All posts by Michael Robinson

Technology

What’s Propelling the Amazon Stock Price Toward $2,000

All across the U.S. these days, retail stores are very much like the Walking Dead.

Ironically, on paper at least, this would seem to be an ideal time to operate a retail store.

After all, we are in the best jobs market we’ve seen in more than 40 years, and the economy remains in great shape. Virtually across the board, high-tech firms have been reporting stellar fourth quarter results.

Retailers, not so much…

But even chain-store firms who managed to beat Wall Street’s forecasts can’t seem to defy the steady shift in power to the web and well-run e-commerce portals.

Consider that the Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL) recently reported its growth more than doubled expectations in its most recent quarter. And yet, just days ago, the sports chain said it will shutter 165 stores.

That was part of a series of store closings that totaled 465 in just 48 hours.5

With that in mind, today I’m going to reiterate a stock I have recommended many times as one that will benefit from the shift from brick-and-mortar retail to e-commerce.

And of course, it’s a firm with market-crushing gains…

Check it out…

Shopping Carnage

The carnage in the shopping landscape actually shows no signs of slowing down. We can see that by the firms that have announced store closings. Besides the Foot Locker, there are:

  1. The Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) is closing 230 stores after reporting that during the Christmas holiday, quarter same-store sales fell 7%.
  2. Victoria’s Secret, which is privately held, said same-store sales fell during the holidays by 3%. It’s closing 53 stores this year.
  3. J.C. Penny Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) said it is closing 18 of its 850 stores. But analysts expect more closures in the near future.

And let’s not forget that a company that was once the top retailer of its day recently filed for bankruptcy protection from its creditors.

Sears was America’s original “everything” store. Between its actual physical locations and its massive catalogue operations, it offered consumers the opportunity to buy hundreds of goods, covering everything from clothes to tires to furniture.

But like many other retailers, Sears simply failed to keep up with the times. Today’s consumers can buy just about anything they need in a matter of minutes online from the convenience of their computers or mobile devices.

Indeed, data compiled by Statista shows e-commerce continues to ramp up sales with a high compound growth rate.

Total sales for the sector are expected to hit $735.4 billion by 2023. That’s a 64.5% increase from the $446.8 billion level set in the base year of 2017.

Changing the Game

Amid all this chaos, one firm stands out as the preeminent e-commerce firm in the world today. It’s making so much money online that it can now afford to challenge physical retailers at their own game.

When you look on how massive and profitable Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has become, it’s hard to believe that it started off in 1994 with a simple mission of selling physical books over the Web.

Today, the firm continues to deliver growth rates that make regular retailers green with envy. In fact, I think the Amazon stock price could soon reach $2,000 per share.

Consider that at the start of the current decade, Amazon had $34 billion in sales. By next year, that figure should surpass $325 billion. That’s nearly 1,000% growth.

I’ve been watching this firm for years, and was one of the first people to tell you that the share price would handily pass the $1,000 mark. That finally happened in 2017, and now in the early days of 2019, the $2,000 mark is fast coming into focus.

What Doesn’t Amazon Sell?

Of course, Amazon is still a massive bookseller, but now it sells so much more.

We could spend a lot of time talking about all of various kinds of things you can buy through Amazon. It’s likely easier to think of what Amazon doesn’t sell.

Of course, the real secret to Amazon’s success is not based on the stocking and shipping of hard goods. Instead, it’s an uncanny use of technology that touches on everything the firm does.

Take cloud computing as an example. Amazon began to realize that it had built such an impressive global computing platform that it could save massive sums by running its business on its own massive cloud platform.

Soon enough, Amazon began selling its cloud-based web services to others, and that’s now a business that will be bringing in $71 billion in revenue by 2022, according to banking firm Jefferies & Co.

AI Will Help Propel the Amazon Stock Price to $2,000

Amazon has also deeply embraced artificial intelligence (AI). Today, AI brings a lot of smarts to Amazon’s Alexa assistant. And Amazon has big plans to extend AI throughout every one of its business units.

All of these growth areas have enabled Amazon to generate so much cash that it can afford to buy its way into whole new lines of business.

The firm made a high profile 2017 purchase of healthy grocer Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Now, it’s using the know-how it picked up to make an even deeper push into the grocery market through a chain of stores separate from Whole Foods, according to the Wall Street Journal.

When you consider that Amazon knows how to make a profit where others fail, I have no doubt that the move into groceries will become highly lucrative for Amazon – and its investors.

Simply put, Amazon has the Midas touch. It becomes dominant in every new category it enters. That’s by design, not accident. Amazon only enters into a new category when it knows it has the resources and skills to succeed – on a massive scale.

It’s of no use to examine where this stock has been. You only need to know that its tried-and-true business savvy will help it succeed with each new market it enters.

That’s why this is truly a stock to hold for the long haul, as Amazon adds more growth from its hybrid sales approach.

