The health of the nation

Julius Baer's Nathalie Flury on prospects for the life-science and biotechnology sectors in 2010

Concerns over healthcare reform, coupled with a rebound in cyclical stocks and an exodus of generalist investors, led the life-science and biotech sectors to underperform markets last year. During the second half of 2009, the healthcare reform debate reached a crescendo and it is still unclear whether reform will take place and what form it might take. One theory is the biotechnology sector will be largely spared proposals aimed at reducing healthcare costs and the healthcare industry might even experience a net benefit should reform extend coverage to the uninsured. For 2010, importa...