3 Tech Stocks to Buy in the Taper Tantrum

These 3 Tech Stocks Are Quality Long-Term Buys

You don’t have to be an expert in economics to understand that the market has not been happy about the Fed’s recent announcement of tapering its total asset purchases. Tech stocks have been taking a beating due to impending interest rate hikes, which has been a big drag on the overall market to start the year. Looking back to 2013, U.S. Treasury yields reacted in a similar way to what we’ve seen recently when the Federal Reserve decided to reduce the volume of its bond purchases, which is commonly referred to as the “taper tantrum”.

One of the things to remember is that even when things seem bleak for certain areas of the market, buying into quality companies will reward patient investors over the long term. There will certainly be some interesting opportunities to add tech stocks to your long-term portfolio if we continue to see dramatic volatility in the market, which is why it makes sense to put together a shopping list now.

Here are 3 tech stocks to buy in the taper tantrum:

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

If you’re going to put some money to work during a period of uncertainty in the market, it makes sense to only focus on owning the best of the best. Alphabet is a company that many consider falling under that category, as it’s the world’s leading internet search provider and the largest generator of internet advertising revenue. This is a business model that will likely get stronger with every passing year, as more people around the world gain access to the internet and advertisers continue allocating more money towards online and digital marketing. The stock is getting more and more attractive as the market continues to pull back, with the consensus analyst price target coming in at $3,271.49 according to MarketBeat.

Alphabet is simply a dominant business in internet content & information, yet there are plenty of other exciting growth opportunities for investors to note besides its search engine segment. Google Cloud is growing quickly and could capture market share from larger providers over the years, while YouTube is one of the best ways to play the rise in connected TV advertising. There are also exciting areas of this business like machine learning, smart homes, autonomous driving, and more that make it a top pick in the tech sector.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA)

Tesla is arguably a tech stock disguised as an automaker, and it’s certainly one of the strongest stocks to add on heavy pullbacks. The company just reported a very solid Q4 earnings beat of $2.54 adjusted EPS versus the consensus adjusted EPS estimate of $2.36. Q4 revenues jumped by 65% year-over-year to $17.72 billion and helped the company generate free cash flow of $2.78 billion in the quarter, beating the consensus estimate by over a billion for both metrics. Tesla’s annual revenue has been on an impressive upward trajectory over the last decade, and it’s clear the company continues to be a dominant force in the electric vehicle industry.

The worldwide push towards renewable energy sources is only going to pick up steam over the next few years, which could mean even bigger things ahead for Tesla. The company has also set the stage for increased production capacity thanks to new factories in Germany and Texas, and new vehicle models like the Cybertruck and Tesla Semi could also be strong catalysts for the share price in the coming months. While supply chain issues and competing EV players are risks to consider, it’s hard to bet against the company's future success and the overall growth of the EV market since Tesla has developed such a dominant position among consumers.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM)

Semiconductor stocks have been on shaky ground during the recent selloff in tech, but Qualcomm is a name that is holding up better than many competitors. It’s a very intriguing company to consider adding for the long-term as its products and services are critical for powering exciting technologies like smartphones, tablets, mobile PCs, and more. As a company that collects royalty revenue on almost 5G handset that is sold, Qualcomm is in a strong position to deliver immense growth as the smartphone industry continues to gain momentum all over the world.

The company also has some interesting things going on with autonomous driving technology, as the company’s Snapdragon Ride Vision system could be a groundbreaking step towards making self-driving automobiles a reality. Qualcomm also recently announced partnerships with Honda and Volvo to provide enhanced infotainment and in-cabin capabilities for their vehicles, which is encouraging for investors that want to see the company diversify its business model. Keep an eye on how the share price reacts to the company’s Q4 earnings release on February 2nd.