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The information and data are as of the January 17, 2020 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

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Blockchain

It seems as though every time we turn on the news there are new stories about enormous data breaches.

There was the massive 2013 Yahoo breach in which all 3 billion user accounts were compromised, and then there was the 2017 Equifax breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people.

Data breaches are becoming more widespread and impactful, with 2019 set to be the worst year on record. It is perhaps not surprising that, according to the Pew Research Center, 70% of Americans feel that their personal information is less secure than it was just five years ago. Businesses and governments are tasked with securely storing mountains of complex and highly-personal data, and they are beginning to turn to a novel technology known as “blockchain” to help.

Blockchain is a technology solution that solves some of the problems associated with data storage and security. When an organization is solely responsible for maintaining its database, valuable information may be lost in the event of a breach or disaster. A freak hurricane could damage vital data centers (as happened in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy), or an adept hacker could detect a vulnerability in a government’s website and hold critical data hostage (as happened in 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland). With blockchain, data is securely shared across a distributed network in which all parties have access. The nature of the technology is such that damage to one part of the network does not compromise the rest. For this reason, among many others, businesses and governments are turning their attention – and investments – to blockchain.

For those interested in the investment potential of this innovative technology, there are a few important points to understand.

What Is Blockchain?

According to the software company SAP, blockchain is most simply defined as a “reliable, difficult-to-hack record of transactions – and of who owns what. Blockchain is based on distributed ledger technology, which securely records information across a peer-to-peer network.”

The “block” in blockchain describes the data that is entered into the network, while the “chain” in blockchain refers to the chronological sequence in which blocks are entered. Data is approved for entry via consensus of other network participants, and once entered it cannot be changed. In this way, there is a complete, sequential, and verifiable record-keeping of the network’s data that is available to all participants.

At first glance, this may not seem like a revolutionary concept, but it is important to note that the decentralized nature of blockchain is highly novel and has far-reaching applications.

An unknown person (or persons) going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto invented the blockchain concept and shared it with the public in a groundbreaking 2008 paper about a proposed digital currency system. That currency system became known as Bitcoin, and the spread of blockchain technology gave rise to a vast ecosystem of other cryptocurrencies.

While most people only associate blockchain with Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, the technology has much broader applications across a variety of industries. For instance, logistics firms are turning to blockchain technology to modernize their supply chains. Danish shipping company Maersk recently launched a blockchain-powered logistics platform called TradeLens, which it says will provide improved visibility into the movement of shipments around the world.

Healthcare is another sector that stands to benefit tremendously from the adoption of blockchain technology. As any adult in the U.S. can attest, healthcare records are notoriously scattered from provider to provider. Implementing blockchain technology has the potential to make critical health data more accessible and secure while eliminating barriers that currently stifle communication between doctors, patients, and insurers.

Data is at the core of any modern organization, and it seems likely that blockchain will be an increasingly important tool in the modernization of data management practices.

Why Invest in Blockchain?

Blockchain is an extremely valuable technology with significant investment potential.

As noted by James Wester, Research Director at International Data Corporation (IDC): “Blockchain is maturing rapidly, and we have reached an inflection point where implementations are moving quickly beyond the pilot and proof of concept phase.”

IDC estimates that global spending on blockchain solutions will reach nearly $2.9 billion in 2019, an increase of nearly 88% from 2018. IDC expects annual spending to climb to $12.4 billion by 2022, with a 76% annual growth rate between 2018 and 2022.

Investment in private blockchain companies is also quite robust. In the U.S., for instance, investments reached about $1.1 billion in 2019 – a healthy figure considering recent corrections in cryptocurrency markets.

Big technology companies understand blockchain’s potential and are adjusting their services accordingly. Companies such as IBM, SAP, and Oracle offer blockchain-as-a-service to help businesses create their own blockchain networks. Companies that are prepared to offer innovative blockchain solutions are well-positioned for the coming changes to the data management landscape, and startups researching blockchain solutions are likely to garner significant interest from established companies. These market dynamics are likely to create a rich environment for outside investment.

Governments around the world are also taking notice of blockchain’s enormous potential. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investing heavily in blockchain startups because of the technology’s cybersecurity advantages in making digital systems more resilient. The Republic of Georgia recently partnered with Bitfury, a Netherlands-based blockchain technology company, to digitize and migrate the country’s land registry onto a blockchain-based network. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping recently announced that China will make blockchain a top priority in the country’s new innovation push, a move that may galvanize more investment and research in the West.

In this space where both business and government recognize blockchain’s potential, savvy investors are well-positioned to capitalize on novel applications of this innovative technology.

How to Invest in Blockchain

But, despite all of this potential and recent growth, blockchain remains a very early-stage technology. It has only existed in its current form since 2008, and the industry that has sprung up around it is even younger than that. With that youth comes volatility, which investors are seeing in the prices of pure-play blockchain stocks. However, investing in a mutual fund or ETF that offers exposure to blockchain can be a way to temper some of this volatility. A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of funds available today for those investors interested in investing in blockchain technology without buying shares in the associated companies themselves.

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The information and data are as of the January 9, 2020 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

3D Printing

[3D printing isn’t the only new technology poised to change the world. Here’s a look at the investment landscape for Virtual Reality]

At a time in the not too distant future, a patient suffering from organ failure may not need to wait on a donor transplant list in order to acquire a new, healthy organ. If researchers at Wake Forest University continue their remarkable progress, a doctor may be able to simply “print” a new organ for the patient. This treatment may seem straight out of a science fiction movie, but it is grounded in a real manufacturing process known as 3D printing.

