Exploring Alternatives to Amazon: 4 ETFs That Might Be a Better Investment Choice
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Aug 19 2025
0mins
Should l Buy GOOGL?
Source: Benzinga
Amazon's Stock Performance: Amazon.com Inc’s shares are struggling due to tariffs, slow growth in core areas, and rising competition, with a growth rate of just over 2% compared to the Nasdaq 100 Index's 11%+ growth in 2025.
ETFs as Investment Solutions: For investors looking to balance exposure to Amazon while reducing risks, various ETFs like the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund and Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund offer diversified options that include Amazon alongside other major retailers.
Targeted Retail ETFs: More focused retail investments can be made through ETFs such as the VanEck Retail ETF and First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund, which also feature Amazon prominently, allowing investors to benefit from its performance while mitigating risks.
Long-Term Outlook for Amazon: Despite recent underperformance and concerns about market share loss, Amazon remains a key player in e-commerce and cloud computing; ETFs provide a way for investors to engage with Amazon's potential while avoiding the volatility associated with investing heavily in a single stock.
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Analyst Views on GOOGL
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOGL stock price to fall
33 Analyst Rating
26 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 401.070
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
Current: 401.070
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
About GOOGL
Alphabet Inc. is a holding company. The Company's segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Its Other Bets segment is engaged in the sale of healthcare-related services and Internet services. Its Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Gemini for Google Cloud; cybersecurity, and data and analytics. Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Significant Google Investment: Berkshire's share count in Alphabet surged from about 17.85 million to roughly 58 million, pushing the position's value to nearly $17 billion, indicating CEO Abel's strong confidence and willingness to invest in tech stocks.
- Exploration of New Investment Areas: The new $2.65 billion stake in Delta Air Lines and a minor position in Macy's signal Abel's readiness to enter sectors previously avoided by Buffett, further diversifying the investment portfolio.
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- Stable Cash Flow: Operating 13.6 gigawatts of generation capacity across 27 states, Clearway Energy sells power under long-term fixed-rate power purchase agreements (PPAs) to utilities and large corporations, ensuring stable cash flow that supports its nearly 5% dividend yield.
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- Decline in Public Companies: Over the past 25 to 30 years, the number of publicly listed U.S. companies has roughly halved, as founders opt to remain private to avoid the bureaucracy and disclosure burdens of being public, a trend that allows institutional investors to dominate during high-growth phases.
- Emergence of New Investment Vehicles: Ark's $750 million interval fund ARKVX and Robinhood's newly launched RV1 closed-end fund aim to fill the access void for retail investors, providing more flexible investment options, especially in the absence of accredited investors.
- Market Sentiment Shift: SpaceX has become the top trending ticker on Stocktwits, with retail sentiment improving from 'bullish' to 'extremely bullish', indicating increasing market anticipation for its upcoming IPO and reflecting retail investors' sustained interest in IPOs.
See More
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- Cloud Growth Potential: The cloud computing industry is experiencing significant growth, particularly driven by artificial intelligence, and is expected to continue generating strong cash flows over the next decade, making it a focal point for investors.
- Amazon Web Services Performance: Amazon Web Services (AWS) achieved a 28% year-over-year growth in Q1, highlighting its critical role in the company's overall operating profits, especially with the introduction of custom AI chips that further boost its growth.
- Microsoft Azure's Success: Microsoft Azure recorded a 40% year-over-year growth rate in Q3 of fiscal year 2026, and while Microsoft does not disclose individual business units in detail, its strong growth momentum indicates its competitiveness in the cloud computing market.
- Google Cloud's Rapid Growth: Google Cloud's revenue skyrocketed 63% year-over-year in Q1, and by selling its in-house designed AI chips, it has opened a new growth avenue, although this is not a long-term recurring revenue source, it still demonstrates strong performance in the cloud computing sector.
See More
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- Portfolio Restructuring: Under Greg Abel's leadership, Berkshire Hathaway's equity portfolio underwent significant changes in the first three months, adding Delta Air Lines and Macy's, indicating a renewed focus on the airline and retail sectors.
- Massive Alphabet Stake Increase: Berkshire increased its stake in Google's parent company Alphabet by 224% in Q1, making it the company's seventh-largest holding with a market value of $16.6 billion, and the stock has rallied 38% since, showcasing the success of this decision.
- Reduction in Holdings: Abel dramatically cut the number of companies in the portfolio, selling off major stakes including Amazon and Visa, with Amazon's shares reduced from 10 million to 2.3 million, reflecting a significant strategic shift in investment focus.
- Return to Delta Airlines: Berkshire purchased 39.8 million shares of Delta Air Lines in Q1, currently valued at $2.8 billion, marking the company's first return to airline stocks since 2020, demonstrating confidence in the recovery of the airline industry.
See More
