Stock in The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) first went on sale to the public back on Sept. 21, 2016. The IPO was priced at $18 per share, and the stock closed at $30.10 a share on the first day of trading, up 67% in just a single session. The Trade Desk stock went on to generate massive returns over the next few years and is trading at around $233.40 as of this writing. It had previously touched an all-time high of $323.78 a share before the wider market turmoil of the past few months bumped it down.

So how much would an investor have if they invested $1,000 just after its IPO? An investor could have purchased 33 shares for $993.30, and that position would now be worth $7,702, yielding seven times the original investment, easily outperforming the S&P 500 index. For investors who bought the stock at its IPO price, this gain stands at an even more impressive 1,196% return.

TTD data by YCharts

The Trade Desk is a programmatic advertising company and aims to empower digital ad buyers. Its cloud-based platform helps advertisers create, manage, and optimize data-driven ad campaigns across several channels, in multiple formats including audio, video, in-app, and a range of devices such as mobile, computers, and connected TV (CTV).

The Trade Desk has integrated its platform with large publishers and data partners to help ad buyers with decision-making capabilities. The platform launched in 2011 and targeted the display advertising space. It has now expanded into other ad formats, and in 2019 about "79% of gross spend" was from mobile, video, audio, and social channels.

The Trade Desk provides services primarily to ad agencies. It enters into master service agreements with clients and generates sales by charging them a platform fee, which is calculated as a percentage of their total ad spend. Its open platform also helps advertisers customize and build their own features on top of the company's platform.

In short, The Trade Desk provides advertisers with a robust platform to manage data-driven digital ad campaigns.

There are several industrywide trends that will help The Trade Desk drive revenue growth in the upcoming decade. Media is becoming digital and this change in consumer behavior will continue to shift ad budgets online. While global ad revenue growth was estimated at 5% in 2019, digital ad sales growth is estimated at 14%, according to Magna Advertising. Further, digital ad sales were forecast to touch $304 billion, or 51% of total ad sales in 2019.

While the digital ad spend is on an upward trend, so is the acceleration of audience fragmentation. Currently, target audiences use multiple media channels such as mobile apps, online streaming, and websites, which makes it difficult for advertisers to reach a large audience base. This provides an opportunity for The Trade Desk that can not only consolidate but also simplify media-buying options for clients.

Image source: Getty Images.

The convergence of TV and the internet is probably the largest driver of growth for The Trade Desk. There will be a massive shift in terms of online content consumption all around the world, and this cord-cutting phenomenon holds this company in good stead. The rollout of 5G technology will accelerate this transition, which will bring faster downloading speeds and enhance the user experience. The flexibility of the consumption in online content will increase ad budgets in the CTV segment.

The Trade Desk is banking on its expertise to leverage the power of data and automate the ad-buying process to a certain extent. Programmatic advertising helps clients get real-time feedback, which increases the value of ad impressions. The automation of ad processes will lead to better price discovery, which will also help optimize a client's ad budget.

Programmatic advertising represents a small portion of the total ad market. In the current uncertain environment, marketers need to do more with less. This means ad agencies and related players will have to optimize ad spend across digital channels. This should provide a near-term tailwind to players including The Trade Desk, and offset any weakness arising from a decline in overall ad spending due to a drop in consumer demand and a slowing global economy.

The Trade Desk has been a top growth stock ever since its IPO three-and-a-half years ago. The company has managed to increase sales from $113.83 million in 2015 to $661 million in 2019. The gross spend on The Trade Desk platform has risen from $552 million to $3.12 billion in this period.

As with most growth stocks, profitability is not a major concern for the company. The Trade Desk aims to reinvest retained earnings to improve its technology and expand customer base, which in turn will drive revenue growth. While revenue has grown at an annual rate of 55% in the last four years, technology and development expenses are up 74%, while platform expenses have risen 61.5%.

The Trade Desk has a market cap of $10.64 billion. It has a forward price-to-sales ratio of 13.5and a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 70.3.Yes, the company is trading at an expensive valuation, but growth stocks generally tend to do so. The Trade Desk's expanding addressable market, leadership position, and transparent platform make it one of the safest bets for long-term investors.

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If You Invested $1,000 in The Trade Desk IPO, Here's How Much You'd Have Today - Motley Fool

INVESTMENT diversification is used here to describe the manner in which we invest in different asset classes to make up an investment portfolio, although the phrase may also be used to describe the manner in which we spread our risk within each asset class.

. Property: our house, but also buy-to-let residential and commercial buildings;

. Bonds: debt instruments that, say, governments or companies issue to borrow our money and promise to pay it back later, usually at a specified date and with a periodic coupon* paid on the nominal amount we own;

. Equity: shares in a company that entitle holders to vote at meetings and to dividends*, if paid;

. Gold: shiny bars and coins;

. Cash: cash at our retail bank where we have a credit balance (that is to say that we are creditors of the bank and they owe us the money);

We can invest directly or through a fund* that has the required exposure.

Starting at the end

Investment is based on risk and reward, with our understanding that the more we take of the former, the more that we will, ultimately, expect to receive of the latter* and this is generally and fundamentally the case because of what I like to call, The Grim Reapers Batting Order; a hierarchy that determines which group of creditors* is paid first during an insolvent liquidation of a company.

