Summary
- The healthcare sector remains a strong bullish secular story.
- A bullish technical break on Tenet Healthcare gives an attractive risk-reward ratio.
- A bullish scenario for aggressive traders is targeting a move back to $60 despite fundamentals looking iffy.
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Workers want to be paid an honest, fair wage for the work they do. They want to be able to provide for their families by being justly compensated for their part in helping grow the U.S. economy. They deserve to be able to put food on the table and receive healthcare and other benefits.
- James P. Hoffa
The healthcare industry is full of challenges despite its growth potential. In the U.S., health expenditures are projected to rise by $3.5 trillion until 2040, with similar trends in BRIC countries, according to the World Economic Forum and OECD.
As life expectancy around the world continues to rise, the number of people aged 65 and over is increasing at a faster pace. Out of one billion people added to the world’s population by 2025, almost a third belong to the over 65 years old category.
Can they afford proper healthcare, and what can governments around the world do about it? That's one of the biggest challenges of our time and will shape the future of the entire healthcare industry.
According to a recent study conducted by the Brookings Institute, 65% of the global population will be middle class by 2030. Changes in demographics and regional trends force healthcare companies to adapt too - for instance, Europe’s population is shrinking, while Africa’s is doubling by 2050.
The global challenges for the industry are visible in the United States too. Big players operating here suffered in the last few years from increased competition, a new paradigm of public and private sector collaboration, and the inability to adapt to a fast-changing environment heavily regulated by governments.
Tenet Healthcare (THC) is one such company. Operating 65 hospitals and employing over 110k people, the company saw its share price melting from $60 to $13 between 2015 and 2018. It currently trades above the $30 mark - but is this the long-awaited turnaround?
From a technical perspective, the price reacted to classic patterns every time so far in the past. It topped around the $60 level after breaking out of a bullish flag. After the double top, it formed a falling wedge that broke higher.