3D printing has been around since the 1980s, but it is only in the past decade that the technology has really taken off. Recent advancements in material science and design software have propelled the technology into the mainstream, and an increasing number of innovative companies are adopting the technology to optimize supply chains and address complex problems.

Modern 3D printers are capable of producing objects from a wide variety of materials, and they can quickly print objects that are larger and far more complex than was possible only a few years ago.

3D printing is an essential component of Industry 4.0, a term described by Deloitte as the “new industrial revolution—one that marries advanced manufacturing techniques with the Internet of Things to create manufacturing systems that are not only interconnected, but communicate, analyze, and use information to drive further intelligent action back in the physical world.” 3D printing is helping to drive this new industrial revolution by democratizing the design and manufacturing process.

As 3D printing becomes more advanced and cost-effective, the technology is gaining greater exposure and novel applications are being pioneered left and right. For instance, international nonprofit New Story, in partnership with Texas-based digital manufacturing company, ICON, are using a massive 3D printer to “print” homes for impoverished residents in rural Mexico.

Many remarkable applications are being developed in the field of regenerative medicine, such as research at the University of Arizona where shattered bones are being healed by inserting synthetic bones created using a 3D printer. The applications of 3D printing are only limited by one’s imagination, and the transformative potential of the technology is staggering.

For those interested in the investment potential of this rapidly-growing sector, there are a few important points to understand.

What Is 3D Printing?

3D printing is a manufacturing process that uses digital designs to create three-dimensional objects. 3D printing is also sometimes called additive manufacturing because the object is created layer by layer, from the bottom up, by adding successive layers of material until the object takes shape.

This stands in contrast to the more common subtractive manufacturing process, in which an object is formed by starting with a large piece of material and removing excess material in order to obtain the shape of the desired object. A laser cutting out a specific pattern on a large metal sheet is an example of a subtractive manufacturing process.

3D printing has several key advantages over subtractive manufacturing. For one, 3D printing can significantly reduce the amount of time between the design and production of a new product. A 3D printer can quickly render a functional prototype for designers and engineers to test, which saves time and money that would otherwise be spent waiting on prototypes created using more traditional manufacturing processes.

Another key advantage of 3D printing is waste reduction. In additive manufacturing, only the material that is needed to create the object is used, while subtractive manufacturing wastes a significant amount of material in the form of scrap pieces and shavings that are removed to shape the object. Even if these scrap pieces can be recycled, there is an added expense in time and money to see it through.

Another enormous advantage of 3D printing is design complexity. 3D printers can produce an object with designs so complex and intricate that it would be impossible to produce using any other manufacturing method. This is not to say that 3D printing and subtractive manufacturing are mutually exclusive. To maximize supply chain efficiency, innovative companies utilize both processes simultaneously and at different stages of the manufacturing process.

Why Invest in 3D Printing?

The 3D printing sector is starting to grow rapidly.

According to a report by Deloitte, sales from large, public, 3D printing companies will exceed $2.7 billion in 2019 and surpass $3 billion in 2020. Deloitte predicts that this segment of the 3D printing industry will grow at about 12.5 percent in both 2019 and 2020, which is more than double the growth rate from just a few years prior.

To account for current growth and projected growth, Deloitte points to several recent industry developments, including large companies entering the market and driving innovation, along with dramatic technological advancements (more 3D-printable materials, faster print speeds, and a larger build volume).

The Deloitte report further notes that: “After decades of development, 3D printing has finally reached a period of sustained growth greater than most other manufacturing technologies. As with so many other new technologies, it is important to ‘think big, start small, and scale fast.’ The next few years are likely to see 3D printing become much more widely used in all sorts of manufacturing, from robots to rocket ships. The ripple effects on industries even beyond manufacturing may be profound.”

And the rise of Big Data analytics is only accelerating this trend, opening up vast new data sets that be used to design and optimize 3D models.

With respect to the 3D printing market as a whole, Mordor Intelligence expects the market to grow to about $49 billion by 2024 (up from about $10.50 billion in 2018) at a rate of about 29.50%. Mordor notes that North America currently holds the largest share of the market and is well-positioned for exponential growth: “With these series of investments, healthcare, aerospace & defense, industrial, and consumer product applications in North America are set to boom over the upcoming years.”

This growth potential is not limited to North America. The Asia-Pacific region is largely an untapped market at this point, and it is projected to grow at the fastest rate over the next several years.

How to Invest in 3D Printing

However, given the fact that 3D printing is a relatively new industrial sector and is still growing, investing directly in the companies that are leading the way can be risky. Rather, investing in a mutual fund or ETF dedicated to 3D printing can be a good way to gain exposure to this fast-growing niche without taking on the risk of a direct investment. According to a search on Magnifi, there are a number of funds and ETFs that access 3D printing.

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The information and data are as of the January 2, 2020 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

Streaming

The rise of streaming services over the past 10 years has radically changed how we consume television and movies. Lest we forget, there was once a time not so long ago when we had to make sure we were in front of our television set at a designated time in order to enjoy an episode of our favorite program. If you were the poor soul who missed the show, you would have to go around with your fingers in your ears as everyone around you discussed it until you had a chance to watch it when it re-aired later in the week.

