While companies’ share prices fluctuate according to the financial performance of the business, cryptocurrencies have no underlying assets. As a result, the value of cryptocurrencies often rises and falls based on investors’ speculation. In 2022 alone, the S&P Cryptocurrency Top 10 Equal Weight Index has tumbled 70.5% since January.
The crypto market’s value has plummeted as the war in Ukraine and rises in inflation and interest rates have bled into the already volatile industry. Moreover, in June, major U.S. cryptocurrency lending company Celsius Network froze withdrawals and transfers because of “extreme” conditions, which sent the crypto market’s value falling below $1 trillion.
Investing in cryptocurrencies is tricky, as there are not many concrete reasons for their fluctuation in value. Consequently, investing in a company with a history of innovation and well-performing products is a more reliable way to let your money work for you. Here are three tech stocks with more potential than any cryptocurrency.
1. Advanced Micro Devices
Along with Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) played a critical role in the development of the cryptocurrency market with its graphics processing units (GPUs). Up until September, GPUs were a crucial component in mining the cryptocurrency Ethereum.
However, on Sept. 15, the cryptocurrency switched from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake model, which rendered GPUs unnecessary in the production of Ethereum and made mining crypto unprofitable. The result led to a decline in demand for GPUs, a market in which AMD boasts the second-largest market share at 20% as of the second quarter of 2022.
AMD profited off of the rise of cryptocurrency for several years, as under the proof-of-work model, an increase in the value of Ethereum would often boost GPU sales. However, AMD continues to be a company worth an investment despite its lack of involvement in the crypto market. Its exit from the unpredictable market may even offer the company more reliable growth.
Although the company’s stock has fallen 59% since January alongside declines in the PC market, AMD’s revenue reflects a strong business. The chipmaker’s revenue rose 70% year over year to $12.4 billion in the first two quarters of the year, and it expects a 29% increase in year-over-year revenue in the third quarter of 2022.
Additionally, AMD has a varied business that works within the PC industry but also provides processing and graphics components for Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation game consoles. The success of these consoles led AMD to report a 70% increase in year-over-year revenue in the second quarter of 2022, with its gaming segment boosting the figure with a rise of 32%.
As an innovative company with business in multiple aspects of the gaming industry, AMD is a far more reliable investment for the long term than cryptocurrency.
2. Apple
While the value of Bitcoin has risen 218% in the last five years, Apple’s (AAPL) share price has increased 259% in the same period despite steep declines in the tech industry throughout 2022. Looking at the past 12 months, Bitcoin’s value has plummeted 64.8% while Apple’s stock has fallen 1.2%. Apple’s strong business has encouraged investors’ confidence despite the Nasdaq-100 Technology Sector Index’s decline of 34% since last year.
As one of the most innovative companies in the world, Apple is likely to continue seeing gains for many years. The company has a knack for reinventing technology and boosting it into mainstream use. For instance, devices such as smartphones, tablets, Bluetooth headphones, and smartwatches became widely used once Apple launched its own versions.
Moreover, on Sept. 5, Apple won the long-fought war with Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Android when its iPhone OS became the dominant smartphone operating system in the U.S. The iPhone manufacturer now operates over 50% of the country’s smartphones. Its dominance in the market, coupled with its walled garden that manages to encourage consumers to creep further into its ecosystem with just one product, is likely to continue offering gains for years to come.
3. Alphabet
Alphabet is easily one of the fastest-growing companies in the world, making its stock a more reliable option than any cryptocurrency. The company offers investors the security of potent brands such as Android, Chrome, YouTube, and Google, each having a substantial market share in their related industries.
The success of these brands has turned Alphabet into a digital advertising titan, with the company retaining a majority market share since at least 2016 and responsible for a 28% share in 2022.
Investors have recently grown concerned that rises in inflation may cause companies to rein in their advertising budgets and therefore hamper Alphabet’s revenue. However, one of the company’s most significant vehicles for ads, YouTube, has seen immense growth. The video platform boasts 2.6 billion monthly users, leading its ad revenue to increase 25% from 2020 to 2021 and 9.2% in the first two quarters of 2022.
Furthermore, U.S. digital ad spending is expected to rise 31% from $239.89 billion in 2022 to $315.52 billion in 2025, according to Insider Intelligence. As a result, Alphabet may see marginal declines in the immediate future, but it is an excellent investment for those in it for the long haul.
— Dani Cook
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Source: The Motley Fool