 | |  | | | | Is Wall Street Betting on the Collapse of Society? |  | By Alex Moschina, Associate Publisher |
| There's an ongoing debate about the role the internet plays in our lives.
And it's only intensified as COVID-19 has boosted folks' screen time... while we face down yet another contentious election cycle. (Andy, if you're reading this, remember that you're supposed to be distributing campaign signs today.)
Mainstream media outlets - the same outlets that depend on your clicks for ad dollars - ponder whether the connectivity is worth all the drama, bickering and "trolling."
As you can see, the term evil has made the rounds: Though I really have to tip my cap to The New York Times. When it comes to alarmist headlines, they clearly went for the gold: Consume Wisely
As Manward's humble associate publisher, I can't say for sure whether technology will lead to the total collapse of civilization. I've read plenty of sci-fi stories where that's the case. But in practically all of those tales, it's a morally bankrupt society - not tech itself - that's at fault.
Saying the internet is evil is like saying a forklift is evil. Can you kill someone with a forklift? Sure. If you were properly motivated. But that isn't its intended use, is it? It's supposed to lift things up... kind of like what Facebook said it would do for its users.
Andy summed up some of the internet era's greatest ills in this piece from all the way back in 2016.
"Facebook and its deceptively unsocial brethren should come with a label and serious age restrictions," he wrote. "Just like we're strict with our booze, dope and porn, we should be strict with our social media. Consume wisely."
We'd love to hear what you think. Does the internet have us careening toward disaster? Send your thoughts to mailbag@manwardpress.com.
Digital Dash
Of course, regardless of how you or I feel about the web, one thing is certain: It isn't going anywhere.
Like the telephone before it, the internet has become so ingrained in our society that our businesses, banking system and even government can no longer function without it.
The shift to a digital economy isn't just happening... It's nearing completion.
Ever been in a restaurant (remember them?) when the internet drops out? If you're not carrying cash (a rarity for most folks these days)... you're in for a long, uncomfortable wait while the GM tries to get ahold of Comcast.
COVID-19 has only hastened the transition. According to a report by BDO Global... | | | Many businesses are experiencing devastating financial consequences from the pandemic, whether because of supply chain impacts, forced shutdowns, a significant pullback in consumer spending, or all of the above... To avoid catastrophic revenue losses, these companies have no choice but to shift focus to their business' existing digital channels or make a bigger pivot to a digital business model. | | |
It's why Wall Street is continually betting on innovation... and over the past six months, that bet has paid off handsomely...
Tech Profits for Today and Beyond
Just look at the performance of the iShares U.S. Technology ETF (IYW). The multibillion-dollar fund, composed of 161 tech corporations, has risen 60% since March. It's greatly outperformed the S&P, which itself is up more than 40%.
This is no new trend either. If we extend our chart back to 2016, we see that the ETF has nearly tripled investors' money. As the digital economy grows and technologies like 5G (and whatever comes after it) further extend the internet's reach, this gap will only widen.
Either that or, as we're already starting to see, the S&P will become so overrun with tech companies that it will in effect become a technology index by default.
Either way, the message is clear...
With interest rates near zero - and no end to that whole mess in sight - the tech sector is the perfect place to score steady returns... today and beyond.
Remember: The internet isn't going anywhere.
We're in too deep now. | | | | | |
| Are you a new or novice investor? Pay close attention to this week's Markets With Manward video. Andy's sharing a list of tools that every investor needs to have in order to trade successfully. To get the full rundown, click here or on the image below. | | | | | | |
| Whoops. Once again, Andy has riled up our neighbors to the north. This time, he's taking heat from Canadians over some comments related to his presidential bid. He responds to those notes and digs into a growing issue with Canada's famed pension fund in our latest mailbag roundup. Keep reading... | | | | | | |
"The internet is the Viagra of big business."
- Jack Welch |
| | | | SPONSORED | Next Stock of the Decade? Bloomberg's 2019 "stock picker of the year" picked up 6.5 million shares of this stock. And the billionaire lead investor behind Google and Amazon is joining him. Find out why here. | | | | |
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Keep a civil tongue.