With the steady increase in internet access and speed over the past 10+ years, we gained the remarkable ability to instantly stream a vast library of television and movies at any time from anywhere and from a variety of devices. Pioneering companies like Netflix recognized the transformative potential of streaming content early on; so early on, in fact, that they were widely mocked by the established entertainment industry not long before they utterly change it.

In one particularly ironic moment from the early 2000s, a former Netflix executive recalled how Blockbuster executives turned down their offer to sell the fledgling startup by laughing them out of the office.

Netflix is undisputedly the biggest name in the streaming game, but their competition is starting to get serious, leading to a showdown that some are calling the “streaming wars.” Heavy hitters in the form of traditional cable companies and content creators have finally caught on that the future of entertainment is streaming, and they have been working furiously to catch up with more established streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.

After years of work and months of hype, these heavy hitters are finally ready to debut what they’ve been working on. Apple launched its streaming service, Apple+, on November 1, 2019, Disney launched Disney+ on November 12, 2019, and HBO Max (Warner Media Entertainment) and Peacock (NBCUniversal) are slated for launch in early 2020.

These launches coincide with news from the Motion Picture Association of America that the number of streaming subscribers worldwide (613 million) has surpassed the number of cable subscribers (556 million) for the first time. The new streaming giants are going to slug it out in the coming years, competing for subscribers with archive depth and quality, as well as the allure of original content. Netflix has demonstrated time and again that a winning streaming formula is one in which viewers come to binge-watch old favorites, like The Office, and stay to nibble on attractive new offerings, like The Crown.

Streaming services have already fundamentally changed how we enjoy television and movies, and continued innovation is going to present savvy investors with incredible opportunities as the industry enters a period of extraordinary growth and upheaval.

For those interested in the investment potential of this rapidly-growing sector, there are a few important points to understand.

What Is Streaming?

According to PCMag, a streaming service is defined as: “An online provider of entertainment (music, movies, etc.) that delivers the content via an Internet connection to the subscriber’s computer, TV or mobile device.”

The service that companies like Netflix provide is referred to as Subscription Video on Demand, or SVOD. These companies generate revenue from monthly subscription fees instead of from advertising or pay-per-view transactions. Other companies (such as Hulu) use a tiered pricing structure in which lower monthly fees are offered in exchange for advertising in the form of commercials.

Streaming service companies depend on reliable, high-speed internet performance in order to deliver quality products to their customers — a fact so integral to Netflix’s bottom-line that the company now measures and publishes the internet speeds of internet service providers responsible for streaming Netflix content.

Why Invest in Streaming?

According to a May 2019 eMarketer report, the top U.S. streaming services companies generated about $19.9 billion in subscription revenues in 2018, while subscription revenues in 2017 totaled about $14.9 billion.

For its part, Netflix earned three consecutive 30% year-over-year revenue increases between 2016 and 2018, and looks to be on track for a fourth. The company’s share price hovered around $50 in January 2015, and by November 2019, had soared to about $315 per share.

It is much too soon to tell how things are going to shake out in the streaming wars to come, though some analysts believe that Netflix may be in real trouble as other serious competitors step in to take a bite out of the streaming market. Others point to the fact that Netflix spent $12 billion creating original content in 2019, has 158 million subscribers, and has, by far, the largest content archive of any streaming service.

According to a September 2019 Digital TV Research study, the number of subscriptions to streaming services companies is projected to increase by 91% – or 462 million subscriptions – between 2018 and 2024. It is important to note that much of this growth is expected to occur internationally (i.e., outside of the U.S.), and international growth has been a cornerstone of Netflix’s success thus far (62% of Netflix’s subscribers live outside the U.S.).

Other streaming services have a lot of work ahead of them in order to match Netflix’s international success, which includes overcoming complex regulatory and content requirements.

During the seven-year period between 2018 and 2024, Netflix’s revenue is projected to more than double from $15 billion in 2018 to $35 billion in 2024, while revenue from Disney+ is projected to hit $7.4 billion by 2024.

While it is too soon to say how the streaming wars are going to turn out in the long-run, it does seem likely that streaming services as a sector will remain a dynamic, high-growth space in which well-placed investments are likely to do well.

How to Invest in Streaming

However, as the full landscape of streaming entertainment is still shaking out, investing directly in these companies can be risky. Rather, there are a number of funds and ETFs that give investors access to this asset class with more diversification. A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of other ways to profit from streaming as a whole.

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The information and data are as of the December 27, 2019 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

Precision Agriculture

[Save the world while feeding the world: Investing in Organic Agriculture]

The world is facing a food crisis. Not in some distant future, but today, as a growing global population and rising quality of life are demanding more and more production every year in order to feed all of humanity.

According to the United Nations, the global population is on track to increase from 7.3 billion in 2015 to nearly 10 billion by 2050, requiring that food production must double worldwide in that time to keep up with demand and combat hunger, which today impacts more than 1 billion people worldwide. This fact is the result of decades of insufficient investment in agriculture and food security, leaving millions at risk due to rising food prices, economic swings and climate change.

In order to achieve true food security in the world, it’s time to start investing in agricultural research, natural resources, local infrastructure and more, per Korea’s UN representative Park In-kook. “Food prices, already high and volatile, could spike again as droughts, floods and other climate-related events affected harvests, and States must develop responses for both the short-term and the medium-term. Agriculture had to adapt to changing weather patterns caused by climate change, and social protection and safety nets had to be strengthened to ensure adequate access to food for those in need.”

