Stock market headlines aren't pretty right now. The S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) experienced its worst first half of the year since 1970. It is in a full-blown bear market and with lingering economic issues, things could get worse before they get better. It can be difficult for investors to navigate these stressful times.

However, the basic game plan shouldn't change for those focused on the long term. Let's look at two steps that long-term investors can take to sail through this challenging period.

1. Avoid panic selling

When the going gets rough, it can be tempting to resort to panic selling (that is, offloading shares of companies you own in anticipation of a coming stock decline). This tendency is a bit understandable. If markets are going to keep falling, perhaps it's best to limit your losses. But it is not a wise strategy, at least not for those focused on the long game.

Market downturns don't last forever and, on average, bull markets tend to last longer than bear markets. That's why holding onto shares of excellent companies even through the worst market crash is worth it. Here is some evidence. The S&P 500 bottomed out in March 2020 following the coronavirus-induced bear market. Since then, the index is up by 71% -- even after its recent slide.

^SPX data by YCharts

However, reassessing your investments can be great when a bear market hits. Has the investment thesis of any of your holdings fundamentally changed for the worse? If so, it might be worth considering selling. If not, dumping your shares is the opposite of a good idea. If anything, a bear market is a good time to purchase more shares of the excellent companies you own. This brings us to our second point.

2. Pick up bargain stocks 

Market crashes don't discriminate. Even companies performing exceptionally well or those with excellent prospects often end up being pulled down by the rest. The result: You can find plenty of great stocks that have been thrown in the discount bin. And once the market does recover, you will reap the benefits.

Let's look at a company that looks too cheap to ignore at current levels: Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC). True, the telemedicine specialist has had its share of troubles. That includes the company's massive $6.7 billion net loss in the first quarter, although it was due to a non-cash impairment charge related to its 2020 acquisition of Livongo Health. Teladoc overpaid for this acquisition.

Despite this and other issues, Teladoc looks far too cheap as its shares have now fallen below their pre-pandemic levels. That makes little sense, considering the company's standing in the telemedicine industry and its progress during the pandemic. In all likelihood, telemedicine is here to stay.

The technology is convenient for physicians and patients and helps the latter save money. The flexibility of telehealth services can also allow healthcare providers to attend to more patients overall. All these benefits should lead to greater utilization of telemedicine in the coming years.

Teladoc has already built a network of physicians offering hundreds of sub-specialties, along with more than 11,000 associated care locations. Plus, more than 50% of the Fortune 500 companies and some of the largest health insurers are on its client list. Meanwhile, the company's business keeps growing.

In the first quarter, Teladoc's revenue increased by 25% year over year to $565.4 million, while its total visits jumped by 35% to 4.5 million. Average revenue per U.S. member and total paid memberships were also on the rise. Despite the red ink on the bottom line, Teladoc continues to make headway in the telemedicine market.

And given that the industry seems to have a bright future, Teladoc is an excellent healthcare stock to consider buying on the dip. 

Keep your eyes on the prize

Bear markets can be stressful, but a disciplined and patient approach can help you get through them. Reassessing your investments and taking advantage of others' decisions to panic sell are great moves to consider in these troubling times. In five years, the market will almost certainly be substantially up from its current levels, and those who held on will be glad they did.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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It's a scary time to be a growth investor. With the Federal Reserve aggressively hiking interest rates and the stock market in a steady decline, it's entirely rational to wonder whether it's a good idea to keep buying shares of growth-phase businesses. 

And (spoiler alert) for some people, it might not be. Much depends on your risk tolerance and investment time frame. Let's examine Teladoc Health (NYSE: TDOC) as an example to explore which category of investor you might fall into during the ongoing disruption in the market and the economy.  

The pro case: Why it makes sense to keep buying shares

Like many other growth stocks, Teladoc is down more than 88% over the last 12 months. This brutal decline might seem like the kind of result you'd expect from a company with shrinking revenue or severe and enduring headwinds, but neither is the case. Its quarterly revenue rose by around 25% over the last four quarters, and over the last three years, its quarterly sales increased by 334%. 

But while growth has somewhat slowed compared to prior years, it's hardly a foregone conclusion that it will slow further or start contracting. Teladoc is expanding its telehealth offerings to include chronic care management and mental healthcare, both of which are anticipated to be lucrative areas as more wellness services offer telemedicine. And there's no single telehealth provider that's as big or as well-known, another advantage that might become more relevant over time. 

