The long-term secular growth story for biotechnology stocks is compelling, in our opinion. Over the next several decades, an aging global population will support massive demand for cures and treatments for a variety of diseases, especially those associated with old age. At the same time, innovation is flourishing for biotechnology companies racing to meet these needs, supported by new technologies such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, which enables researchers to analyze massive amounts of data more efficiently, or cloud-based infrastructure, which provides virtually unlimited computing power. 

Over much of the past few years, biotechnology stocks have struggled with a hangover from COVID-19, higher costs of capital, and political pressure related to drug pricing. For the three-year period ending on June 30, 2024, the First Trust NYSE® Arca® Biotechnology Index Fund (FBT) produced a cumulative loss of 10.9%, compared to a 33.1% gain for the S&P 500® Index. However, over the past several weeks, momentum has begun to shift in favor of the biotechnology industry. Since June 30, 2024, FBT has posted an 11.1% total return, compared to a 6.8% gain for the Nasdaq Biotechnology™ Index and a 2.7% gain for the S&P 500® Index (as of 8/20/24). We discuss a few potential catalysts that may continue to benefit biotechnology stocks in the months ahead, in our opinion, including falling interest rates, increased mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) activity, and rising demand for defensive sectors if the economy slows.

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