XLV

Queasy_Olive5832

on spy/qqq or on single stocks? I feel there are some good single stocks to go bearish on - I feel like GM and possibly XLV (healthcare) might decline in the short term

Freedom-Of-Trades

Idk. I'm holding XLV. Leaning towards exiting XLF.

subucula

Do we think XLV and XLF have topped or just taking a breather?

ParticularWar9

What are you talking about? SPX is within 3% of its ATHs and XLV, XLF, XLE, XLRE all hit ATHs on July 28. It’s just tech that is dropping. Almost every other sector is doing well.

rcmtt

XLV, XLE. This is not hard to look up.

gardeal23

The main winners are MCD’s shares XLV call TTWO call I also loaded on JETS puts for 8/14 $30 (I think oils gonna pump back up and the airlines are gonna feel it)

Ahamadrayasbaboon

Prolly not in ‘26.  SGOV CTA when low XLP/XLV/XLU when low or SCHD anytime

Ahamadrayasbaboon

If you’re that cautious, why not DCA a blend of SGOV, AVDV, and either SCHD or XLP XLV XLU? Highest odds come from starting today. 

Ahamadrayasbaboon

No sweat…Covered calls aren’t the move. Take a look at options premiums. If a premium is $1 and the share price is $50, selling that call will protect against 2% of downside. They really work best in flat periods, but you have no way of predicting those. SPYI’s periods of outperformance will not make up for its periods of underperformance over time.  Defensive sectors have lower downside risk in exchange for much lower growth and pay 2.5%. XLP, XLU, XLV. SCHD is heavily defensive and pays 3.5%. You could try buying those opportunistically while DCAing your more speculative moves.  Defensives and SCHD have a lower likelihood of margin call than SPYI, and are a large part of my strategy of interest/dividend neutrality in my margin account. . 

WolfofWoodstock

’d recommend investing that money into a brokerage account of your choice. Depending on your risk tolerance, you could consider sector ETFs like XLF, XLK, or XLV, or gain exposure to broader markets through QQQ (Nasdaq) or SPY (S&P 500). Since SPY trades at a higher share price, SPYG — often called the “poor man’s SPY” — is a solid growth-oriented alternative if you’re working with a smaller amount, like $2,000. If you’d prefer a more conservative approach, you could allocate some of the funds to a money market account instead. Another option worth exploring is setting up a trading bot — linked to your brokerage account through whichever AI platform you prefer — and starting small, with just a couple hundred dollars, to see how it performs. This is only my approach! There are more than 3 ways to skin a cat!

SpongEWorTHiebOb

Oil? Hard pass. XLV and VHT are the plays for possible recession.

Right-Bug3739

XLV is up too. All time highs.

Sea_Local2557

XBI and XLV is going up, equal weight S&P is doing okay, Oracle puts are printing, etc

hoopaholik91

SPY is shitting itself and yet XLV is up 6% this week. People are getting old, healthcare jobs have been the most stable part of the economy the past 2 years. Is the market finally realizing it?

YourChildhood5762

**FHLC** Fidelity MSCI Health Care Index ETF $75.69 Healthcare is always in need but the sector has been out of favor. +1.94% for the year +1.24 for six months. But it appears to be cycling in as tech cycles out. +7.39% three months +5.18 one month FHLC has the same expense ratio as XLV but costs less per share and holds 342 companies vs 63 FHLC up 2.60% year to date vs XLV up 1.39%

Used-Air-2688

You're not just tech-heavy...you're tech-on-tech-on-tech. 😅 QQQM, QTUM, MRVL, and NBIS are all heavily tied to the same AI/semiconductor theme. Even when you own multiple tickers, they're often moving for the same reasons. If your goal is long-term diversification, consider adding exposure to: * Financials: XLF * Healthcare: XLV * Consumer Staples: XLP * Utilities: XLU * REITs: VNQ Honestly, before adding more stocks, I'd ask whether you need both QQQM and QTUM alongside individual names like MRVL and NBIS. You may get more diversification by simplifying rather than adding. One red day isn't a reason to sell MRVL, but if you're selling because you expected quick gains, that's different from a long-term investment thesis. For a 5–10 year horizon, I'd rather own a broader mix of sectors than keep stacking more AI and semiconductor exposure.

StretcherEctum

Its A bRoaDmaRkeT CrAsH! /s XLC is up XLP is up XLF is up XLE is up XLV is up XLRE is up

hoopaholik91

Defense is doing well since last year, XLF is only up 5% the last year and trailing SPY by 20% in the last 5 years, XLV is only up 20% total the last 5 years. Equal weight S&P500 has only gained half as much as weighted the past 5 years, gains are super concentrated in a small number of companies.

