The United States economy is full of innovation. It has to be. Manufacturing industries that dominated the economy decades ago - textiles, televisions, even automobiles to a large degree - have moved overseas, where labor and materials costs are lower. Yet the U.S. economy, even during the pandemic and the current period of high inflation, has expanded to record levels. If U.S. corporations weren't innovating, creating new products (such as vaccines and AI) and services (such as Zoom calls) and moving into new markets, the domestic economy would not be growing, and capital would not be flooding into the country. The current high level of the U.S. dollar relative to currencies around the world attests to the confidence that global investors have in the durable and innovative U.S. economy.

We see what we believe are some great opportunities right now in Healthcare -- and we like the sector overall. Argus Director of Research Jim Kelleher, CFA, recently completed his quarterly sector review and raised Healthcare sector to Over-Weight from Market-Weight. The healthcare environment is undergoing rapid transitions, and we now see an unfolding period of significant promise and opportunity. Our newly-favored stance is based on resumption of deferred medical procedures and significant new quality-of-life drugs and treatments. The category is broad and has underperformed the S&P 500 over the past year. The Healthcare sector ETF (XLV) is up 15% over the past year compared to a gain of 31% for the S&P 500. We see opportunity here to pick up some steady companies, with big brands and solid financials. These companies are science-focused and enhance lives. They are innovators. In our list this week, we look across several subsectors within the Healthcare sector and pull out some leaders we like. These stocks also are included in our Focus List and Model Portfolios, as noted below.

Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stryker manufactures and markets medical devices, primarily in the orthopedic market. The Orthopedics segment sells joint reconstructive products (hips, knees and shoulders) and trauma implants. The MedSurg Equipment segment sells powered surgical instruments, surgical navigation systems, endoscopic products, medical video imaging equipment, and hospital beds and patient-handling systems. The Neurotechnology unit includes the neurovascular business as well as the interventional spine and spinal implants business.

Nearly two months into 2024, stocks continue to perform well, yet insiders remain very cautious (as they have been for the past month). Insiders have unique views into their respective corners of the market, and their overt caution begs a question. Shouldn't stocks be pulling back if insiders are correct?