DAILY UPDATE: Costco Gold, CPI, US Stamps and the Mexican Peso as Technology Stocks Rise and Private Equity Takes on Medicine

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Costco started selling gold bars to its members last August, and Wells Fargo analysts believe that the product is now bringing in between $100 million and $200 million a month. The retailer doesn’t reveal the price of the 1-ounce bullion to nonmembers online, but it’s estimated to be ~2% above the spot price gold trades at, per CNBC—and that price has soared since Costco got into the gold game. The price of gold has gone up 13% this year and reached record highs as investors pile in amid inflation worries.

The big numbers from the Consumer Price Index data released on Thursday

  • In March, inflation rose 3.5% from the year before, up from 3.2% in February.
  • The “core” CPI reading, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, came in even higher, rising 3.8% on an annual basis. That’s the same as in February, but this time it’s serious.
  • Half of the increases came from rising gas prices and housing.

After seeing inflation fall by 3% over the course of 2023, Fed officials believed that higher inflation readings in January and February 2024 represented a hiccup in an otherwise downward trajectory. However, with the March reading also coming in hotter than anticipated, analysts say this is more than a fluke. That means hopes for a June interest rate cut are dashed. Even the US Postal Service plans to raise the price of “forever” stamps to $0.73 in July. Get yours now. And the Mexican peso is on an absolute tear, leaving the US dollar behind.

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Here’s where the major stock benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500® index (SPX) advanced 38.42 points (0.7%) to 5,199.06; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) lost 2.43 points to 38,459.08; the NASDAQ Composite gained 271.84 points (1.7%) to 16,442.20.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rose nearly 2 basis points to 4.578%.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) fell 0.89 to 14.91.

Chip maker strength lifted the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) more than 2% and extended the benchmark’s year-to-date gain to more than 17%. Communications services and transportation shares were also among the strongest sectors. Financial shares were mixed ahead of expected quarterly results Friday from some major banks including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Citigroup (C), and Wells Fargo (WFC). 

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  • Big businesses such as hospital systems, insurers, and PE firms are gobbling up medical clinics.
  • Some doctors and industry experts fear corporate owners could prioritize profits ahead of patients.
  • The federal government is dialing up scrutiny of PE firms and other corporate owners in healthcare.

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HEALTHCARE PRIVATE EQUITY: Federal Regulators Launch Inquiry

By Health Capital Consultants, LLC

On March 5th, 2024, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced the launch of a multi-agency inquiry – in the form of a request for information (RFI) and public workshop – focusing on the increasing control of private equity (PE) and other corporations over the healthcare industry.

This Health Capital Topics article discusses the agencies recent actions and how it appears to be in line with the government’s recent moves to crack down on anti-competitive actions in healthcare. (Read more…)

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HOSPITALS: Private Equity Ownership Quality?

PATIENT COMPLICATION RATES

By Staff Reporters

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Hospitals under private equity (PE) ownership reported higher rates of patient complications when compared to other facilities, according to a recent JAMA study—raising questions about how the business model might affect staffing and subsequent quality of care.

The surveyed Medicare beneficiaries saw a 25.4% increase in “hospital-acquired conditions,” which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defines as falls, infections, and other adverse events, when they received treatment at a PE-acquired hospital compared to those run under other forms of ownership.

On the whole, the study found that Medicare enrollees at hospitals under PE control were not only younger and less likely to additionally qualify for Medicaid but also more likely to experience complications.

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PRIVATE EQUITY: Hospitals Experience Adverse Patient Outcomes

By Health Capital Consultants, LLC

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On December 26, 2023, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found concerning changes in patient outcomes and hospital adverse events associated with private equity (PE) acquisition and ownership of hospitals. Over the past ten years, PE firms have set their sights on hospitals as a lucrative investment opportunity, spending nearly $1 trillion to finance healthcare acquisitions, and purchasing more than 200 hospitals from non-PE owners.

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This Health Capital Topics article reviews the JAMA study and the impact of PE ownership on the healthcare industry. (Read more…)

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SUBWAY: Private Equity

By Staff Reporters

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A private equity firm just ate Subway

More precisely, the families that founded the sandwich chain agreed to sell it to PE firm Roark Capital after seeking a buyer. The terms of the deal weren’t made public, but the Wall Street Journal previously reported that Roark offered ~$9.6 billion.

Subway, which has been losing market share to other sandwich chains, will be in good foodie company at Roark as it also owns Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Baskin-Robbins, Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon and other eateries.

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