Disclaimer: the performance figures below are my own calculations using an equal-weighted approach across all 26 picks. They haven’t been audited, I don’t track every corporate action with institutional precision, and the numbers should be viewed as approximations rather than official performance statistics. The goal is to evaluate the ideas, not present a fund report.
Just over five months into 2026, the results for the blog’s 26 Stocks to Watch For 2026 have been encouraging. An equal-weighted basket of the names is up, on average, roughly 14.5%, comfortably ahead of the S&P 500’s 7.9% gain over the same period.
Leadership among the names has come from several different themes that were highlighted entering the year, including energy, nuclear, biotech, semiconductors, and a handful of deep-value turnaround stories.
In today’s article, we’ll do a quick recap of how some of these names have performed so far this year — and more importantly what names on the original 26 Stocks I’m Watching For 2026 list, in this volatile market environment — I’d be inclined to potentially put on watch if the market keeps selling off. I’ll also identify one name not mentioned in the list that I’m watching closely as stocks stay volatile.