Profit from an aging, and richer, population

Article Excerpt

The health-care industry continues to benefit from the aging populations of most developed markets. While the growing number of elderly continues to spur demand for health-care products and technology, the expanding middle class of developing nations also contributes. The best health-care companies should profit from these trends for years to come. (See the supplement on page 30 for more information.) ISHARES GLOBAL HEALTHCARE ETF $59.65 (New York symbol IXJ; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $2.1 billion) invests globally in health-care companies. A Toronto-listed version hedged to Canadian dollars (symbol XHC) is also available. The fund tracks the S&P Global Healthcare Index; stocks are held in proportion to their market capitalization. Companies in the portfolio include manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceutical and biotech products (65% of assets), but also makers of health-care equipment (35%). The ETF invests globally, although the U.S. makes up 70% of the assets. Switzerland (9.2% of assets), the U.K. (5.5%), Japan (4.7%) and Germany (2.6%) also represent significant holdings. The fund holds 101…