The bull market is nearing six years old. It turns out that the biotech sector again managed a huge outperforming year in 2014 as well. The gains of the key biotech exchange traded funds (ETFs) were up in the 40% range, with the NYSE Arca Biotech index up over 45% year-to-date. The equal-weight biotech ETF performed better than the key larger […]
Since its lows in mid-October, biotech stocks have sparkled, particularly the Big four – Amgen (AMGN), Biogen Idec (BIIB), Celgene (CELG), and Gilead (GILD) – which have demonstrated sustainable growth pathways. With the market’s renewed volatility in recent days, they have pulled back some, which only made them much more reasonably priced.But the more attractive buys in the sector, say […]
The stock market has been racing higher at nearly unprecedented levels in recent years. Even so, the healthcare sector in general, and biopharma stocks in particular, have still managed to crush the broader markets over the last few years. Since 2012, for instance, the iShares Nasdaq Biotech Index has more than tripled the returns of the closely watched S&P 500:Perhaps […]
2014 is quickly coming to an end, so below is a look at the 50 best performing Russell 3,000 stocks year-to-date. As shown, the top seven stocks in the index are from the Health Care sector. RadNet (RDNT) ranks first with a YTD gain of 388.62%. Receptos (RCPT) ranks second at +345.74%, followed by Avanir Pharma (AVNR) in third at […]
Biotech stocks surged nicely Tuesday with the iShares Biotechnology ETF rallying more than 2 percent.For the most part, biotech stocks have performed very well over the last month and even the last year.That performance can be seen quite well with names such as Gilead Sciences, Illumina and Vertex Pharmaceuticals all having hit new highs within the last 30 days.However, not […]
Market Outlookhttp://www.theoptionplayer.com/U.S. stocks posted a fourth straight week of increases but ended last week little changed as losses in healthcare shares offset gains in energy. The S&P 500, which hasn’t made a 1 percent move this month, is now up 10.4 percent for the year. For the week, the Dow and S&P 500 rose 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq climbed […]
View gallery.With the help of an almost vertical rise in the overall stock market, most industries within the market have also performed very well. As they say, “a rising tide raises all ships.”Some industries, however, have performed better than others. For example, airlines and railroads have been the two top-performing industries, while gold miners have been the worst.Another industry that’s […]
istockphotoThree-year annualized return: 28.1%Annual expense ratio: 0.35%Minimum initial investment: $3,000Biggest holdings: Actavis, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, UnitedHealth Group, AstraZenecaVanguard Health Care (VGHCX) is the Grand Pooh-Bah of health care sector funds. Not only is it the biggest, it also charges the least of any health care mutual fund (exchange-traded funds tend to cost less). What’s more, even as Vanguard Health outpaced […]
Five years ago, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.That law, enacted in memory of two people brutally killed in hate crimes, has generated important police training and outreach to prevent crimes rooted in hate-filled discrimination and bigotry. It also has produced comprehensive statistics — in tandem with the Hate Crime Statistics Act […]
Many investors start out buying stocks based on “fundamentals”–including such factors as company quarterly reports, the health of various industry sectors,, etc. Another method to follow is technical analysis. This includes the study of charts, trends and pattern recognition strategies. Over time, most investors will use a combination of fundamental and technical analysis. Why is technical analysis so popular early in the […]