Source: Money Morning

Blockchain

21 Billion Reasons Why Blockchain Investors Have a Great Year Ahead of Them

Michael A. RobinsonMICHAEL A. ROBINSON

I hope you had the chance to catch my recent interview with legendary investor Frank Holmes. We talked about the need for investors to look beyond struggling cryptocurrencies to understand the enormous potential of the blockchain – the technology “underneath” that makes crypto work.

What kind of potential? Well, I believe – conservatively – that the technology could impact some $8 trillion in global transactions

See, the world’s total GDP runs at around $80 trillion a year. And blockchain tech could eventually underpin all of that buying and selling.

But I’m only assuming blockchain grabs a 10% market share of systems that have been archaic and outdated for years now.

Here’s the thing. As amazing as it sounds, trillions of dollars in trade each year still relies on rickety, less-than-totally-secure computer networks and, in some cases, even paper contracts!

Thanks in part to blockchain technology, that’s all about to change. In a big way.

That’s why today, I want to show you four industries where blockchain technology could add security and transparency – and greatly reduce business costs. I think this could boost bottom lines to the tune of $21 billion in 2019 alone – another conservative estimate – for the innovative firms using this technology.

This is the kind of “strategic info” that could make you look smart at your office Christmas party or next family gathering.

Better yet, put it to use wisely, and it could help you pinpoint your next few triple-digit winners – and that’ll be even more fun to share with friends and family.

So check it out…

Why an $8 Trillion Future Is Just the Start

Obviously, my estimate of blockchain’s impact on global business is very bullish; there are some pretty significant sums involved.

So I want to put my estimate of blockchain’s impact in some perspective. Gartner says blockchain tech will create $3.1 trillion in global business value by 2025.

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That’s a big number, too, of course, but there’s a problem with it: It understates how quickly this radical new tech platform is going mainstream. Last year, according to Gartner, blockchain value came in at $4 billion – and will rise to $21 billion next year.

That’s a 425% one-year increase – a 77,400% growth rate in just nine years. So my $8 trillion estimate is in line with that, meaning at that growth rate we’ll easily get there by 2030 – and probably sooner.

Now then, most folks think of blockchain in terms of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

And it’s certainly true: All cryptos need access to a blockchain to be mined, distributed, and secured.

And once cryptos like Bitcoin see more widespread adoption, it’s going to send prices soaring to $100,000. That day is going to come sooner than many imagine, because, as I type, computer scientists are working furiously on Bitcoin’s “Lightning Fix.” This fix will essentially allow users to pay for everyday items like coffee or a pizza with Bitcoin.

But blockchain is much bigger than any one cryptocurrency. Its use as a global, secure, distributed ledger for smart contracts is proving irresistible to businesses and individuals alike.

You see, industries across the board can adopt this technology – and they don’t have to rely on any one centralized entity to be a gatekeeper or potential source of vulnerability.

In fact, a key feature of public blockchains is that they are decentralized. Moreover, blockchain can greatly reduce transaction costs and improve cybersecurity. It might shock you to learn that, even in 2018, it can take days for a “conventional” electronic banking transaction to fill and finally settle – that incurs costs and security risks. With blockchain, settlement times could be measured in seconds, not days.

Another benefit of blockchain tech is that, unlike centralized databases, the blockchain serves as not only an up-to-date database, but as a historical one as well. That simply means that all of the information of a given transaction that’s put on a blockchain will remain there, available for scrutiny at any time.

With that in mind, I’ve identified four sectors I believe will benefit greatly from this technology. Call them 2019’s “Blockchain Targets.”

Take a look…

Blockchain Target No. 1: Global Finance and Banking

The $1.45 trillion financial services industry has been an early adopter of blockchain technology, and that will remain so for the foreseeable future.

That’s because at its heart, blockchain tech serves as an excellent means to disentangle the dense layers of centralized bureaucracy, redundant paperwork, and exorbitant fees this sector has come to rely on.

Look at exchanges. Many financial industry players are using blockchain tech to develop auditing systems with almost instant clearing and consensus-based verification, according to a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Trade finance is another area that’s ripe for disruption from blockchain technology. As it stands today, the $17 trillion industry is high volume, costly, and time consuming.

Thousands are being shortchanged out of their money

Financial institutions have begun using blockchain technology to reduce their reliance on manual processes and digitizing trade documents like letters of credit to slim costs and increase efficiency.

And major international banks are joining forces to build their blockchain solutions. Firms like BNP Paribas SA (OTC: BNPQY), HSBC Holdings Plc.(NYSE: HSBC), and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc. (NYSE: RBS) are among those leading these efforts.

They’re setting up smart contracts to help track and monitor cross-border transactions, digitally discount receivables, and secure credit risk insurance, among other back-office functions.

