-- Health care stocks edged up Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) each fractionally higher.
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) shed 0.8%.
In corporate news, Novartis (NVS) reported Q1 core earnings Tuesday of $1.99 per share, down from $2.28 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $2.19. Net sales for the quarter ended March 31 were $13.11 billion, down from $13.23 billion a year earlier. For 2026, the company said it continues to expect a low-single-digit core operating income decline. Novartis shares were fractionally lower.