Author: therawinformant

It’s a mixed start to the day. A Bitcoin move back through to $11,800 should support the broader market.

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Nokia (NYSE:NOK) stock is on a nice little run as of late. The Finnish telecom equipment company is up 35% so far this year, including a 15% pop in Nokia stock since the company announced second-quarter earnings.Source: RistoH / Shutterstock.com Nokia's advancement comes despite the debilitating effects of the novel coronavirus, and despite the company's failure to win 5G business in China.But brighter skies are ahead. Nokia raised its outlook for the rest of 2020. And despite the China setback, I think Nokia is positioning itself to take advantage of the global rollout of 5G technology – a pretty exciting advancement that I think will be a game changer for many telecom companies.InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Nokia Stock at a GlanceNokia reported second-quarter earnings on July 31 that included net profits of 311 million euros ($368.7 million), an increase of 21% from a year ago. * 7 Travel Stocks to Buy Banking On Pent-Up Demand The increase in profits came even while sales fell 11%, to 5.1 billion euros. Nokia said the drop in sales was a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which weighed sales to the tune of 300 million euros.The other major factor that impacted sales was competition in China. Nokia's primary competitors in the telecom equipment space are Swedish company Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and the Chinese company Huawei.No doubt, Huawei enjoyed a lopsided home-field advantage in negotiating contracts in China. Nokia says its sales in China fell 41% in the quarter. It cited a "high level of competitive intensity" and its own "prudent approach" to making deals in China.Those are buzzwords for a company that came out on the losing side of a deal. But CEO Rajeev Suri, while speaking to analysts, did his best to put a positive face on the news."We have both a favorable product mix, more capacity, less deployment services, as well as regional mix with more North America and less China. While some of this will likely continue in the near term, we would expect it to be slightly less pronounced compared to the just-ended quarter."Sales in the company's Networks' segment fell 10% on a year-over-year basis; Nokia Software sales were down nearly 12%; Nokia Technology segment sales were down 11% and sales in the company's Group Common and Other segment were down 20%.On the plus side, Nokia says it ended the quarter with an improved cash position, holding 1.6 billion euros in net cash, which was up from 1.3 billion in the previous quarter. Free cash flow in the second quarter was also improved, at 265 million euros, compared to -1 billion euros in the same quarter a year ago. Looking Ahead for NokiaWhile Huawei was an unmovable obstacle for Nokia in winning 5G contracts in China, it's a big world. And Huawei isn't super-popular outside of Beijing's influence.The U.S. government has been anti-Huawei for a while now and is pressuring its allies to shun the Chinese telecom equipment company. That could help Nokia get more market share in western nations, although Ericsson will be a formidable opponent. InvestorPlace's Josh Enomoto lays out this case in detail.And it's not as if Nokia has been sitting still. The company said last week, it signed 83 commercial 5G deals around the world so far and has 32 live network deployments in hand. Why 5G Is So ImportantI'm really looking forward to the deployment of 5G wireless technology because I think it's going to change how we use the internet.Remember, 5G technology is 100% faster than 4G speeds. It will allow mobile devices to work as fast and efficiently as broadband cable modem speed.Just imagine – you'll be able to watch sports on any device without worrying about buffering. Online sports betting will be easier and faster – that will benefit companies like DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG) and companies like Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ:PENN). Movie studios and video game companies will put out better products and will be able to incorporate virtual reality.And in health care, 5G technology will make it easier for your doctor or nurse to make appointments and diagnose ailments without you going to the office.There's no doubt that when you think about it, 5G technology will be one of the biggest advancements in telecom in years. Creating the networks and the infrastructure for 5G networks is a huge business, and Nokia's going to be a big part of that. The Bottom Line on Nokia StockNokia has been around for a while, but the stock is cheap compared to where it was two decades ago. You can pick up Nokia stock for about $5 a share, while in 2000 it was more than $50.Now Nokia has a new boss coming in. Suri led Nokia for six years, but is handing the reins to Pekka Lundmark, who worked at Nokia from 1990 to 2000 and has spent the last two