In 2020, big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, several big gaming companies and Facebook skyrocketed in value – largely due to COVID-19. Daniel Kibel, Founder and Director of CMTrading, discusses whether these players look to be maintaining momentum in 2021. 

“Having seen the FANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) do so well in 2020, we can only expect it to continue. There is a big ‘BUT’, though. US congress has already targeted them for being monopolies and far too big. There are threats of taxes and monopoly commissions that could affect them significantly – particularly Google and Facebook. 

“Amazon continues to grow. They are expanding in so many different directions now – like groceries for example. But as COVID dissipates, the big question is, can people wean themselves off online shopping and will they return to the supermarkets and the high streets or shopping malls? It is difficult to predict entirely, as lockdown fatigue may set in in some measure. But the online shopping boom has made convenience an everyday reality, and it’s probably unlikely to disappear anytime soon. 

“The biggest players in tech have pulled the market up. Google, Amazon, Tesla, Apple and the other mainstays continue to grow their market share. Sales are consistently going up and it is difficult to see past them. But to play Devil’s Advocate, they are potentially also the companies that could fall the hardest. These companies have real, high-stakes incomes and as they use this to build the future, there is a lot to lose too. It’s going to be an interesting ride. 

“As COVID vaccinations roll out, we need to look at a number of things. Not every country has received all their vaccinations. I think we can safely say that South Africa won’t have everyone vaccinated by the end of the year. This will probably apply to the rest of Africa, parts of Asia, certain parts of Europe and South America as well. This will have a knock-on effect in terms of big tech performance. We’ll probably see the big players continue to grow. Diversification, mergers and acquisitions will be on the menu because there is a lot of opportunity to expand into new products and markets that could be used as a competitive advantage. 

“What we may see in the near future of stand-out tech companies is a big boom in cyber security. As things consistently become more online-based, everyone from small businesses to big governments are doing everything they can to hack and access information. Cyber security companies are stepping in to curb this. 

“In closing, in many ways, the world is moving towards an ‘alternative’ economy. Cyber security is still relatively new but is critical in today’s economy and people are investing big money to protect themselves. Alternatives to meat – a different kind of tech but still very notable – are taking off. The likes of Beyond Meat have hugely grown their market share and more people in the world are turning to alternative food products that are more ‘responsible’. 

“Then, we have alternative fuel tech. Tesla has electronic cars but it’s important to remember that they aren’t the only players and they are market capped, in that they can only make so many. Other players could potentially introduce far more electric cars. If you’re watching tech investment, ‘alternative’ thinking may be the way forward in years to come”. 

For more information on CMTrading, visit their official website at www.cmtrading.com or call +27105008026, and one of their friendly staff will assist you. 

CMTrading is the brand name of Global Capital Markets Trading Ltd (A Seychelles company, company no. 104785)

Cape Town, South Africa. September 2018

Twenty57, an experienced provider in enterprise software, is shipping the newest version of Linx, its flagship product. Linx, a leading low code software for automation of back-office IT tasks, has added a variety of features that further enable IT professionals to quickly automate projects, including scheduling, monitoring and integrating IT systems, without complicated programming.

"Linx and its drag-and-drop methodology offers IT professionals the power of assembling complex automation tasks without writing a single line of code," said Gawie Yssel, CTO of Twenty57. "Our customers find that they can develop automated tasks faster than ever before and just as important, maintain those tasks more affordably."Among the major elements of the release is the unveiling of a suite of AWS (Amazon Web Services) plugins. The new suite of AWS plugins makes it easier for users to develop applications that interact with the Amazon Web Services API. The new plugins provide access to several AWS solutions including the most popular services; Amazon Simple Storage Service (s3) cloud storage, Amazon EC2 and Amazon Simple Notification Service.

The plugins allow for faster AWS development, saving time, cutting down costs, leaving the user to focus on the businesses process rather than be tied down in the development grind of API code. Linx help users users effortlessly build automated processes and incorporate their development into existing AWS services, all without writing a line of code. Yssel explains “Our new suite of AWS plugins makes it easier to develop and deploy applications using Amazon Web Services. With the AWS plugins, you'll be able to get started faster and be more productive when building, integrating or automating AWS applications”.

The new version is available can be downloaded for free at linx.software/download

About LinxLinx is a comprehensive integration and business process automation tool with a wide range of connectors to external systems.

Linx is developed Twenty57.Founded in 2001, Twenty57 is a leading provider of investment and financial software, the company provides a wide range of industrial strength applications to improve integration, business process management automation, reconciliation and reporting. Twenty57 is headquartered in Mauritius , with offices in South Africa and India.For more information, visit www.twenty57.com or https://linx.software