It’s no secret we’re in a highly uncertain economy created by the efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. unemployment rate, while showing some improvement recently, is still hovering around 8% and is significantly higher than the 3.5% it was in February just prior to the pandemic.

In this uncertain economic environment, it can be reassuring for investors to own stock in businesses that are not only surviving but are thriving in the midst of COVID-19.

Peloton Interactive (NASDAQ: PTON), Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), and Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) are three tech companies that are thriving despite (or to some extent, because of) the coronavirus. Let’s find out a little more about them and why these three stocks are currently doing so well.

Image source: Peloton.

1. Peloton: The home fitness revolution

Peloton’s business is on fire due to its very popular exercise bikes coupled with

Some technology companies have had the unique opportunity to help businesses of all sizes weather the coronavirus pandemic. And some of these tech stocks have thrived as people around the world spend more time at home than ever before. 

Investors who are looking for a couple of investments that are tapping into the stay-at-home trend should consider snatching up shares of Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM) and Limelight Networks (NASDAQ:LLNW). Here’s why these two stay-at-home tech stocks are worth considering right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Zoom Video in on this investment opportunity 

I was a bit skeptical about Zoom’s stock when it started gaining attention months ago as the U.S. lockdowns began. My hesitation was that there are plenty of other video communication tools available from tech heavyweights, so how could Zoom’s services beat them all? 

Boy was I wrong. Zoom’s stock is up an astounding 611% so

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought about a major shift in consumers’ buying behavior and spending pattern. With the pandemic taking a toll on employment and household income, consumers are left with no option but to curtail spending. Definitely, measures undertaken to support households and the resumption of economic activities provided some relief but consumers’ hunt for better bargains continue.

Under the current circumstances, people have been showing a preference for discount stores for essentials and other household needs. A differentiated product range resonates well with customers’ spending habits. No wonder, the strategy to sell products at discounted prices has helped industry players expand customer base amid the pandemic.

That said, industry participants have been focusing on deepening engagements with consumers, expanding merchandise assortments, and enhancing digital and data analytics capabilities. They have been making strategic investments to provide consumers fast, convenient and safe shopping experience, be it offline or online.

Favorable housing market trends have brightened up matters for the Zacks Building Products – Retail industry. The space, which mainly caters to home renovation and construction needs, is also gaining from accelerated DIY projects undertaken amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These apart, players are gaining from elevated trends in the digital arena, and are investing in enhancing omni-channel offerings.

Continuation of such upsides are likely to benefit industry participants like The Home Depot, Inc. (HD), Lowe’s Companies Inc. (LOW), Fastenal Company (FAST), Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. (LL).

About the Industry

The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufactures of industrial and construction materials and distributors of wallboard and ceilings systems. Some of the industry participants also offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services.

The industry players provide a wide array of

The Coronavirus has forced people to increasingly work and learn from home, causing surging demand for connectivity, collaboration, and cybersecurity-related software. Our indicative theme on Work And Learn From Home Stocks is up by 210% year-to-date, compared to the S&P 500 which is up a mere 4%. Most of these stocks have fared well over the last few weeks as well, as investors bet that the fall flu season could see Covid-19 cases rise in the U.S., calling for greater restrictions and stay-home orders.

To be sure, valuations are high for many of these stocks, but it’s quite possible that the pandemic will result in a structural shift of sorts, benefiting these companies in

The stock market has been looking for a strong recovery, and on Friday, it finally got one. Even though investors are still uncertain about what another potential round of federal government stimulus might look like or whether the COVID-19 crisis will continue, they nevertheless feel confident that the long-range prospects for the economy and the markets are sound. That helped lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI), S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) considerably on Friday.

Today’s stock market

Data source: Yahoo! Finance.

Earlier this year, investors seemed to have the idea that the key to a permanent recovery would be for things to return as much to normal as possible. As 2020 has progressed, though, many market participants are getting more comfortable with the idea that the pandemic might create some

Sales of new single-family homes exceeded 1 million in August 2020, marking the highest level since September 2006. The metric, which has been rising for four consecutive months, exceeded analysts’ expectation by 13.6%.

The U.S. housing market has shown a resilient performance over the past few months despite ambivalent market predictions and fears of a second wave of the virus. Not only did the industry offset these COVID-19-related headwinds but also tackled lumber price swings, mortgage delinquencies, U.S.-China trade spat, labor shortage and inflating land prices.

This industry has experienced a strong V-shaped recovery since May and its growth is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels fueled by the work-from-home initiative and record low mortgage rates.

Since May, the Zacks Building Products – Home Builders industry has improved 57.1% compared with the Zacks Construction sector and S&P 500 composite’s 35% and 14.6% rally, respectively.

Inside the Numbers

August new home sales increased

Strong demand arising from the V-shared recovery in the housing market and a surge in repair and remodel (R&R) and “do-it-yourself” (DIY) activity will benefit companies under the Zacks Building Products – Miscellaneous industry. Apart from the stable end-market demand, benefits from geographic and product diversification strategies, operational excellence and accretive buyouts are expected to provide more strength.  

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS), Installed Building Products, Inc. (IBP), TopBuild Corp. (BLD), Masco Corporation (MAS) and Gibraltar Industries, Inc. (ROCK) are set to benefit from increasing demand from strong housing/R&R activities.

Industry Description

The Zacks Building Products – Miscellaneous industry primarily comprises manufacturers, designers and distributors of home improvement and building products like ceiling systems, doors and windows as well as flooring and metal products. Some of the industry players provide solutions to rehabilitate aging infrastructure, primarily pipelines in the wastewater, water, energy, mining and refining industries.

A few industry participants

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

Sep 23, 2020 (StockMarket.com via COMTEX) —
Are These The Best Home Improvement Retail Stocks To Buy Right Now?

Retail stocks were harshly affected by the pandemic when it arrived. Some retail companies were able to perform well like Target Corporation (TGT Stock Report) and Walmart Inc. (WMT Stock Report). This was due to them staying open despite the worldwide closures of retail stores. It seems like home improvement companies were able to see the same benefits as the companies mentioned above.

Tech stocks are holding up relatively well during today’s market selloff, and quite a few of the names seen as winners in the current environment are actually rallying.

© TheStreet
Stay-at-Home Tech Stocks Rally as Reopening Plays Slump

While the Dow and the S&P 500 at this writing are down 2.8% and 2.2% respectively, the Nasdaq Composite is down 1.3%.

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And the Nasdaq 100 index, the weighting of which skews heavily toward big-cap tech companies, is down just 0.9%.

Worries about a recent spike in global covid-19 cases and related concern about the virus’s economic impact in the coming months are apparently weighing on equity markets today.

Against that backdrop, many investors are once more treating companies whose products and services help consumers work, learn and/or entertain themselves remotely like safe havens — despite the high valuations many of them carry.

Zoom Video Communications is up 6.1%, Fastly