decades running an energy company, a heavy equipment provider and at a startup-focused venture capital firm.He comes into the CEO's office knowing exactly what's a stake. In a blog post, he wrote:"We stand at the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with 5G set to transform entire industries from health care to manufacturing, changing how we work and live, and giving us the opportunity to create economic prosperity and new jobs while caring more for our planet and improving the lives of people."He's right. Having someone with a venture capital background, with broad leadership in a number of fields, will help Nokia with its 5G rollout.If Lundmark can make Nokia a more nimble and aggressive company while pursuing 5G agreements, Nokia stock has a better-than-average chance of breaking out of longtime slump.Patrick Sanders is a freelance writer and editor in Maryland, and from 2015 to 2019 was head of the investment advice section at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter at @1patricksanders. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * Revolutionary Tech Behind 5G Rollout Is Being Pioneered By This 1 Company * Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets The post Nokia Stock Is Breaking Out of Its Long Slump appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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It’s a busy week ahead, with economic data, monetary policy, U.S foreign policy, and the path of the U.S stimulus package to drive the markets.

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Gambling stocks were all the rage on Thursday. The S&P 500 rose on the session, and my watchlist was littered with big gainers — but none stood taller than casino and gaming stocks. The catalyst for the sudden surge was the expectation-beating earnings report from Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ:PENN). In fact, it sent PENN stock up 14.3% by the closing bell, and brought buyers rushing into the industry.That said, the buying bonanza was much needed. Casinos have been one of the hardest-hit areas due to the novel coronavirus. And while many sectors have fully recovered from the March massacre, these three tickers I have in mind remain a far cry from their peaks.Nonetheless, they don't completely lack bullish characteristics. And with Thursday's rally breathing new life into the space, we could see some upside follow-through in the day's to come.InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 7 Travel Stocks to Buy Banking On Pent-Up Demand That said, here are three of the best gambling stocks to consider: * MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM) * Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) * Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS)After laying out the price levels that matter, we'll suggest which options spreads are best on these gambling stocks. So, let's dive in. Gambling Stocks to Buy: MGM Resorts (MGM) Click to EnlargeSource: The thinkorswim® platform from TD Ameritrade After PENN, MGM stock was the biggest gainer of all the casinos. It surged 10.4%, with more than 35 million shares traded. The participation was well above average, and propelled the shares back above the 50-day moving average. Not only that, but we also broke above a horizontal resistance pivot — clearing the way for a push toward $21.Moreover, Thursday's breakout is what buyers have been waiting for to signal momentum has returned. Sure, the fire could fizzle. However, I'm willing to bet dips will get bought, and the path of least resistance has now shifted from sideways to up.So, if you think MGM stock remains above $16 for the next month, then sell the Sept. $16 put for around 70 cents. Wynn Resorts (WYNN) Click to EnlargeSource: The thinkorswim® platform from TD Ameritrade While not as impressive as MGM's performance, the 7.4% jump in Wynn on Thursday was still noteworthy. What I like about the rally is it's once again reaffirming $70 as a major support zone. It offers an obvious line in the sand for a stop loss to bail on bullish trades if it gets broken.Additionally, the flat moving averages make extremely bullish trades a low probability bet. At a minimum, we'd need to see prices rise above the 50-day before getting overly aggressive. But if $70 is going to hold firm, there isn't any reason why we couldn't build a neutral to slightly bullish options trade.In situations like this, I like call diagonal spreads.The Trade: Buy the Sept. $75 call while selling the Aug. $80 call for a net debit of $5. * 8 Coronavirus Stocks That Are Still Going Strong Consider stopping out on a close below $70. Shoot for $100 to $200 as a profit target per spread. Gambling Stocks to Buy: Las Vegas Sands (LVS) Click to EnlargeSource: The thinkorswim® platform from TD Ameritrade The final pick of our gambling stocks trio is Las Vegas Sands. Its gain on Thursday was the least impressive of the three at 4.3%. Like WYNN, however, Thursday's ramp did reiterate the major support zone at $42.50 and