In the wake of a rapidly disseminating coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 2.2 million people globally and killed nearly 150,000, an increasing number of companies are now being tasked to help in the fight to stop the virus.
While most investors are familiar with the company’s auto-making prowess, General Motors was in the news recently for its decision to repurpose parts of two U.S. automotive factories under the Defense Production Act, to produce health-care supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now Ford and GE have become a part of the battle. A GE spokeswoman, in an emailed statement, said the company is “pleased to support the U.S. government and help meet the unprecedented demand for this life-saving medical equipment.”
Production of the ventilators is anticipated to commence the following week at a Ford facility in Michigan. The companies are predicted to produce all the ventilators by July 13, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it has approved contracts to create or acquire over41,000 ventilators by the end of May, and over 187,000 ventilators by the end of the year.
“These companies and their incredibly dedicated workers will ensure that our country can provide our hospitals and healthcare providers with the ventilators needed to sustain and save lives during this pandemic,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said in a release.
While a sizable profit could obviously be made on the goods, A Ford spokesman said production of the ventilators will be done at cost. GE also said it would not be making gains from its ventilator production.
For investors who want to invest in Ford, or make a move on the transportation sector, here are three ETFs to consider:
- iShares Transportation Average ETF (IYT): seeks to track the investment results of the Dow Jones Transportation Average Index composed of U.S. equities in the transportation sector. The underlying index measures the performance of large, well-known companies within the transportation sector of the U.S. equity market.
- SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (XTN): seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the total return performance of an index derived from the transportation segment of a U.S. total market composite index. The index represents the transportation segment of the S&P Total Market Index (“S&P TMI”).
- Direxion Daily Transportation Bull 3X Shares (TPOR): seeks daily investment results equal to 300 percent of the daily performance of the Dow Jones Transportation Average. The index measures the performance of large, well-known companies within the transportation industry.
For investors who would like to use ETFs to play GE, ETFs with the largest holdings of GE include Davis Select US Equity ETF (DUSA), Oppenheimer S&P Ultra Dividend Rev ETF (RDIV) and Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI).
For more real estate trends, visit ETFTrends.com.