There’s a variety of financial uncertainty proper now. In consequence, the inventory market’s taken successful. As a long-term investor, I’ve been profiting from the market weak point and snapping up shares for my retirement portfolio. Right here’s a have a look at two S&P 500 shares I’ve been shopping for aggressively.

A digital labour platform

Again in early April, I added software program firm Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) to my portfolio. Since then, I’ve purchased a number of extra tranches of shares, boosting my holding considerably.

The primary motive I’ve invested right here is the corporate’s synthetic intelligence (AI) brokers ‘Agentforce’. These are software program programmes that may carry out enterprise duties autonomously (eg reply buyer queries).

I reckon the marketplace for this ‘digital labour’ goes to balloon over the subsequent decade. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff believes the business might be value up to $12trn so there seems to be substantial long-term development potential.

It’s value mentioning that Salesforce isn’t the one firm that’s growing AI brokers. Others embrace Microsoft and ServiceNow.

Competitors from rivals is clearly a threat. I believe the market’s going to be sufficiently big for a number of gamers nevertheless, and I used to be inspired by ServiceNow’s latest Q1 outcomes (it mentioned it’s having success with its AI brokers).

By way of the valuation, Salesforce at present trades on a forward-looking price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio about 24. That strikes me as a really affordable earnings a number of for a world-class software program firm.

I’m hoping the inventory stays at present ranges for some time so I can proceed to construct up my place at this valuation.

A self-driving automotive platform

I’ve additionally added to my place on this planet’s largest ride-share platform Uber (NYSE: UBER) a number of occasions whereas markets have been underneath strain.

That is one other firm with big potential, for my part. Over time, the Uber app’s slowly evolving right into a journey ‘super app’.

One factor I’m enthusiastic about is partnerships with self-driving automotive firms. In future, I reckon Uber would be the platform that a variety of these firms use to attach with passengers.

It’s value noting that in April Uber introduced a brand new partnership with Volkswagen to deploy Autonomous ID Buzz automobiles on its platform. Testing is anticipated to start out late this yr.

One other factor to love about this firm is that it’s comparatively recession-proof. Not solely is its buyer base slightly extra prosperous but when individuals are laid off, they might flip to Uber for work, which might doubtlessly enhance the variety of drivers and preserve costs aggressive for riders.

At the moment, the P/E ratio right here utilizing the earnings forecast for subsequent yr is simply 24. That strikes me as a steal.

There are many dangers, after all. These embrace regulatory intervention/fines, competitors from Tesla, and decrease promoting revenues in a recession. All issues thought of although, I’m very bullish on Uber.