Nearing the end of the year and the turn of the decade, Market Junkies will remember the 2010’s for one thing: breakthrough technologies.
At the forefront of the decade was the smartphone revolution, which has completely changed everything – from how we stay in touch with friends and family to how we get from point A to point B in major cities.
This decade has made obsolete terms like “hail a cab” and made a whole generation of Americans wonder where the origin of “hang up the phone” came from.
And for early investors in the smartphone revolution, this decade has been massively profitable.
And as we turn our calendars to 2020, these are the technologies that this next decade will be remembered for.
Here are 4 trends that Market Junkies should be targeting, and 1 that you should avoid like The Plague.
“August 14, 2015” by osseous is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Autonomous Driving
“Fully autonomous cars could be on the roads in five years,” says a CEO of a self-driving startup operating in the U.S. and China. That may feel like a lofty goal, but recent developments in other areas of technology are helping to make it possible (we’ll get into that later).
Although the consumer market gets most of the attention, many experts believe that self-driving trucks will be on the road before passenger cars. One of the benefits of self-driving trucks is greater fuel efficiency. Some experts say it could cut fuel costs by at least 15%. Combine that with the decrease in labor costs, and it makes self-driving trucks an easy decision for long-haul freight companies.
A study commissioned by Intel predicts the total market for self-driving vehicles will reach $800 BILLION by 2035. But what kinds of companies will profit? According to the Motley Fool, there are four different types of companies in this industry: components, vehicle manufacturers, self-driving fleet operators, and maintenance of self-driving fleets.
Should I Target Autonomous Driving Stocks?
In a word? Yes. But in what? Google’s parent company, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has their hands in this space. As does Uber (NYSE:UBER), whose survival as a company likely depends on them adopting this technology effectively. But there’s one player in this market you may have never considered. According to Delish.com, Dominos is well into development of a self-driving pizza pilot. In fact, early reports say they are expected to debut it this year.
Rating: Target
“April 12, 2018” by osseous is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Internet of Things
A buzzword heard by many, and understood by few. In layman’s terms, the “Internet of Things” (IoT) is the smart[fill in the blank] revolution. The trend that most will recognize is the SmartHome revolution, where you can control everything in your home – from washing machines to the living room lights to the coffee maker – with the click of a button on your phone.
But there is another component to this revolution – the industrial IoT. This refers to the technology that will allow more automation in industrial operations, such as the technology that will make Autonomous Driving possible. It will also allow for improved efficiency of factory processes, make electric grids more responsive, and help process complex sensor data.
Should I Target IoT Stocks?
No matter whether you think that autonomous driving will eventually reach mass adoption, both the industrial and consumer uses for IoT are obvious. Already, 80% of companies that have adopted IoT indicate better-than-expected results. After a volatile year for the tech sector, the IoT has a high potential to break through with potentially big returns for investors.
Rating: Target
“google cardboard VR googles” by rikomatic is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Extended Reality
“Extended Reality” is a catch-all term, encompassing several new technologies you’ve likely heard of, like “virtual reality” (VR), “augmented reality” (AR), and the most confusing one of all “mixed reality” (MR). These technologies have been around for more than a handful of years, and have been used a handful of games and apps that Gen-Z and Millennials have flocked to.
For instance, AR was the technology that Pokemon Go was built upon as it took the world by storm in 2016. It also is the technology that allows Snapchat use “filters” to make themselves look and sound different while using the app.
Should I Target Extended Reality Stocks?
A few companies in this space have flourished, but we’re now 5 years removed from when Facebook paid Oculus $3 billion in 2014, and the sector has yet to reach mass adoption. The interest is still there, but it appears as though it’s limited to gaming and social media. For that reason, we’re giving this an “ignore” rating.
Rating: Ignore
5G
To start, we should first explain what 5G is. It may sound boring, but the latest generation of mobile networks will be immensely more powerful than its predecessors. You’ve likely already seen “5G” pop up on your phone if you’re in a major city, but PC mag says that this “5G” network is more like a “4.9G.” Qualcomm says this technology will “redefine a broad range of industries,” including education, transportation, entertainment and more.
What makes so exciting is not the technology itself, but what technologies it makes possible. For instance, current wireless networks can be far too slow for things like autonomous driving and the Internet of Things. 5G is critical to the adoption of these technologies.