could be the spark for a new advance. Since the shares are still below both the 20-day and 50-day moving averages, buyers have a lot of work to do before the overall trend turns higher, though.Overall, the beautiful thing about entering the trade near support is we only have a small amount of risk. In other words, we can jump ship quickly if the stock sours. The implied volatility is low enough (17th percentile) to make long premium plays attractive. I like bull call diagonals.The Trade: Buy the Sept. $45 call while selling the Aug. $48 call for approximately $2.35.Use a break of $42.50 as your stop loss. For a target, shoot for $50 to $100 per contract.For a free trial to the best trading community on the planet and Tyler's current home, click here! At the time of this writing, Tyler didn't hold positions in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * Revolutionary Tech Behind 5G Rollout Is Being Pioneered By This 1 Company * Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets The post 3 Gambling Stocks to Buy After Penn National Gaming's Earnings Pop appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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After years of huge investments, 5G is finally getting ready for prime time. This makes now a good time to look for 5G stocks that will benefit the most.5G stands for the next generation for mobile networks. It's a global standard that is expected to have far-reaching impacts for consumers and businesses.As InvestorPlace Markets Analyst Luke Lango breaks it down: "going from 4G to 5G is like going from horses to cars, or from hot air balloons to airplanes. It's a once-in-a-life-time transition, which — much like the transition to cars and airplanes did — will open up a world of infinite possibilities."InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsThis might seem like typical hype, but when you look at the metrics for 5G, they certainly standout. The speeds are expected to be as much as 100 times faster than 4G systems. There will also be much less latency — that is, with connections to the cloud. All this will mean that technologies like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will become more powerful and useful. * 7 Travel Stocks to Buy Banking On Pent-Up Demand So then, what are some of the 5G stocks to consider? Well, let's take a look at seven: * Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) * Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) * Nokia (NYSE:NOK) * AT&T (NYSE:T) * Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) * Crown Castle International (NYSE:CCI) * Vuzix (NASDAQ:VUZI)Here's what makes each among the best 5G stocks to consider now. 5G Stocks: Ciena (CIEN)Source: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com Ciena was one of the red-hot networking operators during the dot-com era. The shares would fetch over $800 in 2000.Unfortunately, this would not last long. After the bubble burst, CIEN stock would go on to languish for many years.Yet the fortunes may be starting to turn — and this may be more than just a temporary thing. The main reason is that 5G will require heavy investments in network infrastructure to handle the huge volumes of bandwidth. For example, Ciena was the first to introduce an 800 gig system to the market, which has seen strong traction. It also helps that the company has expertise in fiber optics and software-defined networking.But there is another potential catalyst for the company: the growing use of sanctions against Chinese giant, Huawei. This should open up more business opportunities across the world.While revenue growth has been sluggish, the company has been able to improve margins. In other words, as Ciena gets more business from 5G, there should be leverage on the bottom line. Nvidia (NVDA)Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Nvidia may seem like an odd choice for a 5G stock. So why list it then? Well, the reason is that 5G will supercharge AI. This is because a considerable amount of the processing of the algorithms can be done in the cloud. The bottom line is that there will be even more demand for Nvidia's GPUs, which have become a must-have for AI in the datacenter.Perhaps the most useful application of this will be with self-driving vehicles. The fact is that the technology has proven considerably more difficult than expected. After all, there are seemingly limitless possibilities when it comes to navigating a car. However, if the processing can be done in the cloud, this should go a long way in helping to make autonomous vehicles a reality. * 7 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy for the Next 10 Years Now it's true that NVDA stock is far from cheap, with the price-to-earnings multiple at 85x. Although, given the growth profile, a premium is definitely warranted. Nokia Corporation (NOK)Source: RistoH / Shutterstock.com Nokia has had a knack for disappointing investors. But after years of restructuring, things may be finally getting back on track.Since March, NOK