, each designed to answer specific questions about the treatment.

Multiple trials can be conducted within each phase. Each trial will have specific targets, which will inform future trials and, finally, regulatory approval.

Let’s break them down one by one.

Preclinical Testing: The First Hurdle

Before a drug even reaches the clinical phases, it undergoes preclinical testing. This can include studies on cells (in vitro) and animals (in vivo) such as mice or monkeys.

These early tests check for basic safety and biological activity. If the results look promising the drug moves on to human trials.

Phase 1: Is it Safe?

The first hurdle for any new treatment is safety.

The Syrian Government’s collapse is a geopolitical earthquake. Years of civil war, sanctions, and isolation have shattered the old regime, leaving a power vacuum—and one burning question:

What (and who) will rise from the ashes?

Syria’s new government is a wildcard.

Will it be inclusive and stable, or will it lean hard into sectarianism, risking further fragmentation?

A moderate coalition could unlock international investment, reviving the economy and easing Syria’s humanitarian nightmare. But if extremists take the reins, it’s a recipe for chaos—fueling tensions with Israel, empowering Iran, and sparking yet another U.S.-Russia proxy war.

Each outcome carries ripples for the region, from Lebanon’s fragile peace to Israel’s security concerns and Iran’s strategic positioning.

For investors, the type of government matters. Stability opens doors for reconstruction, agriculture, and infrastructure opportunities. Chaos slams them shut.

Syria’s collapse doesn’t just change Syria—it could shift the entire balance of the Middle East.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - the rebel group that toppled the regime. He has a past steeped in extreme Islamist views. But is that still his stance?

Trump is Back Baby!

Not to toot our own horn, but TheMarketsIQ called his return just before the election here. That's right. We were the only ones.

OK. Enough hyperbole.

The result wasn't entirely surprising. As we mentioned, "...the best indication of a Trump victory is the betting odds. Polymarket has Trump with a 57.6% chance of victory."

If you want to see what people value, watch how they spend their money. And what better use case than election betting. The polls indicated a closely contested election.

Fake poll! Sad!

We found out in 2016 how wrong the polls are. The only surprise here is that we are still talking about them as if they mean something.

Well the Trump return has thrown the markets into a spin. We're all scrambling to position for the best winners and trying to drop the losers as elegantly as possible. No small feat, given the big change agenda we're facing.

Of all the winners and losers, we've got an established and profitable ASX player that could be one of the biggest beneficiaries. We'll talk about how that could play out, but before we get to that, let's set the scene.