Potential-March-1384

I think you’re thematically overweight space/AI/tech, and XAR makes you more so. Not a ton you can do about it given the state of the market, but maybe look to shave off some voo and put it into something like NOBL, SDY, XLV.

SudoDeleteEverything

Where are you even getting this graph? That is not what the 1yr on XLV looks like at all

InquisitorCOC

I'm buying BRKB and XLV

Murky-Gate7795

XLV returns over the last couple years are underwhelming compared to any of the major indeces.

Ahamadrayasbaboon

Defensive stocks still fall, but may not fall as hard. SCHD is a broad fund that has a greater concentration of defensive sectors than most. XLU, XLV, XLP, XLE. Some of those are still above their 1yr SMAs….you can let the exuberance catch first, as people rotate out of them when they get cocky.  Gold, I would not pick now. Corporate bonds suck. Long-term gov’t bonds suck.  SGOV is the ultimate hedge, as it does not correlate, but it may not beat inflation.  CTA does managed futures in commodities.   Time in the market beats timing the market. I’m holding onto my Qs. 

MrT_IDontFeelSoGood

Been long XLV for the past 2 weeks and have MRVL strangles. I’m not bearish I just think it’s obvious this MOU is hilariously awful 😂

MrT_IDontFeelSoGood

Well at least holding XLV has been good both ways. Now if only my SNOW strangles could get a little extra juice

jettisonthelunchroom

I’m taking gains, holding a small amount of my favorite newer companies and rotating the meat of my portfolio into late cycle sectors (XLP, XLV, XLU), materials which I think will hold value, and spaxx. I’m not a day trader so this market terrifies me lol. I’d rather be wrong and miss some gains than lose my shirt.

BuyMeaSalad

XLV, XLF, and XLP are all positive (health sector, financials, and consumer staples). This is a rotation into value from taking gains in semis and broader tech

StretcherEctum

Rotation. Plenty of other sectors are up 0.5% to 2% XLP XLV XLF XLB XLRV XLU

tachyonvelocity

lol so wrong. YOUR poor investments into energy haven’t worked out because you’re betting on a forever war. Today Main Street is all up. Regional banks KRE up, ITB home builders up, XLV health care up, retail XRT up because economy will do well with lower crude prices.

guy_cloutier

XLP, XLU and XLV.... Rotation to boomer stuff

Rez_X_RS

Buy sector based ETFs, that's what i'm doing currently. SPDR offers alot of ETFs that are specific. Currently i'm in on alot of: XLC, XLF, XLV, XLP XLRE, and XLU.

ByteMillionaire

If it makes you feel any better.. it’s haven’t invested for a long time and my liquid net worth was around £97,900. Wednesday I invested 22k in to SANDISK Wednesday. It stopped my 16% and hit my stop loss.. so I am at a loss of £3900 as of now. I was hoping for a 5% - 10% increase to push me to my 100k goal. But instead i lost 15% I have around £93,000 liquid right now, which I look to find index / ETF’s to put the money into now. I don’t know why o didn’t DCA. I think I was rushed Wednesday as it was closing. This has pushed me back from my goal by maybe an extra 2 months or so. If anyone has any safe ETF / index funds. Let me know please. My plan is to invest in to: VUAG or VWRL. QQQM and XLV

Ahamadrayasbaboon

SPMO, QQQM, SPHQ, XLV, XLU, XLP, SGOV, depending on you view of how the upcoming IPOs will affect the market.  Ordered from bullish to bearish, but all 7 have positive expected returns. 

relikzz

One of the most valuable posts I’ve read. Also, calls on XLV.

Ahamadrayasbaboon

Maybe. I can say that XLP continues to trade above it’s 1yr SMA. XLU is just under. I think XLV went back above.  So yeah, not a lot of defensive stocks to hide in, not that that would save us anyway. 

Applepyes

I’ve been scheming up a play around the idea that semis will see a large rotation out / underperforming sectors will see a large rotation in for quarterly rebalancing throughout second half of June. I’ve been slowly increasing my positions in XLV, XLU, XLI, and XLP by selling my SGOV

Material_Key5935

SPHD, NOBL, LMT, VPU, XLV. (I’m not really a bear but not willing to buy tech or major indexes at this level).

pennquaker18

Staples got off to a great start but it's largely WMT and COST, which aren't losers from higher oil. XRT is very down YTD. XLF is down. XLV is down. The last month has been a semiconductor trade. The only stocks that go up are semiconductor / AI winners.

