Good morning.
2026 is already 17.5% over. Which stocks have performed the best (and worst) so far this year? And are any of them potential “buy” opportunities? We were curious, so we made some charts.
Meanwhile:
Iran peace talk rumors sent stocks bouncing back
But Wall Street says don’t count on Trump to rescue markets
The Fed handed Kraken the keys to the central bank's system
Bitcoin hit $73,000, finally breaking past $71,000
Let’s get into it.
This is not financial advice. Always do your own research. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
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📊 2026 Pulse Check: the Market Thus Far
We’ve seen many, many stocks cycle in and out of the news headlines over the past two months, but it can get tricky to tell which tickers are actually sustaining high performance throughout the year vs. burning out quickly.
S&P 500 Winners
The one we would’ve guessed as the top performer is SanDisk, but we wouldn’t have guessed some of the others in the top 10 S&P 500 performers. Did you?
Even though these 10 stocks have grown substantially in 2026 already, our partner AltIndex’s platform has actually given some of them continued buy signals:
Texas Pacific Land (TPL): 74/100 rating
Corning (GLW): 65/100 rating
Teradyne (TER): 69/100 rating
S&P 500 Losers
And then, the much less exciting (but still important) bottom 10 list: the S&P 500’s biggest losers of 2026.
Sure, it’s fine to look at these and either rejoice that you didn’t invest in them or to mourn the fact that you did. But what we’re more interested in is whether any of them are buy opportunities at these prices.
And the only stock on our losing list with a “buy” rating from AltIndex is… GoDaddy! (Several others almost made it to “buy” territory but are currently just sitting at high “hold” ratings.)
GoDaddy (GDDY): 64/100
Outlook for the Remainder of 2026
We could throw out a bunch of narratives and thoughts about the rest of the year (which we will), but the real theme of 2026 is the same as 2025: we’re living in unprecedented and unpredictable times. No one knows what’s coming next.
That being said, here are some of our thoughts and observations (not financial advice, and do your own research):
The software stock selloff seemed like a bit of an overreaction to us. Not saying that all the software stocks that are down will rebound and hit all-time highs… We just mean that we don’t think the software industry is literally going to become useless overnight because someone can remake HubSpot with Claude in a few hours. Even if they can, they haven’t debugged it for 10 years and they don’t provide the service (or take the blame when things go wrong with the product).
Trump’s TACO trade effect seems to be wearing off. We’ve already started seeing less of geopolitical posturing, and when we have seen it, it hasn’t been “this country is getting 40% tariffs”; it’s been HUGE things like “We are buying Greenland.”
While TACO is happening less, real market-shaping military actions are being taken. The US didn’t posture like it was going to invade Venezuela and capture Maduro. It just did it, and swiftly. Likewise, President Trump didn’t loudly threaten the strike on Iran over the weekend (though there were signs as US forces moved in on the country prior to the attack).
So for now, we think investments in geopolitical destabilization (oil, gold, defense) may still do well especially if the US-Iran war continues (but peace talks are in the works). We also could see software stocks recovering. And we wouldn’t be surprised if the Magnificent 7 just keep chugging along, posting earnings beat after earnings beat. We’ll see, though.
📰 Market Headlines
US stocks rebounded on Wednesday after reports that Iran had reached out to the US about peace talks, plus stronger-than-expected jobs data that beat forecasts.
The Nasdaq led gains at +1.3%, while the S&P 500 climbed 0.8% and the Dow rose 0.5%.
Markets have been whipsawing all week on Iran war headlines. Wall Street strategists are warning investors not to count on President Trump to "chicken out" and rescue stocks this time around.
Bitcoin ripped to $73,000, its highest level in over a month, as crypto outperformed broader markets amid the Middle East chaos.
More than $680 million flowed into spot bitcoin ETFs on Monday and Tuesday alone. Coinbase and Strategy both jumped over 10% on the day.
Kraken Financial became the first crypto firm to secure a master account with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, giving it direct access to the Fed's payment system typically reserved for traditional banks.
ADP private payrolls came in at 63,000 jobs added in February, beating estimates of 50,000 and marking the best monthly showing since July 2025. All eyes now turn to Friday's official jobs report.
Oil prices steadied after President Trump offered to insure and escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude pulled back to around $81 per barrel after touching $84 on Tuesday. Insurance analysts say the measure may not be as effective as hoped.
US diesel hit $4 per gallon as fuel costs rise amid the escalating Middle East conflict.
Aluminum futures hit their highest level since 2022, up 14% YTD, as Gulf shipping grinds to a halt.
Broadcom posted a Q1 beat with EPS of $2.05 on revenue of $19.31 billion, topping estimates. AI revenue of $8.4 billion grew 106% year-over-year. The company also approved a $10 billion share buyback. But shares barely budged after hours.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hinted the chipmaker's $30 billion OpenAI investment and $10 billion Anthropic stake could be its last private AI investments, as both startups may go public this year.
Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo, a new $599 laptop matching the price point of its new entry-level iPhone 17e. The company also dropped new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with M5 chips.
The US Postal Service is hiring restructuring advisers as it could run out of money by 2027.
🤫 Insider Trading
🚚 Market Movers
Block shares rocketed 16% after announcing it would slash nearly half its workforce using AI tools, pushing adjusted operating margins from 20% to a projected 26%.
Google is facing a wrongful death lawsuit alleging its Gemini AI chatbot coached a 36-year-old man into violent delusions and a fictional "mass casualty attack" that led to his suicide.
CaaStle founder pleaded guilty in a $300 million fraud case involving the clothing tech startup.
Amazon cut more jobs in its robotics unit, continuing a string of layoffs across its corporate divisions.
🎙 Make Your Voice Heard
Do you buy mainly index funds or single stocks?
🎤️ What you said last time
Retired and growing my nest egg
🧠 The Missing (Market) Links
The US housing supply gap hit 4.03 million homes in 2025, with 1.82 million Millennial and Gen Z households unable to form due to affordability.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed President Trump's 15% global tariff rolls out this week under a law giving Congress only 150 days to extend it.
Norway's seafood exports to the US plummeted 36% in February as tariffs crushed salmon demand, while China exports surged 54%.
Japan's anti-aging market is set to double to $5.36 billion by 2032 as the world's oldest population fuels demand for premium skincare.
📜 Quote of the Day
The individual investor should act consistently as an investor and not as a spectator
📢 We want to hear from you.
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Cheers,
Brandon & Blake of Invested Inc
The information provided in Stocks & Income is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice, investment advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. Stocks & Income is not a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or licensed financial planner. Always do your own research and consult with a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. We may hold positions in or receive compensation from the companies or products mentioned. Disclosures will be made where applicable. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
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