NYSE:XLV Fund Quote

It’s been a rough year for the US stock market so far, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at year-to-date returns for energy and healthcare shares, based on a set of ETFs.

This week we get a lot of important economic data.

Technology and healthcare have both tried for a breakout and failed, courtesy of massive economic forces rocking the boat.

After a torrid two-day short-covering rally which saw stocks gain as much as 3.7%, we're seeing a fresh round of selling in the U.S. market.

It’s important to realize that some of the biggest rallies in stocks often occur during bear trends. These come from short squeezes.

The CPI and PPI releases this week came in more or less at estimates - nothing to alarm the talking heads, anyway. They show inflation slowing down but not receding.

Small caps took another step down this past week as geopolitical events dampened sentiment.

The selling has been pretty orderly thus far. The meaning behind this runs deep.

I often discuss highly rated stocks that are part of highly rated sectors. Thus, this time is a departure from the norm. Let's dive into the data for the healthcare sector.