Blockchain Target No. 2: the Oil and Gas Industry

About a year ago, a group of the large oil companies – and their banks and trading houses – formed an alliance to launch a blockchain-driven platform for energy commodity training.

The alliance is headed up by firms like BP Plc. (NYSE: BP), Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (NYSE: RDS), and ING Group NV (NYSE: ING).

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Together, they have developed a blockchain platform known as Vakt, which will aid the energy industry’s transition from paperwork-driven transactions to smart contracts. That in turn can bring efficiency gains to trading, reduce the risk of errors, and cut back on the amount of time employees spend on paperwork.

Lyon Hardgrave, Vakt’s product development vice president, says that blockchain members will save up to 40% by speeding up processing trades much more quickly and cutting down on data errors.

Now, the platform will not yet be used to trade or settle any transactions – and not a single bit of cryptocurrency will be involved. But it will include deal recaps, confirmations, contracts, logistics, and invoicing.

The global energy market is worth $1.4 trillion, according to Advanced Energy Perspectives. Look for blockchain to save the sector tens of billions of dollars – or more – as it is further rolled out.

Blockchain Target No. 3: Prescription Drugs & Biotechnology

Meanwhile, the $1.2 trillion global drug industry is ripe for blockchain adoption.

To understand blockchain’s role here, you need to know about the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. This legislation outlines a 10-year time frame that will help track, verify, and notify anyone in the supply chain when counterfeit drugs enter the system.

Here again, we’re talking about a highly secure – and immutable – shared ledger of information that would be open to any and all participants.

By using the blockchain, any movement of counterfeit drugs into the system will be immediately flagged. That’s because there will be no record of it going back to the production source.

Oil is failing, but this form of new energy is keeping its promise

“The public availability of the ledger would make it possible to trace every drug product all the way back to the origin of the raw material used to make it,” Tapan Mehta, an executive with DMI, a mobile technology and services company, told IT Healthcare News.

That’s bad news for the purveyors of counterfeit drugs that earn around $200 billion per year.

But it’s great for consumers that will soon be able to stop worrying about the risk of taking what’s known in the industry as substandard, spurious, falsely labeled, falsified, and counterfeit (SSFFC) drugs.

Blockchain Target No. 4: the U.S. Defense Industry

The U.S. military is rolling out its own blockchain system, under the name Pathfinder. This platform will offer far more security, not to mention a permanent record of every single item the Pentagon buys.

Simply put, the military can’t rely on the unsecure public cloud to transmit and store sensitive data. Global hackers, often sponsored by governments in China, Russia, and Iran, are constantly trying to access vital defense department data.

And when it comes to data encryption, nothing beats what blockchain can offer. Which explains why nearly every defense contractor is expected to adopt blockchain over the next several years.

Last July, Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) said it is working with privately held SparkCognition Inc. to adopt blockchain technology for tracking and allocating flight corridors for drones.

Defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) is working with Guardtime Federal LLC to provide blockchain cybersecurity. Lockheed, the nation’s largest defense contractor, counts cyber as a core product.

But civilian branches of the government intend to get in on the action as well. Last June, the $26.3 billion General Services Administration began piloting the federal government’s first blockchain project with vendors Sapient and United Solutions.

Add it all up, and you can see there is enormous potential for blockchain tech – and the firms that develop the products these sectors seek.

Now then, there are no pure blockchain tech plays I can recommend at present. But the companies I’ve just mentioned are hard at work carving out an unbeatable blockchain edge, and I expect bottom lines to fatten accordingly.

That said, there are some firms moving forward aggressively with developing the blockchain itself.

So you can bet I’ll be keeping a close eye on them as we move into 2019. I’m going to have plenty more to say about blockchain technology this year.

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Source: Money Morning 

Pot Stocks

36 Reasons Why Today Could Be Marijuana’s Biggest Day in Weeks

Legal cannabis is off to a roaring start in Canada, of course, but the next flood of big-gain potential will come to us courtesy of folks south of the border.

That’s because today, voters in Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, Utah, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin will head to the polls to vote on no less than 36 major cannabis reform ballot measures.

Now, any one of these could catalyze tremendous pot-stock gains virtually overnight because, as we’ve seen time and again since 2014, “when laws pass, stocks soar.”

But I’m most excited about the biggest of them…

Change Is in the Cards Across the Country

In Ohio, voters in six cities – Dayton is the biggest one – are deciding on whether to decriminalize cannabis. If passed, these initiatives would reduce the penalty for misdemeanor marijuana offenses to the lowest penalties allowed by law.

And in Wisconsin, voters in several counties are deciding whether to legalize medical marijuana. Other counties are voting on full adult legalization.

In Colorado, one of the nation’s most important “adult use” markets, voters are deciding on an amendment that would redefine industrial hemp so it aligns with the federal definition. If it passes, Colorado farmers would be at a huge advantage – and continue to lead the country’s hemp industry. Right now, Colorado produces half of the hemp in the United States.

