Health Care Up on Rotation Into Laggard Sector -- Health Care Roundup

Health-care companies rose as traders rotated into a sector that's been a laggard this year.

The SPDR Select Health Care exchange-traded fund, which tracks the health-care industry group of the S&P 500, is down 5.6% for the year to date, in contrast to strong gains for the broad market.

Shares of German drug maker Merck KGaA surged after it boosted its projections for 2026 sales and earnings, citing strong momentum in its life-sciences business.

There were an estimated 69,973 drug-overdose deaths in 2025, a nearly 14% drop from a year earlier, according to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Write to Rob Curran at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-13-26 1759ET