Those owed money in this scenario are ranked as follows, and each class of creditor must be paid in full before any remaining company funds are allocated to the next:

. Secured creditors with a fixed charge;

. Preferential creditors;

. Secured creditors with a floating charge;

. Unsecured creditors; and

. Shareholders.

So back to the plot

Diversification of investment in bonds and equity therefore allows us to occupy more than one position on the list. Diversification into more than one company, sector or region* allows us to occupy more positions on more lists and that sounds sensible, right?

Concluding, and quickly

Of course, if we knew into which basket to put all our eggs, we would do it tomorrow. We dont and therefore should continue to employ asset allocation which suits our personal circumstances (age, stage, wage and objectives). Under what is known as modern portfolio theory, we can reduce the overall risk of our portfolio, and actually increase our overall returns, by investing in asset combinations that are not correlated: that is to say that they dont tend to move in the same way at the same time. And lets regard 2020, by most metrics, as an extraordinary time.

Investment in property, aside from our home, is normally made with a view that prices will rise and that tenants, if applicable, will pay their rents. This view may have changed, in the short-term, at least, depending on where the property is and who those tenants are.

Gold can provide us with one of the few counterparty-free assets. Investment rationale has always been the same: that the yellow metal tends to perform well in times of geopolitical unrest, during economic slowdown and when global interest rates and bond yields are low or negative and when supply is disrupted. Central banks, one of the major players in the gold market, have been net buyers of gold since 2008, with their greatest investment since 1971 (when the gold standard was effectively abandoned) made in 2018 and 2019 **.

Cash is subject to the risk of the bank and its solvency, and will only thrive in periods of deflation (when prices of goods in the future actually become cheaper). More interesting will be how fiat* currencies react to the unprecedented levels of printing that have been employed and further promised by governments willing to do whatever it takes to end the current potential economic crisis.

Having mentioned 1971 above, It might be worth our noting that gold has outperformed all major currencies over time. Using a World Gold Council relative value scale *** that starts with gold in currency at 100 in the year 1900, by 1971 the US Dollar had devalued to 50.65, but by 2019 was reckoned at 1.48 (that is to say it has lost 98.52% of its relative-to-gold value!) Before you ask, the Great British Pound has fared worse (relative value 25.34 in 1971 and, astonishingly, 0.39 by 2019).

So now you know why most commentators, including this one, usually end their notes with as usual, we would recommend you to stay invested in a diversified portfolio, kindly note that the value of investments and the income derived from them may go down as well as up and you may not receive back all the money which you invested. Any information relating to past performance of an investment service is not a guide to future performance.

All that said, it might be the right time, now, for us to (re)consider that we are still comfortable with all of our holdings. Trusted professionals will tell us, and its a phrase used by Ravenscroft and BullionRock many times, to know what we own and why we own it.

* noting, without exaggeration, that each time an asterisk has been used in this piece, a further 400 words on that specific point could easily be written

** from The World Gold Council: Central bank net purchases in 2019 were remarkable. The annual total of 650.3t is the second highest level of annual purchases for 50 years, highlighting the importance central banks place on having an allocation to gold in their reserve portfolio. The highest level was recorded in 2018 and buying in 2019 was not widely expected to repeat these levels for a second consecutive year. (https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/gold-demand-trends-full-year-2019/central-banks-and-other-institutions)

*** https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/relevance-gold-strategic-asset-uk-edition-2020 [Chart 4]

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Why investment diversification matters: spreading the risk - Guernsey Press

Dear Helaine: I need some financial advice. I am 60 years old and, after working for a U.S. embassy as local staff, I migrated to the United States in 2014. Upon separating from the embassy, I received a six-figure severance. I invested about $40,000 toward the purchase of a home in North Carolina, and I am currently left with $145,000 in savings. This is all the savings I have. My wife is now the main breadwinner, and I earn extra money as a substitute teacher. We have no credit card debt. The major monthly liability is the mortgage of $1,600. We have three children. Two are in college and self-supporting. One is in high school. Please advise me on where I can safely invest my savings so I can get a reasonable rate of return. At this stage of life, my appetite for risk is not that great. -- Trying to Stay Afloat in the United States

Dear Trying to Stay Afloat in the United States: Investing a large sum of money can seem overwhelming. As a result, all too many of us can end up making a risky move we don't view as such: We do nothing. In the period of time you sat on your funds, the S&P 500 -- if you reinvested your dividends -- increased by slightly more than 75 percent. Your risk and loss aversion cost you a tidy sum of money -- but I bet you don't see it that way. So what should you do now? Obviously, you can't go back to 2014 and invest the sum. We can't change our past behavior. We only live moving forward. I would first counsel that you eliminate the idea of a "safe" investment from your vocabulary. It's an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp. Investments offer greater and lesser risks. Experts generally suggest you take the number 100, minus your age from it, and invest the remainder of your funds -- in your case 40 percent -- in the stock market, using a broadly diversified index fund such as a total stock market index fund. That's an all-encompassing fund, representing the entirety of the domestic stock market. The remainder of the sum should go in a long-term bond fund. Should you do this? Probably, but this is the limit of an advice column -- I don't actually know you. I don't know how old your wife is, how much she earns, and what your financial situation will be like when she leaves the full-time workforce. And this is all important stuff, and it would be negligent of me to tell you exactly what to do without knowing all of that. My suggestion? Sit down with a certified financial planner who is paid by the hour and doesn't earn their keep by selling financial investments that they will receive a commission on. Yes, you'll need to pay for the service, but it's money well spent. The Garrett Planning Network, which specializes in working with middle-income people, is a good place to start.

