This 1 Industry Is The Safest Place to Park Your Cash Today
The S&P 500 is down 10% in 2020 and the markets have been showing a lot of volatility, especially since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March. However, not all industries and not all types of stocks have been hit equally. There are some industries facing much more risk today than others. And if you're not sure where to invest right now, a safe choice might be in healthcare.
Healthcare is on everyone's minds these days as concerns surrounding COVID-19 are front and center on every newscast. Not only are people with COVID-19 suffering, but patients with other diseases and illnesses are also struggling as hospitals have pushed many of them down the priority list in an effort to free up resources. Even when there's not a pandemic to heighten people's needs for healthcare products and services, those things are still essential, and demand for them is a lot more consistent than other industries may experience.
As risky as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) may appear to be as an investment -- the company is facing lawsuits relating to opioids, talc baby powder, and other products -- it's still going strong, with sales up 3.3% in first-quarter 2020 over the prior year and net earnings reaching $5.8 billion, an increase of 55%. Lower expenses propelled the company's profit margin from 18.7% a year ago to 28% in Q1.
Source Fool.com
