The Stocks I Did Not Expect To Like

These 8 names jumped out while I was researching my 3 stocks for 2026

The best research rarely takes you exactly where you expect. In fact, some of the most profitable ideas are the ones you weren’t even looking for.

I’ll be honest. When I sat down to finalize my 3 Stock Picks for 2026, which comes out on January 10th, I did not expect to be considering legacy industrials, a discount retailer, or an online travel agency. I was looking for the next moonshot, the shiny new AI application or a biotech dark horse.

But the data told a different story.

The price action is the truth-teller

I’ve always believed that charts don’t have opinions, and they certainly don’t read the news. I’m sharing these eight names today because the setups are too clean to keep to myself. When a stock looks this strong, the market is telling you something.

My philosophy is simple. Follow the trends. I want to see where the money is flowing, not where people hope it will go. Nothing is more bullish than all-time highs. Relative strength and momentum matter more to me than whether a stock is labeled “value” or “cheap.”

Buy what’s going up, not what’s going down.

I didn’t expect to be writing about these eight names today. But when the price action is this loud, it deserves our attention.