stock has gone $2.43 to $5. But this may be just the start to a durable rally.The company is one of the world's largest mobile equipment operators and has about 16% of market share (a key to this was the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent in 2015). This scale is certainly essential in the 5G world.The most recent earnings report certainly is encouraging for the bull case for NOK stock. While sales did fall — primarily due to the disruptions of the pandemic — there was a 21% increase in earnings. This is a testament to the company's lean cost structure but also due to its efforts to steer away from lower margin businesses. In fact, NOK announced an upgrade for the 2020 adjusted earnings forecast of €0.20 to €0.30, up from €0.18 to €0.28. AT&T (T)Source: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock Last month, AT&T announced that it completed the national rollout of its 5G network. The coverage was for 205 million consumers across 395 markets.The massive infrastructure is likely to be transformative to the company. Keep in mind that AT&T has been acquiring content assets to leverage on this. The biggest deal was for Time Warner (the price tag was about $108 billion). As a result, AT&T has been able to create a streaming video service, called HBO Max, which has about 36 million subscribers. As of next year, the service will have an ad-supported version.Even with the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, AT&T has continued to generate strong free cash flows. They came to $11.5 billion for the first half of this year. It definitely helps that the company has a stable mobile subscriber base of 165.9 million. * 10 Stocks to Buy for Your 10-Year-Old Finally, T stock offers an attractive dividend yield, which is currently at 7%. Note that the company has increased the payout every year since 1985. Qualcomm (QCOM)Source: jejim / Shutterstock.com Among the key 5G stocks to pay attention to, Qualcomm appears the best positioned to benefit. The company has been an innovator in all the generations in mobile standards — going back to the 1980s. A key part of the strategy has been to amass a powerful set of intellectual property and then license it out to customers. The result is a high-margin stream of recurring revenues.As a testament to Qualcomm's technology, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) dropped its lawsuit against the company primarily because it was struggling to come up with alternatives for 5G. Qualcomm was also able to get a multi-year licensing deal with Huawei, which was certainly another sign of the company's leverage.Then again, Qualcomm has seen continued momentum with its design wins, which are at over 660. They are for a series of Snapdragon chips and X55 modems. Consider that the new six series is accessible to over two billion smartphone users across the globe.As for QCOM stock, it has been in the rally mode lately, going from $61 in March to $110 today. But this is probably just a warm up. Given the company's technology portfolio and its deals with numerous large companies, there is likely to be an acceleration in growth in the coming years. Crown Castle International (CCI)Source: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com Crown Castle International is a leading mobile tower company. The primary focus is the U.S. market where it has over 40,000 installations and about 80,000 route miles of fiber optic lines.What's particularly attractive about CCI stock — from the 5G perspective — is that many of its locations are for dense environments like stadiums and office spaces. For the most part, these are the kinds of areas that could leverage 5G for a myriad of applications, whether streaming, collaboration or even sports wagering. * 7 Travel Stocks to Buy Banking On Pent-Up Demand CCI stock is structured as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which means that it has tax incentives to pay dividends. For example, the yield is at about 3%. But with the strong growth in 5G, it seems like a good bet their will be continued strong capital gains as well. Vuzix (VUZI)Source: zixia / Shutterstock.com Founded in 1997, Vuzix is a developer of smart glasses. The technology helps to minimize the motion sickness that is common with VR and AR. Vuzix has also made its system fairly lightweight. But with 5G, there should be a significant improvement in the immersive experiences.This can mean better gaming devices as well as powerful enterprise solutions. Keep in mind that the company has already built successful applications for manufacturing, remote sport, warehousing, navigation and training.Over the years, VUZI stock has been stuck in a stubborn range. But lately, there has been a nice move to the upside — and it should be more than temporary. In fact, the company's technology has seen more interest because it can be helpful with the move to remote workforces.Vuzix has also been assembling an impressive portfolio of intellectual property. To this end, it has over 157 patents and patents pending on its technology. All of this stacks up to make it one of the hottest 5G stocks to buy now.Tom Taulli (@ttaulli) is an advisor and author of various books and online courses about technology, including Artificial Intelligence Basics, The Robotic Process Automation Handbook and Learn Python Super Fast. He is also the founder of WebIPO, which was one of the first platforms for public offerings during the 1990s. