10 Stocks That Look Strong Heading Into 2026 (Technically)

December 2, 2025 · 12 min read

I ran technical analysis on 50+ stocks to see which ones look strongest heading into 2026. This is purely technical—moving averages, momentum, RSI, volume. No fundamentals. No predictions about earnings or the economy.

Just: which stocks have the cleanest technical setup right now?

Here's what I found.

The Methodology

I scored each stock on five technical factors:

Maximum score: 100 points. Higher is better.

Top 10 Overall (Including ETFs)

Rank Ticker Score 6M Momentum Price Position
1 SPY 93 +14.9% 99.1%
2 QQQ 93 +18.5% 97.8%
3 AVGO 93 +46.8% 94.7%
4 IWM 92 +17.6% 97.9%
5 XLK 92 +22.2% 95.1%
6 GOOGL 90 +87.7% 97.6%
7 XLV 90 +15.8% 97.2%
8 SOFI 85 +115.9% 91.6%
9 CAT 85 +66.9% 99.5%
10 GS 85 +34.5% 97.2%
Key Observation: SPY and QQQ both scored 93/100. The broad market looks strong. All 10 are above all major moving averages. All have positive momentum. Most are within 5% of 52-week highs.

Top 10 Individual Stocks Only

If you want individual stocks (no ETFs), here's the list:

Rank Ticker Score 6M Momentum RSI
1 AVGO 93 +46.8% 60.0
2 GOOGL 90 +87.7% 69.3
3 SOFI 85 +115.9% 40.5
4 CAT 85 +66.9% 55.1
5 GS 85 +34.5% 42.5
6 XOM 80 +13.3% 38.7
7 WMT 80 +14.8% 70.7
8 LOW 78 +6.8% 57.5
9 HOOD 77 +73.7% 44.7
10 QCOM 77 +15.7% 41.2

The Top 5 (Individual Stocks)

1. AVGO (Broadcom) - 93/100

Current Price: $381.57

Technical Setup: Above all moving averages. RSI at 60 (neutral). Near 52-week high (94.7%).

Momentum: +8.4% (1M), +13.9% (3M), +46.8% (6M)

Why It's Here: Clean uptrend. Strong momentum. AI semiconductor play. Neutral RSI suggests room to run.

2. GOOGL (Google) - 90/100

Current Price: $315.81

Technical Setup: Above all moving averages. RSI at 69.3 (slightly overbought). Near 52-week high (97.6%).

Momentum: +13.8% (1M), +34.4% (3M), +87.7% (6M)

Volume: +37.6% (strong institutional buying)

Why It's Here: Strongest momentum of any stock. Volume surge. Near all-time highs. Slight concern: RSI getting extended.

3. SOFI (SoFi Technologies) - 85/100

Current Price: $29.51

Technical Setup: Above all moving averages. RSI at 40.5 (neutral). 91.6% of 52-week high.

Momentum: +0.5% (1M), +15.3% (3M), +115.9% (6M)

Why It's Here: Explosive 6-month momentum (+115.9%, highest). Fintech play. Neutral RSI despite huge run.

4. CAT (Caterpillar) - 85/100

Current Price: $582.47

Technical Setup: Above all moving averages. RSI at 55.1 (neutral). At 52-week high (99.5%).

Momentum: +6.4% (1M), +37.7% (3M), +66.9% (6M)

Why It's Here: Industrial strength. At all-time highs. Strong momentum. Neutral RSI.

5. GS (Goldman Sachs) - 85/100

Current Price: $815.21

Technical Setup: Above all moving averages. RSI at 42.5 (neutral). Near 52-week high (97.2%).

Momentum: +3.1% (1M), +10.4% (3M), +34.5% (6M)

Why It's Here: Financial sector leader. Steady momentum. Clean technical picture.

What About the Big Names?

You might notice some popular stocks aren't on the list. Here's why:

PLTR (Palantir): Not in top 10. Despite strong YTD performance (+124%), November pullback (-17.8%) hurt its technical score.

NVDA (Nvidia): Not in top 10. November weakness (-14.9%) and recent volatility lowered its score.

TSLA (Tesla): Not in top 10. Too volatile. Inconsistent momentum. Technical setup isn't clean.

HIMS: Not in top 10. Extreme volatility. Despite strong YTD, technical indicators are mixed.

Common Traits of the Top 10

All 10 stocks share these characteristics:

Momentum Leaders

The stocks with the strongest 6-month momentum:

  1. SOFI: +115.9%
  2. GOOGL: +87.7%
  3. HOOD: +73.7%
  4. CAT: +66.9%
  5. AVGO: +46.8%

Momentum can continue. Or it can reverse. That's the risk.

Volume Surge Leaders

Stocks with the biggest volume increases (institutional buying):

  1. GOOGL: +37.6%
  2. WMT: +33.9%
  3. HOOD: +25.7%

Increasing volume confirms the move. It's not just retail buying.

Portfolio Suggestions

Conservative (Lower Risk)

Mix of broad market exposure with two strong individual stocks.