Let's say that you're a relatively young investor with a high tolerance for risk and a need for aggressive stocks to deliver big growth in your portfolio. The fact that Teladoc's shares have been eating dirt recently shouldn't really influence your decision as the decline isn't associated with any detrimental changes to its competitive advantage in the market. The stock's poor performance is also not the result of consumers eschewing telehealth as a category of services. 

Though it's true that the Federal Reserve's policy of hiking interest rates will make it a bit more expensive for Teladoc to borrow money moving forward, the same is true for most growth stocks that might need to take out a loan. And as much as inflation and supply chain issues might be striking the economy, Teladoc's most critical inputs are skilled labor from its telemedicine physicians, who don't need specific supplies to continue to add value, and whose services are already on the expensive side.  

In other words, the stock market's present headwinds aren't going to stop Teladoc from continuing to do what it's best at in the long run. So if you're willing to accept a bit of turbulence in the short term, the main investing thesis for Teladoc is still sound, and you should keep buying shares.

Furthermore, there's a very high chance that quite a few other growth stocks that are currently in the dumpster still have a similar combination of financial health and enduring competitive ability. If the company's prospects haven't significantly dimmed, the recent downward price movements might just be noise or fallout from the wider market -- not a reason to avoid investing. 

The con case: Why it might be better to wait or invest in something safer

Buying shares of a formerly high-flying growth stock like Teladoc is easy to do if you know you won't need the money anytime soon, or possibly ever. On the other hand, if you're an investor who needs to skew more conservatively because of a looming financial goal like retirement or financial independence, the picture is a bit different.

While unlikely, it's entirely possible that Teladoc's shares will drop by another 88% over the next couple of years, even if its competitive abilities only become stronger. And an investment in a beaten-down growth stock that might take five or six years to recover simply won't do if you need the money before then.

Additionally, rapidly expanding businesses in new industries like telehealth will frequently face competition from new entrants to the market, who may ultimately eat their lunch. For a company like Teladoc that's presently unprofitable, the arrival of new competitors could make the march toward profits even longer and more difficult. The same might be true of other hot sectors.

Finally, if your portfolio needs less exposure to risk for any other reason, it's probably not a smart idea to invest in Teladoc or other highly hyped growth stocks. Even if the long-term future of the company and the market both look bright, by most accounts we're in for a bit more turbulence before things settle down. 

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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ARK is a funds management business over in the United States. Ms Wood is its founder, CEO and chief investment officer. ARK has gained its fame through its suite of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which specialise in high-growth, future-facing and disruptive companies, usually in the tech space. Ms Wood first rose to fame with her uber-bullish views on some prominent tech shares.

Wood drew a lot of eyeballs a couple of years ago with her unabashedly optimistic views on the electric car and vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA). Back in May 2019, Cathie Wood surprised even the more bullish investors of Tesla when she spruiked a US$5,905 share price target for the company. At the time, Tesla was a US$40 share (adjusted for last year's stock split). It was also just before Tesla went on its millionaire-minting run. Over the following year or two, Tesla was to shoot up more than 1,100% in value. The fact that Ms Wood was one of the first investors to come out of the gates with such a bullish price target for Tesla earned her and Ark a lot of respect in hindsight.

Growth at scale

But since the days of calling Tesla's success, Cathie Wood and ARK also put some pretty convincing runs on the board. Its flagship fund – the ARK Innovation ETF (NYSE: ARKK) – returned an impressive near-40% in 2019, and almost 150% in 2020. ARK Innovation is a fund that incorporates the 'best ARK picks' from its other, more sector-specific ETFs. Between 1 January 2021 and 12 February, it added another ~25% or so. That's enough performance to catch any investors' eye. Other ARK ETFs performed similarly well, if not better, over these time frames. 

But since February 2021, things haven't been entirely 'coming up Milhouse' for ARK funds. The ARKK ETF has corrected sharply since February when it reached its peak of US$159.70 a unit. On today's pricing, ARKK units are back to US$112.28, giving up more than 28% off of that high.

So is ARK a spent force? Let's take a deeper dive.

What's in an ARK ETF?

