As we all just sat in our living rooms zoom chatting away these past few years due to a global pandemic, the virtual world became the real world. This may just be the beginning. Enter the Metaverse. Don’t worry. If you haven’t heard this word yet, there are plenty of reasons why not. For one, it doesn’t actually exist quite yet. It’s still sort of in a dream phase at this point, but many companies mentioned below are preparing themselves for it. Also, now that Facebook has officially changed it’s name to Meta today (with a new symbol of MVRS), we will most definitely be hearing more about this.
So what exactly is this Matrix sounding thing. The metaverse is basically a world in which you enter into a 3rd dimension. The true meaning is a virtual environment where users can interact with each other. People can
play games together, work together, socialize, and in a sense puts you inside the internet as opposed to just clicking around on it. Strange, right? Well, it could become more normal than we think.
Picture this. You are leaving the office. You forgot that you needed to order dinner. You look to your right and there is a full size 3d machine of different food choices. You touch one of them and then 20 minutes later the food is at your door. Or imagine hanging out with your friends at a local club dancing, but you aren’t actually there, just a realistic looking version of you. Or you and family walk around the Louvre in Paris together, without the 2 hour wait to get in. Kind of endless possibilities are out there.
One of the most diversified ways to invest in this new technology is through the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (META). This exchange traded fund invests in globally listed stocks that engage in the products or services that help enable the Metaverse. The fund just launched in June 2021, hold $100 million in assets and invests in about 40 companies. The top holdings include Nvidia, Roblox, Microsoft and Facebook.
With what could become the successor to the internet, one would hope this new technology has sustainability on its agenda as well. Though the physical world where humans interact in person will never be overtaken, this could be a tremendous way to cut carbon emissions. Think about all those conferences where international travel is needed. Why not attend that expo in Los Angeles via the Metaverse and interact with others all while not having to fly and be stuck in California traffic. Though this concept may be years or decades away from full implementation, we may be getting a glimpse of the dawn of a new internet frontier. “Beam me up, Scotty”.
None of the stocks mentioned in this article are a recommendation.