Happy New Year, dear reader! I’m willing to be that the next time I speak to you, it will be 2024. I hope it’s a wonderful year for you and your loved ones.

This week and last week, I’ve been sharing my top predictions for 2024 with you. Today, here are my final three forecasts. I’ll see you next year!

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TikTok Will Encroach on Amazon’s Turf

Full disclosure: I’ve never spent a minute on TikTok. But my kids, along with just about all of their friends, sure have.

The social media site has attracted more than 150 million users in the United States alone (about half the population).

Most are Gen Zers between the ages of 18 and 26, a coveted demographic for advertisers. Among this crowd, TikTok has surpassed Instagram and Snapchat as the most popular social media platform.

Source: Statista

The global TikTok community has exploded to 1.7 billion, or roughly one in three internet users around the globe. The app was downloaded 879 million times last year.

The average user spends about an hour and a half per day on the site. Some visit to learn a new dance craze, others to enjoy music or watch cooking videos.

That 1.7 billion consumers congregated in one space means big advertising dollars. TikTok reportedly generated $9.4 billion in revenues last year, double what it collected in 2021.

And that total is forecast to surge to $13 billion by the end of this year. Keep in mind, this is also a thriving hub for about 5 million small businesses.

But the biggest bombshell yet just dropped. TikTok recently unveiled a new retail component called TikTok Shop — a direct shot fired across Amazon’s (NSDQ: AMZN) bow.

The social media site already feeds its legion of users an unlimited array of entertainment and ideas thanks to its unique algorithms and virtual army of trendy content creators.

Now imagine adding e-commerce to the mix.

As it stands, TikTok has already become the first non-gaming app to eclipse $10 billion in consumer spending across the Google Play and the Apple App stores.

That’s mostly for digital gifts — think of the combined purchasing power of 1.7 billion users presented with an endless scroll of personalized real-world products.

Now, TikTok won’t take the online shopping throne away from Amazon anytime soon. Perhaps never. But even siphoning away just a fraction of Amazon’s $500 billion-plus in annual sales could be huge.

And that’s just another convincing reason for investors to consider KKR & Co. (NYSE: KKR).

You see, the asset management empire (formerly known as Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts, & Co.) has unseen fingers everywhere. That includes a sprawling private equity complex that has sunk $174 billion in seed capital into hundreds of promising startups around the globe.

And KKR was among the first to acquire a meaningful stake in TikTok (through Chinese parent ByteDance) back in 2018.

At the time, the early fundraising deals implied a valuation of around $75 billion. KKR participated in another round of funding in 2020 that put the value at $180 billion — and ByteDance has since continued its meteoric ascent to $300 billion.

That’s just one small piece. KKR has a multitude of attractive fee-based assets in its portfolio, including specialized funds that provide balanced exposure to other Asian internet titans such as Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and Tencent (OTCMKTS: TCEHY).

From real estate to infrastructure, the company has nearly $400 million in assets under management on behalf of affluent investors, pensions, foundations, endowments, and even sovereign wealth funds.

While not a TikTok pure play, KKR will benefit handsomely from its position and may eventually cash out a monster post-IPO gain one day.

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Dengue Fever Will Invade the U.S.

Unless you’re planning an exotic trip, Dengue fever probably isn’t a concern for you. The mosquito-borne illness is most problematic south of the equator in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the jungles of Southeast Asia. It’s pervasive in humid, tropical climates.

It’s estimated that roughly half of the world’s population (4 billion people) live in high-risk areas.

As with COVID, symptoms can range from mild to severe, but most commonly include nausea, fever, aches, and pains. About 5% of cases will progress to internal bleeding and other more serious issues that can lead to hospitalization and even death.

Dengue is transmitted by infected mosquitos that can spread it from person to person. Until recently, documented cases in the continental United States have been relatively rare (most often from returning travelers).

But with mosquitos invading new areas, there has been a rash of locally acquired outbreaks in California over the past few weeks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also reported a few cases in pockets of the U.S. While still isolated, there are fears that this problem could get much worse.

Source: CDC

Since 2000, the number of annual cases worldwide has risen eightfold to top 4 million last year. And Dengue claims about 20,000-40,000 lives each year.

Rising global temperatures get most of the blame.