Here are the top holdings, and their weightings, in the flagship ARKK ETF, as of 27 May:

As you can see, the fund is heavily weighted to high-growth tech shares. We have Tesla (naturally taking out a large chunk at the top there. But we also have companies like Roku, Square, Shopify, Spotify, Zoom and Coinbase.

These companies are all very similar in nature. They are disruptive, tech-based companies that have long growth runways, and a lot of future potential. But they are also not too profitable today, and still very much in 'growth phase'. These companies are at the stage of their lives where they are prioritising revenue growth over profitability. That's why most of them don't even have price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios yet. Or if they do, they are normally in the triple-digits. Take Tesla. Its P/E ratio is currently sitting at 635.7.

What about some other ETFs?

We see similar patterns in some of ARK's other popular ETFs.

Here are the top ten holdings for the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (NYSE: ARKF) fund:

And here is what the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (NYSE: ARKW) fund holds:

Again, very similar businesses – high growth, disruptive, priced for future profitability rather than the money they make today.

So why have ARK funds had a bad few months?

And now we can look at the main problem that these funds face. They tend to do well, really well, when the market is running hot, and growth companies are 'in vogue'. By definition, growth companies tend to outperform the broader markets during a bull run and underperform during a bear market. 2019, and post-COVID 2020 were decidedly the former.

But why the underperformance since February 2020? After all, the US S&P 500 Index (INDEXSP: .INX) has gone and pushed to more record highs since 12 February. Most recently on 7 May.

Well, another factor at play has been fears of inflation and rising bond yields, which have spiked in the months since 12 February. According to CNBC, the US 10-year Treasury yield was well under 1% at the start of 2021 and was around 1.18% on 12 February. This yield reached a high of roughly 1.75% in late March and still stands at 1.61% today.

Rising bond yields typically turn sentiment against companies who are being priced on future earnings, rather than what they offer today. In other words, most of the stocks that ARK funds hold. We saw similar gyrations in our own ASX tech sector between February and May.

What does the future hold for ARK?

The big corrections in the value of Ark funds over the past few months might have dented some of the optimism that many of its investors would have been feeling in the months and years prior. But if the market was once again to fall back in love with the kinds of future-facing tech companies that ARK invest in, it is conceivable that we will see ARK funds back at all-time highs. Time will only tell. But Cathie Wood and ARK are probably not going away anytime soon regardless – as barometers of high-octane growth stock investing if nothing else.

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Cathie Wood has become one of the investing world's most popular figures over the last year -- and for good reason. The founder and CEO of ARK Invest has helped put together a collection of actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have absolutely crushed the market over the stretch, and she's shown a penchant for identifying innovative, tech-focused companies that have gone on to record huge gains.

With ARK funds putting up such incredible performance, we asked three Motley Fool contributors to dive into the list of individual stocks that Wood's company is backing and pick out some favorites. Read on for a look at three companies held in ARK funds that could be primed for massive wins. 

A revolution at the intersection of healthcare and tech

Keith Noonan (Teladoc Health): Think of all the time the average person has spent traveling to and from doctor's offices and flipping through magazines in waiting rooms. Some visits to medical centers obviously require in-person care, but imagine all of the potential time saved and convenience added if more appointments were conducted virtually.

Teladoc Health (NYSE: TDOC) is making that a reality and changing the face of healthcare -- connecting patients with doctors through video conferencing and other software support services. The company also stands as one of the largest combined holdings across Wood's ARK funds, and its stock has the makings of a long-term winner. 

Teladoc currently trades down roughly 37.5% from the 52-week high that it hit in February. The decline is partially the result of some broader pullback in stay-at-home stock valuations, but Amazon announcing plans to expand its teleconference health service business has been the bigger catalyst behind the sell-off. Amazon is certainly a resource-rich competitor, but the tech and e-commerce giant's entrance into telehealth probably won't end Teladoc's growth story.

The virtual health services category is growing rapidly and should easily support multiple winners. Spurred on by social-distancing conditions, Teladoc managed to grow its revenue 98% last year. People will be making more in-person visits to the doctor as pandemic-related restrictions ease, but the long-term growth for teleconference health services is just getting started. And the company's recent acquisition of preventative and chronic care specialist Livongo will help boost sales this year and drive growth down the line. 

Teladoc has a first-mover advantage in a category that has explosive potential, and virtual health services can provide both major quality of life improvements for patients who have difficulty traveling and greater convenience across the overall healthcare industry. With Teladoc trading well off its recent highs and offering big upside, risk-tolerant investors could see impressive returns from the stock. 