Balanced (Moderate Risk)

Diversified across sectors with some high-momentum plays.

Aggressive (Higher Risk)

High momentum, high risk. Could outperform or crash.

What This Doesn't Tell You

This is technical analysis only. It doesn't consider:

Technical analysis shows what's happening now. It doesn't predict the future.

Bonus: Top 10 Rebound Candidates

These are stocks that have pulled back but show signs of potential rebound. They're oversold, down from highs, but still above their 200-day moving average with strong 6-month momentum before the pullback.

Different approach: instead of buying strength, buying weakness with underlying support.

Rank Ticker Score RSI From High 6M Momentum
1 RKLB 90 29.9 -39.5% +58.4%
2 AMD 85 26.6 -18.6% +86.0%
3 PLTR 80 36.7 -17.6% +42.3%
4 NVDA 80 37.8 -12.4% +29.6%
5 HOOD 75 44.7 -17.4% +73.7%
6 UBER 75 33.1 -12.5% +3.4%
7 IONQ 70 43.3 -42.8% +28.0%
8 DIS 70 27.1 -15.5% -6.8%
9 GE 70 32.3 -7.9% +14.8%
10 MSFT 65 37.0 -9.6% +4.8%

Top 3 Rebound Candidates

1. RKLB (Rocket Lab) - 90/100

Current Price: $41.90

RSI: 29.9 (deeply oversold)

Pullback: -39.5% from 52-week high

6M Momentum: +58.4% (was strong before pullback)

Why: Deeply oversold after 40% pullback. Still above 200-day MA. Had strong momentum (+58%) before the drop. Space sector play.

2. AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) - 85/100

Current Price: $215.24

RSI: 26.6 (deeply oversold)

Pullback: -18.6% from 52-week high

6M Momentum: +86.0% (very strong before pullback)

Why: Most oversold (RSI 26.6). Was up 86% over 6 months before pullback. AI semiconductor play. Still above 200-day MA.

3. PLTR (Palantir) - 80/100

Current Price: $170.69

RSI: 36.7 (oversold)

Pullback: -17.6% from 52-week high

6M Momentum: +42.3% (strong before pullback)

Why: November pullback (-17.8%) created oversold condition. Still above 200-day MA. Volume increasing. YTD still +124%.

Key Characteristics

The Rebound Strategy

This is a contrarian approach. Instead of buying strength (momentum), you're buying weakness (oversold) with underlying support.

The logic:

The risks:

Notable Observations

PLTR and NVDA appear on both lists: They're oversold (rebound candidates) but still have decent technical scores. This suggests they might be good "buy the dip" opportunities.

AMD is deeply oversold: RSI of 26.6 is extreme. Either a great opportunity or a warning sign. Check fundamentals.

DIS (Disney) is the only one below 200-day MA: More risky. The long-term uptrend might be broken.

RKLB and IONQ are down 40%+: Huge pullbacks. High risk, high potential reward if they rebound.

Important: Rebound candidates are riskier than momentum plays. You're betting on a reversal, not following a trend. Some of these might keep falling. Do your homework on why they pulled back before buying.

The Risks

1. Market Correction: If SPY/QQQ correct, most of these will fall. They're all in uptrends. Uptrends can break.

2. Momentum Reversal: GOOGL and SOFI have huge momentum. That can reverse quickly.

3. Overbought Conditions: Some stocks (GOOGL, WMT) have RSI above 70. They could pull back.

4. Concentration Risk: This list is tech-heavy. If tech corrects, the portfolio suffers.

5. No Fundamentals: A stock can have perfect technicals and still crash on bad earnings.

What I'm Taking Away

After analyzing 50+ stocks, here's what stands out:

1. The broad market looks strong. SPY and QQQ both scored 93/100. That's a good sign.

2. Momentum is concentrated. SOFI (+115.9%), GOOGL (+87.7%), and HOOD (+73.7%) are running hard.

3. Indexes might be safer. SPY and QQQ have the same score as AVGO but with less single-stock risk.

4. Diversification matters. Don't go all-in on high-momentum stocks. Mix in some stability.

5. Technical analysis has limits. It shows current strength. It doesn't predict crashes or earnings misses.

The Bottom Line

Based purely on technical indicators as of December 2, 2025:

Safest picks: SPY, QQQ (broad market exposure)

Best individual stock: AVGO (93/100, clean setup)

Highest momentum: SOFI (+115.9% in 6 months)

Most balanced: CAT, GS (strong momentum, neutral RSI)

Disclaimer: This is technical analysis, not investment advice. I'm sharing what the charts show, not predicting what will happen. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results. These stocks could crash tomorrow. Do your own research. Consider fundamentals, valuation, and your risk tolerance. Don't invest money you can't afford to lose.

Final Thought: Technical analysis shows which stocks have momentum and clean setups right now. But momentum can reverse. Uptrends can break. Markets can crash.

Use this as one input, not the only input. Combine it with fundamental analysis, valuation, and common sense.

The best portfolio is the one you can hold through volatility. If you can't stomach a 20% drawdown, don't buy high-momentum stocks. Stick to indexes.