Introduction

Over the last few quarters, the U.S economy has shown tremendous growth while investors have responded in kind by rallying the stock market. However, as it turns out not all industries have experienced this bullish sentiment from the investment community.

Medical Marijuana

The medical marijuana industry is currently facing a slowdown following a massive growth between late 2013 and early 2014.

Over the last few quarters, the medical marijuana .market has continued to slow with various companies operating in the industry experiencing minimal increments in stock price or a decline in some cases.

At the moment, companies like Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTC.PK:MJNA) and Cannabis Science Inc. (OTC.PK:CBIS) are up 0.00% and down 6.72% YTD respectively.

The medical marijuana market has a great opportunity but faces a serious concern in the name of legal framework, which is taken out if the way would trigger a massive growth in the cannabis market.

The good thing though is that more states are embracing controlled legalization, which could eventually pave way for Federal legalization.

Casinos & Resorts

The casinos and resorts industry is another one that has been on a pause over the last few quarters as companies in the industry continue to soak up in debt. Additionally, a majority of these companies are still struggling for bottom line with profit margins on the decline.

At the beginning of this week, revenue reports from Macau, one of the leading revenue generators for slot machine companies indicated that there could be a major decline in revenue from the region this year, depicted by a massive 49% drop for the month of February.

This came despite the launch of more slot machines, which Deutsche bank analysts are not convinced will be able to drive growth in the industry. Companies like MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM), Wynn Resorts (NYSE:WYNN) and Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) are some of the many that investors can keep a close eye on.

As such, it appears as though despite the increasing number of slot machines and online gaming portals, the casino industry is facing a major test as it continues to struggle for bottom line and now, top line coupled with a massive debt on the books of many.

Nonetheless, with online gaming continuing to grow in popularity, there is still room for growth, especially given the growing usage of smart devices that are now loaded with such games.

Oil and Gas

The fall in the price of oil has surprised everyone so far. Twelve months ago, no one would have predicted that the price of Oil would fall below $50 per barrel.

However, the price of Crude Oil which currently trades at about $50 per barrel has actually fallen well below this level, at some point trading for as low as $44 per barrel, while Brent is currently hovering around the $60 level.

Several companies operating the oil and gas industry have suffered the consequences of this not to mention various currencies and economies tied to the commodity, for instance Russia and the Russian Ruble (RUB).

The shares of Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) have fallen from a high of $104 to the current level of $84 over the last three quarters and still appear bearish given the current trend of oil prices.

Metals

The decline in the price of precious commodities like Gold and Silver is not an isolated case in the metals industry as the price of copper, aluminum and iron also tumbled over the last few quarters following a decline in demand and a case of oversupply.

China, the world’s largest consumer of metals has been experiencing a slowdown in economic growth. This has contributed immensely to the decline in prices of these commodities.

The various companies involved in the industry such as Alcoa (NYSE:AA) which is down 20% from  a high of $17 achieved last year, and Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) currently on a recovery after falling by 16% between August last year and January this year are good examples.

Conclusion

The slowdown in these industries seems set to continue for the better part of this year, but whether or not this could continue through next year remains to be seen.

The cannabis industry could recover with federal legislation, but this could take several years before it happens while the metals and oil & gas industries look set to remain pinned for the time being.

On the other hand, the casino industry could recover as the online gambling market continues to grow. The challenge though will be legitimate monetization of the market.