A below-the-radar EV stock

Jamal Carnette (Magna International): At $3.5 billion in assets under management, the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKQ) tends to get overlooked outside of its significant Tesla stake. Despite Wood's reputation as a pure growth investor, tucked into its holdings are some value stocks, including ARK's 2% stake in automotive manufacturing company Magna International (NYSE: MGA).

Last year was difficult for the company: Sales dipped 17% to $32.7 billion mostly because of the pandemic. Analysts are bullish on the company and expect growth to resume, forecasting $40.6 billion in revenue this year. Despite the return to growth, shares still trade at only 12 times forward earnings and 0.8 times sales, both metrics less than half of the greater S&P 500.

The bulk of Magna's revenue is as a traditional automotive supplier with expertise in contract manufacturing and parts like body exteriors and powertrains. Magna has a long track record of partnership success with Ford and General Motors, and analysts expect revenue to increase with increased economic activity.

However, it's likely Wood is looking beyond the current year and to Magna's future opportunities. The company is quickly becoming an innovator in electric powertrains, announcing a major joint venture with LG Electronics and landing a significant deal with EV company Fisker to manufacture its electric Ocean SUV last year.

The LG/Magna joint venture appears to be on the cusp of a groundbreaking win. Speculation is the companies are on the verge of inking a deal to handle the initial production for Apple's clandestine electric car project nicknamed Titan. Magna is quickly becoming a critical supplier to electric vehicle companies and should benefit from the growth of electric vehicles, regardless of which company's name is on the hood.

The e-commerce innovator

Joe Tenebruso (Shopify): Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) is a top-10 holding for Wood in the ARK Innovation ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKK) and rightfully so. Retail sales are rapidly shifting online -- and Shopify is helping more than a million merchants around the world adapt to this massive global trend. 

Shopify lies at the center of e-commerce and entrepreneurship. It provides top-tier online retail software at prices that are affordable to individual entrepreneurs and small businesses, with plans that start as low as $9 per month. Services include payment processing, fulfillment, shipping, business financing, and a host of other e-commerce solutions.

Shopify's sales have boomed during the coronavirus pandemic along with those of its merchant customers. Its revenue rocketed 86% to $2.9 billion in 2020, as gross merchandise volume (GMV) -- essentially, the total dollar amount of sales merchants generated on its commerce platform -- surged 96%, to $119.6 billion. 

Moreover, Shopify's profitability is rapidly improving as it scales its operations. Its adjusted operating income soared nearly tenfold to $437.4 million, as its adjusted operating margin improved to 15%, up from 3% in 2019. 

Best of all, Shopify has tremendous room for expansion still ahead. E-commerce sales in the U.S. and many other nations still comprise less than 20% of total retail sales. Yet these percentages are rising steadily, and if they ever approach the level at which China stands today -- with online retail sales accounting for more than half of total retail sales -- Shopify's revenue and profits could continue to grow exponentially over the next decade. 

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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As CommSec is one of the largest online brokers in the country, this data can be indicative of general investing trends in our market. This week's data covers 16-20 November.

So here are the top 10 US shares that CommSec customers were buying last week:

Most traded US shares on the ASX

According to CommSec, the 5 most traded international shares last week were the following:

1. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) – representing 7.7% of total trades with a 67%/33% buy-to-sell ratio.
2. Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) – representing 4.8% of total trades with a 71%/29% buy-to-sell ratio.
3. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA) – representing 2.7% of total trades with a 91%/9% buy-to-sell ratio.
4. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) – representing 2.4% of total trades with a 52%/48% buy-to-sell ratio.
5. Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE: PLTR) – representing 2% of total trades with a 91%/9% buy-to-sell ratio.

The next 5 most traded shares were these:

1. Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE)
2. Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA)
3. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
4. Boeing Co (NYSE: BA)
5. Teladoc Health Inc (NYSE: TDOC)

What can we learn from these trades?

Another fascinating set of numbers to peruse this week, to be sure. Last week, we noted how the frantic buying pressure we saw in October has dampened into a more even buy/sell spread. That trend seems to be continuing this week, with a far more even split between buyers and sellers for Apple and Tesla especially. However, we also see that trades of Alibaba and Palantir are remaining very lopsided towards the buying end.