West_West_313

My portfolio is built around the Kardeshev scale, specifically the idea that a type one civilization uses massive amounts of energy. QQQM targets the major companies, SOXQ targets computing power, URNM targets future energy, XLE targets current energy, COPX targets energy transmission, SHLD targets the global defense of all that stuff and XLV targets the health of all individuals involved.

KemShafu

I'll revisit this in January. I'll use a trailing stop loss on the stocks I choose to do this with, and still figuring out what that looks like. A lot of my stocks probably won't get hit, some sectors don't seem to move very much in the midterms, like my XL\* tickers, (XLE, XLU, XLV) but still researching.

snowycashflow

I just adjusted 10% of my portfolio to be heavy in XLV holdings

lankamonkee

XLV has been underperforming relative to S&P for the past 5 years lol

Confident_Bee_6242

Buying bonds during inflation ramps is a fools errand. Better to get some commodity exposure. Look at BCI or PDBC. Also, buy an sp500 index and a couple of sector funds like XLV or XLU and be done.

Civil_Inspection579

it looks like positioning is getting more bullish even during the pullback low put/call ratios in XLF and XLV suggest traders are leaning toward upside or hedging less vix dropping that much also points to reduced fear after the ceasefire news overall feels like markets are expecting stability or a bounce rather than deeper downside

polymanAI

Dealer call buying + VIX down 24% on ceasefire talks = the classic "protection being unwound" signal. When dealers buy calls, they're hedging short gamma positions which means market makers are net short and need upside protection. The low put/call on XLF and XLV means nobody is buying downside insurance on financials or healthcare. This is risk-on positioning into the weekend - if Islamabad talks produce anything concrete Sunday, expect a gap up Monday.

Ok-Piano8789

look at the charts for XLV, XLF, XHB, etc. there's not much juice left unless things really get dicey.

char-tipped_lips

Damn, up 6% on TLT, XLV, XLU. Its like defensive positioning is a thing.  Weird that bonds continue to take the inflation in stride though...something must be deflationary in the 8-12 month term (provided a rug pull isnt imminent) equation...AI, layoffs, midterms, tariffs ending maybe. Big money is putting volume into that narrative.

buppiejc

Miners are ok short term plays I guess. My point is spy was down. So defensive stocks, GLD, SLV, energy XLE, and healthcare XLV were the plays today.

Got_Engineers

I honestly just use the sector ETF. XLV XLE XLC XLB XLU XLI XLRE. they all rotate in cycles

Positive_Low_2282

Fair enough. Healthcare can be a total minefield of binary events. For those who do find success here, are you sticking to diversified ETFs like XLV, or are you actually picking individual biotech winners?

GlobalLink99

See Xph and XLV-based stocks.

FainterStreak

Hey there, I had a Roth IRA rolled over, and I don't quite want to disclose the amount, but it's certainly getting me excited about what to put this into. After some brief (and I mean brief) research, I was thinking about three EFTs to diversify my stocks, as I am currently leaning pretty heavy in the tech sector (NVDA, VOO) XLV (Health Care Select Sector SPDR) XLI (Industrial Select Sector SDPR) XLP (Consumer Staples Select Sector) What are we thinking, reddit? I will be honest; I know a whole lot of nothing about stocks; I am mainly just trying to load this cash into each EFT for long term investing for the next forty years.

Pin-Last

Buying ETFs, I avoid single stock risk, so “bankruptcy” isn’t an option at least regarding the asset pool. So if an industry is seriously on the rocks, IGV am so embarrassed I can’t think of one for this moment, I buy $Z, then $1.3xZ, and on until it bounces, 5 bite maximum. I’ve had leveraged ETFs go up in smoke on me so any security only gets up to say 20% of the portfolio. I employ the system more judiciously re: leveraged ETFs, but they can make insane $ if u have conviction. CURE, the XLV proxy 3x healthcare ETF, almost doubled bottom to top recently, I had maximum conviction so rode it to a 40% gain in 12 weeks. That’s my ETF playbook, pt 1. 

ReasonableChip0880

Just stick to ETFs focused on HC. Think XLV, IBB, and/or VHT.

