Trend Macroanalytics, a research firm serving institutional investors, has taken its analysis a step further and created an "avian-flu index" comprising 17 stocks in the health-care sector that can be expected to see a surge in demand for their products should the flu become a threat to humans.
[...] Donald Luskin, chief investment officer at Trend Macro, said the index has gained 105% since its inception last Aug. 31 and is up 40.5% so far in 2006.