Investors who are looking for short-term profits should make sure that the names in the post below are on their radar for next week. They all appear to be outperforming the rest of the market during any rally. You are looking at the names my personal playbook would contain if I were going to be trading the markets this week.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. has contracted BioReliance Corp. to support the production of vaccines for use by the U.S. Defense Department.

For the second straight week, the major market indices saw little net movement.

Teva Gets European OK To Acquire Barr Pharmaceuticals

Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/news.php?st=p&id=4253797 for the full story.

Spotlight On: Biotech The U.S. biotechnology industry includes about 1,000 companies, of all sizes, with combined annual revenues close to $50 billion. Large companies include Amgen, Biogen Idec, Genetech, Genzyme, Life Technologies and Monsanto. Because so many drugs are now developed using biotechnology, the biotech and pharmaceutical industries overlap. Demand for biotechnology products and services is driven primarily by the willingness of insurers to pay for new medical treatments. With the pending introduction of Obamacare, new uncertainties are introduced to this industry. Biotech products and treatments tend to be expensive and the drive to reduce costs through rationing will no doubt effect this industry. The profitability of individual companies depends on the discovery and effective marketing of new products. Because the market for potential[More...]

Looking back through 2008, the Healthcare sector has hit some huge hurdles. Patent concerns and expirations were worries for all major firms, the Department of Justice hit Med Tech with fines, Big Pharma made thousands of job cuts, Managed Care got demolished with enrollment cuts, and investors struggled to find much, if any safety in the whole sector. Going forward, 2009 will be quite an interesting year in the markets and the ever-so struggling economy. More M&A activity and consolidation will not only be seen within the Financials sector, but will also spread across other sectors. We have seen this ramp up quite a bit in Due to lofty predictions by some analysts regarding unforeseen buyouts of large Biotech firms by Big Pharma, heated debates on the Street will be prevalent. Some names that have been thrown out are Merck buying Gilead and Pfizer purchasing Amgen. Although those are pretty big bets, nonetheless, it will[More...]

One of Macro Man’s favourite themes at the moment is the necessity and likelihood of EM policy easing in response to the global recession and disinflationary/deflationary dynamic. For sure, most EM countries have eased policy to one degree or another- some of them aggressively. But a few EM CBs have stuck to their guns….for now. [...]

In no way do I feel the market has bottomed out or that the credit crisis has skidded to a halt, but in the words of Warren Buffet, “Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful.” What does this mean for you, an investor? Invest in equities, now! In past articles I have noted that the Healthcare sector’s mistakenly being referred to as “recessionary proof” is quite a misconception; however, as a long-term investor (minimum three years), like myself, you should be “greedy.” And what a perfect time it is to be greedy.Consumer Confidence hit an all-time low of 38 in October, it’s lowest level since inception in 1967. An intelligent investor will act now. It is time to restructure your personal portfolio, and you should look to[More...]

With another tough day in the market following the Presidential Election,  the word’s largest generic drug maker topped 3rd Quarter net profit forecasts. Teva (TEVA: 42.55, +2.0477 (+5.06%)), headquarted in Israel, develops, manufactures, and markets generic and human pharmaceuticals. They also participate in the formation of active pharmaceuticals, or APIs, in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Israel. Teva’s net profit for the quarter, excluding one-time items, was $599 million or $0.72 per diluted share, compared with $525 million, or $0.64 per share. Sales increased 20% to a record of[More...]

Companies featured in this segment: Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (BAK:EGCO), Sultan Mining, Energy Development Corporation (PSE:SLTN), AES Corporation (NYSE:AES), Korea Electric Power Corporation (SEO:015760), Continental AG (OTC:CTTAY), Pioneer Electronics Incorporated (TYO:6773), Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE), Avnet Incorporated (NYSE:AVT), Arrow Electronics Incorporated (NYSE:ARW), Scottish & Southern Energy (LON:SSE), General Electric (NYSE:GE), Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO), Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NASDAQ:TEVA), Barr Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NYSE: BRL)

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