Where to Deploy $1,000: Investment Opportunities Worth Exploring in 2024

Setting the Stage for Opportunity

If you’ve accumulated some capital and are contemplating where it might generate meaningful returns over the coming years, conventional wisdom might suggest following the crowd into today’s most celebrated holdings. However, great stocks to invest in 2023 and beyond often lie in overlooked corners of the market. Three compelling opportunities merit closer examination for investors with patient capital.

1. Semiconductor Innovation: Advanced Micro Devices

While Nvidia has dominated conversations surrounding artificial intelligence infrastructure, the broader semiconductor landscape offers more nuance than a single-company narrative suggests. Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) represents a particularly intriguing angle on the AI computing revolution.

AMD’s strategic position is rooted in practical capability. The company manufactures both traditional processors and graphics processing units. This dual expertise provides a natural pathway into designing specialized AI accelerators—a transition far less dramatic than entering an entirely new field. The results are already visible in real-world partnerships: major technology operators including Oracle, leading AI research organizations, and prominent cloud infrastructure providers now rely on AMD silicon for their computational frameworks.

Leadership commentary reinforces this momentum. Recent investor discussions highlighted expectations for annualized revenue expansion exceeding 35% across the next three to five-year window, driven primarily by custom graphics processors engineered for intensive artificial intelligence applications. While AMD faces a formidable incumbent in Nvidia, displacement isn’t necessary for shareholder value creation. Industry observers note that the durability of AI spending commitments suggests ample opportunity for multiple winners. This positioning appears particularly attractive for investors recognizing that today’s great stocks to invest in often emerge from competitive second-movers with solid execution.

2. Infrastructure Development: Fluor

Large-scale [construction]( endeavors have experienced significant delays since pandemic disruptions emerged. Recent headwinds—including material cost inflation and economic uncertainty—have compounded these challenges. Yet certain megaprojects simply cannot be postponed indefinitely due to critical societal needs.

Fluor (NYSE: FLR) stands positioned to benefit from this infrastructure acceleration. The company specializes in constructing complex facilities: transportation networks, port facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturing complexes, and [nuclear energy]( installations—the last category particularly relevant given rising electricity demand that alternatives struggle to meet economically or logistically.

A substantial backlog illustrates the opportunity magnitude. Following contract wins totaling $3.3 billion during a recent quarter, Fluor’s total committed work reached $28.2 billion—considerably exceeding its most recent quarterly revenue of $3.4 billion. These projects await funding authorization rather than demand uncertainty. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that substantial portions of major infrastructure legislation remain undeployed, with significant commitments yet to be formally allocated.

Investors should harbor realistic expectations: heavy construction operates within inherent constraints, limiting explosive growth trajectories. However, market underperformance in recent months may inadequately reflect the earnings and revenue recovery anticipated as infrastructure deployment accelerates meaningfully.

3. Digital Currency Infrastructure: Circle Internet Group

Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL) operates largely outside mainstream investor consciousness, despite solving a consequential cryptocurrency friction point. The enterprise addresses a fundamental challenge: converting digital assets into usable commerce without converting back to traditional banking infrastructure.

The company functions as a financial intermediary for digital currency transactions. Circle provides payment technology to financial institutions and commercial establishments, while offering consumer-friendly digital wallets. Revenue generation stems principally from interest earnings on digital currency reserves held for merchants, consumers, and financial partners.

Currently, the organization focuses exclusively on managed stablecoins: USD Coin (USDC) and Euro Coin (EURC). These instruments maintain valuations closely aligned with their underlying fiat currencies, attracting users seeking flexibility beyond traditional banking options. USDC circulation reached approximately $77.3 billion as recent data indicates—representing substantial network effects and user adoption. Circle’s revenue demonstrated corresponding momentum, expanding to $740 million with year-over-year growth of 66%.

The company’s valuation appears reasonable relative to growth trajectory and market opportunity. Stock weakness from previous peaks largely reflects typical post-listing normalization and sympathy movements tied to broader cryptocurrency price movements rather than fundamental business deterioration. For patient investors seeking exposure to the intersection of digital finance and traditional payment infrastructure, Circle presents a differentiated opportunity.

Evaluating Your Allocation

Each opportunity carries distinct risk profiles and time horizons. Construction companies depend on infrastructure deployment timing. Semiconductor manufacturers face competitive technology cycles. Financial infrastructure platforms navigate regulatory evolution. However, all three share characteristics of great stocks to invest in: reasonable valuations, identifiable growth catalysts, and positions within structurally favorable market developments.

The appropriate choice depends on individual risk tolerance, investment time horizon, and conviction regarding long-term industry trajectories. What matters most is recognizing that meaningful opportunities often require looking beyond the market’s most celebrated narratives.