A merger between Astra of Sweden and Zeneca of the United Kingdom formed AstraZeneca in 1999. The firm sells branded drugs across a number of major therapeutic areas, including oncology (over 40% of total revenue), cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (over 20%), rare disease (16%), and respiratory and immunology (15%). The majority of sales comes from international markets, with the United States representing close to one-third of its sales.

Argus is hosting a five-part webinar series on AI. Our first webinar was on AI and IT, and our most-recent event was on AI and Healthcare. Still to come are webinars on AI and the Consumer Sectors (April 1); AI and Financial Services (May 6); and AI and Industrial/Energy (June 3). In our recent webinar, we noted that Healthcare companies are using AI to improve research, surgeries, drug development, best practices, and other health-related enhancements. During the webinar, we were asked which Healthcare companies have strong records of innovation and are embracing breakthroughs in AI - and the following is a list of those companies, as we see it. They are all rated BUY at Argus.

The benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield was recently near 3.95%, down from 4.3% earlier in the year and at its lowest level since October. The U.S. missile strike in Iran has prompted a risk-off trade, and investors are piling into safe and secure U.S. Treasury bonds. Adding fuel to the fire, the domestic employment environment has cooled, and the on-again/off-again shutdown status of the U.S. government has upended key economic trends. Other sovereign long-term rates generally have held at higher levels. The UK's benchmark yield is near 4.25%, and the debt of Australia, which we view as a proxy for China growth, is at 4.65%. But not all have climbed to heights on fears of rekindled inflation. For example, sovereign debt yields for Japan and Switzerland remain near their pandemic lows at sub-2.0% levels. Meanwhile, China has maintained its interest rate near or below 2.0% as well. Elsewhere around the globe, tariff worries in Mexico and political uncertainty in Brazil are keeping sovereign-debt interest rates in those countries in the 8%-12% range. Russian debt yields are close to 14%, up 100 basis points from a year ago as the conflict with Ukraine drags on and inflation runs at a rate of 6.0%. Looking ahead, as U.S. inflation once again starts to moderate, the Federal Reserve is expected to continue its strategy of lowering short-term interest rates through 2027 in order to keep the U.S. economy growing. Should that occur, longer-term U.S. Treasury yields may stay in the 3.75%-4.75% range as the domestic economy continues to grow. That's not a bad return, with inflation moderating.

A merger between Astra of Sweden and Zeneca of the United Kingdom formed AstraZeneca in 1999. The firm sells branded drugs across a number of major therapeutic areas, including oncology (over 40% of total revenue), cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (over 20%), rare disease (16%), and respiratory and immunology (15%). The majority of sales comes from international markets, with the United States representing close to one-third of its sales.