There are no certain sectors that grant investors immunity from market volatility, yet healthcare sector exchange traded funds such as the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLV) can defend a portfolio from unwanted maladies. Yet even if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, becomes active, the impact upon healthcare companies could become muted.
“Even before the election, it was evident investors felt that the PPACA is here to stay. The stock prices of health-care companies largely have kept up with–or outpaced–the rest of the market and have not reacted meaningfully to either the Supreme Court’s decision or the results of the election. Had investors felt, by contrast, that the entire law would be overturned, we would have expected to see negative investor sentiment and compressed earnings multiples across the sector,” Robert Goldsborough wrote for Morningstar. [Healthcare ETFs: A Post-Election Buying Opportunity]
The next hitch for healthcare is the Federal budget and so-called fiscal cliff anecdote. Automatic budget cuts are scheduled, but amounts and allocations have yet to be determined. Goldsborough mentioned that markets may already be factoring in these cuts to healthcare shares’ prices. Further impact upon these companies is expected to be modest at most. [A Healthcare ETF For Obama’s Second Term and Affordable Care Act]
As the number of uninsured U.S. citizens declines, about 17%, the full impact of PPACA will not be realized until a few years have passed. [Obamacare is Unhealthy for Medical Devices ETF]