And it’s not just any food that’s needed to solve these problems, either. Rising incomes and quality of life worldwide also mean increased calls for proteins, sustainable foods, organics and other nutritious, high quality options.

For those interested in the investment potential of this rapidly-growing sector, there are a few important points to understand.

What Is Precision Agriculture?

At a high level, so-called precision agriculture is simply “the application of new technologies to agriculture. It involves using innovations such as Big Data, GPS and more to increase crop yields and profitability while lowering the levels of traditional inputs needed to grow crops (land, water, fertilizer, herbicides and insecticides).”

It’s all about using less and growing more.

[Climate change is one of the primary challenges of our time. Here’s how investors are supporting the technology that’s making a difference.]

According to Grand View Research: Precision farming, also known as site-specific crop management or satellite farming, is a farm management concept that uses information technology to ensure optimum health and productivity of crops. The precision farming technique largely depends on specialized equipment such as sensing devices, antennas and access points, and automation and control system. It also involves maintenance services and managed services. Additionally, it incorporates a broad range of technologies such as bio-engineering, robotics and automation, imagery and sensors, and big data.

For example, a farmer outfitted with a Big Data analytics platform and a tracking device on their tractor could precisely analyze both when to plant certain crops and how to lay out their fields for maximum production. The system could also manage the application of fertilizers for best effect and tell the farmer when to water and for how long. All of these tools would help increase the amount of food the farm is able to produce while simultaneously lowering the farmer’s costs associated with fertilizers (inputs), fuel and time spent managing their operation.

This type of data can also be used to monitor and optimize a farm for changing weather conditions, soil characteristics, pest problems and more, guiding the farmer’s day-to-day management decisions or taking them entirely off of their shoulders.

In addition to Big Data, as described above, some of the applications for precision agriculture currently under development include:

Robotics: Farming is traditionally a labor-intensive, time-consuming line of work. Farmers are famous for their long hours, starting early in the morning, and typically can’t even get away much during the year given all of their responsibilities, from planting to harvesting and much more. Plus, much of the labor force that the agriculture industry relies on is temporary, moving from job to job during the season. Changes to immigration laws, demands for higher pay and more have made hiring a challenge for farms of all types. That’s why robots have shown so much promise in the field. Imagine the convenience of a robot picker that can go out into the field at all hours, informed of the optimal picking time by local data, and manage the entire harvest by itself while the farmer and their crew sleeps. The same applies to specialty robots that can precisely apply fertilizers exactly where and when it’s needed or monitor and empty pest traps automatically.
Drones: The FAA is currently reviewing new rules that would enable agriculture operators to use drone to monitor and oversee their crops, delivering eye-in-the-sky functionality that doesnâ€™t truly exist in the industry. For farmers, this means the potential to manage vast tracks of land, including both farms and ranches, without ever even having to drive out to the field. Instead, they could keep an eye on everything from the air conditioned comfort of their home or office. The same goes for fertilizer application and other real-world tasks. This would boost farm efficiency and help drive down costs by eliminating the need for costly, in person oversight work.

Why Invest in Precision Agriculture?

Simply put, the agriculture industry is well behind the times when it comes to the use of technology. Farming is a very traditional industry that has functioned well for generations, producing enough food to keep up with demand while also providing a living for the farmers themselves.

But the growing world population and emerging risks of climate change are changing the math behind agriculture. Efficiency and scale are needed now like never before.

Enter the power of technology to help make this happen.

And it has created a growing market of providers at the same time. According to Grand View Research, the market for precision agriculture companies is expected to reach $10.23 billion by 2025, racking up a compound annual growth rate of more than 14% in that time.

Major factors driving this growth includes farm mechanization, rising labor costs, population, smart farming techniques, and government initiatives to adopt modern agricultural techniques.

Per Market and Markets: Precision farming is gaining tremendous popularity among farmers due to the increasing need for optimum crop production with limited available resources. Further, the changing weather patterns due to increasing global warming have impelled the adoption of advanced farming technologies to enhance farm productivity and crop yield. Precision farming has the potential to transform the agricultural sector, making traditional farming activity more efficient and predictable. Increasing global food demand, extended profitability and crop yield, and crop health monitoring for higher yield production are the major factors fueling the growth of the precision farming market. Also, government initiatives in many countries are helping farmers to use optimized agricultural and technological tools to improve their production levels.

How to Invest in Precision Agriculture

Of course, as an emerging and fast-growing sector, investing directly in precision agriculture companies can be risky and many are still private. A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of different ways for investors to get involved in precision agriculture without opening up their portfolios to undo concentrated risk in this new and growing industry.

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The information and data are as of the December 18, 2019 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

Solar Energy

As the 2010s drew to a close, a report published by the World Meteorological Association (WMO) issued the following stark assessment of the current global climate situation: “The year 2019 concludes a decade of exceptional global heat, retreating ice and record sea levels driven by greenhouse gases from human activities. Average temperatures for the five-year (2015-2019) and ten-year (2010-2019) periods are almost certain to be the highest on record. 2019 is on course to be the second or third warmest year on record.”

The report outlines the increasingly frightening consequences of global climate change, including warming ocean temperatures, deepening droughts, and sweltering heatwaves.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas summed up the gravity of the situation: “If we do not take urgent climate action now, then we are heading for a temperature increase of more than 3°C by the end of the century, with ever more harmful impacts on human well-being.”

