How to invest for the rise of Gen Z. Plus, the stock picks of award-winning fund managers, and what BMO is predicting for the TSX in 2021 – The Globe and Mail
BofA Securities recently published a series of reports on the economic and market effects of Generation Z, the cohort born between 1996 and 2016, providing a number of promising investment themes and some truly surprising data points.
Working life is set to begin for those born in the early years of Gen Z, so BofA’s survey of 15,000 people sought to gain insight into changing consumption habits. Gen Z will account for an estimated 27 per cent of global income, or US$33-trillion, by 2030, out-earning Millennials the following year.
The survey results highlighted a demographic group almost constantly online, spending more than 10 hours per day on their phones. Arguably, the best investment opportunity that arises from this are stocks with exposure to online payments – Gen Z prefers to pay by phone over every other method, with credit cards a distant third place.
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Only half of U.S. teens have a driver’s license – a definite cause for concern for automakers – and less than 50 per cent consume alcohol and more than half restrict meat intake in some way.
Media consumption appears to be the sector where the most change is set to occur. Only 25 per cent of Gen Z watch broadcast television ever, compared with 45 per cent for Millennials. Only a quarter of Gen Z watch traditional sports, and that makes the future of broadcast TV even more dire.
More than half of Gen Z reported playing three hours or more of video games per week, and followed eSports. They prefer user generated video content services like TikTok over professional productions available on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The research report listed a number of stocks set to benefit from all of these trends. Ubisoft Entertainment SA for video gaming and eSports, Ascential PLC for online payments, are two examples.
I used to roll my eyes at these generational change research reports, but I don’t anymore. Yes, the changes take place over long time periods and often the investment ideas aren’t immediately actionable. The analysts can get it wrong, choosing to emphasize the wrong trends. In hindsight, however, the major economic trends predicted as Millennials entered the work force were the rise of social media and streaming content, and as investments, those trends worked out extremely well.
— Scott Barlow, Globe and Mail market strategist
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Stocks to ponder
BRP Inc. (DOO-T) Just last month, the stock was trading at a record higher. However, since Pfizer Inc. released positive clinical trial data for its coronavirus vaccine on Nov. 9, BRP’s share price has tumbled 16 per cent. The recent pullback reflects concerns by investors that once there is a coronavirus vaccine, the heightened demand for BRP’s products will drop off as demand was pulled forward. But the stock is now oversold and pullbacks in the share price may represent buying opportunities, according to our equities analyst Jennifer Dowty, who provides this profile of the company. (for subscribers)
Enthusiast Gaming Holding Inc. (EGLX-T) Shares in the TSX gaming stock have surged over the past week following a quarterly earnings report that blew past analysts’ forecasts. Now, it’s about to make its Nasdaq debut, attracting even more investor attention. Brenda Bouw tells us more. (for subscribers)
The Rundown
BMO predicts big gains ahead for the TSX and S&P 500
BMO Capital Markets’ chief investment strategist Brian Belski, one of the Street’s more reliably bullish prognosticators, doesn’t believe skyrocketing COVID-19 cases and spreading lockdowns will get in the way of the equity market’s upward trajectory. On Thursday, he released his 2021 market outlook, setting a year-end S&P 500 target of 4,200 – a more than 17-per-cent rise from current levels. For the S&P/TSX Composite index, he set a target of 19,500, a rise of more than 15 per cent that would bring it to record highs. Darcy Keith reports on Mr. Belski’s rationale and his new sector recommendations. (for subscribers)
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Gap between vaccine hopes and pandemic reality poses market hazard
As winter approaches, U.S. equity investors are weighing brightening prospects for a COVID-19 vaccine against a resurgence of the pandemic across the United States. Several market strategists have predicted significant gains in U.S. stocks in 2021, as long as Congress passes further fiscal stimulus and a vaccine becomes widely available in the first half. But the path for stocks could be bumpy while investors await those developments, they said. April Joyner of Reuters reports. (for everyone)
These dividend mutual funds for DIY investors stack up well against a popular ETF
It’s worth keeping an open mind about mutual funds. Occasionally, they put up a strong fight against ETFs. Rob Carrick provides some examples. (for subscribers)
Value investing’s return may only be just beginning – and these growth stocks have the most to lose
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Value stocks started to outperform their high-flying growth counterparts earlier this month when Pfizer revealed positive results on its COVID-19 vaccine. Savita Subramanian, U.S. quantitative analyst at Bank of America, believes this rotation away from tech and into stocks trading at a much cheaper price relative to earnings has only just begun, in what would be a massive change from recent market trends. She provided a list of large cap U.S. growth stocks most at risk of steep declines if market leadership changes from growth to value. Scott Barlow reports (for subscribers)
Another bitcoin bubble? This time it’s different, backers hope
With bitcoin surging to the cusp of its 2017 record high, backers are hoping fewer frenzied retail investors means less chance of a crash this time around. But with little mainstream usage as a form of payment and global uncertainty clouding financial markets, bitcoin is still far from a safe bet, analysts said. Tom Wilson and Anna Irrera of Reuters report. (for subscribers)
The 2020 Lipper fund manager awards (for everyone)
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What’s up in the days ahead
David Berman will tell us why expected changes in the bond market’s yield curve suggests profitable times are ahead for investors in Canadian banks.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.
“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.”
Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.
Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.
Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.
In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.
The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.
And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
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