Is investing in BigTech companies beneficial for you?

Investing in Big Tech companies is beneficial. These companies have a history of success and have gained thousands of loyal customers.

But firstly, let us understand what Big Tech is. Big techs are major technology companies with unparalleled influence on technology and our lives indirectly.

These are the most prolific and burgeoning companies of our times. Often big names like FAANG, i.e., Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google, are considered members of this elite club.

These Big Tech companies are so vast in their operations that no other player is comparable. Most of us consume products of these FAANG companies in one way or another, like using a platform for ordering something from amazon or having a social media account, etc.

If we look at the cumulative market cap of FAANG stocks is $7.07 trillion, which is double the size of India’s market cap (which stood at $3.46 trillion).

Furthermore, when we look at the following five players in the US, the market cap of (Microsoft, Tesla, Taiwan Semiconductor, NVIDIA, and Visa) stands at $4.83 trillion depicting tremendous difference and room for growth when compared to the top five players.

While these numbers are enormous, these companies have been growing sustainably and are commanding their sweet share in the market.

For example – Facebook is possibly the most prominent social networking platform (including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram). Similarly, Google is the undisputed leader when it comes to search engines.

The following charts depict the growth story of these companies

The revenues of these companies often surpass the value of the GDP of several countries. For example, the revenue of Amazon and Apple both surpassed the value of the GDP of Pakistan (296 $ billion) by almost 90 $ billion and 69 $ billion, respectively!

The GDP comparison shows the efficiency of these companies in their business operations and how well they’ll augur in the future. The most significant plus point for these companies is that they run their business on the new oil of the industry – data

What is the conclusion? – these companies are sure to grow more in the future. Imagine investing in these companies and how your wealth would have increased by now.

But there’s no need to worry because we live in a technology-driven world. In the words of Joseph Krutch, ‘Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology indispensable.’

As the name suggests, various firms are investing heavily in new-generation technologies like –

Let’s briefly go through these next-gen technologies. Internet, this is just unmissable! We all know how rapidly internet technology is progressing.

5G services are already up and running commercially in over 64 countries worldwide.

Robotics and AI is the new talking point of the industry

Automation and AI have helped solve several problems industries face and will grow even in the future. Self-driving cars as a field have tremendous scope and lot.

The future of automobile manufacturing will get entirely automated. In 2020, the 3D printing industry was worth 13.7 $ billion with an expected growth of 63.46 $ billion by 2026, which means a CAGR of 25% approx.

All these industry projections show how resilient the future is – various chipsets power today’s world.

Almost all devices have a semiconductor chip installed, from a simple LED bulb to a complex supercomputer. Thus, this industry is sure to flourish in the future.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is living proof of how strong the fintech industry can grow. Fintech unapologetically has to be a next-gen industry.

We don’t want to miss the bus this time. Several ETFs invest in such next tech. Here are a few theme-based US ETF recommendations from us:

Ticker Name	Segment	Name	1 Year Return	3 Year Return	5 Year Return
DRIV	Equity: Global Mobility	Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF	-0.02%	113.23%	N/A
PRNT	Equity: Global Robotics & AI	3D Printing ETF	-29.95%	31.60%	25.64%
SNSR	Equity: Global Internet	Global X Internet of Things ETF	1.54%	87.85%	102.81%
ARKF	Equity: Global FinTech	ARK Fintech Innovation ETF	-44.17%	N/A	N/A
FIVG	Equity: Global 5G	Defiance Next Gen Connectivity ETF	2.11%	N/A	N/A
IGF	Equity: Global Infrastructure	iShares Global Infrastructure ETF	11.11%	19.57%	34.25%
CIBR	Equity: Global Cybersecurity	First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF	0.67%	80.84%	122.84%

Investing in all the themes under one roof

Now since we have seen several theme-based ETFs, let’s look at some ETFs that take care of all! The more diversity in the portfolio, the lower is the risk involved.

Below are the five ETFs that invest majorly in tech companies; these are not theme-based.

The portfolio diversification of these ETFs is oriented toward tech companies

Ticker Name	Name	Total Assets ($ B)	1 Year Return	3 Year Return	5 Year Return	3-Year Net Flows ($ B)
QQQ	Invesco QQQ Trust	180.36	7.30%	110.74%	182.08%	36.55
VUG	Vanguard Growth ETF	77.38	7.43%	93.76%	145.59%	7.84
IWF	iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF	67.23	8.43%	91.87%	152.41%	-7.70
IVW	iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF	34.36	12.54%	87.50%	142.75%	-3.88
TQQQ	ProShares UltraPro QQQ	19.17	8.46%	361.00%	721.84%	18.02

The above-listed funds have the highest Assets Under Management and provide investors with constant returns. Thus, these funds are ideal for investors seeking long-term capital growth.

What’s in it for Indian investors?

There are two ways in which Indian investors can reap benefits from their investments in the US markets:

• From the returns that these ETFs have generated. 
• From the rupee depreciation, which has been depreciating at 4% approx. Annually for the past ten years.

So, if the fund gives a 20% return and the rupee depreciates by 4%, the total gain will be 24% for the Indian investor.

The below chart explains how the rupee is depreciating over the period.

Conclusion

The big tech companies or tech-based ETFs have generated stable and healthy returns over the period. So, as an investor, you should consider adding US ETFs to your portfolio.

Consult an expert advisor to get the right plan