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * Revolutionary Tech Behind 5G Rollout Is Being Pioneered By This 1 Company * Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets The post The 7 Best 5G Stocks to Buy Now appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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Two big pieces of news hit the education market recently, both in the for-profit college sector.On July 29, Strategic Education Inc (NASDAQ: STRA) bought schools and education programs operating in Australia and New Zealand from Laureate Education Inc (NASDAQ: LAUR) for $643 million in cash. The deal will bring a number of brands and an estimated 19,000 students into the Strategic bundle, which already include the for-profit, nearly entirely online colleges Strayer and Capella. With the acquisition, Strategic will have nearly 110,000 students paying, or getting grants and taking loans, to study with them.On Aug. 3, Zovio Inc (NASDAQ: ZVO), formerly Bridgepoint Education, announced that one of its signature education properties, the online, for-profit Ashford University, would be "acquired" by the University of Arizona and become "The University of Arizona Global Campus." The acquisition price was $1.At one time, Ashford was among the largest online, for-profits. But like many schools in the sector, its enrollment has declined by about half to a, still significant, 34,000 students. In 2019 and 2020 Zovio began reducing staff and reported a net operating loss of more than $56 million for 2019. "Acquired" is in quotes because, even though most of the press reported the Ashford deal as a sale to Arizona, it was not. It's more of an agreement to create a legally new entity, the "Global Campus" wherein Arizona would scoop up Ashford's students, programs, teachers and marketing, rebrand everything as "University of Arizona," and Zovio and the University of Arizona would share the proceeds by spitting student tuition income.They may not seem it, but the Strategic Education deal in Australia and the Ashford/Arizona deal are probably related. Most observers agree they are coming at about the same time because the Presidential election is less than 90 days away, and if former Vice President Biden wins, it will likely be an awfully bad time to be in the for-profit college business.Regulatory SeesawThe fast backstory is that President Obama put new regulations on for-profit colleges, linking their ability to get federal money to their ability to prove that their graduates could get jobs. Obama also put the accrediting body for many for-profit colleges on a path to demise, choking their funding and their legal status. Many for-profits (ITT, Corinthian, ECA) closed and enrollments and profits plummeted sector-wide. But President Trump reversed both Obama policies–reinstating the accreditor and repealing the rule requiring schools to prove their degrees have career value. Biden, should he win, is expected to reinstate the Obama rules, if not go further. His campaign plans say, "The Biden Administration will require for-profits to first prove their value to the U.S. Department of Education before gaining eligibility for federal aid." So, for-profit colleges that survived the impact of the Obama rules know what's coming in a Biden win. They know it's bad for them. Doing the math, they probably have eight, maybe 10 months before the regulations and restrictions and scrutiny kick in again. This should also serve as a warning to investors about the for-profit college sector overall. They Won't Go Down Without A FightIf that's right, and Zovio and Strategic see the hammer coming down again, they've chosen quite different paths to survival. Strategic, with its strong cash balance sheet, has picked up education properties beyond the reach of a Biden Department of Education. If Strayer and Capella suffer, they have diversified. That feels smart. But the Zovio/Ashford/Arizona deal is different. It's what education observers call "brand washing," the attempt to hide or change what type of school you are in hopes that regulations won't apply to you. It's a risky and unproven approach, but it's not new. In one example, the for-profit Grand Canyon University (NASDAQ: LOPE) tried it. They created a non-profit, sold their school to it, then hired a for-profit company to run it. The catch is that the two companies are the same: the CEO of the for-profit "management" company and the President of the "non-profit" school are the same person. The IRS allowed this arrangement. The Trump Department of Education did not. In fact, Ashford tried a similar