For the first time, this disease is becoming a real threat across Europe and the U.S. In fact, the World Health Organization recently labeled it a pandemic threat and predicted cases would “take off” over the next few years.

Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment for Dengue fever. But two pharmaceutical companies have successfully developed a vaccine. I think we’ve seen this play before.

Remember how Moderna (NSDQ: MRNA) soared from $25 per share before COVID to $380 per share just a year later?

Because I’m not a doctor, I defer to the healthcare experts. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that people (particularly children) in affected areas take the Qdenga vaccine from Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE: TAK).

While not yet approved by the FDA, Takeda’s biologic drug candidate has met efficacy endpoints in a 4.5-year Phase 3 study involving 28,000 participants with minimal side effects. It was shown to reduce hospitalizations by nearly 85%. The application was given priority status, but following additional data requests, it will need to undergo another review cycle.

In the meantime, the vaccine has already met regulatory approval in Europe, as well as in Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Thailand, and two dozen other endemic countries.

But this is no one-trick pony. Tokyo-based Takeda already has branded drugs on the market aimed at gastroenterology, oncology, and neuroscience. You might know it best for Entyvio, the widely prescribed treatment for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

However, the company’s immunology pipeline is the most exciting.

Initially, Takeda was forecasting Qdenga to generate between $700 million and $1.6 billion in annual sales. But after French rival Sanofi (NSDQ: SNY) suffered a major setback with its competing Dengue vaccine, Qdenga’s revenue target has been raised. Once fully ramped up, peak sales are now expected to approach $2 billion per year.

Stung by patent expirations, this growth catalyst could send TAK back to previous highs in the upper teens.

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Supersonic Jets Will Take Flight

Unless you’re in first class, flying is something more to be endured than enjoyed. Who wants to be stuck in an uncomfortable middle seat with no legroom, especially on an overnight transatlantic trip?

Even with a brisk jet stream tailwind, it still takes modern jets about six to eight hours to travel the 3,400 miles from New York to London.

What if there were a new option that could streak through the sky at 1,300 miles per hour — whisking you there in just three hours? Passengers would barely have time to finish their in-flight meals before the tray tables are stowed for landing.

This could soon be a reality. There is a new supersonic jet under development (dubbed the “Son of Concorde”) with a cruising speed of Mach 2. If pressed, this aeronautical marvel could potentially reach Mach 4. Imagine departing Los Angeles’ LAX at 8 a.m. and being on the beach in Honolulu by noon — and that’s after a delay at baggage claim.

Tentatively called X-59, NASA engineers are still finalizing the design. But this is no spacecraft. It’s a passenger plane meant to travel from city to city, not to the stars. About 50 routes are currently being considered.

Source: NASA

Due in part to loud sonic booms, there are regulations against supersonic flights over land. But those working on the project have found a way to dampen the sound to a low boom, described as a muffled “thump.” Hence the nickname Quesst (Quiet Supersonic Technology).

Officials believe this could be a new era for supersonic mass transportation. In fact, there is a private company with big aspirations to mass-produce the world’s fastest passenger jet.

Boom Technology has set up shop in Greensboro, North Carolina — not too far from where the Wright brothers made their historic first flight over a century ago.

Billed as a “super-factory,” the 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility could soon have supersonic planes with the capacity to hold up to 88 passengers rolling off the assembly lines.

These planes are designed to have a comfortable cruising speed of Mach 1.7 at an altitude of 60,000 feet. Many fliers will happily pay a premium to reach their destination faster. Management envisions approximately 600 profitable routes.

Dubbed “Overture,” the first model is slated to begin production in 2024, make test flights in 2026, and ferry its first ticketed passengers in 2029.

It’s worth noting that these planes will run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel. United Airlines (NSDQ: UAL) has already placed an order. So has Japan Airlines (OTCMKTS: JAPSY).

While this project is still some years away, Boom has already taken in 35 future delivery orders worth $14 billion. And ground-floor investors could see stratospheric gains.

Boom doesn’t trade on any exchange and hasn’t yet filed for an IPO. But accredited investors can put their money alongside venture capitalists like Sam Altman and Prime Movers Lab (who have poured in about $247 million). The company has an estimated valuation of around $1 billion.

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