The news of a vaccine for COVID-19 in the UK has created a burst of optimism, something that has been sadly rare in 2020. Now though, we may finally be taking the first tentative steps towards some form of normality.
The excitement surrounding the breakthrough has also piqued the interest of some investors who see the prospect of a mass rollout across the globe delivering a profit boost to the companies behind the various vaccines.
Beyond the pandemic though, there are also other healthcare developments that will help address issues created by ageing populations, growth in the middle classes of developing countries, and advances in the search for treatments against illnesses such as cancer or dementia.
As providers of wealth management in Cheshire, the trends we’ve discerned include the growth in funds with a healthcare label attached to them. These strategies tend to invest in companies that have a broad range of exposure. So, alongside the pharma giants that are working on drugs and are responsible for some of the vaccines that have grabbed the headlines, possibilities exist among companies working in areas such as gene therapy that may become highly valuable if they make a major discovery.
Since vaccines depend on approval from regulators, so it can be a slow process and still may not be successful. Still, healthcare funds help spread the risk by offering exposure to a range of companies, and should one of them become a trailblazer, it could mean favourable returns for investors.