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Where to invest a large sum later in life - The Times and Democrat

It's not too late to buy great stocks at attractive prices. Despite the stock market's bounce last week, there are still plenty of stocks with tremendous growth prospects that are priced at a discount.

But which stocks have the greatest chances of delivering stellar returns? I think that $5,000 invested in each of the three following stocks should make you a fortune over the next 10 years.

Image source: Getty Images.

There's more data being generated than ever before. And that means there's a greater need to analyze data than ever before. The problem is that most of the tools available for data analysis fall short of meeting users' expectations. They're too cumbersome and too complicated.Alteryx (NYSE:AYX) provides the answer to these problems.

Alteryx's data analytics platform doesn't require any programming (although it's compatible with the leading data analysis programming languages). The company's focus on usability is paying off. Its platform won the 2019 GartnerPeer Insights Customer Choice award for data science and machine learning platforms.Over 6,000 customers now use Alteryx's platform, including 719 of the 2,000 biggest companies in the world.

But Alteryx still has a tremendous growth opportunity ahead of it. Market researcher IDC projects that the big data and analytics software market will total $49 billion globally in 2021. Alteryx should capture an increasing share of that market as more customers standardize their data analysis using its platform.

Its shares might look ridiculously expensive with a forward earnings multiple of 123. But keep in mind that Alteryx's valuation is based on expectations of tremendous growth over the next few years. I think that it will deliver on those expectations. Andwith its shares still way off their highs from earlier this year, there's no better time to buy Alteryx than now.

You might not have realized that there's a war going on around you -- the "war on cash." This war encompasses a major trend of consumers switching from using physical currency to electronic forms of payment. Square (NYSE:SQ) ranks as a top general in this war on cash.

Square is best known for its small card readers used by many small and medium-sized businesses. This payment processing service is the foundation of an entire ecosystem that the company offers, with other products and services including customer loyalty, marketing, payroll, and e-commerce applications. Square also provides loans and debit cards to businesses.

In addition to its focus on businesses, Square is a major player in the peer-to-peer payments arena with its Cash App. PayPal'sVenmo has been the leader in this market, but Cash App is catching up quickly. It's generating strong revenue growth for Square and also presents a larger customer base to which the company can market new products and services.

Sure, Square stock has been shellacked by the COVID-19 pandemic as its customers reel from the impact of quarantines and non-essential business shutdowns in many areas. But I think this presents an awesome buying opportunity. The economy will bounce back and so will Square.

There's also another big trend under way that could have escaped your attention. The days of personal negotiations to place advertising spots are numbered as advertising agencies turn to programmatic advertising, which uses software applications to buy ads quickly and cost-effectively.The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) is the clear leader in buy-side programmatic advertising.

The most significant catalyst for The Trade Desk is the rise of connected TV (CTV). CTV includes all of the streaming services that have gained widespread popularity. Not all of them use ad-based models, but quite a few of them do. The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green recently said that "we are in the middle of a once-in-a-lifetime consumer shift to connected devices and streaming content." And that consumer shift presents a huge opportunity for his company.

Programmatic advertising still only represents a small part of the total ad market. But with programmatic ad spending growing five times as fast as overall ad spending, it won't take too long before it makes up a big share of the market. The Trade Desk stands to benefit from this growth.

Shares of The Trade Desk plunged as much as 49% during the coronavirus-fueled market sell-off before rebounding somewhat. It's likely that some advertisers could cut their marketing budgets to save costs during this challenging period. But the long-term prospects for The Trade Desk remain very bright. My view is that buying this stock now at a discount should set up investors for terrific returns over the next decade.

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$5,000 Invested in These 3 Stocks Should Make You a Fortune Over the Next 10 Years - The Motley Fool

By Omkeshwar Singh

The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. - Warren Buffett

I am worried about my investments, what should I do, should I exit the market now?

We have been hearing this question or variations of it for a while now. The global lockdown prompted by the spread of Covid-19 has driven many retail investors into a panic mode, many of them are thinking of stopping and redeeming their investments in stocks and mutual funds, and putting the money in bank deposits. Only a few want to hold on to their investments.

Before discussing the merit of each approach, let us take a trip down the memory lane.

You might know that this is not the first time the markets have faced a crisis of such magnitude. There have been situations since 1991 when at least one event in a decade has led to a crash in benchmark indices by more than 35% in India.

Surprisingly, the Indian key indices have always returned to their peak within an average 16 to 18 months, which is faster than the US or any other developed markets.

The table below depicts how the Indian markets behaved during the tough times in the past.

On an average the peak to trough fall is 50%, it usually takes 14 months for the markets to fully bottom out and takes 18 months on an average to fully recover to the previous peak.

Here are the few things that a stock market or a mutual fund investor should do under the current market scenario:

Dont panic and stay invested This advice is for the long-term investor. The market goes up and down but in the long run it is likely to perform better and provide good returns. In the short term your portfolio may lose shine and drop in value due to volatility. However, if you have a longer time horizon of, say, 5-10 years, dont get disheartened by bad news and stay invested. You are bound to recover and make better returns on your investments.