Urgent climate action involves moving away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. This transition has been underway for years, and though there are positive signs that things are perhaps beginning to move in the right direction (global carbon emissions are growing at a slower pace, for instance), it has not been enough to adequately address the overall increase in global energy demand.

According to the Executive Summary of the UN’s recently published Emissions Gap Report 2019, “The summary findings are bleak. Countries collectively failed to stop the growth in global GHG emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required.”

In order to achieve these critical emission cuts, renewable energy will need to replace fossil fuels as humanity’s primary energy source in the coming decade. One sector that has already made remarkable progress on this front, and that is poised for even greater progress in the coming decade, is that of solar energy.

Solar energy has become a serious global energy contender over the past decade as solar technology has become more efficient and affordable. According to the UN, global solar capacity increased from 25 gigawatts in 2009 to 663 gigawatts in 2019. This increase in installed capacity was greater than any other generation technology, fossil fuel or otherwise, yet solar energy still has tremendous room for growth.

In the U.S., for instance, solar energy accounted for only 1.6% of the total electricity budget in 2018, and all renewable energy sources combined accounted for 17% of the total. As policymakers and the public come to terms with the fact that rapid and dramatic cuts to carbon emissions need to be made to lessen the blow of climate change’s fury, the solar energy sector is extremely well-positioned to play a critical role in meeting the energy demand as renewable energy replaces fossil fuels.

For those interested in the investment potential of this rapidly-growing sector, there are a few important points to understand.

What Is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is energy that is generated from the sun and converted into thermal or electrical energy.

There are three primary ways to generate solar energy: photovoltaics, solar thermal, and concentrated solar power.

Photovoltaics directly convert sunlight into electricity by harnessing the electrical current produced when semiconducting materials are exposed to sunlight. Solar panels on the roof of a home or in an array on a satellite are examples of photovoltaics.
Solar thermal technology works by absorbing heat from sunlight and using it to warm air, water, or other materials. A roof-mounted solar water heater is an example of solar thermal technology.
Concentrated solar power works by using mirrors spread over a large area to concentrate the sun’s rays to one small point in which water is heated to steam to drive a turbine. If you fly from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and look out your window as you head southwest, you will likely spot the intense glow of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in the desert below you. The facility is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and according to the facility’s owner, BrightSource Energy, “the electricity generated by all three plants is enough to serve more than 140,000 homes in California during the peak hours of the day.”

Why Invest in Solar Energy?

The most compelling reason to invest in the solar energy sector comes down to the simple fact that renewable energy is actively replacing fossil fuels as the dominant global energy source. This replacement is likely to accelerate as energy demand increases and as the public demands a faster transition and a more significant commitment to clean energy.

Solar is well-positioned to capitalize on the rapidly-changing energy landscape because the sector has undergone incredible innovation in recent years.

One recent breakthrough in material science, for instance, boosted the maximum efficiency of a photovoltaic solar cell from 29% to 35%.

Another breakthrough is the development of perovskite, a synthetically manufactured material that is more efficient and cheaper to produce than the silicon in traditional solar cells. Another key reason solar energy is well-positioned for the coming changes in the energy market is cost-competitiveness.

According to a November 2019 piece in Bloomberg: “The levelized cost of any particular energy technology is the break-even price that companies investing in that technology need in order to see a competitive rate of return. In the case of both utility-scale solar and onshore wind power, this rate has dropped to about $40 per megawatt hour — which is lower than the cost of building new power plants that burn natural gas or coal. It’s even close to being competitive with the marginal costs of running the coal and nuclear plants we already have.”

According to market analysis by the International Energy Agency, global renewable energy capacity is expected to grow by 50% between 2019 and 2024, with solar photovoltaics accounting for almost 60% of the total expected growth. Private and public investments in solar energy are rapidly increasing, and the sector’s cost-competitiveness, combined with increased efficiency and the urgency of combating climate change, make solar energy a smart investment for the future.

How to Invest in Solar Energy

Given the volatility of the energy sector, however, investing directly in solar energy-related companies can be risky. A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of different ways for investors to get involved in solar without opening up their portfolios to undo concentrated risk in this new and growing sector.

This blog is sponsored by Magnifi. The information and data are as of the Dec 12, 2019 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This material is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as individualized investment advice or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities tailored to your needs. This information covers investment and market activity, industry or sector trends, or other broad-based economic or market conditions and should not be construed as investment research or advice. Investors are urged to consult with their financial advisors before buying or selling any securities. Although certain information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness or fairness. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content may not be reproduced or distributed to any person in whole or in part without the prior written consent of Magnifi. [As a technology company, Magnifi provides access to tools and will be compensated for providing such access. Magnifi does not provide broker-dealer, custodian, investment advice or related investment services.]

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The information and data are as of the May 28, 2020 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

Cannabis Investing

On New Year’s Day 2014, history was made in Colorado. Hundreds of people lined up in the cold outside dozens of shops across the state, each eagerly waiting to be among the first to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use in the United States.

Voters in Colorado and Washington State approved the sale and use of recreational cannabis during the November 2012 election, and the first legal cannabis sales in Colorado in January 2014 represented the opening of a new, legal market for a product that had historically been exchanged only on the black market.

The creation and subsequent growth of this legal market have been driven by the public’s rapidly evolving views on cannabis. In the U.S., public opinion on the sale and consumption of cannabis have changed dramatically over the past decade. According to the Pew Research Center, only 32% of Americans oppose legalizing cannabis in 2019, while 52% of Americans opposed legalization in 2010. This dramatic shift occurred as the American public became more aware of cannabis’s medical uses, and 91% of Americans now support the legalization of medicinal cannabis.