In Utah and Missouri, citizens will be voting on whether to legalize medical marijuana. Both these states sport deep red, profoundly anti-marijuana electorates, so these two, specifically, are monumental votes, testing exactly how mainstream legal cannabis has become.

And finally, Michigan and North Dakota voters will be deciding on adult-use recreational marijuana. The proposed laws would not only legalize the sale of certain amounts of marijuana, but also change how law enforcement prosecutes marijuana drug infractions. In some cases, the violations would be changed from criminal to civil; in others, marijuana convicts’ records would be expunged entirely.

Six of the seven states will also be voting on taxes and other legal cannabis regulations. For example, Michigan and North Dakota are looking to enact marijuana laws and taxes that would mimic those of alcohol sales.

So what does this mean for the states that are looking to legalize? Fortunately, we have a pretty good example to look at as a jumping-off point.

The Centennial State Gives Us a Road Map

When Colorado legalized marijuana, it raked in $70 million in tax revenue annually. Michigan’s population is twice the size of Colorado’s 5 million residents. So, if it follows a similar tax plan, Michigan is, in theory, looking at as much as $140 million in annual tax revenue if its ballot initiative passes.

North Dakota is also looking to go fully legal, but its population is much smaller than Colorado’s. It’s home to just 750,000 people, but even that many could generate up to $10 million in tax revenue per year.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has roughly the same population as Colorado. So it could generate just as much tax revenue through cannabis tourism, medical marijuana, and recreational legalization.

And these numbers just reflect the beginning. Today, Colorado nets about $247 million – a 250% increase from since it went fully legal – in taxes and other fees.

If even a few of these states pass laws, they’re looking at a massive influx of cash… and that’s just in taxes, which go right to the state to help improve things like infrastructure, roads, and schools.

And these election results also will bolster the bottom line of the best cannabis firms – the sort we talk about here all the time.

That will, in turn, lead to higher share prices.

Because, again, “when laws pass, stocks soar,” and we’re looking at as many as 36 passing by the time polls close tonight.

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Source: Money Morning 

Pot Stocks

Big Weed Is About to Collide with Big Money for Even Bigger Profits

Michael A. RobinsonMICHAEL A. ROBINSON

Editor’s Note: Michael pushed this out to his free Strategic Tech Investor readers last night. Now that they’ve had the chance to get ready, we want to make sure everyone has a chance to cash in here. To get Michael’s free tech and pot stock investing research for yourself each week, just click here. Here he is…

I knew legal cannabis began to step out of the shadows and onto the big stage when some of its largest and best-run firms started listing on major U.S. stock exchanges.

Two Canadian companies have done that so far – uplisting their OTC-traded stocks to one of the big American exchanges.

At the end of February, Cronos Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CRON) uplisted to the Nasdaq, while Canopy Growth Corp. (NYSE: CGC) debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on May 19.

Both of those were big news at the time.

And for a very good reason, as I’ll show you…

Legal Weed Is Hitting In the Big Leagues Now

Quite simply, these young, aggressive, and above all well-positioned firms are now on the same playing field as some of the top tech names in the world.

That hasn’t escaped the attention of Wall Street.

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You see, fund managers who run $1 billion-plus portfolios are often hamstrung by strict limits on what they can own.

Often, for example, they can only hold stocks that are traded on major exchanges. In other words, fund managers and other big spenders who like these companies now have the green light to buy. We’re talking about pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, and more.

That’s a lot of potential buying pressure from institutional investors that should keep interest alive – and money rolling in.

But, for all that, we still haven’t seen a cannabis initial public offering (IPO) on one of the big U.S. exchanges.

Until now…

Pot’s Potential Makes This One of Few IPOs Worth Following

A British Columbia-based cannabis startup – one I’ve been watching for years now – just began marketing its upcoming Nasdaq IPO.

A “roadshow” unlike any other is in the offing.

That means its executives and marketing team have signed up their banking partners… and are hitting the road in order to show (and, of course, sell) its IPO to big-money investors.

It values its IPO at near $1.5 billion – and will make its debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market exchange.

“In general, U.S. capital markets have generally been closed to growers. [This company] is reflecting that exchanges like Nasdaq and New York [Stock Exchange] are starting to open up to the fact that cannabis is a legitimate marketplace,” Scott Greiper, president and founder of cannabis-focused investment bank Viridian Capital Advisors, said. “Every exchange is looking to be on the front lines of capital markets.”

And that trend is only going to escalate as more U.S. states – and more nations around the world – continue to legalize cannabis.

This seed-to-sale cannabis company has a long history of being a “first mover” in its sector. Not only is it the first marijuana company to IPO on a major U.S. exchange, but it was the first Canadian cannabis company to distribute its marijuana at home and internationally.

