Displaying items by tag: healthcare

(Washington)

US investors got spooked yesterday by the Democrats’ “healthcare for all” proposal to bring universal socialized care to all Americans. The big fears manifested themselves in insurance stocks, which were hit considerably. However, the proposal has little chance of getting approved as it will certainly be blocked by the Senate. Even if a Democratic president gets elected, it is unlikely the Democrats would gain the 60 seats in the Senate necessary to approve such a move. Therefore, most analysts expect insurance stocks to recover, though not immediately.

FINSUM: We do not think that this plan will come to pass any time soon, but we do think the country is headed in that direction because of the leftist leanings of Millennials, who will slowly gain political power.

(Washington)

The Democrats are mulling one their biggest risks heading into 2020. That huge decision is whether to make Medicare for all part of their platform for the next election. The House currently has no less than eight proposals for how to make Medicare available to all. None of them are likely to pass in the next two years as the Republicans have control of the Senate. However, adopting the goal of Medicare for all would be a major signal about the direction of the Democratic party headed into the future. The idea is popular with liberals, but more contentious with swing voters.

FINSUM: This is a high risk/high reward strategy. It could either become a major rallying cry or another reason for those in the middle to abhor the left-most leanings of the Democrats. Speaking from a politically neutral position, we do think this would be a good strategic move for the left, as one of the big challenges for the party is that President Trump and the right have grabbed the reins on shaping the vision for the future of the nation. This would be a chance for the Democrats to start to put forth their own cohesive vision.

(New York)

This is quite a market storm investors are facing. The rolling bear market has blossomed into a widespread rout with few hopeful signs. One of the scary parts for investors is that the old places to ride out such market storms are not collapsing. In other words, even safe havens aren’t safe. Consumer staples, healthcare, and utilities, all typically bastions of protection during downturns, fell to being this week. Utilities, for instance, fell over 3%, their worst tumble since the 2016 election day.

FINSUM: One analyst sees a silver lining in this. Their argument is that since this is becoming a broad pullback (instead of a rolling bear), it may indicate the worst is near to being over.

(New York)

One of the big questions investors and analysts are still trying to sort out is who are the biggest market winners and losers as a result of the midterms. Here are some insights. The sector which seems likely to gain most is healthcare, as the risk of more regulation looks diminished, and the chances of increased government healthcare spending (as a result of the election of Democrats in key states) seems higher. The sectors which seem likely to lose out are banks and telecoms, both which seem likely to face much greater scrutiny by the now Democrat-led House.

FINSUM: We would also lump big tech into the losers category as increased scrutiny and regulation of the sector is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement right now.

(New York)

Market breadth has not been very good this year. In fact, it has generally been terrible. Tech stocks have delivered virtually all the gains. However, one bright spot in this uneven landscape has been healthcare shares, and that seems likely to continue. According to Barron’s, “Positives in the sector include attractive valuations, upward earnings revisions, share buybacks, and policy tailwinds”. Drug price pressure is still a concern for pharma companies, but right now things look strong, with over 90% of companies in the sector beating earnings forecasts.

FINSUM: We will be honest in saying that we do not have much expertise in the sector, but demographics also seem to be a supportive factor for the long-term investor.