As of November 2019, medicinal cannabis is legal in 33 states and Washington D.C., and recreational cannabis is legal in 11 states and Washington D.C. Cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law, a fact that makes the nascent cannabis industry a unique experiment in U.S. law and capitalism.

As more states legalize cannabis and as more businesses enter the market, the contradictions between state and federal law grow more profound. A cannabis producer, for instance, cannot legally ship their product to a neighboring state, even if it is legal in that state, because of federal interstate commerce law.

Cannabis producers are also largely excluded from utilizing formal banking services, which sets up a dilemma as described thus by the American Bankers Association: “The rift between federal and state law has left banks trapped between their mission to serve the financial needs of their local communities and the threat of federal enforcement action.”

There are signs, however, that the distance between state and federal law on cannabis’ legal status may be shrinking. Several bills are currently being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives that aim to combat the federal vs. state contradictions surrounding cannabis law, and there is growing bipartisanship (a word rarely used to describe the state of Washington these days) on expanding access to medicinal cannabis for veterans. There is still a ways to go before cannabis is fully legalized, but at this point, most people seem to agree it is a question of when instead of if.

For those interested in the investment potential of this rapidly-growing sector, there are a few important points to understand.

What Is Cannabis?

The word “cannabis” comes from the plant genus Cannabis in the family Cannabaceae, and it generally refers to the medicinal substance produced from plants in the Cannabis genus containing psychoactive chemicals. When ingested or smoked, cannabis can produce an altered mental and physical state, often referred to as feeling “high.”

Though cultivated as a medicinal treatment for several thousand years, cannabis is now being recognized by modern medical professionals for its promise in treating chronic pain, nausea, and PTSD, among many other ailments. It is also commonly used to help cancer patients manage their symptoms.

It is important to note that not all cannabis products contain the psychoactive chemicals that produce a high. CBD (which stands for cannabidiol) is one such product, and it has shown tremendous promise in treating a number of ailments – perhaps most significantly, childhood seizure disorders. Furthermore, recent research has found that in states that legalized medicinal cannabis, the number and rate of opioid prescriptions in the state decreased substantially.

The Market Opportunity in Cannabis

According to projections from The Nielsen Company, cannabis sales in the U.S. are forecast to increase from $8 billion in 2018 to $41 billion by 2025. While these projections are remarkable in their own right, they focus only on projected sales of legal cannabis from licensed sellers.

Despite the wave of legalization sweeping the U.S., there is still a thriving black market for cannabis. In the case of California, the value of cannabis sold on the black market in 2019 is projected to be worth about $8.7 billion, while the state’s legal cannabis sales are expected to reach $3.1 billion.

As more states move to legalize cannabis, and as public opinion continues to move in favor of broader access for medicinal purposes, there is likely to be increasing pressure on state and federal lawmakers to address the economic realities that drive black market cannabis sales. For instance, giving producers the freedom to move their products as dictated by supply and demand would decrease pressure to offload products on the black market, as well as increase overall efficiency, lowering prices and making products more competitive with those on the black market. Several states are already setting the legal groundwork for interstate cannabis imports and exports.

As with any economic experiment, the rise of the legal cannabis industry is going to adjust and correct itself as it matures. In that space, however, there are tremendous opportunities for the savvy investor.

Consider, for a moment, that the legal cannabis industry does not need to invent a new product or market that product to a new group of customers in order to realize enormous growth. With the right economic incentives and regulatory framework, the cannabis industry can harness the existing economic activity of the black market and legally supply customers with a product that is already quite popular and increasingly seen as an effective treatment for various ailments.

It is also worth noting that four out of the five top Democratic candidates for U.S. president in 2020 support full legalization of cannabis.

How to Invest in Cannabis

Despite the legality questions surrounding cannabis as of 2019, there is still a growing market of public companies in the cannabis space that are becoming popular with investors. However, as new companies (in an effectively new industry), investing directly in these companies can be quite risky. Rather, there are a number of funds and ETFs that give investors access to this asset class with more diversification. A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of other ways to profit from the growing cannabis industry as a whole.

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The information and data are as of the December 4, 2019 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

Logistics

[Invest in the technology powering today’s supply chains: the Internet of Things]

Have you ever stopped to consider the complex, interconnected systems at work that bring packages to your door? Consider this: while packing for a trip you realize that your destination will be cold this time of year, and after frantically searching through your closet, you cannot seem to find your scarf and decide to order a new one online knowing that it will be delivered the next day. With a few taps on your smartphone, a new scarf is delivered right to your door within 24 hours, and you never even had to get in the car or leave home to make it happen. We often take for granted what an incredible feat this truly is.

The scarf’s rapid delivery is made possible through advanced logistics, which inform the movement of the scarf from a warehouse shelf to a delivery truck via conveyer belt, and delivery truck to your front door. After you place your order and until it is in your hands, logistics is the process that determines the timing, quality, and cost of your order.

What Is Logistics?

The rise of e-commerce over the past 20 years has radically altered consumer purchasing behavior and expectations. Consumers have become more informed shoppers, expertly consulting product reviews and comparing prices from multiple sellers. Sellers, in turn, have aggressively competed with each other to offer increasingly enticing incentives.