Interestingly, some investors seem to be very keen to take profits off the table with Tesla, given the stock has climbed close to 40% since the start of the month (although 67% of traders are still evidently hoping they are not too late to jump on this train). However, the Apple share price is pretty much flat over the month, despite 48% of traders also taking cash off the table there.

Turning to Alibaba and Palantir, the shares investors are scrambling to buy, Palantir is up 126% since the start of the month, whereas Alibaba is down more than 8%.

Another stock to note here is Boeing – the giant US aerospace and weapons manufacturer. Boeing has not appeared on this list for months (at least to my knowledge), and yet makes the No. 9 spot this week. Again, it's probably got something to do with Boeing stock rising more than 50% in November so far.

We also see continued interest in pharmaceutical/vaccine companies like Pfizer and Moderna, which continues the trend we have seen in recent weeks as well.

A final trend we see continuing from last week is the absence of the FAANG stocks (aside from Apple) that often appear at the summit of these lists. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) didn't even make the top 10 (they were 11 and 18 respectively), whereas Google parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) couldn't even cut the top 20.

The post Here are the US shares that CommSec customers are buying appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The reason we are doing this is because we believe that, in a time like this, people need a variant perception as well as a longer-term mindset, which we believe this commentary contains. Right now, people around the world are struggling to see how things can get better, or how anything will ever get back to 'normal'. 

Yes, the future is very uncertain right now, but this is not the first crisis humans have endured. We will endure, and we will see better days. That is the message we want to share with as many readers as possible. 

Very few — if any — individuals could say that their lives have not been impacted by the current coronavirus crisis.

Not only are we being (necessarily) forced into isolation, many jobs have also been temporarily or permanently displaced, others are having to quickly adjust to new living or working arrangements, and companies are being forced to adapt on a daily basis.

No doubt about it, things are tough right now. And, in all likelihood, they're going to get tougher before conditions begin to ease.

But, in truth, things may never go back to 'normal' — at least not in the sense we've become used to. That isn't to say that the coronavirus won't pass; rather, I think we should expect some things to change forever — many, perhaps, for the better.

Innovation through crisis

Recall a time when you were driving to or from work and you saw a large traffic jam ahead. Or perhaps a road closure due to planned works. You quickly detoured and found an alternate way to your destination. 

Maybe, just maybe, you found that you actually prefer that alternate route — because it's faster or because you enjoy the scenery more — and decide to travel that way on a more permanent basis.

The scenario described above is hardly a crisis — certainly not when you compare it to the one we currently find ourselves in — but it does demonstrate how unforeseen circumstances can change our behaviour. Without that traffic jam or road closure we'd have likely just stuck to our old ways and never even stopped to consider how we could improve.

For many companies and individuals, doing things the 'ordinary' way is no longer feasible (at least not for the foreseeable future) so they are being forced to adapt and innovate. They're being forced to make quick decisions and to take risks, while at the same time considering carefully, and with discipline, how they spend their precious capital. 

At the same time, they're being presented with new problems that we've never had to face before — nor one that many of us ever imagined possible. And with new problems come new needs and new solutions, some of which may well prove to have a major influence on our future.

World War I, for instance, was the catalyst for many innovations, some of which are still widely used today. The 'radiological car' (now known as 'portable x-ray') was developed by Marie Curie to bring this medical technology from the big cities straight to the battlefield. Air traffic control was also born through invention by the U.S. Army which enabled communications between an operator on the ground and the pilot, as well as pilot-to-pilot. 

Meanwhile, Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) was originally incorporated in 1929, just as the Great Depression was getting started. Recognising that the world needed to be given a good reason to smile, brothers Walt and Roy Disney released their first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, just after the Great Depression ended.

These examples highlight how a crisis can be the catalyst for necessary change and innovation. And that innovation can have a very positive influence on our future.

What does the future hold?

If you've been keeping an eye on international share markets, you might have noticed that while many stocks have fallen sharply, others have rocketed higher.

Back to the office?

Zoom Video Communications Inc (NASDAQ: ZM) is one such business. Zoom had already taken the world by storm with its cloud-based video conferencing tool. With travel severely restricted, Zoom is no doubt receiving even more attention now than ever before.

That demand may subside if employees shift back to their corporate offices. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that offices will return to how they were, pre-crisis.

