The market is down right now but these are also good times to take a look at what might be the “next big thing”.

Had you got into the metaverse a year ago, you will most likely be up right now. Otherwise, you’re probably in the red. (Yes, even Bitcoin and Ethereum .) The metaverse is this year’s clear winner in terms of performance, and it’s not too surprising that a lot of big name brands have decided to try to get in on it, too.

A lot of people claim that Zuckerberg’s “Meta” was what sparked the metaverse craze, but if you look at AXS’s chart it’s pretty clear that the coin was climbing way before the media gave the idea any attention. A lot of innovations and early-adoption activities happen in lesser-known (often non-English speaking and developing) countries before making its way into the “mainstream”, so to speak. Predicting long-term trends is not magic – you just need to know where to look.