Like any other sector, the tech industry has experienced significant impacts from the most recent economic downturn. Having said that, thanks to its ongoing focus on innovation and planning for the future, it has fared somewhat better than others.
By making these concepts a priority, the tech sector is able to respond quickly to what customers want now as well as what they are likely to be purchasing in the future and, as a result, react to changes with an agility and flexibility that many other industries could learn from.
Mobile technology is one example of an area that continues to thrive even in difficult economic times. Smartphones and tablets have become something of a necessity for increasing numbers of people and are no longer viewed as a nice-to-have luxury. The enhancement of the sort of services mobile gadgets deliver means that people are increasingly looking for good value for money deals rather than dismissing them as an unnecessary expense.
For this very reason, the technology industry is usually a good investment to make, even during difficult economic times, and by choosing wisely investors can usually be confident of enjoying good returns.
Golden opportunities for 2015
These are some of the opportunities that experts have highlighted as being among the potentially most exciting in the tech industry in 2015:
- Apple. Perhaps a bit of an obvious choice, but with good reason. Apple is a giant in the industry and while it has enjoyed enormous popularity for many years, there is little reason to think it will not continue to do so for the near future at least. iPhones are synonymous with the term smartphone while iPads continue to be the tablet to which all other competitors are compared. The constant focus on innovation and development of new products, such as the hotly-anticipated Apple Watch, lead to spikes in interest and the sort of attention from consumers that other organizations envy.
- Intel. Perhaps a bit more behind-the-scenes than Apple and some of the other big names, possibly by virtue of the fact that it does not produce mobile devices itself. Having said that, Intel does provide processors to manufacturers, meaning it plays a critical role in the mobile tech world. A little late into the industry, the business is making up for it now, and while it is not predicted to make enormous gains in 2015, its consistency and quiet confidence means many experts believe it to be a sound investment.
- Facebook. Another huge name that is making inroads into the mobile industry and therefore represents an exciting investment opportunity. While increasing numbers of social media platforms come onto the market, Facebook continues to be for many the biggest and most popular one out there, generating hugely impressive revenue through advertising sales. A mobile payment system due to be released in 2015 has also generated a lot of interest in the financial markets as it could lead the way to even greater activity on the site.
One of the fundamental questions to ask yourself is whether you want to invest in small caps (low valuation but great potential) or large caps (bigger and arguably more secure organizations) as the tech industry has strong representation in both of these areas. There is major debate on this issue, with different camps each claiming that one or the other will be big in 2015. The most useful thing to do is ensure that you are fully up to speed with the arguments on either side and base any decision on factual research. This information can be gathered from financial industry books to financial analysts to classic investment theories rather than guess work and instinct.
Tech industry stocks in 2015
While it is impossible to predict with total accuracy what will happen in any industry, being able to read trends and patterns is key to making successful investments. The tech industry is an interesting and, at times, difficult market to track as it is subject to such rapid degrees of significant change, which can be a pitfall. That said, this provides some exciting opportunities for investors willing to do some thorough research.
Whatever happens in 2015, it is unlikely that the general public’s interest in technology will do anything other than increase. As gadgets and smart appliances continue to play an integral role in almost every aspect of how we lead our lives today, the demand for more functionality is likely to grow. The challenge, and the greatest benefits, will come from anticipating which areas of the industry are likely to benefit the most from this growth in demand.
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