Double-Intention4308

* 44 years old * Currently employed ($140,000/yr) * 401(k) that is mostly in a target date fund, with about 40% sitting in a value fund, international fund, and mid-cap fund. All new contributions go to the target date fund. * Roth IRA that is kind of a mess because I've held it forever, but can be modeled as something like 80% VTI + 20% VXUS. * Only debt is my mortgage, which is 3.75% * Fully funded emergency fund (two years) I'm trying to be better with my money. Due to a rocky upbringing, I have a lot of purely psychological roadblocks when it comes to investing. I'd like to start putting more money into my taxable brokerage account, and I'm looking for advice on what I could do in terms of an "intermediate" risk profile that sits somewhere between HYSA/SGOV combination that I've been defaulting to lately and the portfolio I have in my retirement accounts. I've considered a mix of defensive sector ETFs (XLU/XLV/XLP) and heavily "filtered" ETFs like SCHD and VIG. I've also considered bonds, but after 2022 I feel like I don't understand the underlying mechanisms well enough to buy into that. Treasuries might also be an option. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Portfoliana

Instead of chasing "hot" sectors, consider looking at where valuations are actually reasonable right now. Healthcare (XLV) and financials (XLF) are trading at much more attractive P/E ratios compared to tech, and both have solid fundamentals for 2026. European defense (like EUAD) has also gotten a lot of attention post-Ukraine, but it's already run up significantly so you'd want to check if valuations still make sense. One thing I'd suggest: rather than just buying sector ETFs and forgetting, track the underlying fundamentals quarterly - revenue growth, margins, P/E trends. It helps you know when a sector is getting overheated vs when it's actually a value opportunity. The difference between "safe" and "actually safe" often comes down to understanding what you own beyond just the sector label.

Locke_____Lamora

Keep these on your watch list. XLI, XLP, XLE, XLK, XLB, XLV. XLF, XLC, XLU. Seems to be going mostly into energy materials healthcare and financials

Bman409

$XLV and $XLP. Strong on Friday..should continue

johnb111111

Am I stupid for thinking of doing this? So I’m sure we all know that a lot of etfs are heavy into the big 7 and well the crazy growth that can’t be sustained has me thinking of moving away. I’d rather play it safer for long term growth and spread out to etfs like XLI, XLF, XLE, XLV, VBR, VXUS, and RSP. My goal is long term growth for retirement. Thoughts on this? I’d rather not get fucked when this shit bursts by keeping most of my money in VT or something.

no_no_thing

VHT or XLV seem like good entry points to this sector

softboiledjadepotato

QQQ and SPY just about at ATH. Perfect time to introduce new tariffs and a proposal to kill Health Care... rip XLV, UNH

GoProVI

Because stuff like this affects the market? Like everything 🥭 does… for example XLV is starting to drop pre market. Anything else?

TWSTrader

>**Viewing this from an institutional lens...** ignore the "Turnberry Deal" suspension. That is just political theater. The market largely expected that deal to die the moment the tariff tweet went out Saturday. The real "Black Swan" in this article—and the thing that should actually scare you—is the **"Anti-Coercion Instrument" (ACI).** Most retail traders have never heard of this because it has never been used. It was designed for China, but pointing it at the US is a massive escalation. Here is why the ACI is infinitely more dangerous than standard tariffs: **1. The "Nuclear Option": IP Stripping** Standard trade wars are about taxes (Tariffs). The ACI is about **Property Rights.** * **The Threat:** The article mentions *"lifting of intellectual property protections."* * **The Impact:** If the EU invokes this, they could theoretically tell European generic drug makers, *"Go ahead and copy Pfizer and Merck's drugs; we will ignore the patents."* Or tell European tech firms they can ignore US software licenses. * **The Trade:** This stops being a "Soybean/Farmer" problem and becomes a **Big Tech / Big Pharma** problem. **2. The "Asymmetric Warfare" of the ACI** The EU knows they can't win a tariff war (The US buys more from them than they buy from us). So, the ACI allows them to target **Services and Capital**, not just Goods. * *Investment Restrictions:* Blocking US Private Equity from buying EU assets. * *Procurement Bans:* Banning Microsoft or Amazon AWS from bidding on European government cloud contracts. **My Take:** Watch the language coming out of Thursday's meeting. * If they stick to **"Retaliatory Tariffs"** (Bourbon/Harleys): **Buy the Dip.** That is standard playbook stuff. The market knows how to digest it. * If they officially invoke the **ACI (The Bazooka)**: **Short the QQQ and XLV (Healthcare).** * US Tech and Pharma valuations are built on global IP protection. If that cracks, the premium evaporates. **The Timeline:** The EU moves at the speed of bureaucracy. They meet Thursday. Implementation takes weeks. You have time to hedge. Look at **Puts on US Multi-nationals** with >30% revenue from Europe, and rotate into **Domestic Small Caps (IWM)** or **US Defense (ITA)**, which are immune to European regulators.

