I’ve made no secret of my enthusiasm for marijuana as an explosive trend, and for certain pot stocks with big potential. Today, let’s do something that may sound a little strange at first. Let’s set aside the companies that handle the actual marijuana flower, CBD oil, and hemp – and look at some what I call “secondary” plays. Why? For one thing, without federal legalization, the NYSE and NASDAQ won’t list marijuana stocks that do business in the United States. More importantly, though, secondary plays can actually be one of the best ways to participate in a long-term investment trend.

Welcome to the best start in 32 years. In just the first two months of 2019, the S&P 500 is up 11.5%. Heck, we could close the market now and finish the year ahead of the historical average of just under 10% gains. But why would we? There is more to come. Much more. I have two predictions for you. First, I believe the S&P 500 will be up as much as 25% at some point during 2019. I said that before the year began, and I’m sticking with it. Second, marijuana stocks will continue to blow away the market. I was recently asked by CNN to talk about my expectations for the market. I made the same prediction to Richard Quest. He was a little surprised, so we made a friendly wager on whether the market hits a 25% gain.

When a leading marketing publication like Adweek prints a major headline about an up-and-coming trend, we should all take notice. It certainly grabbed my attention when “Any Brand Not Marketing in the Esports World is Already Behind the Curve” hit the internet on Tuesday. An industry valued at $1.5 billion with a global audience of 385 million is tough to miss. Yet most advertisers have been completely ignoring the world of eSports. Big mistake. The backers of the industry include the biggest names in professional sport. And this is just the beginning. The continued growth of eSports will continue, and there will be plenty of catalysts to help propel it to the next level.