Avoid redeeming your mutual funds Many investors make this mistake of redeeming the funds when the markets are falling. They think it is better to get out of the markets at this stage and re-enter when the market starts to recover. But it is almost impossible to time the markets. Also, remember the losses you incurred are notional losses, unless the investments are redeemed. Once you redeem the funds, you will end up making actual losses.

Invest in funds with a strong portfolio Investing in businesses with strong fundamentals and a healthy portfolio is of utmost importance. Such quality companies will create wealth because even after a sharp decline they have shown strength with their prices always inching higher. In the long run, when things are under control, markets will recover and the same businesses will be fairly priced again and your portfolio will reap better returns.

Invest in mutual funds via SmartSIP As you know, you can maximise your returns if you follow the buy low and sell high principle. Investing in SIP does not give you this advantage, upgrade to SmartSIP. SmartSIP allows you to invest automatically either in equity schemes or liquid schemes based on the signals generated by considering the margin of safety index.

Smart SIP invests your monthly SIP amount in equity mutual funds when the markets are fairly-valued and it doubles your monthly SIP amount when markets are very undervalued.

Smart SIP skips fresh investments in equity schemes when markets are expensive and books profits/sells a part of your existing equity units when markets are very expensive. The sale proceeds and monthly instalments are invested in liquid schemes.

Smart SIP skips your investment in equity schemes and parks the SIP amount in liquid schemes, the money is later used to buy equity mutual fund units when the markets become inexpensive.

This way the SmartSIP makes sure you make the most of the market volatility while being invested in the markets and generate superior returns than your regular SIP investments.

Want to know more about SmartSIPs? Read: Should you opt for the new `Smart SIP way of investing?

(Omkeshwar Singh is Head - RankMF at Samco Securities)

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Should you sell or hold on to your mutual fund investments? - Economic Times

Every crisis creates an opportunity. This can sound a bit insensitive especially when the force behind the crisis is a viral pandemic that has claimed more than 141,000 lives while infecting more than 2.1 million in under four months.

The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged global markets causing countrywide lockdowns and forcing business closures. As such, to optimistically forge forward to seize the opportunity and invest might not resonate well with a lot of people.

Yet cancer is as deadly if not deadlier, and investors continue to sieve through terabytes of market data in search of companies that are on the brink of finding a solution to buy their stocks. In the same spirit, investors will be on the lookout for companies that show promise in their search for a COVID-19 cure, vaccine, or a more efficient method of testing.

Here, we are going to look at a few companies that could be interesting for investors amid the coronavirus pandemic. And surprisingly, not all run their trade in the healthcare sector.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has emerged as one of the mainstay names in the healthcare sector to benefit from the coronavirus pandemic. The company developed a COVID-19 test kit that returns results for a positive test within 5 minutes while those who turn negative can receive results in 15 minutes.

President Trump hailed this discovery as a game-changer in the fight against the spread of the virus through mass testing. The US leads globally in terms of tests with over 3 million, partly because of Abbott Labs' ID Now COVID-19 test system. The company indicated earlier this month that it will be conducting 50,000 tests per day and since then the number of cases in the US has ramped up.

The shares of the company have gained more than 50% since it announced the 5-minute COVID-19 test kit in late March. Analysts estimate that Abbott could realize as much as $150 million in sales from COVID-19 tests, but they have also warned that the company could witness a significant drop in sales for other diagnostic sales, according to a report on Barron's.

This week, the company reported that it had developed an anti-body test for COVID-19 which will test for recovered patients that may have developed immunity for the virus. Abbott said that it will be shipping 4 million anti-body tests in April, with a target of 20 million monthly shipments by June. President Trump applauded the anti-body testing in a recent briefing calling it a "great test" that could play a crucial role in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic. However, the fight does not start and end with Abbott Labs. To completely eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, it will take more than the Illinois-based Abbott. It will take the world to work in unison. As such, while Abbott and co in the US look to develop products that will rid the country of the disease through vaccination and therapy, Europe, Asia and the rest of the world are doing the same albeit with a different approach. Poland-based tech giant Infermedica last month announced the launch of a COVID-19 risk assessment tool to be offered as part of its free for use symptom checking app Symptomate and Infermedica API among other portals. The company CEO, Piotr Orzechowski, told the media that "Helping patients to quickly assess their risk of coronavirus and providing recommendations on the next steps is how we can help. The demand for health services is escalating and patient triage is, more than ever, an important tool in guiding patients on what to do when they're feeling unwell." The company is working with more than 50 partners globally, including Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) in the US. It has also been adopted by the ministries of health in Poland and Ukraine. While there are several privately held companies looking to embrace the opportunity created by the coronavirus pandemic, very few can quantify the expected impact on the top line. Furthermore, unless you are a venture capitalist or an angel investor there isn't much of an opportunity. Abbott is one of the few that offer retail investors the opportunity to benefit by investing via the stock market.

With projected monthly sales of $150 million from its rapid diagnostic test kit, Abbott could report $450 million in additional sales for the second quarter of 2020. That is about 5.6% of the total revenue of $7.98 billion reported in the same period last year. The company's stock surged further on Thursday morning after its Q1, 2020 results beat EPS expectations of $0.61 per share with $0.65. The company's top line surged higher 2.5% to $7.7 billion from the same period last year.

