Some decisions have consequences that last a lifetime. Ideally, those consequences will be good ones. Granted, such decisions are relatively few and far between. That's usually the case with investing.
However, there's a choice investors can make right now that could prove to be huge in retrospect. Buying these three stocks could be the smartest investing move you'll ever make.
1. Amazon
Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, and e-commerce. They're three markets that will almost certainly continue to grow rapidly over the next decade and beyond. And Amazon (AMZN 3.43%) sits at the center of all of them.
Amazon commands a market share in U.S. e-commerce of nearly 38%. It ranks second globally (behind Alibaba) with a market share of 13%. There's still plenty of room for Amazon to grow in e-commerce.
But it's Amazon's AI and cloud services opportunities that make the stock a fantastic pick for the long run. AI adoption should accelerate the shift of apps and data to the cloud. Amazon Web Services is the largest cloud provider and is poised to benefit tremendously from these trends.
You could, perhaps, buy Amazon at a lower price if the stock market pulls back. That's a distinct possibility, as many economists are predicting a recession later this year.
One way to acknowledge this threat is to ease into a position in Amazon, buying shares regularly over time. I think investors who do so will be glad they did down the road.
2. MercadoLibre
MercadoLibre (MELI 3.09%) is another great e-commerce pick. The company operates the leading e-commerce platform in Latin America. MercadoLibre has a presence in 18 countries in the region and is the leader in all of the major markets, including Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
Latin America is home to more than 650 million people -- nearly twice the size of the U.S. population. It boasts one of the world's fastest-growing internet penetration rates.
This bodes well for MercadoLibre's prospects. Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley projects that the e-commerce market in Latin America will expand by more than 50% by 2025.
Even better, MercadoLibre has used its e-commerce platform as a springboard into related markets. It's now a top fintech provider in Latin America, with total payment volume nearly doubling year over year in its latest quarter.
3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Imagine a world where rare diseases aren't just treated but cured. Now, take it a step further and picture a world where a not-so-rare disease -- type 1 diabetes -- can be cured. That's the world Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX -0.06%) is working hard to make a reality.
Vertex is well on its way. The company and its partner, CRISPR Therapeutics, currently are awaiting U.S. and European Union approvals for exa-cel. The gene-editing therapy holds the potential to functionally cure rare blood disorders sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia.
What about a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D)? Vertex recently presented positive results from an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical study of its first T1D program, VX-880. It's also evaluating two other T1D candidates in phase 1/2 trials. There's still a long way to go, but Vertex is making progress.
Vertex's pipeline also features promising non-opioid acute pain drug VX-548, which is in late-stage testing. Inaxapalin is another pivotal program that targets APOL1-mediated kidney disease, an indication with no currently approved drugs.
In the meantime, Vertex markets the only therapies that are approved to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). The company's CF franchise continues to generate strong revenue and profits that could allow Vertex to expand its pipeline even more.
