Just been looking at how healthcare has been holding up pretty well on the market. Over the past six months or so, we saw the healthcare sector delivering some solid gains - XLV climbed 16.6% through mid-February, which is pretty notable. The strength came from a mix of things: defensive appeal during volatile periods, steady earnings from big pharma and managed care names, plus some positive momentum in biotech from clinical updates and deal activity. Drug pricing concerns easing helped too.

What's interesting is that healthcare mutual fund options have performed pretty differently depending on how they're managed and what they're holding. Some have done really well, others less so - a lot depends on the fund managers' stock picks and how they're positioning within the sector.

If you're thinking about getting exposure to healthcare through mutual funds, there are a few worth considering. Fidelity Advisor Biotechnology Fund focuses on biotech companies and has been up 18% over three years and 8.1% over five years. The expense ratio is reasonable at 0.71%. Another option is PGIM Jennison Health Sciences - broader healthcare exposure including pharma, biotech, and medical devices. That one returned 12.5% and 6.2% respectively over the same periods, with a 1.15% expense ratio. Then there's Fidelity Select Health Care, which takes a more diversified approach across healthcare and medical services - 6.8% and 3.6% returns with a 0.62% expense ratio.

The thing about going with healthcare mutual funds is you get diversification and lower costs compared to picking individual stocks. The sector's got demographic tailwinds working in its favor too - aging populations mean steady demand. If you're looking at healthcare mutual fund options right now, these three are worth researching, especially if you've got at least $5000 to start with.