move–selling the school then hiring themselves to run it–before joining the University of Arizona. Again, the IRS was fine with it, but the Department of Education was not. In other words, legally speaking, moving from a private for-profit to something else is anything but certain, especially in a Biden administration, whose future education leaders are watching these maneuvers closely. Which brings us back to the Ashford deal with Arizona. This type of "we're a new school" deal is not new either. It's terribly similar, in terms and design, to the one announced a few years back between the public Purdue University and the for-profit Kaplan University. The pair created a new corporation "Purdue Global" and split the proceeds. Both deals are really like a brand rental, a white-label deal with Ashford renting the University of Arizona brand and Kaplan renting the Purdue nameplate, then sharing the sale. Either way, for investors, "proceed" splitting is an import word because there have been no profits. As of a year ago, the Purdue venture reported a loss of more than $38 million in their 2018 financials. And Graham Holdings (NYSE: GHC), the former owner of Kaplan University said that, "As of September 30, 2019, Kaplan had a total outstanding accounts receivable balance of $72.3 million from Purdue Global related to amounts due for reimbursements for services and a deferred service fee. In addition, Kaplan has a $20 million long-term receivable balance due from Purdue Global at September 30, 2019." Even if becoming a new school works, if the Zovio deal to mingle Ashford with the University of Arizona follows the Purdue deal, it may not be financially successful. The bottom line is that, for for-profit colleges, their skies may be dark again very soon and there are two alternatives to potentially shelter from the storm: to get out of town, as Strategic Education has done, or to hide, as Ashford is doing. Hiding is very uncertain and has been unprofitable so far, which makes getting out of town seem like the strategic decision. See more from Benzinga * Chegg's Biggest Challenge: How To Clamp Down On Cheating And Account Sharing(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Earlier this week, senior Democratic lawmakers asked federal regulators to investigate securities transactions made by the company and its executives around the time it learned it could receive the government loan. “Recent allegations of wrongdoing raise serious concerns,” DFC said late on Friday in a tweet.

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It is far from certain that Twitter would be able to outbid Microsoft Corp and complete such a transformative deal in the 45 days that U.S. President Donald Trump has given ByteDance to agree to a sale, the sources said on Saturday. The news of Twitter and TikTok being in preliminary talks and Microsoft still being seen as the front-runner in bidding for the app’s U.S. operations was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.

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Quantum computing — or the use of quantum mechanics to create a genre of next-generation quantum computers with nearly unlimited compute power — has long been a concept stuck in the theory phase.But quantum computing is starting to grow up. Recent breakthroughs in this emerging field — such as Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) claiming to achieve quantum supremacy in late 2019 — have laid the foundation for the quantum computing space to go from theory, to reality, over the next several years. This transition will spark huge growth in the global quantum computing market.The investment implication?InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsIt's time to buy quantum computing stocks.At scale, quantum computing will disrupt nearly every industry in the world, ranging from finance, to biotechnology, to cybersecurity, and everything in between.It will improve the way medicines are developed by simulating molecular processes. It will reduce energy loss in batteries through optimized routing and design, thereby allowing for the creation of things like hyper-efficient electric car batteries. In finance, it will speed up and optimize portfolio optimization, risk modeling and derivatives creation. In cybersecurity, it will disrupt the way we think about encryption. It will create superior weather forecasting models, unlock advancements in autonomous vehicle technology and help humans fight climate change.I'm not kidding when I say quantum computing will change everything.And quantum computing stocks are positioned to be big winners over the next decade. * 7 Travel Stocks to Buy Banking On Pent-Up Demand So, with that in mind, here are seven quantum computing stocks to buy for the next 10 years: * Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) * International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) * Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) * Quantum Computing (OTCMKTS:QUBT) * Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) * Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) * Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Quantum Computing Stocks: Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)Source: rvlsoft / Shutterstock.com Among the various quantum computing stocks to buy for the next 10 years, the best buy is probably Alphabet stock.That is because many many consider Alphabet's quantum computing arm — Google AI Quantum, which is built on the back of a state-of-the-art 54-qubit processor dubbed Sycamore — to be the leading quantum computing project in the world. Why? This thinking is bolstered mostly by the fact that, in late 2019, Sycamore performed a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world's most powerful supercomputers 10,000 years to perform.This achievement led Alphabet to claim that Sycamore had reached quantum supremacy. What does this mean? Well, this benchmark is loosely defined as point when a quantum computer can perform a task in a relatively short amount of time that no other supercomputer could complete in any reasonable amount of time.Many have since debated whether or not Alphabet has indeed reached quantum supremacy.But that's somewhat of a moot point.The reality is that Alphabet has built the world's leading quantum computer. The engineering surrounding this supercomputer will only get better. So will Sycamore's compute power. As that happens, Alphabet has the ability to — through its Google Cloud business — turn Sycamore into a market-leading quantum-computing-as-a-service business with huge revenues at scale.To that end, GOOG stock is one of the best quantum computing stocks to buy today for the next 10 years. International Business Machines (IBM)Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com The other "big dog" in the quantum computing space that closely rivals Alphabet is IBM.IBM has been big in the quantum computing space for years. But Big Blue has attacked this space in a fundamentally different way than its peers.That is, while other quantum computing players like Alphabet have forever chased quantum supremacy, IBM has shunned that idea in favor of building on something the company calls the "quantum advantage."Ostensibly, the quantum advantage really isn't too different from quantum supremacy. The former deals with a continuum focused on making quantum computers perform certain tasks faster than traditional computers. The latter deals with a moment focused on making quantum computers permanently faster at all things than traditional computers.But it's a philosophical difference with huge implications. By focusing on building the quantum advantage, IBM is specializing its quantum computing efforts into making quantum computing measurably useful — and economic — in certain industry verticals, for certain tasks.In so doing, IBM is actually creating a fairly straightforward go-to market strategy for its quantum computing services in the long run. Help this industry, do this task, really well.And so, with such a realizable, simple and tangible approach, IBM stock is one of the most sure-fire quantum computing stocks to buy today for the next 10 years. Quantum Computing Stocks: Microsoft (MSFT)Source: NYCStock / Shutterstock.com Another big tech player in the quantum computing space with promising long-term potential is Microsoft.Microsoft already has a huge infrastructure cloud business, Azure. Building on that infrastructure foundation, Microsoft has launched Azure Quantum, a quantum computing business with potential to turn into a huge QCaaS business at scale.In its current state, Azure Quantum is a secure, stable and open ecosystem which serves as a one-stop-shop for quantum computing software, hardware and applications.The bull thesis here is that Microsoft will lean into its already huge Azure customer base in order to cross-sell Azure Quantum. Doing so will give Azure Quantum a big and long runway for widespread early adoption, which is the first step in turning Azure Quantum into a huge QCaaS business.It also helps that Microsoft's core Azure business is absolutely on fire right now.Putting it all together, quantum computing is simply one facet of the much broader Microsoft enterprise cloud growth narrative. That growth narrative will remain robust for the next several years. And it will continue to support further gains in MSFT stock. Quantum Computing (QUBT)Source: Shutterstock The most interesting, smallest and potentially most explosive quantum computing stock on this list is Quantum Computing.The Quantum Computing bull thesis is fairly simple.Quantum computing is going to change everything over the next several years. But the hardware is expensive. It likely won't be ready to deliver measurable benefits at reasonable costs to average customers for several years. So, Quantum Computing is building a portfolio of affordable quantum computing software and apps that deliver quantum compute power, but can be run on traditional legacy supercomputers.In so doing, Quantum Computing is