
Rising Pharma Prices Could Give a Beat to HART ETF
Data indicate that inflation is easing. Add to that, the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed last year, allows Medicare to negotiate prices on some popular drugs with pharmaceutical companies.
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Data indicate that inflation is easing. Add to that, the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed last year, allows Medicare to negotiate prices on some popular drugs with pharmaceutical companies.

How a recession could impact health care stocks in 2023. As Covid continues, what it could mean for the health care sector.

The healthcare sector, the second-largest sector allocation in the S&P 500, performed significantly less poorly than the broader market in 2022 and that relative sturdiness has some market observers optimistic about the group's 2023 prospects.

With just two trading days left in 2022, it's safe to say the healthcare sector was significantly less bad than the broader market. As of December 27, the S&P 500 Health Care Index was down just 2.2% year-to-date compared to nearly 19% for the S&P 500.

With compelling long-term opportunities available across multiple industry groups, healthcare has the makings of a 2023 redemption, potentially boding well for exchange traded funds such as the IQ Healthy Hearts ETF (HART).

The defensive healthcare sector is living up to its billing this year, as the S&P 500 Health Care Index is lower by just 0.72% compared to 15.37% for the S&P 500.

On the surface, healthcare appears to be a sector with obvious environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials, meaning it's not surprising the group is prominent in an array of ESG exchange traded funds. However, healthcare isn't “ESG perfect.

Experienced healthcare investors know that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) often looms large. After all, that is the regulatory body that has the final say in whether or not biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies can bring drugs to market.

The healthcare sector is in the red this year, but its defensive traits are helping the group sharply outperform the broader market. That could be an encouraging sign for healthcare exchange traded funds, including the IQ Healthy Hearts ETF (HART).

Investors looking to capitalize on the healthcare sector's defensive and quality traits while contributing to the greater good have an appealing idea thanks to the IQ Healthy Hearts ETF (HART). HART is one of the Dual Impact exchange traded funds from New York Life Investments (NYLIM).

Impact investing is garnering more attention, but it's often framed in terms of a style — not something that's applicable for funds to perform. However, it is possible for money managers to do right by investors and the world at large.

Broadly speaking, the healthcare sector, perhaps owing to its defensive properties, is seen as fairly valued. However, there are plenty of individual stocks within this group that are considered attractively valued following the sector's 2022 struggles.

Investors can do good for the world at large while still profiting, and that effort isn't confined to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies. Take the case of the IQ Healthy Hearts ETF (HART).

The American Heart Association's most recent Presidential Advisory addressed the large gap in research between men's heart health and women's. In a world where men's heart health has become the gold standard, it could be doing a very dangerous and life-threatening disservice to women.

Last week, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk announced its first quarter earnings beating estimates, raising its growth outlook for the rest of 2022 and expanding its buyback program, reports Reuters. Novo Nordisk's first quarter operating profit was 19 billion Danish crowns (approximately $2.69 billion), well above the estimated 17 billion Danish crowns.

Researchers from the Framington Heart Study, a multi-generational study that began in 1948, have found that men and women are living longer and incidents of heart disease are occurring later in life on average. Overall, the study also found that people are less at risk for dying from coronary disease or having a heart attack [.

Regulation concerning ESG metrics reported by countries and utilized by funds is in the works in the U.S. For now, however, regulation remains nonexistent as the SEC ponders how to apply a regulatory framework to the space, and investors remain concerned about greenwashing. For investors wondering how to invest in targeted ways to promote gender [.

Approximately 40% of Americans have experienced a heart-related issue since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study from the Cleveland Clinic. Lifestyle changes, stress, increased drinking, and issues gaining access to healthcare have all contributed to the spike in heart issues, alongside the general risk of heart disease itself.

The new CEO of Johnson & Johnson, Joaquin Duato, believes that healthcare will experience greater innovations in the next 10 years than it has over the entirety of the previous century, reports CNBC. “I'm very bullish about the potential of technology in accelerating discovery and developing new medicines,” Duato said.

The newest cycle of COVID-19 infections may finally signal a downshift to an endemic according to a leading epidemiologist, reports CNBC. Omicron BA.2 spreads 80% faster than Omicron and is on its way to becoming the dominant strain in the U.S., but it is not leading to any greater hospitalizations and could be the turning point [.