{"id":37264,"date":"2019-08-31T11:26:49","date_gmt":"2019-08-31T15:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencebusiness.technewslit.com\/?p=37264"},"modified":"2019-08-31T11:29:27","modified_gmt":"2019-08-31T15:29:27","slug":"infographic-biotech-index-falls-in-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technewslit.com\/sciencebusiness\/?p=37264","title":{"rendered":"Infographic – Biotech Index Falls in Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nasdaq<\/a>
Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, 1 Jan. to 30 Aug. 2019. Click on image for full-size view (Nasdaq)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

31 Aug. 2019. In early January of this year, we checked into the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index<\/a>, or NBI, as an indicator of the industry’s overall health. On the previous day back then (4 Jan.), the index of 223 biotech companies trading on the Nasdaq jumped 3.4 percent<\/a> in one trading session, mirroring an increase in the technology-heavy Nasdaq overall of more than 4 percent.<\/p>\n

It’s time to check in again on the NBI, on its ups and downs since the start of 2019<\/a>, our infographic for this weekend. The numbers show the index is up 5.7 percent since the beginning of the year. Since 1 July, however, NBI is down by about the same rate, 5.6 percent. For comparison, the Nasdaq Composite Index<\/a> is up 19.5 percent for the year, but down 1.6 percent since 1 July.<\/p>\n

As seen in our day-to-day reporting, the biotechnology industry covers a range of companies developing treatments and diagnostics for human and animal health, as well as agricultural applications. Industry analysts at IBISWorld<\/a> note that the U.S. biotech industry represents nearly 3,000 companies employing some 304,000 workers, with revenues of $112 billion so far in 2019, and an annual growth rate in the past five years of 1.7 percent.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, biotechnology and other sectors based on scientific discovery are not immune from larger economic and geopolitical forces. In the trade war between the U.S. and China, protection of intellectual property — coin of the realm in science-based enterprises — is a major issue. Also, a no-deal Brexit could severely affect pharmaceutical companies in the U.K. and Europe, many of whom license discoveries from biotechnology companies. And Trump administration immigration policies discouraging international university students<\/a> could choke off a large source of talent for academic and industry labs in the U.S.<\/p>\n

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