TWSTrader

**Institutional background here (14 years).** The price action you are seeing today is what we call a **"Geopolitical Air Pocket."** You are right to be excited. The "Madman Theory" volatility (Trump threatening tariffs on NATO allies over Greenland/Trade) creates the best buying opportunities because the market is pricing in **Political Rhetoric**, not **Economic Reality.** Here is the institutional view on your specific points: **1. Why Financials Dropped (The Surprise)** You mentioned you didn't expect Financials to get hit. * **The Mechanism:** When "Tariff" headlines hit, money flees to safety (US Treasuries). This pushes bond prices *up* and yields *down*. * **The Impact:** Banks profit from higher yields (Net Interest Margin). When the 10-Year Treasury yield crashes because of a "Safety Trade," Bank algorithms sell off instantly. It wasn't a credit concern; it was a **Yield Curve** trade. **2. Your Healthcare Thesis** * **The Critique:** Healthcare is a **Defensive Sector** (Low Beta). It usually outperforms *while* the market is crashing (people still need medicine). * **The Rebound Reality:** However, if you believe this is a "Buying Opportunity" (meaning the market will recover), Healthcare is rarely the *first* to rip. * **The Trade:** When the "All Clear" signal comes (usually a Trump tweet walking back the threat), the sectors that were punished the hardest—**Tech and Semis**—will snap back the fastest (High Beta). * *If you want Safety:* Buy Healthcare (XLV). * *If you want Recovery Gains:* Buy the beaten-down Tech (QQQ/SOXX). **3. What happens next?** The "Trump Cycle" usually has a 72-hour half-life. * **Day 1 (Today):** Panic/Algo selling. * **Day 2 (Wednesday):** Stabilization. The administration likely leaks a "clarification" that the tariffs are a "negotiating tactic." * **Day 3 (Thursday):** The Relief Rally. **My take:** Don't chase Healthcare hoping for a rebound; buy it for protection. If you want to profit from the "Trump Dip," you have to buy the thing everyone is afraid of right now: **Big Tech.**

ThinkingOfTheOldDays

thanks. that's a bummer. healthcare factor was weak the past couple days too, avoidance of defensive sectors maybe. I think it's a good time for IYH and XLV.

Got_Engineers

That is why XLV option prices are all fucked this week. Calls had no value

ThinkingOfTheOldDays

healthcare sector has good momentum. $PINK, $XLV, $IYH, $IXJ

bb1180

I'm shifting some away from VOO and the tech sector and plan to invest more into VTV and some sector defensives (XLU and XLV) this year.

bb1180

I've started shifting away from VOO and tech and primarily into VTV, which I'll be adding along with XLU and XLV this year. I want to play this year more defensively.

xlmtothemoon

all in XLV? feel like healthcare is gonna outperform everything for once

Ok-Proposal6598

For having started in June, you're doing very well. Clearly, PLTR and NVDA have significantly boosted your portfolio; both have had an incredible year. The good: BRK.B as a value anchor is smart. Buffett isn't going to make you rich overnight, but he's not going to ruin you either. XLV gives you defensive exposure to healthcare. When tech falls, this will cushion the blow somewhat. The big tech companies (GOOGL, MSFT) are quality companies with real moats. Observations: PLTR at 23% is a lot of concentration in a stock that can move 10% in a day. It's risen like crazy, but it could also correct sharply. Consider not adding more for now and let your other positions grow. QQQ has much of what you already own (NVDA, GOOGL, MSFT). It's somewhat redundant, but not terrible. Your actual exposure to tech is probably 70%+ of your portfolio. It works when tech is rising, but it hurts when it corrects. What's missing: something international. Everything is US-based. Overall you're doing well, just be careful not to keep focusing on PLTR.

Sugamaballz69

“Value” “growth” “momentum” etc. keywords for ETFs are mostly marketing. You are not going to harvest more growth by choosing these funds, especially passively. The only one of these that has somewhat of a standing is value but you are not going to get that from a passive index, i can assure you. Its just marketing. I’d get rid of VOOG, VBR, XLV (don’t see the point in having 5% of this as VOO is already like 10% healthcare) Personally I would get rid of all crypto, has 0 inherent value. But i am also aware this is a touchy subject. 10% is still too much to put into a single purely speculative asset regardless of my personal beliefs on it. I usually allocate around 10% total towards speculative, and of that, no single speculative stock can take up more than 5%.  I’m surprised you dont hold any GOOGL or MSFT, and a heavy weighting into nuclear. Little odd but now im just nitpicking. You need to be past conviction to be fully settled. No worries though, these things take time until you reach that. At that point, you’ll most likely no longer be on reddit or at least no longer posting about your positions. Conviction in a portfolio usually doesn't ask what strangers think about it. I know thats harsh but its the reality