The rise in the company's stock price over the last two weeks has increased its P/E ratio to 46.93, which is relatively higher compared to close peers, Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) 10.57, AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) 15.21, and Medtronic Plc (MDT) 25.26. But this should not be a reason to think that Abbott is overvalued. The company traditionally trades at a higher P/E ratio compared to its peers, averaging 55 over the last 12 months.

As such, the rise in stock price has been accompanied by relatively better earnings growth. The company's forward P/E of 23.81 is more in line with the industry average which again indicates high expectations on earnings during the next 12 months. The long-term future also looks promising with a PEG ratio (5-years expected) of 2.44. Again, this is not far off the PEG ratios of Medtronic's 2.35 and Boston Scientific's 2.41.

Conagra Brands Inc. (CAG) operates in the consumer goods industry. The company experienced some slowdown in top line and bottom line in the last three quarters. However, since the coronavirus pandemic hit the market, it has since witnessed a resurgence in demand.

In the company's most recent quarterly results, CEO Sean Connolly demonstrated optimism going into the final quarter of fiscal 2020 saying that Q4 revenues could offset the weaknesses of the slowdown experienced during the 9 months ended February 29, 2020.

The company is expecting a surge of more than 50% in domestic sales, which will be enough to tramp up annual growth.

Connolly said that "on a quarter-to-date basis, shipments and consumption in our domestic retail business have increased" by about half, more than offsetting the effect of "worsening trends in our food-service business."

The company has benefited from the country lockdowns, which prompted consumers to go on a shopping spree in a bid to stockpile for the future. The first and second quarters of fiscal 2021 might not benefit from similar economic imbalances, but Q3 and Q4, the world could experience another wave of the coronavirus pandemic triggering another series of lockdowns. Experts have indicated that unless the world finds a vaccine for COVID-19, there could be a series of waves before we finally get on top of the disease. As such, Conagra and other consumer goods companies could continue to witness abnormal sales figures, which will boost their short-term valuations.

This is clearly demonstrated by the company's improved valuation for the next 12 months. Conagra's 12-month trailing P/E ratio of 20.49 will improve to 14.37 within the next 12 months. Its PEG ratio (5-years expected) will drop to 2.13.

In comparison, the company's current valuation is dwarfed by Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) which has a P/E of 19.63. Another close peer, The Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) trades at a trailing P/E of 17.68. But when you look at the forward P/E ratios and the PEG ratios of the two companies, Conagra prevails as the most attractive in the long term. Mondelez's Forward P/E and (5-year expected) PEG ratios of 19.72 and 2.86, respectively are higher than Conagra's. On the other hand, Kraft Heinz remains on top for the next 12 months with a forward P/E ratio of 12.15, but if we factor in earnings forecast for the next five years, Conagra offers better growth potential.

Generally, the entire consumer goods sector appears to have benefited from the coronavirus pandemic as consumers continue to stockpile. Shares of Conagra are now up more than 36% since March 13 while The Kraft Heinz has gained over 41%. On the other hand, Mondelez has recouped most of the losses incurred between Feb. 14 and March 23. The company has gained 28% over the last three weeks, after plunging nearly 30% in the preceding period.

Zoom Video Communications (ZM) is a video conferencing company based in San Jose, California. Shares of the company have gained 123% since Jan. 2. There was a temporary pullback late last month but the stock has since recovered amid mixed analyst recommendations.

With the implementation of the social distancing campaign across the world, businesses have adapted to modern methods of communications. Employees have been forced to work remotely to avoid the spread of COVID-19, which means that normal office conversations needed to be conducted via video conferencing. Zoom Video is one of the beneficiaries of this paradigm shift.

The company's shares temporarily plunged during the final week of March after Credit Suisse analysts suggested that now would be the time to sell amid increased optimism that the lockdown will be lifted soon. However, shares of the company have recouped most of the losses after another report from Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Drew Kootman chipped in with a bullish view.

There are a few twists and turns remaining before we can say for certain that we are now free of the coronavirus pandemic. Preliminary forecasts suggest that it could take as long as 18 months before a vaccine for COVID-19 hits drug stores across the world. On Wednesday, President Trump said that the most important thing now is coming up with therapeutic treatment for the disease since a vaccine requires long periods of testing before it can be approved for use on people.

From a valuation perspective, Zoom Video appears to be trading at an extremely high price to earnings ratio. The company's trailing 12-month P/E ratio of about 1,510 could be prohibitive to value investors. However, its forward P/E ratio of 328 shows promise while its (5-years expected) PEG ratio of 9.62 confirms its growth potential.

In the most recent quarter, the company's earnings grew 169% and this demonstrates why investors are willing to pay a high premium for the stock.

From a competitive view, Zoom Video's main rivals come from well-diversified tech giants in the form of Microsoft Corporation's Skype and Cisco Systems Inc.'s (CSCO) Webex. Privately-held GoToMeeting is unlikely to cause short-term concerns from an investing perspective. As such, Zoom Video offers investors a unique investment opportunity as a publicly listed pureplay video conferencing company.

Besides the intermediate opportunity presented by COVID-19, Zoom Video will also witness growth amid the growing use of remote workforce. The remote working business environment will improve as more people embrace 5G network technology beginning in 2021. This will encourage more businesses to utilize remote workers thereby boosting the growth of the video conferencing market.

