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You've heard of UGC, right? UGC stands for 'user generated content,' and some social media companies are promoting AI influencers to use products and create content recommendations.
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Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Should You Forget Amazon? Why These Unstoppable Stocks Are Better Buys
There's no denying it. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has been one of the market's most rewarding stocks for nearly the past three decades, rallying more than 270,000% since its 1997 initial public offering. This thrilling performance is a big reason so many investors are betting on the company now -- they're hoping for more of the same magic. And maybe they'll get it. As the old cliché reminds investors, though, nothing lasts forever. Yesterday's winners aren't necessarily tomorrow's. With that as the backdrop, here's a closer look at three unstoppable names other than Amazon that you might want to consider adding to your portfolio. 1. Shopify It's not exactly a coincidence that one of the stocks worth considering besides Amazon is the un-Amazon, or anti-Amazon. That's Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP). Simply put, Shopify helps brands establish and manage their own e-commerce presence. When the worldwide web was still relatively young and online shopping was still new, companies were content to use Amazon's high-traffic website as a sales platform. Things changed, though. As time marched on and its business matured, became crowded and competitive (including with Amazon itself). Sellers eventually figured out they'd be better served by their own online store. That's what Shopify facilitates. And it's doing more and more of it. Although the company doesn't disclose its customer count any longer, somewhere on the order of 5 million stores sold a confirmed $292.3 billion worth of goods and services last year, translating to $8.9 billion worth of revenue and $1.1 billion in net income for Shopify itself. Those figures are up 24%, 26%, and a swing from a loss of $1.4 billion (respectively) year over year, extending a long-standing growth streak. Analysts expect a similar growth rate for at least the next several years, too. There's actually an even longer growth runway ahead of Shopify, however. See, for as big as the e-commerce industry has become, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that only about 16% of domestic retail spending is done online. The rest is still done in-store. While there's some consumer spending that will only ever be made in person, that's a lot of potential business to win. The shift away from third-party platforms to home-grown e-commerce stores only bolsters Shopify's potential upside. 2. Rocket Lab The world's been sending satellites into orbit since the late 1950s, and even putting people on the moon as of the 1960s. Space flight has become so commonplace, in fact, that many people no longer think much of it. The next era of rocketry is likely to rekindle this lost excitement, though, not so much because it will look different, but because it will happen so much more often and will serve so much more purpose. It will also be more cost-effective, largely because the development of the newer rocketry technology has been privatized. Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB) is one of these for-profit rocket companies. As of the latest count, Rocket Lab made 64 successful launches of its reusable Electron rocket, deploying a total of 225 fairly small satellites. This proven solution is going to remain in demand indefinitely, as small orbital satellites become more and more important to telecommunications service providers. Indeed, there are more than 40 satellites in Rocket Lab's current launch backlog. But the company isn't stopping there. It's thinking bigger. Literally. Its Neutron rocket is a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of putting up to 1,500 kilograms worth of payload en route to Mars or Venus, making it at least a partial competitor to SpaceX's Falcon. Using Rocket Lab's rocket to get equipment and personnel headed to the moon, of course, will be easy by comparison. Rocket Lab USA isn't profitable yet, and probably won't be at any point in the immediate future. Be patient, though. Goldman Sachs expects the global satellite market to grow sevenfold between now and 2035, jibing with Global Market Insights' forecast for average annualized growth of 14.6% through 2034 for worldwide commercial space launch business. 3. Carvana Finally, add used car dealer chain Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) to your list of unstoppable stocks that have become better bets than Amazon. You know the company. Although it's not the first or only chain of used car dealerships, it certainly seems like the biggest and best known. And by some measures it is. For the record, however, Carvana itself estimates it only controls about 1% of the United States' highly fragmented used car business. That's not an indictment of its marketability, though. That tiny number mostly underscores the potential growth awaiting an enterprising outfit with the wherewithal to consolidate some of this industry with clever marketing and the smart use of technology. That's Carvana, of course -- not that the company needs any serious help in the growth department. Yes, higher import tariffs on new cars and automobile parts ultimately works in favor of the used car market. Carvana doesn't exactly need the newly raised tariffs to remain in place to thrive, however. Raw inflation was doing plenty to help this company prior to President Donald Trump taking office. The company's 2024 top line