During the pandemic quarantine, millions of people are turning to streaming services for escapism. Now that we’re stuck in the house, my wife and I have been binge watching our favorite shows.

This week, we were re-watching episodes of The Sopranos when mob boss Tony Soprano said something that struck home:

“It’s good to be in something from the ground floor. I came too late for that, and I know. But lately I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end. The best is over.”

It occurred to me that a lot of investors feel just like Tony. They think they’ve missed the boat on millionaire-making opportunities. But it’s never too late to find an emerging trend that’s worthy of a ground-floor investment.

Technological change never stops. New breakthroughs (and new millionaires) are continually born. The trick is to pinpoint nascent “megatrends” and act fast, before the herd catches on. I show you 10 such trends, below.

Meanwhile, the news keeps getting worse. The U.S. Labor Department reported on Thursday that initial jobless claims surged to more than 6.6 million last week, a new record that brings the two-week total to about 10 million due to the coronavirus-caused economic shutdown.

The first quarter of 2020 was dismal for the stock market. On Wednesday, the start of the second quarter offered no solace, with each of the three main U.S. benchmarks falling about 4%. On Thursday morning after the bell, the three indices opened in negative territory and swung between red and green as trading wore on.

Hardy investment themes, for hard times…

The bear market persists, but you don’t have to sit on the sidelines. The following investment themes should withstand challenges…even challenges as severe as the coronavirus pandemic.

One day this pandemic will end. Count on it. And when it does, the companies tapped into these themes will soar. Elevate your cash levels and keep your powder dry, to scoop up shares at bargain levels when it appears the pandemic is waning.

1) Medical information technology. In the booming health care field, cost containment is the name of the game. Federal and state regulators increasingly mandate the use of information technology to digitize and analyze patient records. Software firms in this space enjoy long-term tailwinds.

2) Robotics/automation. Increasingly integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), robotics/automation is permeating a wide variety of industries. The International Federation of Robotics estimates that over 2.5 million industrial robots are at work this year. But it’s not just manufacturing; programmable robots are spreading through myriad aspects of daily life.

3) Next-generation power providers. The migration from coal to natural gas and renewable energy confers many environmental advantages, but it also represents a watershed in the power generation sector. Long-term plays include natural gas producers, liquefied natural gas shippers, and renewable power suppliers. Current chaos in the crude oil market further cements this trend.

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4) Technology for 3D-sensing. Makers of chips and other components that support three-dimensional sensors embedded in smartphones face growing demand. These capabilities are crucial to the exploding field of virtual/augmented reality, which is migrating beyond video games and into commercial applications.

5) Aerospace/defense innovators. Rising military tensions in regional hot spots are fueling greater Pentagon expenditures. Your best bets are smaller defense firms that specialize in “next-generation” electronics that integrate weapons systems within the Internet of Things (IoT).

6) Immunological treatments. Immunotherapy is on the cutting edge of medical science, as researchers try to find ways to get the body to fight diseases by itself, eliminating the need for costly and painful techniques. Small biotechs with new immunotherapy drugs in the pipeline are poised for big gains, especially as the coronavirus pandemic brings the need for new treatments to the fore.

Read This Story: Pandemic Plays: All Eyes on Health Services

7) Breakthrough tech in e-commerce. We’re seeing the inclusion of ultra-sophisticated technology, notably AI and IoT, with online shopping. The results include features such as visual search tools and “deep learning” capabilities that make it faster and easier for shoppers to find and buy what they want. Social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak underscores the desirability of these retail technologies.

8) The roll-out of 5G wireless. I’ve devoted considerable coverage to 5G (“fifth generation”) technology. For a comprehensive report, click here.

9) Remote work-at-home technologies. As workers get increasingly accustomed to working at home, the use of virtual private networks, remote conferencing capabilities, and cloud-based collaboration are increasingly familiar activities. The importance of ultra-fast cloud computing is being demonstrated with special urgency, in homes and businesses.

Read This Story: Investing in a Post-COVID World

10) Marijuana legalization. According to marijuana research firm New Frontier Data, the legal cannabis market in the U.S. accounted for $18.2 billion in sales in 2019. The following chart tells the story of pot’s multi-year growth.

New Frontier projects that the legal industry in the U.S. will grow to $22.8 billion in 2020. These numbers were calculated before the coronavirus outbreak, so they’ll probably end up considerably higher, as marijuana buyers hoard weed during the pandemic. For our list of the best pot stocks, click here.

Additional smart moves now…

What other steps can you take now, as the bear market deepens? Make sure your portfolio has exposure to precious metals.

Gold is a proven safe haven during tumultuous times. Gold has enjoyed a big run-up in prices over the past year, but the rally in the yellow metal should continue.

My colleagues at Investing Daily have pinpointed an under-the-radar, small-cap gold miner that Wall Street is ignoring. This play on the Midas metal could hand you exponential gains…if you act now. Click here for details.

Also consider other safe havens, such as stable dividend paying stocks. We’ve put together a list of reliable cash cows with the proven ability to weather market booms and busts. Download our free “dividend map” of high yielders.

There’s still money to be made, even in this virus-induced bear market. Stay cautious. But abandon stocks altogether? As Tony Soprano might say: “Fughedaboutit.”

John Persinos is the editorial director of Investing Daily. Send your comments and questions to: mailbag@investingdaily.com