Profit from an aging population

Article Excerpt

Declining fertility rates and rising life expectancies are responsible for a rapidly aging global population. In North America and Europe, the average senior retires relatively wealthy and plans to spend a significant portion of their money on staying healthy. Here we look at two ETFs that aim to benefit from both of those global trends (see the supplement on page 19 for more information). ISHARES GLOBAL HEALTHCARE ETF $116 (New York symbol IXJ; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $1.7 billion) invests in firms that are part of the health-care industry. Those companies operate in all areas of the industry, including consumer healthcare products, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and health insurance. • By 2050, seniors (over 65) will have grown by 1 billion, or 167% • 81% of seniors in the U.S. consider good health key to a happy retirement • Health-care spending accelerates as people grow older The ETF invests globally, although the majority of its assets are in the U.S. (64%)…