of $13.7 billion was up 27% from 2023's lull, bouncing back from the swoon following its post-pandemic sales surge. Analysts are calling for similar growth at least through 2027. And, with Standard & Poor's Global Mobility reporting the age of the average car on U.S. roads now at 12.8 years, the outlook makes sense -- a swell of car owners are soon going to be forced into making these purchases, before repairs and maintenance of their current cars become costlier than they're worth. It's arguably the riskiest of the three stocks in question here just because its big run-up from March's low has pushed it beyond analysts' consensus target of just over $300. It wouldn't be crazy to wait for at least a small pullback. Just don't get stingy. The bigger-picture backstory here is a firmly bullish one. Should you invest $1,000 in Shopify right now? Before you buy stock in Shopify, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Shopify wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to171%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Goldman Sachs Group, Rocket Lab USA, and Shopify. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Globe and Mail
18 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
The Best Technology ETF to Invest $2,000 in Right Now
Succeeding in the stock market doesn't require one to pick the best individual businesses for their portfolio. Thousands of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) exist that can help automate the investing process, providing exposure to various themes or industries that you might be bullish on. Perhaps no trend has had a greater impact on the economy and markets in the past couple of decades than technology. More recently, this is showing up in the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Luckily, investors don't have to look far to bet on this tailwind. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Here's the best tech ETF to buy with $2,000 right now. Betting on technology looks like a lucrative move It seems that technology, the internet, and AI will only become more important. From an investment perspective, it makes sense to want more of your capital in the right place. That's why the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) is the top technology ETF to invest $2,000 in. It tracks the performance of the largest 100 non-financial companies that trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange. As of this writing, this fund had $324 billion in assets under management, demonstrating its impressive scale. This ETF might have 100 different stocks in it, but the top 10 account for a whopping 49.8% of the total. Unsurprisingly, the " Magnificent Seven" are very important. Investors considering owning the Invesco QQQ Trust must be bullish on various tech-driven trends. Companies in the ETF are benefiting from e-commerce, digital advertising, digital payments, streaming entertainment, electric vehicles, cloud computing, and of course, AI. Stellar performance at a low cost The beauty of owning this ETF is that there is no need to try to pick single stocks that could be the big winners of tomorrow. The Invesco QQQ Trust ensures you'll have exposure to the tech companies that become successful in their respective market niches. Viewed this way, it's a low-maintenance strategy to allocate capital. In the past decade, the Invesco QQQ Trust has generated a total return of 404% (as of May 27). This means a $2,000 investment made in May 2015 would be worth $10,000 today, trouncing the performance of the broader S&P 500 index. Understanding the cost structure is critical. The last thing investors want to do is buy an ETF that charges an arm and a leg for subpar returns. This isn't the case here. Out of a $2,000 investment, just $4 goes to paying the 0.2% expense ratio on an annual basis. You get to keep more of your money. What will the future hold? Investors have heard the saying that past results won't guarantee future returns. This is the right way to think about the Invesco QQQ Trust over the next decade and beyond. While outsize returns are possible, it's best to keep expectations in check. The optimistic view is that technology businesses generally have done well over the long term, due to their disruptive products and services and cultures of innovation. And there's no reason to think this will change. That bodes well for return prospects. But it also pays to have the right mindset. Don't forget that volatility is the name of the game, especially with some of the companies that are included in the Invesco QQQ Trust. Investor sentiment can shift on a dime. That's why it's a good idea to think about the next 10 years and beyond with this investment. Those who are patient may be rewarded. Should you invest $1,000 in Invesco QQQ Trust right now? Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to171%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025
Globe and Mail
20 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Prediction: This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Company Will Be Worth Over $5 Trillion in 10 Years
