This is how strong biotechnology exchange traded funds have been in 2014: The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NYSEArca: IBB) is the worst performer among the five major biotech ETFs with a year-to-date gain of “just” 8.3%.
Do not cry for IBB. It is by far the largest biotech ETF by assets with $4.99 billion. It was last year’s best non-leveraged health care ETF and has ranked among the 10 best non-leveraged ETFs of any type for three consecutive years. [Battle for Top Honors Among Health Care ETFs]
IBB gets a chance to make up some ground on its rivals this week amid a deluge of biotech earnings reports. Seventeen of the 122 stocks in the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, IBB’s underlying index, report earnings this week, according to David Krein, Head of Research, NASDAQ Global Indexes. That equals 14% of the index’s weight.
That group includes Gilead Sciences (NasdaqGM: GILD), IBB’s largest holding with a weight of 7.83%.
“Neurocrine Biosciences (NasdaqGS: NBIX) reporting on Friday, is up +77.1% in the last month alone and the best performing stock in the Index,” notes Krein.
After Gilead, the next largest IBB holding to report this week is Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGM: ALNY). That stock is almost 1.3% of the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index’s weight, according to NASDAQ Global Indexes data.