In summary, the coronavirus pandemic is nothing to be celebrated. It has adversely affected global economies, contributed to a loss of jobs, caused emotional harm and above all, claimed several lives.

However, it would be even worse if companies like Zoom Video, Abbott Labs, and Conagra Brands, among others, did not respond to the crisis in the way they did. Besides standing to make a lot of money, they have helped to solve many problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

And if we cannot get rid of the disease soon enough, they and several others will continue to benefit as they provide the much-needed answers to the problems that arise.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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These Companies Point Where You Should Invest Amid COVID-19 Pandemic - Seeking Alpha

The stock markets crash since the start of the year could mean that many investors are dissuaded from purchasing stocks. After all, further declines could be ahead depending on how the spread of coronavirus progresses.

Investors may, therefore, be considering the purchase of other assets such as gold and Bitcoin. They may exhibit lower correlation with the wider economy compared to stocks, which could mean they outperform them in the short run.

But, on a long-term basis, buying stocks now could be a much more profitable idea than purchasing Bitcoin or gold. It could boost your chances of enjoying financial freedom.

The uncertainty facing the world economy may cause demand among investors for gold and Bitcoin to rise. In golds case, it has a history as a defensive asset during challenging economic periods. This has contributed to its recent price rise, with it having traded at a seven-year high in the first quarter of 2020.

Although the price of Bitcoin has fallen sharply in recent months, some investors may feel that it offers lower correlation with the world economys outlook. They may, therefore, seek to diversify their portfolio through holding the virtual currency.

However, with gold now appearing to be priced at a high level and Bitcoin facing risks such as regulatory uncertainty, its limited size and competition from other cryptocurrencies, both assets could deliver disappointing returns in the long run.

The stock market could experience further falls in the short run, as investors price in the uncertainty facing the world economy. For long-term investors, however, this could represent a major buying opportunity. The stock market has always recovered from its lowest levels to produce strong recoveries. Even though the current bear market may prove to be somewhat prolonged due to the nature of the risks facing the world economy, a bull market is highly likely to follow.

Therefore, buying a diverse range of stocks today could prove to be a sound move. Purchasing stocks in a wide range of sectors may reduce your exposure to industries that could be hardest hit by the economys current challenges. This may enable you to maximise your returns in the likely recovery over the coming years.

Of course, buying stocks today may not feel like the right move for many investors. Newspaper headlines, restricted movement and fear among other investors may dissuade you from buying stocks and instead persuade you to purchase assets such as gold and Bitcoin.

However, now could be an excellent buying opportunity for long-term investors. The stock market has experienced high volatility and bear markets in the past. Investors who have bought stocks during such periods have generally recorded high returns in the subsequent years. At the present time, a stock market recovery may seem unlikely, but buying stocks now instead of other assets could be the best means of improving your financial future.

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Life coaching is a natural career choice for many, and a second career choice for some. Its a career that requires compassion, good listening skills and the ability to creatively problem solve. There are no legal standards required to become a life coach, but certification is available through the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Generally, there are no specific requirements needed to become a life coach. Many people who enter the field have a background in mental health or counseling. Others enter the field simply because they always loved helping people, offering advice and providing guidance. Often, people who become life coaches say they did so because friends or family were always coming to them to ask for help in solving their problems.

There are no formal education requirements needed to become a life coach, either. In fact, essentially any person who wants to be a life coach can become a life coach, regardless of age or educational background. It is an industry that has little regulation, despite its pace of growth.

Just because someone says they are a life coach, however, doesnt mean they have the skills to practice. That's why many life coaches choose to become certified. Do you need to be certified to be a life coach? No, but it definitely helps.

Life coach certification provides a set of universal standards and experience that coaches should achieve. Although not legally mandated, its the closest thing the industry has to legal requirements.

Certification is offered through the International Coach Federation (ICF), a membership organization of trained coaches. ICF sets standards for coaches, provides independent certification and accredits programs that deliver coach-specific training.

Getting certified gives life coaches a leg up over those who dont, as many clients prefer to work with someone who is certified. To get certified by ICF, a life coach must complete the following at an ICF-accredited coach training program:

There are many organizations that purport to offer life coaching certification, but ICF is one of the only legitimate credentialing bodies.

ICF offers three levels of coach credentials:

ICF certification is not exclusive to life coaches, and is available to someone pursuing a career in any type of personal coaching.

ICF-accredited coach training programs are available across the United States. If youre wondering how to become a life coach in California, for example, programs like that offered by the University of California, Davis are good options. The UC Davis Extension offers a five-month, all-inclusive Professional Coaching for Life and Work Certificate Program that covers ICFs requirements.

If youre wondering how to become a life coach in Florida, The American School of Professional Life Coaching has a Certified Life Coach Course that is ICF certified. Attendees complete 60 classroom hours and 10 hours of mentor coaching to get certification.

If you are looking to get certified as a life coach, ICF has a searchable directory of accredited coach training on its website.

Once you meet the life coach requirements, a career in life coaching can be incredibly rewarding. Youll provide guidance and motivation to help people set and meet their goals. You can help people set their life vision and to help them do what it takes to realize that goal.

Life coaches meet regularly with their clients, either in-person or remotely via video chats. Sessions can last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, or even longer. You may have check-ins between sessions to see how everything is going.

Most life coaches work independently. That means you must spend a lot of time networking and marketing to build a practice. Getting certification helps with that, as you can network with others in your training, as well as mentors. It is also a benefit when it comes to marketing yourself as a life coach.

