Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) shares led a broader market rally on Wednesday after the biotech demonstrated that its coronavirus vaccine candidate can produce immunity responses in a wide clinical population. The biotech's positive results ushered in renewed positive investor sentiment, bringing the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) and the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) to new record closing highs as the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite Index soared onward. The SPDR Dow Jone Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE: DIA) also almost fully emerged from its coronavirus pandemic-induced bear market, a feat that has only been unachieved due to ongoing economic uncertainty.
On Wednesday, Dr. Jacqueline Miller, Moderna's Senior Vice President of Infectious Disease Development, disclosed to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that the biotech's experimental vaccine, mRNA-1273, had produced COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies in all age groups--18 to 55 year olds, 56 to 70, and 71 and above--in a small clinical study.
The vaccine's positive preliminary results brought hope that the coronavirus pandemic may come under control by the end of this year or early 2021, bringing with it true economic recovery.
Moderna is not the only company to produce positive preliminary results for their coronavirus vaccine candidates, with potential vaccines designed by companies like Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)/ BioNTech (NASDAQ: BTNX), AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN)/ Oxford University, and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) all demonstrating that they may be safe and effective. All four potential vaccines are expected to be available for wide use by early 2021. Globally, hundreds of other biotechs and governments have pledged to develop either coronavirus vaccines or treatments.
Rather than betting on one or two companies that may eventually produce an approved coronavirus vaccine, investors can add multiple biotechs to their portfolios using exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. Popular biotech ETFs to consider include iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ: IBB), SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSE: XBI), VanEck Vectors Biotech ETF (NASDAQ: BBH), and Invesco Dynamic Biotechnology & Genome ETF (NYSE: PBE).