The table presented above compares and contrasts the two healthcare ETFs, based on Yahoo! Finance statistics as of the market close on July, 2, 2008.

Despite concerns over the health of the domestic economy along with surging food and energy prices, the healthcare sector has failed to garner investor interest as a safe haven. Most healthcare exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and drug stocks continue to languish near multi-year lows, despite an aging Baby Boomer population and ever-increasing proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) accounted for by healthcare spending. Last year, total health expenses grew at twice the inflation rate (6.9%), accounting for 16% of the GDP at $2.3 trillion. This growth rate is expected to continue over the next decade to a level of $4.2 trillion in 2016, accounting for 20% of the GDP, based on statistics provided by the National Coalition for …