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Legal Requirements for Life Coaching | Chron.com

Like so many of us, Rick Pitino is antsy. He has people to see, things to do.

Trapped in this stay-at-home world, Pitino is in Miami with his wife, Joanne, while scrambling to put together the pieces at his new job as the mens basketball head coach at Iona College.

"Im riding my bike a lot," Pitino said last week, "We just sold a house we bought when I went to the Celtics in 1997. Weve had Easter and Christmas here for years. It could fit all 12 of our grandchildren."

The eight-bed mansion at Indian Creek recently sold for $17 million, according to reports, so theres a lot of packing to do. But Pitinos focus lies elsewhere. After a three-season hiatus brought on by two major scandals that ended his run at Louisville, Pitino is back in college basketball. He says hes not listening to naysayers who have branded him a cheat. At 67 years old, he knows how fortunate he is that a pre-existing relationship with Ionas president, Seamus Carey, opened the door to a return that he wasnt sure would ever happen.

"Dick Vitale made a great point when he said that Jim Valvano told him that the best years of his life were coaching Iona College," Pitino said. "That had a lot to do with my decision because of my relationship with Providence College. Two of the most fun years of my life were at a small, Catholic college with a small campus and average facilities. Now Im getting back to that."

Pitino quickly clarified that statement, insisting that the PC of today is so very different from the mom-and-pop outfit it was back in the 1980s.

"Providence is a totally different place now," Pitino said, "but Iona is a campus you can walk in five minutes, like PC. Its near my home, its near my son [Ryan], its near Winged Foot [Golf Club] where Ive been a member for 25 years. It has everything youd want to finish your career. Its going back home."

Why is a Hall of Famer, a two-time national champion, ending his ride at Iona? Its a long story but lets just say that Pitino couldnt avoid trouble at Louisville. First, a staff member was running sex parties for recruits, players and others out of the teams dormitory. Pitino insists he knew nothing, conceding "that was reprehensible."

The sordid affair landed Louisville on probation, stripped the program of its 2013 national title and slapped Pitino with a "failure to monitor" penalty. Then, while on probation, Louisville was one of several programs named in an FBI sting operation into fraud and bribery in college basketball recruiting. Pitino was not named in the suit and insists he knew nothing about payments from Adidas and an assistant coach, Kenny Johnson, to recruit Brian Bowen.

Louisville fired Pitino. The stench of the two cases branded him a cheater in the eyes of the basketball world. Time was the only way to heal the wounds.

"The NCAA blackballed me," he said. "Schools would call the NCAA and theyd say, which was true, `We havent started our investigation because were waiting for the Southern District of New York [FBI] to get done with their investigation. But that kept me out."

Pitino poked around some jobs, including the one at the University of Rhode Island. When Dan Hurley left for Connecticut, URI officials didnt speak with him but Pitino says the programs most influential booster did.

"Ive been friendly with Tom Ryan and we talked and he was very excited. I was looking at it, certainly, but it didnt materialize," Pitino said.

There were other feelers, but the black cloud of the NCAA hung heavy. He spent the last two seasons coaching Greek pro power Panathinaikos and winning games in Milan, Moscow and Tel Aviv. Then came the call from Iona.

"I cant blame people," he said. "If you dont know me, I understand. The president of Iona knew me, he knew my values and knew how I coached players. If Im a president and reading stuff on the Internet, I wouldnt hire me, either, so I cant blame anybody."

Pitino knows that the scarlet letter will follow him through this time in New Rochelle. He will not admit guilt in the FBI case no way, no how.

"No matter how many times Id say Ive never given a player $5 or never cheated a day in my life with four different programs, some people wouldnt believe me," Pitino said. "My son [Richard] came to the best conclusion when he said `Dad, nobody cares. Get on with your life and just coach.

Pitino is indebted to Iona but can he really be satisfied battling St. Peters and Manhattan for supremacy in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference? He says this is his last stop. Hed like to build a "Gonzaga of the East" and concedes Iona outfoxed him with an ironclad buyout clause.

"We talked about salary and the president told me, 'Look, I cant pay you very much, but I told him I understood," Pitino said. "Then I got the contract and told Seamus I thought the buyout was a mistake because it was so high. He told me, `I believe you when you said youd finish your career at Iona, but not one person on the board of trustees believes you. "

Working from his estate in Miami, Pitino has cobbled together a top-flight recruiting class in the last month. He says he wants to play Kentucky, his son Richards team at Minnesota and maybe even Providence. He sees the Gaels playing some games at Madison Square Garden and being a regular March Cinderella.

So, NCAA issues be damned. Rick Pitino may be caged for the moment but hes back where he belongs.

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On Twitter: @KevinMcNamara33

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CAREER RESTART: Rick Pitino is back and raring to go at Iona - The Providence Journal

LARAMIE The shuffleboard contests at the Bohl household these days are spirited, and the subsequent cooking sessions tend to include their fair share of wine.

Craig Bohl, the University of Wyomings seventh-year football coach, and his wife, Leia, have, like the rest of us, spent the majority of the past month at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought the world to a screeching halt. People all over the world are under stay-at-home orders, with the severity of those conditions varying from country to country, state to state and county to county.

