Last year, healthcare players such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), McKesson (NYSE: MCK), and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) outperformed the S&P 500. Also, companies generally don't halt drug development during economic slowdowns, so any positive clinical-trial or regulatory news can lift these shares in any economy. Rising inflation and the general economy weighed on Amazon last year, even pushing the company to its first annual loss in almost a decade.