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Predicting the future is a risky game, more so when it involves your hard-earned money. But let us face it – all investments carry some degree of risk. Once the market conditions sours, your stocks, bonds or funds can lose value. There is a reason why many investors are attracted to short term investments. They want decent returns for their investment while limiting the risks they may encounter.

Predicting the future is a risky game, more so when it involves your hard-earned money. But let us face it – all investments carry some degree of risk. Once the market conditions sours, your stocks, bonds or funds can lose value. There is a reason why many investors are attracted to short term investments. They want decent returns for their investment while limiting the risks they may encounter.

The global pandemic and its subsequent effect on the financial markets, however, has taught a valuable lesson – investing for the long-term is the better option. Any advisor worth your salt will tell you that during this unpredictable economy, you should be keeping a well-diversified portfolio that can weather whatever the markets will bring and stay off hot stocks and sectors, as well as investment trends.

Still, it is impossible to ignore the trends that may impact investors in the next ten years. If you are looking for opportunities that will get you a good return over the next decades, the following list is for you. These investment trends are predicted to shape the economy and society of the future. Expect many of the growth stocks to ride these major trends as they gain momentum over the next few years.

1. Autonomous vehicles may rule the road (and skies)

Already at an advanced stage of development, autonomous vehicles are one of the most visible trends of the decade. Self-driving cars are predicted to rule the roads in the future, with companies like Tesla, Google, Astro Aerospace (OTC:ASDN), and Honda accelerating the process so we can see them take the road soon. Think of the implications of autonomous vehicles and e-mobility to energy consumption and land use. Values of intellectual properties and mapping software will also rise.

Automation is not only applicable to conventional cars. Urban air mobility (UAM) is an emerging industry set to take the world by storm. Flying cars and passenger drones are no longer bound in science fiction. Companies with millions of dollars of funding are racing to introduce electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts to the market. Aircrafts like Elroy by Astro Aerospace can transport two passengers efficiently and with zero emission.

2. Internet grows bigger

Expect the Internet to continue to grow as developing countries catch up with developed countries in terms of penetration. As global Internet users continue to rise, monetization from the internet will also increase further. As it is, e-commerce and online shopping stand to record huge growth, predicted to take 30% of the market share in 2025. Asia will be a major player, with e-commerce users exceeding those in Europe and North America.

Top social media companies like Facebook and Alphabet Google, who owns YouTube, will continue to benefit from online advertising. When it comes to digital market share, size matters as consumers will persist on patronizing sites that already have large group bases. Facebook has about 2.2 billion monthly average users, while YouTube has 1.9 billion. By driving the best returns for advisers, these social media sites will only get bigger in this decade.

3. Demand for cloud infrastructure to skyrocket

During the pandemic, cloud-powered solutions have proven to be lifesavers for businesses worldwide. The market picked up momentum as many migrate to digital formats to manage critical workloads. Major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s Azure reported huge growths in their revenues. For instance, Amazon’s third quarter revenue grew by 29% year over year.

This demand will only continue for the next few years as companies feel inclined to use cloud due to its accessibility, cost efficiencies and flexibility for growth. More industry leaders are recognizing the benefits of cloud technology in order to run their organizations and increase overall profit margins. It is anticipated that the global public cloud market will grow by 35% at $120 billion this year alone.

4. More innovations in healthcare

The gradual rise of healthcare demand has been evident over the years, but the pandemic highlighted the need for a specific aspect – innovation. With people staying away from the hospitals out of fear of acquiring the virus, the demand for virtual care technologies becomes apparent. The global outbreak enforces the need for biotech to deepen and broaden its emerging market.

In the next decade, telehealth and at-home diagnostics will be a major trend. People are looking into anything that allows treating sickness from home. Wearable devices like sensors and implantables will make it simple for consumers to measure and track a wide range of health vitals accurately. Overtime, physical visits with doctors will likely involve only diagnostics and procedures.

5. Revolutionary technologies will be game-changers

Any list of major trends for the decade will include revolutionary technologies. There were many heading into the pandemic, including automation, advanced communication systems, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and augmented reality. Most of these technologies even converge with other trends, like the 5G included in autonomous vehicles and augmented reality for the healthcare industry.

Artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning, will continue to be the core to the global online ecosystem. Already, it drives recommendation engines in many platforms like Amazon, Facebook and Netflix. Fraud detection, facial recognition, security surveillance and even personal assistants – the possibilities for AI are endless. By 2025, the global market for artificial intelligence is projected to reach $126 billion.

6. Streaming will become one of the most used technologies

The global lockdown has elevated viewing figures across all media unlike anything ever recorded. Streaming, in particular, has benefited from the rising demand for content. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon’s Twitch stand to earn robust growth in subscribers in the upcoming years. By 2030, content consumption over streaming platforms is anticipated to increase to 80%. Live content is also expected to be featured more heavily in streaming services.

Likewise, live streaming has proven to be a boon to earn more profit for e-commerce companies. Social media have become the platforms of choice in marketing their products and services and even help improve customer experience. The music industry has also benefited from streaming’s increased popularity. Platforms like Spotify will continue to draw in more listeners than radios, particularly among the younger age groups.