That gives it entry into not only the $4.7 billion Canadian market, but the international market as well. That market is expected to reach $57 billion by 2027, according to Arcview Market Research – and some analysts believe it could reach $1 trillion in short order.

When this company makes its debut, it’ll complete the perfect “Big Weed” triple-play, along with Cronos and Canopy Growth – two pot stocks I recommend accumulating here.

Canada’s Cannabis Billions Could Be Unleashed, Potentially Overnight

Now, I’ve already laid out my case for this soon-to-be public Canadian company in a special report that’s free to select members of my Radical Technology Profitsservice. You can click here to learn how to get it.

I told those subscribers that it’s the “Canadian cannabis IPO I’m watching closest right now” – and that was before the Nasdaq news broke.

But the truth is, weed investing is about more – much more – than a promising IPO.

Just to give you an idea of the potential here, by 2027, it’s expected that about 40% of all legal marijuana across the globe will be sold in Canada. All told, Canada’s total legal weed market – when you add in the growers, the value-added product makers, the testing labs, security, tourism, exports, and all the rest – could soon reach $22.6 billion, according to Deloitte.

Those incredible statistics cannot be understated.

And they’re why I believe investors should be focusing their attention on Canada-based marijuana companies and stocks, like Cronos and Canopy Growth.

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Source: Money Morning 

Technology

Double Your Money in Less Than Three Years with This Backdoor Play on AI

Michael A. RobinsonMICHAEL A. ROBINSON

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is looking to cut half of its 20,000 tech and operations staff and replace them with artificial intelligence, robotics, and other forms of automation.

Goldman Sachs International is looking to do something similar.

This is according to a series of interviews in the Financial Times.

A Gallup survey of 3,000 Americans released in March shows that 73% felt that AI would kill more jobs than it creates. That tracks with a 2016 survey by the Pew Research Center in which 65% said automation that includes AI would replace “much” of the work done now by humans.

People are scared – and I understand why.

But there’s a much bigger story here – and it’s a positive one for job seekers.

It’s a positive story for technology investors, too – so you know you’ll want to pay attention to this.

The truth is, AI-led automation is not a zero-sum proposition.

So, today let’s drill beneath these alarmist headlines.

Let’s discover how AI-driven automation is actually sparking a jobs boom.

And let’s dig up a hidden way to play this field with a stock that I think will double in lesss than 30 months.

Check it out…

An AI Odyssey

We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary one of the great, groundbreaking films of all time.

For millions of Americans, the debut of “2001: A Space Odyssey” on April 3, 1968, served as their intro into the world of artificial intelligence. And it came with quite a negative point of view.

Recall that the AI-powered HAL 9000 computer takes over the spaceship Discovery One, and even kills one astronaut.

To this day, many Americans remain leery of AI thanks to “2001.”

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However, Stanley Kubrick’s film had such a powerful impact on me that I’ve followed the world of AI – both its positive and negative effects – ever since.

In recent years, AI has become synonymous with automation and robotics because the three are now tightly intertwined as factories all over the world adopt these high-output platforms.

While the mainstream media is focused on automation’s job-killing prospects, I believe that AI will be a long-term boon to the economy.

And I’ve got several pieces of empirical data to back that stance up…

  • Last month, the Asian Development Bank said automation had created an extra 34 million jobs in the region. That’s because the tech lowered prices while improving quality for Asian goods.
  • In a 2017 study, Deloitte found that automation in the United Kingdom had destroyed 800,000 jobs in the past 15 years. But over that same period, it had created 3 million jobs – and they paid an average $13,500 more than the old ones.
  • The Centre for European Economic Research predicts that by 2021 industrial employment in its home market of Germany will rise by 1.8%. The study says that’s because the tech is making those factories more competitive.
  • And a June 2017 study sponsored by Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) puts the economic impact of AI at $1.1 trillion by 2021 – and that’s just for cloud-based revenue in the customer relationship management end of the cloud computing sector.

So, it’s exciting news to see global chip leader and Silicon Valley pioneer Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) focus so heavily on AI.

In September 2017, Intel unveiled an experimental “neuromorphic” chip called Loihi. As Intel says, this chip compares “machines with the human brain.” It can “read” its environment and become constantly smarter.

In fact, Loihi mimics many of the basic neural pathways in the human brain by packing 130,000 neurons and 139,000 synapses into 128 computer cores.

But as much as I find Intel’s new breakthrough highly exciting, there is an even better way for technology investors like you to play this emerging field.

Fact is, as important as AI chips are becoming, they are useless without one key device – computer memory.

And this firm delivers…

Crushing the “Memory” Market

As a quick recap, memory devices store dynamic data to make computers run faster and more smoothly.

This is what allows you to open multiple windows on your web browser while you work on a document, edit photos, and add graphics to a presentation – all while streaming music in the background.

