---
title: "Health Care Down, But not by Much, Amid Defensive Bias — Health Care Roundup"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/302150475.md"
description: "Health care stocks declined slightly but outperformed the broader market as investors rotated from technology into defensive sectors. Major health insurers like UnitedHealth retained weekly gains, while big pharma companies such as Pfizer and Merck rose ahead of upcoming earnings reports."
datetime: "2026-10-16T21:59:09.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/302150475.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/302150475.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/302150475.md)
generator: "portal-rs"
---

# Health Care Down, But not by Much, Amid Defensive Bias — Health Care Roundup

Health-care companies fell, but not by as much as the broad market, as traders rotated out of the technology sector into defensive areas.

Shares of major health insurers such as UnitedHealth gave back some of their gains for the week but remained in the green. 

Big Pharma companies such as Pfizer and Merck rose ahead of drugmaker earnings later in the reporting season. 

Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 16, 2026 17:48 ET (21:48 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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> **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**