crazybutthole

if your real emergency fund is $50k - you could invest lets say $20-25k of it split sveral ways to diversify so if shut hits the fan and you have to sell not every thing goes down at once. say for example - if you dont need the dividends $15-20k in BOXX (box spread ETF that pays better than most treasuries and does not pay dividends) $5k SPYM $5k IEFA (or similar international fund) $3k SBUG (or similar gold fund) $3k UTES (utilities) $3k FV (sector fund that avoids tech) $3k XLV (healthcare) $3k RDVY (rising dividend fund) with the exception of SPYM - i think at least a few of these will maintain their value or go up when SPYM drops. just my opinion. not financial advice.

PltoMsnLXIXThe2ndMsn

You picked a bad time to do short term gains. Market is rotating out of speculative ai/tech and settling into reliable stocks for the eoy blues. My best, risk adverse advice is to buy a share of an ETF like XLV and hedge. For the record I sold off rocketlab and holding one of CRSPR since it's prob undervalued for the long term (1 year) Your best bet is to take one of those AI proofreading gigs on LinkedIn and buy a share with the money.

Crazy_Donkies

I have every idea.  Until fundamentals change in a specific ticker, consumer spending is curtailed, or unemployment actually increases I will disagree with you every day of the week.   They are in "bear market territory" (What ever that means, since it doesn’t imply corporate performance), because of previous rotation into AI and Tech.   It's presently all sentiment. I will point you to two tickers as source of the rotation and that this isn't fundamentals.  IWM.  XLV.

ThinkingOfTheOldDays

PHYS, EEM, IEFA, VEA, IWM, XLK, XLP, XLV some tech now maybe, in shares

TheInkDon1

Thank you, that means a lot to me! So, I haven't been doing this in earnest for long, really just 2 or 3 months. But it does make sense, intuitively, doesn't it? And I don't keep good records to where I can say my accounts went up this much over that long. But I can give you my last 3 trades to give you an idea. **XBI** has been my darling for 7 weeks now. On **10/22** I bought Dec'26 90-Calls for **25.85**. Today they're worth **36.95** at Midpoint here AH. That's 43% over 7 weeks (1 day short). Can we call that 6% per week and extrapolate? **XPH**: this one I broke my LEAPS rule because it doesn't have expirations out that far, but I liked its chart, and it was better than the runner-up I'd picked, which did have LEAPS options. On **11/18** I bought 17Apr26 39-Calls for 13.65. Today they're worth 17.90. 31% over 3 weeks exactly. 10% per week? **XLV**: this one I cut yesterday b/c it had been going down for 2 weeks. **11/18** bought the Jan'2**8** 120-Calls for **39.97**. (I was experimenting with max time on these.) I can't tell you what those would've sold for yesterday, because I had rolled them in to Jan'2fter a 1.4% XLV share drop from yesterday) those Calls are **36.50**. So a loss of 9% over 3 weeks, -3% per week. So like that: some winners, some losers, and so far I've kept the losers small by monitoring the trend of the underlying. Do we get to add 6 + 10 - 3% per week and 13, then divide by 3 to get 4% per week? I don't know, maybe there's a better way to do that.

TheInkDon1

Hi, it's right there near the top: >I find \[momentum\] on **ETFs** [like this](https://imgur.com/a/etf-screening-on-barchart-G2Q5UWp). >I screen by **3-month** performance, but look at *6-month* charts. I'm not looking for the most UP, but the *smooooothest.* So I do ETFs only, not stocks. And I screen for them on Barchart as the screen-capture video (the blue link) shows. You might need to have Barchart Plus for their "flipcharts" feature, but it's so worth it to me. Or just screen ETFs with options there or anywhere else, then chart them somewhere. I find [StockAnalysis.com](http://StockAnalysis.com) to be quick and easy to use. It makes quick, pretty charts like this one: [My current 3 ETFs](https://imgur.com/a/BDuibJB) Silver is choppier than I like, but the return made me buy it. XBI is my current benchmark. I've been in it and XPH for 6-7 weeks now. So looking at that 3-month view, do you see the relative smoothness of XBI & XPH? That's what I look for, over the choppiness of SLV. But today I had to cut XLV (have a look and you'll see why), and I couldn't find a replacement I liked as well as even XPH. So I scaled fully into SLV, which I'd been dipping my too into late last week. Does that help?