By definition, AI requires complex memory chips because of the daunting amount of data these systems must crunch through to work at speeds that approach the human brain.

And Micron Technology Inc. (NYSE: MU) is the best memory firm operating in the world today. Even better, it has signed key partnerships with Intel over the course of its history.

Back in 2003, for example, Intel invested $450 million for a 5.3% stake in Micron to help the firm develop memory chips that would work well with Intel’s microprocessors.

Then, in 2005, the firms formed a $1.2 billion joint venture to develop NAND flash memory. That’s the kind of memory that now stores all the data in your smartphones and tablet computers.

If that’s all we tapped with our investment in Micron, it still would be huge. But Allied Market Research says NAND flash memory will be a $39 billion market by 2022.

And the story gets better…

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Micron is investing in the next generation of chip building and has begun selling a type of memory that will take smartphone and tablet computing to a whole new level.

And it should have a huge impact on gaming, Big Data, cloud computing, and virtual reality – not to mention AI.

Multidimensional Computing

Launched roughly a year ago in another joint effort with Intel, 3D XPoint is a new platform that looks at memory in a whole new way. This tech uses a microscopic mesh of wires that can be stacked on top of each other to provide computing in three dimensions.

The result is a single system that can handle both memory and storage – and performs both functions better than what’s out there today.

Grand View Research says the market for next-gen memory such as 3D XPoint will reach $3.4 billion by 2020 because of its scope throughout the world’s major tech systems.

In other words, Micron has a lot of long-term upside.

And it’s not doing badly in the short term, either. In its most recent fiscal quarter, Micron said it grew earnings per share by 246%.

With that strong earnings growth, we also get bargain pricing. Shares trade at $56 but are dirt cheap on a relative basis – roughly just five times next year’s earnings.

That’s a nearly 70% discount from the S&P 500’s forward earnings ratio.

In other words, you’re getting an amazing discount on a firm that cuts a wide swath through our tech-centric world.

I believe the stock could double in as little as 30 months.

I base that on the fact that over the past three years, Micron’s earnings have grown an average 31%. That means they should double in just 27 months – and pull the stock price up along the way.

Add it all up and you can see that it’s time to stop worrying about AI.

Instead, cash in on this red-hot trend.

With Micron, we have a stock that can do just that while piling up profits for tech investors over the next several years.

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Source: Money Morning 

Pot Stocks

This Pot Stock Has Uplisted and Is Poised for Massive Profit Potential

Michael A. RobinsonMICHAEL A. ROBINSON

As I’ve mentioned numerous times by now, Canada is right at the doorstep of becoming the first G7 nation where the use of recreational cannabis is legalized for the entire country.

I can’t emphasize enough how big this is.

In fact, the recreational marijuana market in Canada could be valued at anywhere between $5 billion and $10 billion per year.

The company that I’ll be talking about today is one that I first recommended to myNova-X Report readers way back in 2016.

The company has recently gone through some exciting developments and can take advantage of the massive potential of the marijuana market.

You see, on May 24, the company uplisted, and its shares are currently trading on the New York Stock Exchange, in addition to trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Here’s why this move will maximize this stock’s profit potential.

You see, uplisting will benefit the stock’s price, liquidity, and potential appreciation.

First, by moving up to stronger and more recognizable exchanges, the stock will broaden its available shareholder base.

Second, the exchanges and market participants are more likely to offer greater liquidity and price discovery and be more active in supporting and trading the stock.

So let’s take a look at this Canadian pot stock and its potential for massive gains…

Canada’s Biggest Grower… Keeps On Growing

Canopy Growth Corp. (NYSE: CGC) is the biggest cannabis grower in Canada and has been expanding its capacity.

In fact, it’s poised to be one of the major global players in the industry as marijuana legalization spreads to more countries.

In addition to exposure in the blossoming Canadian market, Canopy already has agreements to export products to Germany, Australia, Spain, Denmark, Jamaica, Chile, and Brazil.

RELATED: Top five tiny Canadian pot stocks are set to skyrocket. Click here…

What’s more, one of Canopy’s investors is alcoholic giant Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ), with a 9.9% stake in the company. That stake is worth a cool $191 million, and Constellation will have the option of purchasing additional stakes in the future.

It’s no coincidence that Constellation, which has a strong presence in California, made its move just months ahead of the state’s full legalization of marijuana.

Over the past year, Canopy has put more emphasis on its cannabis-oils products, as well, citing the higher profit margins of oils in its September quarter earnings report. Sales from oils increased 107% year over year, and the segment’s contribution to overall revenue rose from 14% to 18%.

The Brightfield Group estimates the global marijuana market will reach $31.4 billion by 2021. Should Canopy get 5% of the global cannabis market, it will grow sales by 250%.

Now, let’s take a look at what the stock currently looks like.

