The press is now talking about the swine flu again and it is putting a scare in the public sector. “In a recent report, the World Health Organization predicted that within two years nearly one-third of the world’s population will have contracted swine flu. The WHO is also predicting that many countries will see swine flu cases double every three to four days for several months until a peak transmission is reached,” Michael Johnston Reports From ETF Database.

Johnston continues to write “Between swine flu scares and proposals for national health care, the health and biotech sector has been in focus for the better part of the last year. As we prepare for the next chapter in the swine flu saga, here’s a look at three ETFs worth keeping an eye on”

Here is a look at the 3 ETF’s Johnston talks about below:

• Merrill Lynch Pharmaceutical HOLDRS (PPH): This ETF invests exclusively in pharmaceutical companies, and maintains significant holdings in a few individual securities. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) (24%), Pfizer (PFE) (15%), and Merck (MRK) (11%) combine to account for about half of PPH holdings. PPH has gained about 5% so far in 2009.
• iShares S&P Global Healthcare Sector Index Fund (IXJ): With more than 80 individual components in a dozen countries, IXJ offers diversified exposure to the global healthcare industry. IXJ has an expense ratio of 0.48% and has gained about 4% year to date.
• PowerShares Dynamic Pharmaceuticals (PJP): PJP is based on the Dynamic Pharmaceuticals Intellidex Index, which seeks to identify companies poised to experience capital appreciation through an analysis of various investment criteria. PJP has an expense ratio of 0.60% and has returned about 4% to date this year.

Full Report On ETF Database’s Story Click: HERE

Here’s a look at some of the top holdings in the ETF’s mentioned above. 

TOP 10 HOLDINGS (PPH) ( 92.45% OF TOTAL ASSETS)

Company Symbol % Assets ABBOTT LABORATORIES (ABT) 10.79 Affymetrix Pfd N/A 8.96 BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB (BMY) 6.01 LILLY ELI CO (LLY) 5.78 FOREST LABS CL A (FRX) 1.67 JOHNSON AND JOHNS DC (JNJ) 24.36 MEDCOHEALTH SOLUTNS (MHS) 4.55 MERCK CO INC (MRK) 10.23 PFIZER INC (PFE) 14.26 SCHERING PLOUGH CP (SGP) 5.84   TOP 10 HOLDINGS (IXJ) ( 48.58% OF TOTAL ASSETS)   Company Symbol % Assets ABBOTT LABORATORIES (ABT) 3.95 ASTRAZENECA PLC ADS (AZN) 3.4 GlaxoSmithKline PLC N/A 4.94 JOHNSON AND JOHNS DC (JNJ) 8.65 MERCK CO INC (MRK) 3.3 Novartis N/A 5.97 PFIZER INC (PFE) 5.81 Roche Holding AG N/A 5.44 SANOFI-AVENTIS (SAN.PA) 3.73 WYETH (WYE) 3.39   TOP 10 HOLDINGS (PJP) ( 46.19% OF TOTAL ASSETS)   Company Symbol % Assets ABBOTT LABORATORIES (ABT) 4.35 Amgen Inc. (AMGN) 4.66 BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB (BMY) 4.94 Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) 4.39 JOHNSON AND JOHNS DC (JNJ) 5.04 MEDICIS PHARMA CP (MRX) 3.47 MERCK CO INC (MRK) 5.2 PFIZER INC (PFE) 5.63 SCHERING PLOUGH CP (SGP) 3.49 WYETH (WYE) 5.02   GET A FREE TREND ANALYSIS  FOR ANY ETF HERE!

Related posts:

1. Mind The Leveraged ETFs; They Might KILL Your Portfolio (TZA, TNA, FAZ, FAS, SH, AGQ, ZSL, SDS)
2. A Healthy Portfolio: The Future Looks Bright For Healthcare ETFs (VHT, FXH, PFE, MRK, JNJ, ABT)
3. Health-Care ETFs: Are Healthcare Stocks Still A Good Bet For 2012 (XLV, VHT, IYH, IXJ, FXH, XLU)
4. Why Equities Look Cheap, But Healthcare Does Not (IVV, IWV)
5. Global Cash Flows Back Into Healthcare In Search Of Havens (XLV, ABT, AMGN, PFE, MRK, UNH)

IXJ, NYSE:PPH, PJP