For the last two years, the world has been living through a global pandemic. We started wearing masks, navigated our lives in between lockdowns, and became proficient in rapid COVID test taking. But most of all, we realised the significance of health issues and the impact they have on our lives.
World Health Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness of global health issues and mobilising support for action. The origins of this day date back to 1948, when the World Health Organization (WHO) held its first World Health Assembly and agreed to celebrate World Health Day annually on April 7.
The global healthcare sector
Although the healthcare industry has been in the spotlight over the past two years, it has always been a vital one. In most developed countries, healthcare comprises over 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. According to Verified Market Research, the global healthcare market cap is expected to reach $665.3 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.56%.
The healthcare sector is made up of several separate industries, each of which reacts differently to market trends and conditions. Despite the fact that the sector is generally perceived as safe, it is not without risk, particularly regulatory risks that relate to drug pricing and cost control.
Healthcare stocks to consider
The US has the largest health industry, with over 700,000 companies operating in the healthcare field. Its largest healthcare corporation by revenue is McKesson Corp, a pharmaceutical and medical supply company that also provides health information technology and care management solutions.
And McKesson is not the only one. The global healthcare sector includes some of the most innovative companies focusing on making us healthier: Vertex Pharmaceuticals focuses on developing medications for the treatment of cystic fibrosis; Tandem Diabetes Care helps advance treatments for patients with diabetic conditions by supplying insulin pumps and glucose monitoring systems for children and adults, and Intuitive Surgical develops and manufactures robotic systems for minimally invasive surgeries.
Long-term investment in health stocks with Smart Portfolios
On eToro, investors can gain exposure to numerous themes under the healthcare umbrella via our Smart Portfolios. Each Smart Portfolio adopts a well-diversified strategy to reduce volatility, and companies included in Smart Portfolios are regularly assessed and rated, based on a set of specified criteria.
Designed for long-term investing, these ready-made portfolios focus on spotting emerging trends and investing in assets that are related to or can benefit from these trends. Several of eToro’s Smart Portfolios are dedicated to the healthcare sector, each focusing on a different trend or theme.
- The Diabetes-Med Smart Portfolio brings together companies involved in the battle against diabetes. These firms are constantly developing treatments, devices and medications aimed at combatting this disease and improving the quality of the lives of those who have it.
- The CRISPR-Tech Smart Portfolio aggregates companies dealing with one of the most innovative and fascinating fields: genome engineering. CRISPR is a revolutionary technology that can be used to modify the genes of living organisms, and it has the potential to have a huge impact on human lives in the future.
- With the Vaccine-Med Smart Portfolio, eToro users can invest in the research and development of vaccines. Despite the fact that vaccines have been researched for more than two centuries, the production of effective vaccines still requires a lot of research to be conducted by pharmaceutical companies throughout the world.
- The CannabisCare Smart Portfolio gives investors access to the growing cannabis industry, with companies focusing on pain alleviation, cancer treatment, and other medical conditions with which the cannabis plant has been found to help.
eToro offers its users many options to invest in the healthcare sector. This World Health Day, you can celebrate by making the healthiest choices for your portfolio.