What Happened?
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the U.S. administration announced a sharp escalation in trade tensions by threatening new tariffs on Canada.
The wider market sentiment turned negative after the White House announced plans to impose a 35% tariff on Canadian imports, sparking renewed fears of a trade war. This news prompted a sell-off across major U.S. indexes, including the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as investors grew concerned about the potential economic impact of escalating protectionist policies. The healthcare sector is especially vulnerable to such tensions due to its deeply integrated supply chains with Canada for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, meaning increased costs and potential disruptions.
Additionally, ongoing U.S. policy headwinds aimed at lowering drug prices and specific corporate challenges, like those faced by UnitedHealth Group, further compounded the sector's decline. As a result, the Health Care SPDR ETF (XLV) fell 1.0%, underperforming even as major indices pared some losses.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Hospital Chains company Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ: ACHC) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Acadia Healthcare? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Genomics & Sequencing company 10x Genomics (NASDAQ: TXG) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy 10x Genomics? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Generic Pharmaceuticals company Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMPH) fell 3%. Is now the time to buy Amphastar Pharmaceuticals? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Therapeutics company Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: MYGN) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Myriad Genetics? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Medical Devices & Supplies - Imaging, Diagnostics company QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ: QDEL) fell 3.8%. Is now the time to buy QuidelOrtho? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On QuidelOrtho (QDEL)
QuidelOrtho’s shares are very volatile and have had 27 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
QuidelOrtho is down 32.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $30.48 per share, it is trading 36% below its 52-week high of $47.61 from January 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of QuidelOrtho’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $129.97.
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