Two Exchanges, Plenty of Gains

Canopy is looking strong by closing above its initial New York Stock Exchange listing high once more. Though the cannabis sector isn’t yet fully on the same page, it can be comforted by the fact that Canopy, as its undisputed sector leader, continues to attract investors.

Shares of Canopy’s WEED on the Toronto Stock Exchange gapped up to $40 per share before retreating 15.76% over the next two-plus sessions as profit takers gained control.

Today is the second time Canopy Growth has breached $40 per share on a closing basis. On June 6, which was the day before Canada’s historic Bill C-45 vote was scheduled to take place, WEED finished at $40.68 per share after investors ran up prices in the sector in anticipation of a successful third reading vote.

Having accomplished that, the sector sold off around 8% over the next four days as a main underlying catalyst had been vanquished from the market.

Now that Canopy Growth has round tripped from sub-$34 and back – closing up $1.26 to $40.65 per share – investors have gotten past most of their recent post-legalization sell-off fears.

In fact, WEED closed just $0.03 shy of establishing a new post-NYSE closing high, meaning it can essentially set its sights on $41.40 and $44, which are the post-NYSE intraday high and all-time high, respectively.

Canopy’s seemingly uncontrollable appetite shouldn’t surprise anyone who is following the company. Last week, the company raised $500 million Canadian via convertible note offering, which was the largest ever in the cannabis space. The offering was upsized 25% from the previously $400 million Canadian aggregate principal amount announced just two days prior.

Endless Profit Opportunity for Just About Anyone

If you want to make a profit on the booming cannabis sector, then I suggest jumping onboard Canopy, where the opportunities and gains are seemingly endless.

But that’s just scratching the surface.

For instance, my paid-up Nova-X Report subscribers get total access to my Roadmap to Marijuana Millions model portfolio and stock research, which includes a full briefing on no less than five small caps, each trading for around $5, that are poised to explode when, as expected, Canada passes legalization. This is the kind of potential than can turn a tiny stake into $100,000 or more.

When Canada Takes Weed Fully Legal…

It’ll probably make our retrograde attorney general hopping mad, but there’s really nothing on Earth he can do to stop these small cannabis companies from hitting the stratosphere. Sessions could be furious, but folks who park a few hundred dollars into these “north of the border” firms could potentially turn a small stake into $100,000 – and fast.Buffett just went all-in on THIS new asset. Will you?
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Cryptocurrency

Why “Dr. Doom” Is Wrong About Blockchain Technology

Michael A. Robinson

It’s little more than a “glorified Excel spreadsheet.”

At least that’s how New York University Stern School of Business economist Nouriel Roubini described blockchain technology earlier this month during a panel discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Calif.

But Roubini, nicknamed “Dr. Doom” for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, wasn’t done there. In fact, he’s been claiming for months now that the technology, which undergirds Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as an online transaction ledger, is overhyped.

“There is no decentralization,” the notoriously liberal Keynesian economist went on to say. “It’s just bullsh-t.”

Now, I’m not going to stoop to Roubini’s level and use foul language.

Instead, I’ll just give him a new nickname: “Mr. Wrong.”

Truth is, Mr. Wrong and other blockchain naysayers couldn’t be more incorrect.

Blockchain is still in its infancy, but that means now is the best time for investors to jump in. According to Gartner, the value of blockchain could surpass $1 trillion over the next decade.

So, today I’m going to show you some cold, hard facts to prove that Roubini is, indeed, Mr. Wrong.

And then I’ll introduce you to three global industry leaders that are already using blockchain tech to improve their businesses.

I often brag about my 30-plus years spent kicking around the tech industry and Silicon Valley.

Stunning: New Innovation Will Be Like “Adding Twin Turbos to the Bitcoin Engine” – and Could Send Its Price to $100,000. Learn More…

But that’s nothing compared to these three companies and their total 215 years of experience and a combined market cap of $580.06 billion.

So I’ll take their word before I do that of a former Clinton administration official…

So, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions are perfect for exactly this type of scenario, where they can reduce costs and cut out the middleman.

Simply put, blockchain tech provides a secure way to exchange valuable digital assets on the Internet, without the need for a third party, like a bank or another large company, to mediate the transaction. It also ensures the information these digital assets contain can’t be tampered with, thus producing an “immutable ledger” of transaction data.

And beyond the international payments realm, blockchain is already improving the way a variety of industries use their technical infrastructure, from supply-chain logistics to insurance to healthcare.

So, today let’s look at three global firms that are investing in and using blockchain… upending the way entrenched industries conduct business… and remaining relevant in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

The moves these three global blockchain leaders are making now are setting them up to take full advantage of what this tech has to offer.

They’re poised to reap the rewards.

And now, so are you.

So let’s take a look…

Global Blockchain Leader No. 1: Blue Is Betting Big

IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) has bet big on blockchain – and the company’s leaders see it as vital to its future success.

