Investing Experts Steven Cress' top 10 stocks for 2026
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Jan 15, 2026 In this insightful discussion, Steven Cress, Head of Quantitative Strategy at Seeking Alpha and seasoned finance professional, shares his top 10 stock picks for 2026. He reviews the previous year's market performance, highlighting sector winners and the impact of AI on stock volatility. Cress dives into individual picks like Micron, AMD, and Allstate, explaining their growth potential and valuation appeal. He emphasizes a quant-driven approach, forecasting continued market volatility while showcasing a strong combined growth profile for his selections.
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Volatile 2025 With Gold Strength
- 2025 was volatile with risk-on tech rallying while staples lagged and gold hit record highs.
- Macro shocks and central bank gold buying pushed safe-haven demand despite equity strength.
Hyperscaler AI CapEx Soared
- Hyperscalers massively increased AI capex, pushing CapEx share of operating cash flow toward 60%.
- That capex surge raises questions about returns and valuation concentration in MAG7 names.
DeepSeek Shock Sparks Short Squeeze
- Steven Cress recounted the 'DeepSeek shock' where a Chinese claim briefly crashed AI-related stocks.
- NVIDIA fell ~17% and semiconductors plunged, triggering a broad market correction before a rebound.