One of the most valuable incentives is the seller’s ability to get a product to a customer’s door quickly. According to a 2019 AlixPartners study, the length of time a U.S. consumer was willing to wait for any item ordered online to be delivered to their home in 2014 was a maximum of 5.5 days. By 2019, the maximum wait time decreased to 4.3 days. Furthermore, 72% of U.S. consumers surveyed for the study said that the option of free shipping “greatly impacted” their purchasing decisions.

As a backdrop to increasing customer expectations, the e-commerce sector is expected to see its 10th consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2019, with online sales expected to reach about $587 billion.

In order to tap the explosive growth of e-commerce and other booming sectors, companies must utilize innovative logistics. Companies that implement logistics technology throughout their supply chain gain valuable information on exactly how their products are transported to customers. This information can then be used to streamline processes and save time and money, both of which can then be passed on to customers in the form of faster delivery times and cheaper prices.

For those interested in investing in this rapidly-growing sector, however, there are a few important points to understand.

According to the Michigan State University Department of Supply Chain Management, logistics refers to the “movement, storage, and flow of goods, services and information within the overall supply chain.”

A related but distinct concept is that of supply chain management, which the University further defines as “a way to link major business processes within and across companies into a high-performance business model that drives competitive advantage.”

Alan Amling, Vice President of Corporate Strategy at UPS, explained the nuance of these terms by way of metaphor: “Logistics is the blood, and the supply chain is the body. So if the logistics doesn’t flow–or one part of logistics, whether it’s the transportation, or distribution, or brokerage–if that doesn’t flow, then the supply chain is damaged.”

The Market Opportunity in Logistics

In 2018, U.S. businesses spent $1.6 trillion on logistics. This figure represents the cost to U.S. businesses of storing, shipping, and managing the movement of goods. As a point of reference, $1.6 trillion represents 8% of the U.S.’s 2018 GDP.

Of course, storing and transporting goods efficiently is an important, costly endeavor, and the best companies look for ways to maximize those costs. One of the most important ways companies can do this is by investing in new technology that improves the performance of logistics and supply chains. Digitization and automation, for instance, have the potential to radically modernize how goods are moved from one place to another. The savings produced by technologies like these are tremendous, as are the potential earnings for investors aligned with the company selling or implementing the technology.

According to a November 2018 study by American Global Logistics and Logistics Trends & Insights, U.S. companies are projected to make $87.8 billion in new logistics and supply chain investments by 2022.

The scale of these projected investments are already becoming apparent. In June 2018, Home Depot announced it would be investing $1.2 billion over the next five years to build new distribution facilities across the U.S. in order to speed up deliveries. In July 2019, Walmart announced it would be investing $1.2 billion over the next 10-20 years to build and upgrade grocery distribution centers in China.

Large, well-managed companies already recognize that investing big in logistics is essential for maintaining a long-term competitive advantage. Furthermore, it is not enough for existing processes merely to evolve with the times; outright disruption is going to be an essential component for recognizing and capturing savings.

Venture capitalists understand the potential value of disruptive energy in logistics and transportation, and they are correspondingly making big investments in these areas. According to CB Insights, trucking and freight startups raised $3.6 billion in venture capital funds in 2018, double the amount collected in 2017.

And 2019 is projected to be another huge year for logistics funding, led by deals like SoftBank Vision Fund’s $1 billion investment in Flexport, a startup specializing in freight forwarding and customs brokerage. In a company blog post announcing the investment, the CEO of Flexport, Ryan Peterson, noted that: “The human brain has a strong unconscious bias against tackling really difficult problems. It’s probably one of the big reasons no one before us has succeeded in modernizing our centuries-old industry; it’s a massive, hairy, complex system that’s held back by the inexorable power of inertia … Flexport is dedicated to disrupting this idleness and seeking to make global trade easier and more accessible for everyone.”

Innovative companies like Flexport are going to continue to challenge the status quo as they seek to modernize logistics, and savvy investors would be wise to pay attention.

How to Invest in Logistics

A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of ways to profit from the rise of logistics as a business.

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The information and data are as of the November 27, 2019 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

Mobile Payments

When is the last time you wrote a check to pay for something or left the house with a set amount of cash in your wallet for errands? For a growing number of people worldwide, it is entirely possible that they may not be able to recall. In the U.S., the use of credit and debit cards have largely replaced the use of checks, and carrying cash is increasingly seen as unnecessary and inconvenient. This dramatic transformation of our payment practices can be explained in part by the emergence of mobile payment technology for smartphones in recent years.

The rise of mobile payments has transformed the way we pay for everyday items and simplified how we share money with one another.

With smartphones in almost everyone’s pockets and apps that transfer money digitally in seconds, the days of frantically searching for an ATM or cursing yourself for leaving your wallet at home are coming to an end. Who needs a checkbook when you can quickly transfer your friend that $25 you owe them with a few taps on your smartphone?

What Are Mobile Payments?

According to Square, a leading mobile payment technology company, mobile payments are defined as “regulated transactions that take place digitally through your mobile device.”

Most mobile payments are conducted through a mobile wallet or mobile money transfer. A mobile wallet is a smartphone app that securely stores credit or debit card information. This information can be digitally communicated to a business’s point-of-sale system by holding the smartphone near the business’s payment reader.

Popular mobile wallet apps include Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, and companies that provide businesses with software and devices to accept mobile payments include Square, SumUp, and PayPal.