Within the Equality State, non-essential businesses have left downtown Laramie looking more ghost town than college town. The university at the center of the town, normally bustling with smiling faces, has transitioned to online classes for the remainder of the semester.

Graduation? Thats going to be done remotely, too.

While not necessarily at the forefront of the countrys collective consciousness, sports worldwide have been stopped dead in their tracks. Pro sports are on hiatus indefinitely, while college sports, including spring football practices, have been canc-eled through the end of the semester.

Though its only been about a month, the 61-year-old Bohl has never been away from a football team for this long.

When he was the head coach at North Dakota State in 2009, a massive flood ended classes for several weeks, the only sort of comparable thing the veteran coach has ever been through.

Even then, coaches and players were still around. Whether it was filling sandbags or helping move things, there was still camaraderie among the team. They were still together, helping the community at large. Now? The only contact Bohl has with his players and coaches is through videoconferencing, which he admittedly is still getting used to.

This is not how were made, Bohl said with a laugh. And its not how our country is made.

So what has Bohl done to fill the time? Unlike the rest of America, Tiger King and Love is Blind havent been on his itinerary. Hes stayed away from television, even his beloved sports programming.

It all makes him a bit too sad.

Hes taking more and more walks as the weeks have passed, hes played shuffleboard with Leia and has started subscribing to home food delivery services. In the process, Chef Bohl has become a culinary genius. On most nights, he and Leia open a bottle of cabernet, put on some music and put together dinner. Among his favorites, he said, is a cheesy roasted red pepper lasagna skillet with meatballs. The newfound passion in the kitchen isnt good for his waistline, he admits, but its good for his soul.

Bohl has had to recalibrate his life without football, and its been difficult. Sure, hes popping into video chats with players and coaches on a daily basis. But that in-person, stare-you-straight-in-the-eyes contact he and his peers in the coaching world long for? Thats gone for the foreseeable future, and thats a tough pill to swallow.

As much as I appreciate technology theres nothing like having dinner at a training table, Bohl said.

The fate of sports as we know it hangs in the balance, both in the immediate and long-term. Whether there is even a college football season in 2020 is still up in the air, as everyone from medical professionals to athletics directors scramble to weigh the very real possibility of a season without fans or a cancellation altogether.

In an interview with WyoSports, Bohl discussed how hes managing to stay positive amid a constant barrage of bad news and his role as a calming influence to young men.

Bohl is aware of the medical dangers at hand, and, unlike some college football coaches who have been vocal about restarting things sooner rather than later like Oklahoma States Mike Gundy, he isnt clamoring for things to start tomorrow. The nation is in need of healing, Bohl believes, and nothing does that quite like college football. We all need a boost. But he also realizes there is a lot more on the line than the competitive desires of he and his contemporaries.

I dont operate in a vacuum, Bohl said. There are a lot of stakeholders other than a coach with a whistle around his neck.

There are moments during video chats where Bohl spots players looking down at their phones. They cant really help it, having been raised in a culture that doesnt know what to do without smart phones. But hed be lying if he said it wasnt a little bit frustrating.

You want to look them in the eye, Bohl said. (But) youre kind of making what you have of it.

As opposed to game planning for upcoming matchups with Colorado State or Air Force, there is no playbook on how to proceed with football in a world with coronavirus. Everyone is flying by the seat of their pants.

Right now, Bohl and his set of assistants should have completed spring practice, which would have culminated in a spring football game to give fans a taste of whats to come in the fall. And with the way the 2019 season ended for the Cowboys, a 38-17 demolition of Georgia State in the Arizona Bowl to reach an eighth win, Bohl firmly believes the 2020 edition of the team has a chance to be special.

Instead of monitoring the expected developments of quarterback Levi Williams or running back Xazavian Valladay, the closest Bohl can get to either signal-caller is staring into a monitor and having faith in his WiFi connection. The new normal in college football preparation is video chats, where Bohl balances being a head coach popping into positional meetings with being a voice of calm and reason to a group of young men just as concerned about the current state of affairs as everyone else.

In the way a father might reassure his son theres no monster under the bed, Bohl shares positivity with his players, keeping them informed on things hes gathered on various American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) conference calls. Hes of course measured in what he tells them, but he spreads optimism, a trait most college football coaches share.

What Ive been doing is popping in (and saying), This is what I see is going to happen, some information that Ive gotten, Bohl said. They all want to play but they know its not a guarantee. But theres really a sense of calming, (that) were going to be ok.

Bohl has taken the advice of his MW peers who might be a little more tech savvy than he is. Despite rivalries among them, the coaches are supportive of one another and lend helping hands whenever possible, offering solutions to problems Bohl and many of his peers never imagined would come up.

Football coaches generally run at one speed, and it isnt slow. But when downtime does come, its a relief, a chance to recharge batteries that have been running for months and sometimes years at a time. But right now, despite his best efforts to stay engaged and be the head coach of a Division I football team, all of this feels like a lull. When you cant pat a player on the back or blow your whistle, it just isnt the same.

Bohl has never been around the house this much, and he can only hold off cleaning his garage for so long.

As a coach, you clamor for some down time, you clamor for some alone time. But then there also comes a void, youve been running Mach 1, youve been doing this all your life, Bohl explained. My wife is ready for me to be ready to go back to work.

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Bohl shares thoughts on life amid COVID-19, Part 1 - Wyoming Tribune