TheInkDon1

You're welcome! As a data point, I bought **XBI** (the blue line) on 10/22, 6.5 weeks ago. The LEAPS Call I bought was the Dec'26 91-strike for **25.19**. That guy is worth **38.17** today. A gain of (38.17 / 25.19) = **51%** I'd apy that from 6.5 weeks, but it gets stupid. I'm also in **XLV** (which I don't recommend right now), and **XPH**, which hasn't done quite as well as **XBI**, but is solid. And the beauty of buying LEAPS Calls is that you can dial in the amount of leverage you want. I want really-good-but-sorta-safe leverage, so I buy at just over 1y and at 90-delta. Let me show you how the leverage calc works: Tomorrow I might buy the 376DTE XBI Call at 90-delta, the 94-strike, for **35.13** at Midpoint tonight, Sunday. XBI shares were last at **123.41**. How many of those Calls could you buy for the same money as 100 shares? 123.41 / 35.13 = **3.5** I kind of call that the *gross* leverage. Because it does answer that question, but it doesn't yet tell us how much faster the Call's price rises as the share price rises. For that we need to factor in the Delta of 0.90, which just means that the Call appreciates 90% as much as the shares: 90 cents on a $1 rise. So we multiply that 3.5 by 0.9 and get **3.1x** *net* leverage. But you might not want that much leverage. ***Because leverage cuts both ways.*** So you might go as far out as **XBI** has options, 775DTE/2.1y, and buy not at 90-delta, but at the first *100-delta* Call you find, the 80-strike. *Do you think it will cost more? And why?* Try to answer before reading ahead. Because it's farther out in time, it has more "what-if" potential, so yes, it will cost more. And because it's deeper ITM, you're paying for more 'equity' in the ETF. Okay, so he sells for **50.00**. Rembember that the first one sold for just 35.13, so you can see that the denominator of our calc is larger, leading to a smaller output. But here we get to multiply by 1.00, not 0.9, so we don't get that Delta reduction. So: 1.00 x (123.41 / 50.00) = 2.47x leverage. 3.1 before, 2.5 now. If you want even less, then slide up in the Call chain to lower strikes. They go down to 50, which gives a leverage of 1.6. So you see, you can dial in anywhere from 1.6x to 3.1x leverage on XBI, to suit your needs. And if I didn't say it before: deep-ITM LEAPS Calls act as share substitutes, giving us that leverage. So don't think of them as "option things," but just shares on steroids.

A1ien30y

This and only this. QQQ, VOO, SPY, XLV(for some of that medical diversification), ARKK and pick some dividends. Let know if I miss any other good ones.

Terakahn

FIX, GOOGL, ALAB. If I thought it was a bullish year. I'm not convinced. So. AEM, XLU, XLV.

ServerTechie

JEPI might be a good investment choice for him. High yield and low volatility. It won’t help with long term growth, but aggressive investing in his 60s could make you both uncomfortable. There are some low volatility equity ETFs out there that might interest you like SPLV, USMV, VFMV, but all of them still had significant drawdowns in 2020 and 2022 like everything else. Another option might be defensive ETFs, but don’t expect S&P level performance: XLU, VDC, XLV, SPHD. I sympathize, my father never invested in the market either. He had a good run living off his own parents until they died and he inherited a fortune in assets, but given his nature he blew thru millions in only a few short years. Now any bills not covered by social security fall to my sister or me. 😡

Wowmuchrya

When the recucklicans deny the ACA credit extension, like they always planned to do, XLV will crater. Already started selling off today from all the insiders lmao. Imagine being stupid enough to end the shutdown for a promised "vote" on extensions. 🤦‍♂️

SouthernBySituation

Sold CURE (3X leveraged XLV) when it broke the 50 day hard on Sept 25th and closed at the low of the day. Next 4 days healthcare did a U-turn and the sector that was so hated at the time has led the market since. CURE did 21%+ in 4 days. Missed a 50%+ move overall. Buying and sitting on oversold sectors is the way.

Morely7385

If it were me , I’d stop anchoring to the old high and plan a staged exit: harvest the loss, rotate most into XLV or VHT, and keep a small tracker or use covered calls for any rebound. What I’d do: sell enough now to lock the tax loss, buy XLV/VHT the same day so you keep healthcare exposure, then wait 31 days before deciding if PFE deserves a spot again. Earnings is a coin flip, so let the ETF carry the sector bet. If you want upside while exiting, write 30–60 day covered calls on the leftover shares and let assignment take you out on strength. To justify holding at all, I’d want clear signs on integration/execution, debt paydown pace, R&D updates, and guidance revisions, not hopes for another vaccine spike. For prep, I use Koyfin for ETF look‑through and Portfolio Visualizer for simple backtests, and Ask Edgar to skim filings and transcripts fast before earnings. Main point: set a rules-based exit, TLH into XLV/VHT now, and only keep a small, managed PFE slice.

