As Swine Flu Increases, Smart Investors Take Advantage

When the swine flu scare first hit the newspapers, people were nervous. Then the government jumped in. They told us that swine flu was not very contagious. And they said it wasn’t even serious. “Don’t worry about it,” we were told.

I was skeptical. And I was right.

Now cases are popping up all over the world. One source estimates that as much as half the population will be affected by it. Another source predicts that 1.8 million Americans will be hospitalized by it. That doesn’t mean all those people will die, but it does mean there will be a rapid escalation of concern.

Manufacturers of vaccines, syringes, masks, diagnostic equipment, and antivirals have already seen their stock prices run up in anticipation.

IDE’s Steve MacDonald says there are two ways to profit from this:

• You can invest in the companies that are selling the treatments and equipment.

• You can short the companies that could see a huge drop in business because what they do involves enclosed crowds — and that increases the risk of contagion. That includes airlines, hotels, retailers, and certain entertainment companies.