Best & Worst Healthcare and Biotech Mutual Funds

by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor.com



Since the market's large drop on Tuesday investors have been a little wary of the near future outlook. This may be a good time to start looking at safer, more diversified biotech and healthcare investment vehicles.

Biotech ETFs are a good play, and mutual funds of good record will also prove beneficial. Investors could still trade the smaller biotechs, but a chunk of the capital should be placed in larger baskets such as ETFs and Funds to better withstand a larget market crash when, not if, it happens again.

In the Thursday issue of the Wall Street Journal, the regular feature Mutual Fund Scorecard showcased the very best and worst performing healthcare and biotechnology mutual funds.

The following is a summary. The 3 and 5 year returns are annualized.


LARGEST IN ASSETS

1. Vanguard Health Care (VGHCX)
Assets= $16,662.2 mill
YTD= +1.7%
1-Year= +10.4%
3-Year= +10.9%
5-Year= +10%
Top Holdings=
Eli Lilly (LLY)
SCHERING PLOUGH (SGP)
ROCHE HOLDING
FOREST LABS (FRX)
SANOFI-SYNTHELABO


2. Fidelity Select Health Care (FSPHX)
Assets= $2,123.1 mill
YTD= +1.4%
1-Year= +4.3%
3-Year= +9.0%
5-Year= +6.1%
Top Holdings=
PFIZER (PFE)
JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ)
MERCK (MRK)
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP (UNH)
AMGEN (AMGN)


3. T Rowe Price Health Sciences (PRHSX)
Assets= $1,776.7 mill
YTD= +2.6%
1-Year= +4.8%
3-Year= 11.1%
5-Year= 10.3%
Top Holdings=
GILEAD SCIENCES (GILD)
CEPHALON INC (CEPH)
GENENTECH INC (DNA)
AMGEN (AMGN)
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP (UNH)


4. Putnam Health Sciences A (PHSTX)
Assets= $1764.4 mill
YTD= +1.9%
1-Year= +3.1%
3-Year= +7.4%
5-Year= +4.4%
Top Holdings=AMGEN (AMGN)
JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ)
Roche Holding
GENENTECH INC (DNA)
MEDTRONIC INC (MDT)


5. Fidelity Select Biotechnology (FBIOX)
Assets= $1462 mill
YTD= -1.7%
1-Year= -6.1%
3-Year= +4.9%
5-Year= 3.6%
Top Holdings=BIOGEN IDEC (BIIB)
CELGENE (CELG)
GENENTECH INC (DNA)
GILEAD SCIENCES (GILD)
GENZYME CORPORATION (GENZ)



YEAR-TO-DATE TOP PERFORMERS

1. Jennison Health Sciences A (PHLAX)
+5.7%

2. Fidelity Select Medical Delivery (FSHCX)
+4.7%

3. Live Oak Health sciences (LOGSX)
+4.0%

4. Janus Global Life Sciences (JAGLX)
+3.9%

5. BlackRock Healthcare A (MDHCX)
+3.8%



YEAR-TO-DATE WORST PERFORMERS

1. Quaker Biotech Pharma-Healthcare A (QBPAX)
-4.3%

2. J Hancock Health Sciences A (JHGRX)
-2.7%

3. Allianz RCM Biotechnology D (DRBNX)
-2.0%

4. Fidelity Select Biotechnology (FBIOX)
-1.7%

5. Rydex Biotechnology Inv (RYOIX)
-1.5%

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