In the case of mobile money transfers (also sometimes referred to as “peer-to-peer” or “P2P” payments), funds are transferred between users on an app. Typically, a user creates an account on the app, links their bank account, debit card, and/or credit card information with the app, and “adds” accounts of other individuals who use the app. Money may then be requested from or sent to the accounts of these individuals.

Popular money transfer apps include Venmo, WorldRemit, and Azimo.

Mobile payment companies monetize the services they offer in a variety of ways. Square, for instance, charges businesses a fee ranging from 2.5% to 3.5% for each transaction (with a flat fee of 10 cents added to each transaction fee). Venmo, on the other hand, charges its users a 3% fee for sending money via credit card instead of debit card. Both companies offer expedited access to transferred funds for a fee. Since its November 2015 IPO, the stock price for Square has risen from about $8 per share to about $65 per share (as of November 2019). Since its July 2015 spinoff from eBay, the stock price for PayPal (Venmo’s parent company) has risen from about $40 per share to about $103 per share (as of November 2019).

A Fast Growing Market

According to a 2018 report by GSMA, 143 million new mobile payment accounts were opened worldwide in 2018, bringing the total number of accounts to 866 million. Approximately $1.30 billion was processed every day via mobile payment in 2018, and a typical active user moved an average of $206 per month.

The speed, efficiency, and security offered by mobile payments help explain why this technology has become so popular across the globe. The rise in this technology is also providing people who have traditionally been excluded from formal banking systems with access to life-changing financial services.

According to the World Bank, “Financial inclusion is a building block for both poverty reduction and opportunities for economic growth, with access to digital financial services critical for joining the new digital economy.”

Why Invest in Mobile Payments?

For those interested in investing in this rapidly-growing sector, however, there are a few important points to understand.

The mobile payment companies mentioned thus far are undeniably successful. Square’s total net revenue in the third quarter of 2019 was $1.27 billion, which is a 44% increase over 2018’s third quarter earnings. PayPal’s total net revenue for the same quarter was $4.38 billion, with Venmo accounting for $400 million (double the $200 million from the third quarter in 2018). With steady growth and a seemingly-unlimited appetite for disrupting the value of traditional financial institutions, there has never been a better time to consider investing in companies offering mobile payment solutions.

While Square and Venmo may be the first that come to mind with respect to mobile payments in the U.S., there are many other companies that have arisen in recent years in other parts of the world that are just as innovative and, in terms of active users, arguably more successful. Whether it’s WeChat Pay in China, Paytm in India, or M-PESA in Kenya, entrepreneurs across the globe have known about the transformative potential of mobile payments for years.

The acceptance of mobile payments as a trusted and valued financial tool has occurred at a faster rate and to greater effect in the developing world than in the U.S. For instance, an eMarketer report found that in 2019, approximately 80% of smartphone users in China regularly use mobile payments, while only about 30% of smartphone users in the U.S. regularly make mobile payments.

It may seem as if there would be no room for growth with 80% of users currently accounted for in China’s market, but it is important to note that the 20% of smartphone users not regularly making mobile payments represent about 135 million people.

Not to mention, the 70% of smartphone users in the U.S. not regularly making mobile payments represent about 138 million people. Smartphone users in the U.S. have been slow to adopt mobile payments en masse, due in part to a widespread perceived risk regarding the security of digitally-transferred funds. As the population in the U.S. ages and more accurate information about the security and convenience of mobile payments filters out, it is likely that a much higher percentage of the population will adopt the technology.

In the meantime, companies at the cutting edge of mobile payment innovation will continue to reimagine and redefine how we think about our finances.

How to Invest in Mobile Payments

A search on Magnifi suggests that there are a number of different ways for investors to get involved in the fast growing Mobile Payments sector.

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The information and data are as of the November 20, 2019 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.

TQQQ

Like the Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ), the ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ) tracks the tech-focused NASDAQ-100 index, but in the case of TQQQ it is seeking daily investment results that are three times the daily performance of the NASDAQ-100. It does this by trading on leverage and actively entering and exiting trades throughout the day.

Common uses for a leverage ETF like TQQQ include: Seeking magnified gains (will also magnify losses), getting a target level of exposure for less cash and overweighting a market segment without additional cash.

TQQQ’s expense ratio is 0.98% and it currently has about $3.7 billion in assets under management.

Rationale

Naturally, the most direct way to gain exposure to the TQQQ approach to the market is to buy its listed shares. But there are a number of good reasons for investors to reconsider that approach. For one thing, the tech-focused NASDAQ is famously volatile, so a leveraged ETF like TQQQ is effectively taking a risky and volatile index and making it 3x more so. Rather than buying TQQQ shares themselves, investors interested in a technology ETF that’s either more conservative or more aggressive might consider buying funds that provide exposure to its top-weighted sectors, in order to manage their investments more directly than via TQQQ.

Investing in TQQQ

A search on Magnifi suggests that investors can gain access to the NASDAQ-100 via a number of different funds and other ETFs, including those shown below.

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This blog is sponsored by Magnifi. The information and data are as of the publish date unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This material is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as individualized investment advice or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities tailored to your needs. This information covers investment and market activity, industry or sector trends, or other broad-based economic or market conditions and should not be construed as investment research or advice. Investors are urged to consult with their financial advisors before buying or selling any securities. Although certain information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness or fairness. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content may not be reproduced or distributed to any person in whole or in part without the prior written consent of Magnifi. [As a technology company, Magnifi provides access to tools and will be compensated for providing such access. Magnifi does not provide broker-dealer, custodian, investment advice or related investment services.]