Corporations spend a fortune fitting out and renting their corporate office spaces and incur numerous overhead costs. Now that many are enforcing strict work-from-home measures, while some companies will see a dip in productivity others may recognise substantial improvements. 

I have personally worked from home for a number of years now and find that I am much more productive working in my own space. Plus, I consider myself to have a great work-life balance (made much easier by the fact I don't have long commutes to and from work each day). 

By offering that flexibility, some workplaces may find they experience lower staff turnover, too.

Without those additional overheads, some companies may be able to increase staff salaries and book more profit. It could also mean less business travel and making greater use of video conferencing tools such as those offered by Zoom, and other workplace communication tools like Slack Technologies Inc (NYSE: WORK) or Trello, now owned by the Australia-based Atlassian Corporation PLC (NASDAQ: TEAM).

In fact, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) recently reported that it had seen a 775% increase in its cloud services in regions that have enforced social distancing, or shelter-in-place orders.

For those companies that do ask employees to return to the office, perhaps they will begin enforcing split shifts. That would require less office space and could ensure customers' needs are met around the clock.

Telehealth services

Telehealth services, including those provided by Teladoc Health Inc (NYSE: TDOC) — which I own shares in — also appear set for a boost. While many healthcare providers and systems may have been slow to recognise the potential benefits of treating patients online (where possible), they are now being forced to do so for their patients' safety, as well as their own. 

Where symptoms can be described via a phone call or online session, and scripts provided remotely, that could reduce the need for those time-consuming doctor's visits. That is, you can continue going about your day until your doctor pings you that they're ready to see you.

I think wearable technology will help with this adoption. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s Apple Watch, for instance, can provide ECG readings which may enable virtual monitoring of a patient's heart by their cardiologist. 

The growth of telehealth will, of course, depend on allowances from the government and insurance providers. As an example, Medicare has provided product codes for telehealth services provided by allied health professionals, although those are currently temporary to see us through the coronavirus crisis. They may become more permanent if they are widely adopted and healthcare providers recognise the many benefits.

Online retail

Retail is unfortunately shaping up to be one of the biggest corporate victims of the current crisis. Many around the world have been forced to shut their doors, and others are experiencing massive slumps in activity with consumers reluctant to leave their homes (or, in many cases, being forced to remain isolated).

With mass job losses, many will also cut back on what they deem to be non-essential spending which will, unfortunately, likely see some retailers go under.

But some are coping better than others. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), for instance, has opened 100,000 new positions to help the ecommerce giant cope with a significant increase in demand. 

Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) are also taking on new workers to help them deal with this unprecedented situation. With people reluctant to leave their homes, many will turn to Woolworths' and Coles' home delivery options (where possible*) and may well continue to shop that way when this crisis subsides.

*Note that Woolworths and Coles are prioritising delivery to their most vulnerable customers, so some people may not be able to access these services currently. 

Supply chains

While we will continue to rely on foreign suppliers, the severe restrictions on movement throughout the coronavirus crisis so far may make some importers reconsider their needs.

Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8), for instance, recently moved some of its manufacturing from China to Malaysia. The rapid spread of the coronavirus around the rest of the globe may force its hand to diversify supply chains even further. Hence, some local manufacturers may benefit.

Climate response

The coronavirus crisis is a tragedy. But through this, we must also not forget about the other major crisis facing humanity — climate change. 

With entire nations shut down, there have been some very interesting reports of less polluted air and waterways, giving our environment a much-needed breather. Venice's Grand Canal, for instance, is much clearer while nitrogen dioxide levels over China reduced significantly, too.

Perhaps, governments and citizens recognise the noticeable difference that less activity has made and drive a longer-term change. 

For instance, people whose lifestyles depend on regular long-distance travel may think twice in the future (again, this may be a boost for video conferencing technology where that travel is work-related) while people who continue to work from home may install solar panels (as I have recently done).

Unfortunately, the desire to get economies back up and running as quickly as possible may delay this positive change. But it is important that we continue to recognise this threat, and also realise the significant improvements that can be made over time through change.

Foolish bottom line

We will get through this coronavirus crisis. Crises end, people adapt and societies can experience revolutionary changes — many of which are for the better. Rather than focusing on the short-term pain, consider the changes we may soon see and the opportunities that may rise from the ashes.

The post Innovation through crisis appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.