Where do you seek refuge in today's market?
Investors are by now used to seeing the iron ore miners sinking on a weekly basis. For a short time, the energy sector looked like it might be a place to find shelter from falling iron ore and coal prices.
Then, the bottom fell out of that market, with Brent crude oil prices plummeting over 35% since late June. At least the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) (Index: ^AXJO) is only down about 2% over the past year.
The hope that the LNG export market could possibly take over where mining left off for the Australian economy got a "crude" awakening. Energy big names like Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) have sold off heavily just over the past week.
Remember that these are commodities markets, so when they are down, it's like trying to get a premium on a generic can of beans.
Rather than struggle with where commodity prices will go from here, here are two winning stocks in the rising healthcare sector that are defying the downward ASX move and could lead to higher gains in 2015.
— Biopharmaceutical giant CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) is hitting new all-time highs on the back of strong demand for its blood related treatment and disease prevention products. Specialised healthcare products are always in demand and CSL is a market leader in producing blood plasma and albumin. Also, with a recent acquisition it will be the number two largest influenza vaccine producer in the world.
Earnings are projected by some analysts to rise as much as 15% on average annually for the next several years. It's successful because high-demand specialised products lead to premium pricing and business growth.
— Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC) is seeing good growth in its private hospital network both in Australia and abroad. It has started to take its first steps in entering the huge Chinese healthcare market. In a joint venture, the company will take part ownership of five hospitals in Chengdu, a city of 14 million people. As more and more people are moving from the countryside to cities in China, providing healthcare is a quickly growing business.
This acquisition is but the latest in a series that have already seen Ramsay Health Care become the largest private hospital operator in France in addition to its market-leading position in Australia. Increasing numbers of injuries and illness, as well as aging populations keep Ramsay Health Care's hospital services business growing and in the black.
Healthcare companies are usually good defensive stocks to own because of their steady general demand in services. However, these two stocks are also growth stocks that have a lot more room to run internationally, so I would suggest both should have a place in a growing long-term portfolio.
