As recently as last June, forecasters expected a flat 2025 for stocks. Instead, the S&P gained more than 16%. What's coming in 2026?

Stocks were climbing on Monday with the Fed expected to hold rates steady on Wednesday and big tech earnings on tap.

The Russell 2000 beat the S&P 500 for 14 days to start the year, the longest streak since 1996. Analysts are still bullish despite the rapid rally.

That being said, we’re here with a list of the 12 best US stocks to buy and hold in 2026. We used the Finviz stock screener to compile a list of US stocks that had an expected EPS growth rate of at least 20%.

"Existential concerns and momentum in other parts of the [tech] sector with a more visible path to monetizing AI — spilling into AI/Hyperscalers. Price action sets the (now cautious) narrative. AI itself faces question on adoption, leverage, circular financing, and overspending," he added.

The six that increased by 25% or more during 2025 were dLocal, CrowdStrike, Nvidia, TSMC, ASML, and Alphabet. Of these six, I think Nvidia, TSMC, and dLocal can each deliver a repeat of 2025's performance and increase by at least 25%.

Evaluate stocks without dividend payouts using P/E ratios, earnings growth, and book value. Learn strategies for identifying valuable investment opportunities.

Broadcom's stock is down over 7% to start 2026, and while timing the market isn't a sound strategy, if you're ready to buy and hold for the next five years, a small dip now is a good thing. The stock has been trading at a premium for the last several months.

Indonesian stocks recorded their first outflow since October last week, driven by cooling risk appetite ahead of a change by MSCI Inc. in its indexing methodology.