Shares of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) have been impacted by several factors, including increasing macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, ongoing tariff wars, export controls, and rising competition from Chinese companies in the past few months. However, the recent earnings performance -- including its recent impressive result in the fiscal first quarter of 2026 -- demonstrates why investors should not let the short-term noise distract them from the company's long-term growth prospects. Nvidia's first quarter fiscal 2026 earnings performance (ending April 27) validates its position as the clear leader in the artificial intelligence (AI) -powered hardware, software, and infrastructure services market. Revenue soared 69% year-over-year to $44.1 billion, while data center revenue surged 73% year-over-year to $39.1 billion in the first quarter. These tailwinds can propel Nvidia's market value to over $5 trillion in the next decade. Leadership in AI hardware Nvidia's dominance in the AI chip market, where it still controls a more than 80% share, should remain unchallenged at least for the next few years. The company's latest Grace Blackwell 200 (GB200) graphics processing units (GPUs) enable organizations to run computationally heavy reasoning AI models with 25 times higher performance and at a twentieth of the cost of Hopper H100 chips. The Blackwell ramp-up has been the fastest product launch in Nvidia's history and accounted for nearly 70% of data center compute revenues in the recent quarter. Major hyperscalers are already deploying nearly 72,000 Blackwell GPUs weekly across their data centers and are planning to further ramp output in this quarter. Furthermore, Nvidia is sampling GB300 systems at major cloud service providers and expects production shipments to commence by the end of the second quarter. While these systems have the same architecture, physical footprint, and mechanical and electrical specifications as GB200, they offer 50% more high-bandwidth memory capacity and a 50% increase in inference computing performance. Hence, cloud service providers can transition from GB200 to GB300 systems while benefiting from higher performance Software ecosystem Nvidia's software ecosystem has also become a strong moat, ensuring that customers will find it prohibitively costly to switch to competitors' chips. The company's comprehensive CUDA parallel programming platform is currently used by 5.9 million developers to accelerate GPUs for various general-purpose applications effectively. CUDA is currently used to accelerate all AI models and over 4,400 applications. Subsequently, CUDA helps prevent significant infrastructure investments from becoming obsolete in an exceptionally fast-evolving market. Additionally, the company launched its TensorRT software package for inference (real-time deployment of trained AI models) optimization and the TensorRT-LLM software library to ensure the fast and efficient running of large language models. Strategic partnerships Nvidia partnered with Humain, a newly launched AI company owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, to build AI factories with 18,000 of its latest GB300 Blackwell chips in the first deployment phase. Nvidia is also playing a key role in the Stargate Project, through which OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle have said they plan to invest $500 billion into U.S.-based AI infrastructure over the next four years. These strategic alliances could be significant growth catalysts for Nvidia in the long run. How can Nvidia reach a $5 trillion valuation by 2035? In its fiscal 2025, which ended Jan. 26, the chipmaker's revenues grew by 114% to $130.5 billion. While analysts are projecting lower revenue growth rates for future years, the consensus expectation is still for the company to grow quickly. Nvidia's revenues are forecast to increase by 52.8% and 23.9% in its fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027, respectively. And the company's already off to a good start by recording 69% revenue growth in Q1 of fiscal 2026. In that context, it is reasonable to expect Nvidia to grow at a compound annual rate of nearly 20% over the next decade. If it does, it would wind up with about $808 billion in revenues in its fiscal 2035. Nvidia reported an exceptionally high net income margin of 55.8% in its fiscal 2025. The company has been able to steadily expand its margins in the past couple of years, largely due to its dominance in the AI market. Even if we assume that it will have to accept some margin contraction due to increasing competition and scale, it is reasonable to expect it to produce a net income margin of nearly 27.9% -- its 10-year median margin -- in fiscal 2035. With a top line of $808 billion, that would give it a net income of around $225 billion that year. Nvidia is trading at around 32.6 times forward earnings. Analysts have projected 5-year forward P/E multiple of 23.5x for Nvidia. Assuming this valuation multiple for the next 10 years , the company can reach a market value of $5.29 trillion by 2035. Hence, the company is well positioned to cross the $5 trillion market capitalization, even under conservative expectations. There are reasons to suspect its market value could grow even higher, too -- consider Nvidia's upcoming AI initiatives, such as Sovereign AI, agentic AI, and physical AI. Other growth catalysts Nvidia is also benefiting from the increasing demand for high-performance chips in gaming and AI PCs. Gaming revenue rose 42% year-over-year to $3.8 billion in the first quarter, driven by strong adoption of Blackwell architecture systems from gamers, creators, and AI enthusiasts. Enterprise AI is also becoming a significant growth catalyst, with Nvidia bringing AI-powered storage, computing, and networking capabilities directly to corporate environments. The company's RTX Pro, DGX Spark and DGX Station enterprise AI systems are targeting the $500 billion market opportunity. Nvidia's Omniverse and robotics platforms are also powering factory automation and humanoid robotic systems. With all that in mind, long-term investors should consider picking up at least a small stake in Nvidia to profit from the AI wave over the next decade. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to171%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025
