Latest news with #NYSEArcaBiotechnologyIndex
Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Dow Leads U.S. Market Gains Amid Rate Cut Optimism; Housing and Biotech Stocks Shine
Wall Street closed higher with the Dow jumping 1% as investors bet on Fed rate cuts. Housing and biotech stocks surged while Asia and Europe also advanced. The Nasdaq inched up 31.24 points (0.1%) to 21,713.14 and the S&P 500 rose 20.82 points (0.3%) to 6,466.58, while the narrower Dow posted a more significant gain, jumping 463.66 points (1%) to 44,922.27. The blue-chip index saw strong gains, supported by notable advances in UnitedHealth, Nike, Sherwin-Williams, and Merck. Optimism over a potential Federal Reserve interest rate cut, following consumer price inflation data that matched estimates, boosted early market sentiment. The Fed is widely expected to lower rates by at least 25 basis points next month, with some calls for a larger 50-point cut due to weak jobs data. Despite the early rally, buying momentum eased later in the session amid a lack of fresh U.S. economic data. Traders are now turning their attention to upcoming reports on producer prices, retail sales, industrial production, and consumer sentiment. These releases are expected to provide further clues on the Feds next policy move. Housing stocks turned in some of the market's best performances, with the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index surging by 3.7% to its best closing level in eight months. Biotechnology stocks are substantially strong , as reflected by the 3.0% jump by the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index. The gain lifted the index to a five-month closing high. Airline, pharmaceutical and computer hardware stocks too turned out to be considerably strong while brokerage and software stocks showed notable moves to the downside. Asia-Pacific stocks moved mostly higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index jumped by 1.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index surged by 2.6%. The major European markets also moved to the upside on the day. While the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index edged up by 0.2%, the German DAX Index and the French CAC 40 Index both advanced by 0.7%. In the bond market, treasuries saw notable strength following the modest pullback seen in the previous session. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note which moves opposite of its price, slid 5.5 bps to 4.23%.
Business Standard
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
U.S. Stocks Rise as Inflation Cools, Industrial Output Beats; Pharma Leads Gains
Producer prices stay flat in June, easing inflation fears. Strong J&J earnings boost pharma stocks while ASML and energy shares drag markets. The Dow advanced 231.49 points (0.5%) to 44,254.78, the Nasdaq rose 52.69 points (0.3%) to 20,730.49 and the S&P 500 climbed 19.94 points (0.3%) to 6,263.70. Producer prices were flat in June after a 0.3% rise in May. Annual PPI growth slowed to 2.3%, easing inflation worries. The Fed is still expected to hold rates until September. Meanwhile, U.S. industrial production rose more than expected in June. This signals ongoing economic strength. ASML shares moved sharply lower after the semiconductor equipment maker warned it may see no growth in 2026. Morgan Stanley (MS) too moved downwards despite reporting second quarter results that exceeded analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) surged after reporting better than expected second quarter results and raised its full-year guidance. Pharmaceutical stocks was significantly strong on the upbeat J&J earnings, driving the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index up by 1.6%. Biotechnology and healthcare stocks were notably strong with the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index advancing by 1.5% and the Dow Jones U.S. Health Care Index climbing by 1.2%. Energy stocks came as the price of crude oil saw further downside, dragging the Philadelphia Oil Service Index and the NYSE Arca Oil Index down by 1.5% and 1.3%. Asia-Pacific stocks moved mostly lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index and China's Shanghai Composite Index closed just below the unchanged line while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dipped by 0.3%. The major European markets too moved downside while the French CAC 40 Index slid by 0.6%, the German DAX Index slipped by 0.2% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index edged down by 0.1%. In the bond market, treasuries regained ground after moving notably lower on Tuesday. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, fell 3.4 bps to 4.45%.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 06/19/2006, the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Health Care ETFs category of the market. For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment. Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency. But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market. By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such. Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results. The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors. FBT has been able to amass assets over $994.75 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index before fees and expenses. The NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index is an equal dollar weighted index designed to measure the performance of a cross section of companies in the biotechnology industry that are primarily involved in the use of biological processes to develop products or provide services. Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.56% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space. The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.74%. ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis. FBT's heaviest allocation is in the Healthcare sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio. Looking at individual holdings, Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD) accounts for about 4.7% of total assets, followed by Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NBIX) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALNY). FBT's top 10 holdings account for about 38.34% of its total assets under management. The ETF has lost about -4.37% and is up roughly 4.91% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 06/24/2025), respectively. FBT has traded between $145.67 and $182.19 during this last 52-week period. FBT has a beta of 0.60 and standard deviation of 20.49% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 31 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers . First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider. SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) tracks S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. SPDR S&P Biotech ETF has $4.66 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $5.25 billion. XBI has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IBB changes 0.45%. Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care ETFs To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Business Standard
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Wall Street Rises on Nvidia Earnings; Court Blocks Trump's Tariff Move
Dow gains 117 points as Nvidia jumps 3.2% on strong earnings; court halts Trump's reciprocal tariffs; biotech leads sector gains while bond yields fall. The Dow rose 117.03 points (0.3%) to 42,215.73, the Nasdaq climbed 74.93 points (0.4%) to 19,175.87 and the S&P 500 increased 23.62 points (0.4%) to 5,912.17. The Federal court blocked President Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" on imports, ruling he overstepped his authority under emergency economic powers. The Court of International Trade stated the tariffs exceeded what the IEEPA allows and dismissed related drug trafficking justifications. The Trump administration appealed, and a higher court temporarily paused the ruling the same day. NVIDIAs earnings received a positive reaction which also contributed to initial strength on Wall Street, with the AI darling jumping by 3.2% on the day. The jump by shares of Nvidia came after the company reported fiscal first quarter results that exceeded analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Buying interest waned over the course of the session, as lingering uncertainty about trade continued to hang over the markets. Broader markets performed satisfactory leading to modest moves by most of the major sectors. Biotechnology stocks moved upwards, with the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index climbing by 1.2%. Oil producer, healthcare and commercial real estate stocks saw some strength while computer hardware and networking stocks moved to the downside. Asia-Pacific stocks moved mostly higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index surged by 1.9%, while China's Shanghai Composite Index climbed by 0.7%. The major European markets moved downwards while the German DAX Index fell by 0.4% on the day, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index and the French CAC 40 Index both edged down by 0.1%. In the bond market, treasuries moved higher following the pullback seen in the previous session. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, slid 5.3 bps to 4.42%.
Business Standard
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Wall Street Tumbles as Trade Deficit Hits Record, Fed Decision and Weak Earnings Weigh on Markets
Dow plunges 390 points amid record U.S. trade deficit, biotech selloff, global market jitters and investor focus on the upcoming Fed policy update. The Dow slumped 389.83 points (1%) to 40,829.00, the Nasdaq slid 154.58 points (0.9%) to 17,689.66 and the S&P 500 fell 43.37 points (0.8%) to 5,606.91. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Monday the U.S. is "very close to some deals," the lack of any concrete developments from trade talks has kept investors on edge. During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the media's repeated questions about when the U.S. will sign new trade deals even as he claimed he could sign 25 deals right now. The U.S. trade deficit surged to a record \$140.5 billion in March, up from \$123.2 billion in February, driven by a 4.4% jump in imports to \$419.0 billion and a slight 0.2% rise in exports to \$278.5 billion. This unexpected spike contributed to weakness on Wall Street as investors turned cautious. Attention now shifts to the Federal Reserves policy announcement on Wednesday. While theres a 96.8% chance rates will remain unchanged, traders are keenly awaiting signals about future rate decisions. Biotech stocks significantly moved downwards, with the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index plunging by 5.1% after ending the Monday's trading at its best closing level in a month. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) helped lead the sector lower, plummeting by 10.0% after reporting weaker than expected first quarter results. Pharmaceutical stocks were considerably weak, as reflected by the 3.7% slump by the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index. Healthcare, transportation and housing stocks were notably weak while gold stocks extended Monday's rally amid a continued surge by the price of the precious metal. Asia-Pacific turned in another mixed performance , with markets in Japan and South Korea closed for holidays. China's Shanghai Composite Index jumped by 1.1%, while India's Nifty 50 Index dipped by 0.3%. European stocks moved mostly lower. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index ended the day nearly unchanged, the French CAC 40 Index and the German DAX Index both fell by 0.4%. In the bond market, treasuries moved to the upside as the day progressed after showing a lack of direction in morning trading. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, fell by 3.5 bps to 4.30%.
