Vanguard Health Care ETF

VHT

Market cap $17.8B

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Healthcare - Broad segment of the equity market, the Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.

The broader market is sending a clear signal as speculative assets like cryptocurrencies have taken a dive.

From "software-mageddon" to rising AI capex pressuring Big Tech, diversification via defensive and global ETFs gains focus.

Flat Medicare Advantage rate hikes hit insurers hard, but diversified healthcare ETFs may help investors weather the policy shock.

Vanguard's low-fee mutual funds and ETFs make it easy for individual investors to build diversified portfolios. The Vanguard Health Care ETF has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past six months.

With well-publicized losses for companies including UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH, Elevance Health NYSE: ELV, and Wegovy and Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk NYSE: NVO, the healthcare sector failed to outperform the broad market last year.

After a late-2025 rebound eased policy fears, healthcare ETFs like IXJ are gaining attention as investors position for a sector comeback in 2026.

In the last three months of 2025, the tech sector experienced what some called a “correction”.

Health care ETFs could emerge as one of the stronger performers in 2026 as investors grow cautious about pricey AI stocks.

The approval of Novo Nordisk's (NYSE: NVO)oral Wegovy is bringing new interest to health care and pharmaceutical ETFs that provide access to the growing GLP-1 market without requiring investors to choose one specific company.