It’s difficult to know where to start the financial year’s news. All indices fell from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. This is what brokers call “a buyer’s opportunity”.

The ASX200 is just above the Covid-19 crash level, that kept the benchmark index low from February to December 2020.

The Biotech Daily Top-40 Index (BDI-40) is just above the March 2020 level, when biotechs were seen as benefitting from the pandemic.

The longer-term data shows that both the ASX200 and the BDI-40 are just above where they were exactly three years ago on July 2019 (see 16-year chart below).

The ASX200 fell 8.9 percent in June and 10.2 percent for the year to June 30, 2022; while the BDI-40 lost 7.9 percent in June, but 37.6 percent for the year.

The collective value of the three Big Caps of Cochlear, CSL and Resmed (which are not included in the BDI-40) fell 0.4 percent in June and just 3.3 percent for the year to June 30, 2022. Resmed rose 5.3 percent to $44,932 million in June, but down 5.8 percent for the year. Cochlear lost 21.0 percent to close the financial year at $13,070 million, while the CSL Magic Pudding shed 0.15 percent over the 12 months to $129,608 million.

Just four of the BDI-40 companies climbed in June, with Orthocell’s $23.1 million Biohorizons Striate+ deal keeping it 11.1 percent above water, followed by Polynovo up 9.8 percent, assisted by chair David Williams’ purchase of 5.7 million shares in May and June, with Starpharma up 2.7 percent and Pro Medicus up 2.6 percent for the month.

Thirty-six companies fell in June, led by Medical Developments, where Mr Williams apparently didn’t buy shares, down 44.7 percent to $104 million followed by Volpara (44.5%), Mesoblast (38.1%) and Immutep (31.0%).

For the year to June 30, 2022, three of the 40 improved, with Neuren up 156.1 percent to $479 million followed by Genetic Signatures up 5.7 percent and Proteomics up 1.03 percent. Dimerix looked good, unchanged at $39 million.

All other companies fell, with 17 BDI-40 companies down by more than 50 percent. Avita had the year’s deepest fall, down $477 million or 73.4 percent to $173 million, despite a relatively positive news flow. Beware the “better valuations” of the Nasdaq.

Atomo lost 60.5 percent to $32 million, followed by Mesoblast (69.1%), Medical Developments (67.6%), Alcidion (66.8%), Volpara (63.7%), Resonance (63.4%), Compumedics (61.4%), Patrys (59.8%), Actinogen (58.3%), Micro-X (55.8%), Antisense (55.4%), Paradigm (53.87%), Polynovo (51.9%), Clinuvel (51.6%), Kazia (51.1%) and Starpharma (50.2%).

Of the total 137 biotechnology companies currently in our lists, 18 were up for the year and two were unchanged. The year’s best was Cronos with the CDA acquisition boosting it 2,660.0 percent from $5 million to $138 million. Anteris climbed 746.8 percent to $398 million, followed by Resapp up 220.0 percent on the Pfizer bid, Argenica (211.1%) and Neuren (156.1%). Honorable mentions to Emyria, Living Cell, Biotron, Cogstate and LBT.

Despite four Cannabis Corner companies - Cann Group, Cronos, Emyria and Incannex - rising over the year, the 11-company index fell 17.4 percent for the year to $721 million. Cronos added $133 million to the index, but Zelira lost $42 million or 82.4 percent, followed by Althea (76.25%), Epsilon (formerly THC) (75.0%), Creso (70.8%), Medlab Clinical (68.0%) and Auscann (65.6%).