September and October are historically bad months for the stock markets, but U.S. health care equities can be a prescription to help soothe stomach-churning volatility.
Still, not all health care stocks are alike. Those of biotechnology firms can be volatile because their returns typically depend on approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulators. Given the complexities of this industry, Globe Advisor asked three portfolio managers for their top picks among defensive health care stocks.
But McKesson, the leader in oncology distribution, will benefit from next-generation, cancer drugs that come with higher profits in addition to the traditionally more sizeable margins on generic versus branded drugs, he adds.