That said, IBM remains a poor investment. The company’s legacy businesses are slowing down faster than its strategic initiatives are growing. Moreover, its leadership is unfocused and neglectful toward shareholders.

But Big Blue’s work on blockchain tech is pretty much unparalleled at this point in corporate America. And that makes it an interesting company to watch and see who it partners with in the blockchain space, as some of its startup partners are likely to become great investment opportunities in the near future.

According to Google Patents, IBM has 3.9% of the “blockchain” patents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That’s more than any other company.

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The firm has developed an industry reputation as the go-to blockchain tech provider, according to an enterprise survey by Juniper. It has more than 250 active blockchain projects and 1,500 dedicated employees.

IBM has done pioneering work with private, enterprise-focused blockchain solutions for banking, insurance, and retail companies that want to use the technology to improve the way they, for instance, store customer data, but not broadcast that information to the general public.

IBM is partnering with the likes of Dole Food Co. Inc., Nestle SA, and Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to improve the quality of the food supply by tracing it using blockchain tech. It’s working with A.P. Moller-Maersk Group to build out a blockchain solution for the shipping industry. And it’s teaming up with international insurance broker Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. on a blockchain project to certify whether contractors have the needed liability insurance coverage.

Those examples are really just the tip of the iceberg, so we’ll be watching what steps IBM takes going forward – and to see if any of its blockchain startup partners become investible.

Global Blockchain Leader No. 2: Charging In

Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA), has been diving into blockchain at a furious pace. According to Google Patents, it has 3.2% of the blockchain patents filed with the Patent Office.

That amounts to as many as 30 patent filings over the past year or so, according to an analysis by crypto news site Cointelegraph.

This might seem like an odd position to take for the firm, in light of public statements from CEO Ajay Banga, who has joined Mr. Wrong in labeling cryptocurrencies in general as “junk.”

However, consider this…

Mastercard and other big financial companies act as middlemen in transactions, scooping up fees every time someone uses a credit card… or makes a cross-border payment.

Given that cryptocurrencies’ decentralized, peer-to-peer format represents a threat, Mastercard likely sees the potential of blockchain tech to improve its business processes, including as a means to safeguard identity data.

The market for cross-border payments alone was $18.5 trillion in 2017, so expect much more experimentation and use of blockchain tech in this industry.

In April, Mastercard filed for a patent for a system to use a semiprivate or private blockchain to store identity data, including names, street addresses, and tax identification numbers. This innovation, if it works out, could provide a way to store this data without fear of manipulation or fabrication, as well as accurately verify the data whenever that is needed.

Mastercard also wants to patent a blockchain-based, business-to-business payments system, which it announced last November. The idea is to create a more transparent way of making and tracking payments, though payments through the system are still made in fiat currencies such as U.S. dollars, not cryptocurrencies.

The company is also trying to snap up the best and brightest crypto professionals to join its team. In April, Mastercard posted “help wanted” ads for 175 new blockchain developers and other specialists in Ireland.

Global Blockchain Leader No. 3: Making Food Safer

Frank Yiannas, the vice president in charge of food safety at Walmart Inc. has not been a blockchain believer since Day 1.

A self-described early sceptic, Yiannas has since changed his mind – and it has to do with transparency in food production.

“For me… it’s more like a religious conversion,” Yiannas told the audience at MIT Technology Review‘s recent Business of Blockchain conference. “The more I got into blockchain, the more I thought this is the solution.”

Now, he’s helped the retail giant as it’s teamed up with nine leading food companies, including Dole, Driscoll’s Inc., and Nestle, in a pilot with IBM to use cloud-based blockchain tech to track food’s origins and what happens to it as it passes through the supply chain.

The importance of this project hit home following an outbreak of E. coli-tainted romaine lettuce that’s led to 53 infections in 16 U.S. states over recent days.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is struggling to pinpoint the outbreak’s origins – and Yiannas says blockchain could help.

The current system of tracing any random food’s origins – one among the 50,000-odd foodstuffs stocked on an average grocery store’s shelves – can take a week or more, Yiannas says. With blockchain tech, it takes 2.2 seconds.

No wonder Walmart is actively signing up suppliers to put information about food on a blockchain.

Walmart is also making moves to patent specific blockchain technologies.

In March, the company submitted an application for a patent involving a “Smart Package” system designed for autonomous vehicles and unmanned drones to track package contents, environmental conditions, location, and other information.

Exposing Mr. Wrong

Unlike Mr. Wrong, these three companies clearly see value and market advantage in getting in early on blockchain.

I’m right there with them.

In fact, I’m doing more than putting my money where my mouth is.

I’m currently advising my daughter to consider a career in blockchain as she enters graduate school. No doubt, understanding how this technology works would set her up for some outstanding opportunities.

Of course, I’m also interested in setting you up for the future, too.

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Source: Money Morning