Crazy_Donkies

Many Healthcare stocks did.  Plus we keep hearing this administration attacking healthcare costs (rightfully so).  So I pulled out of XLV and XLV calls this week and am focusing on the hopeful shift to IWM.

SpongEWorTHiebOb

been a dividend trap and “turnaround “ story for 9 of the past 10 years. Tax loss harvesting may keep it depressed through year end. It may pop a bit in the new year as people rotate into new plays. I’d look to sell before their next earnings date and reinvest proceeds in VHT or XLV. It’s very hard predicting a winner in this space. The science is hard and so many of them overpay for acquisitions that it’s best to invest in one of the ETFs. The ETFS have caught on fire past few months after 2 years of low returns. The sector will probably outperform next 2 years.

TheInkDon1

You're welcome, and I'm glad you're trying it! I've been loving XBI since 10/22, and added XLV and XPH more recently because they screened in for 2 ETFs I was cutting. I AM very concentrated in that area though, aren't I? But I don't look for ETFs that I *think* might do well; I simply find the ones that *are* doing well. Have you seen [how I screen on Barchart](https://imgur.com/a/etf-screening-on-barchart-G2Q5UWp)? You might need to pay for Barchart Plus to be able to do some of the steps, but the Flipcharts feature is more than worth it to me. But however you screen, **look at charts**, and look for *smoooooth*. I'll pick an ETF that's doing 'just' 2% a month over one that's doing 10% if it's a smoother ride. Because I know I can leverage that to something like 6%/month, and that's enough for anybody. And I don't have to worry too much about buying in on the wrong day and it tanks a day or three after. Because that hurts when you're buying LEAPS Calls. I just screened again, 3-month performance, Has Options, Volume >700k, then looking at 6-month charts: **XBI** was #1. That thing is up 53% over 6 months. Buy the 90-delta Call at 388DTE and you're getting 3.1x leverage after adjusting for Delta. That's huge. Silver and its miners, plus the gold miners GDX & GDXJ were next, and they're making me think it might be time for me to get back into precious metals. **IBB** was next, but of course it's another biotech. Still, 40% over 6 months, and look how smooth. Then **GLD** and other gold ETFs. Gold had a great runup since late 2023, and I caught some of it this year, but gave some of it back too after the peak on 10/20. I'll probably get back in if/when gold clears 4,200. Take care, Mike

frank_uptrendinsight

It may not appear this is an everything bubble. Without a doubt Tech (XLK) has been challenged in the last month as it's performance is lagging every other sector during that time period but Healthcare (XLV) has been strongest sector in the last month with about a 6.5% return. Now, that is a defensive sector so perhaps what we are seeing is investors run to safety in this market. With major indexes at 4 week lows we will have to see whether this is a rotation out of high P/E AI names into safety/value or if we are entering a correction or bear market.

Terakahn

GLD, XLV, XBI. AI and commodities run for way longer than people think. But I wouldn't do any of these I'd just pick stocks

MrT_IDontFeelSoGood

Somehow XLV is holding in there. I’m wondering if we’ll get a whoosh down across all markets this week. Tension is definitely building.

toasty_mintz

The rotation is clearly into XLV. And the odds of a cut in December are now sub .500… until economic data is released again, and internalized by the market it’s going to be a tough market to trade.. buying off the 50 Day MA is one simple strategy

Medical-Chapter-1410

hold my shit! everything is getting obliterated. LOL My only saviour is GOLD and XLV and even that is getting spanked now. LOL

explorer77800

I loaded up on XLV the last 6 months while was going down, and everything else was and is way overvalued. Feels great right now.

explorer77800

Love me some sector ETF investing. Loaded up on XLV the last 6 months and nothing but straight up lately. Love it.

Crazy_Donkies

XLV (healthcare) is up over 1%.

TracyM45

Schumer loses 1.5 trillion profit for Insurers.Short XLV

ThinkingOfTheOldDays

XLV same chart pattern every day. moons until 10, sells off hard

ThinkingOfTheOldDays

XLV january OPEX 145c

ThinkingOfTheOldDays

I bought the top on XLV. until tomorrow