Random

We know that the world has changed drastically to where it is today and will continue to do so in future. What kind of investment ideas can we generate and profit from then?

Population growth will increase at a rate not seen before - The United Nations forecast that by 2050, the global population will reach 9.6bn from the current 7bn now. (that's a lot of sexual tension going on!). When global population grows, food consumption will increase and hence we might face a serious shortage of food and water. In fact, I read an article by Jim Rogers recently claiming that he is bullish on agriculture in the long term and he mentioned that the best job to be in by then, would be a farmer! Basically its a demand supply theory as typically nobody wants to farm now as we do not see an immediate need nor the financial reward to do so. We all want to be bankers/lawyers/doctors - jobs that gives us more financial support. How many people that we know of are actually growing crops and profiting from it now? None I would say and hence this creates a supply demand imbalance and it will play out in the long run when the world needs more food and water. Pretty interesting I would say - to consider farming as a career. A solution to this could be the use of more sophisticated  technology to increase productivity whereby we could do "double or triple cropping" which some parts of China and India are currently practicing.

Clean renewable energy will be the key energy source - this is not new as we are already exploring solar/wind/water whatever elements that can be harnessed will be converted to energy. In fact, I like the Tesla idea of a battery to supply the energy needed in our everyday lives. We might not be sure of how this will play out but recent developments have so far been positive and we are a step closer to reducing our reliance on crude oil and coal. With China and the United States starting to look into cleaner energy sources, OPEC and crude oil could soon be a thing of the past.

Artificial Intelligence - the rise of the machines to facilitate and aid in our daily lives could soon be a norm in the future. Companies that are dealing with AI could soon experience a boom in their products/technology/sector as machines have proved to be more reliable and could outperform humans both physically and intellectually. Low skilled workers could soon be replaced with robots and many will be left unemployed creating social unrest. As scary as that sounds, it could soon be a reality within the next 5-10 years.

The rise of Africa - Africa remains the world's largest untapped market and it is still in its infancy phase of urbanization. Infrastructure, energy, food and water as well as education are lacking in this continent. With its large land area and an abundance of natural resources, Africa has no reason not to grow as rapidly as China or India. What it lacks is stability to lure foreign investments into their continent. As volatile as it may seem, I am keeping a close watch on major developments in this continent as a whole to look for new investment ideas. Just take a look at how the BRICS have done over the past decade and Africa could be the last emerging market that we have missed.