hoping to fill the gap and turn into a widespread, low-cost provider of easily accessible quantum computing software for companies that cannot afford full-scale quantum compute hardware.Quantum Computing is just starting to commercialize this software in 2020, through three products currently in beta mode. Those three products will likely start signing up financial, healthcare and government customers to long-term contracts in the back half of the year. Those early signups could be the beginning of tens of thousands of companies signing up for Quantum's services over the next five to 10 years.Connecting the dots, you really could see this company go from zero dollars in revenue today, to several hundred million dollars in revenue in the foreseeable future.If that happens, QUBT stock — which has a market capitalization of just $12 million today — could soar. Quantum Computing Stocks: Alibaba (BABA)Source: Kevin Chen Photography / Shutterstock.com Much like the other big tech players on this space, Alibaba is in the business of creating a robust QCaaS arm to complement its already huge infrastructure-as-a-service business.Long story short, Alibaba is the leading public cloud provider in China. Indeed, Alibaba Cloud owns about 10% of the global IaaS market. Alibaba intends to leverage this leadership position to cross-sell quantum compute services to its huge existing client base, and eventually turn into the largest QCaaS player in China, too.Will it work?Probably.The Great Tech Wall of China will prevent many of the other companies on this list from reaching scale, or even sustainably doing operations in, China. Alibaba does have some in-country quantum computing competition. But this isn't a winner-take-all market. And given Alibaba's enormous resource advantages, it is highly likely that the company eventually turns into either the No. 1 or No. 2 player in China's quantum computing market.That's just another reason to buy and hold BABA stock for the long haul. Baidu (BIDU)Source: StreetVJ / Shutterstock.com The other big Chinese tech company diving head-first into quantum computing is Baidu.Baidu launched its own quantum computing research center in 2018. According to the company website, the goal of this research center is to integrate quantum computing into Baidu's core businesses.If so, that means Baidu's goal with quantum computing diverges from the norm. Others in this space want to build out quantum compute power to sell it, as a service, to third parties. Baidu wants to build out quantum compute power to, at least initially, improve its own operations.Doing so will pay off in a big way for Baidu.Baidu's core search and advertising businesses could markedly improve with quantum computing. Advancements in compute power could dramatically improve search algorithms and ad-targeting techniques.BIDU stock does have healthy upside thanks to its early research into quantum computing. Quantum Computing Stocks: Intel (INTC)Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com Last, but not least, on this list of quantum computing stocks to buy is Intel.While Intel may be falling behind competitors — namely Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) — on the traditional CPU front, the semiconductor giant is on the cutting edge of creating potential quantum CPU candidates.Intel's newly announced Horse Ridge cryogenic control chip is widely considered the market's best quantum CPU candidate out there today. The chip includes four radio frequency channels that can control 128 qubits. That is more than double Tangle Lake, Intel's predecessor quantum CPU.In other words, Intel is the leader when it comes to quantum compute chips.The big idea, of course, is that when quantum computers are built at scale, they will likely be built on Intel's quantum CPUs.To that end, potentially explosive growth in the quantum computing hardware market over the next five to 10 years represents a huge, albeit speculative, growth catalyst for both Intel and INTC stock.Luke Lango is a Markets Analyst for InvestorPlace. He has been professionally analyzing stocks for several years, previously working at various hedge funds and currently running his own investment fund in San Diego. A Caltech graduate, Luke has consistently been rated one of the world's top stock pickers by various other analysts and platforms, and has developed a reputation for leveraging his technology background to identify growth stocks that deliver outstanding returns. Luke is also the founder of Fantastic, a social discovery company backed by an LA-based internet venture firm. As of this writing, he was long MSFT. More From InvestorPlace * Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * Revolutionary Tech Behind 5G Rollout Is Being Pioneered By This 1 Company * Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets The post 7 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy for the Next 10 Years appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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