Global investment fund DeVere Group has highlighted a a group of sectors poised to benefit amid the current market mayhem.

In a research note overnight, DeVere CEO Nigel Green reminded investors that every severe investment downturn throws up different winners and losers.

And in the wake of each crisis, markets then settle on a “new normal” in which specific companies and sectors emerge with the upper hand.

“New industries will come into their own. This will mean job losses in some sectors and huge — possibly unprecedented — job and investment opportunities in others,” Green said.

On the winner’s list, Green expects the big US tech companies — which incidentally helped drive broader market returns for the better part of the last decade — to emerge with renewed strength on the other side of the crisis.

For one thing, the major players such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon are all sitting on huge cash piles, which will allow them to remain flexible amid the ongoing economic fallout.

Once the dust settles, the so-called FAANG cohort (including Netflix) will be well-placed to “continue, maybe even bolster, research and development and to sustain their business operations”.

In the near-term, Green said the sector was also likely to benefit from the defining macro-trend associated with the COVID-19 pandemic — the demand for remote communications due to self-isolation requirements that are likely to become more strictly enforced in the weeks ahead.

Here are the other sectors Green said investors were now focused on as a result of that shift:

– Pharmaceutical and healthcare companies;
– Delivery brands;
– Supermarkets; and
– Manufacturers of electronic goods, such as fridges and freezers.

Ultimately, Green communicated his firm belief that the world economy would recover from the unprecedented economic shock of COVID-19.

But while the market chaos in developed economies has all occured within the span of just one month, “the world has already changed”, Green said.

“Savvy investors are aware of this new normal and are already readjusting their portfolios accordingly.”