Over the last century, no asset class has come particularly close to outpacing the average annual return of the stock market. But just because stocks have proved to be a bona fide wealth creator, it doesn't mean there aren't hiccups along the way.
Based on data from market insights firm Yardeni Research, there have been 40 corrections of at least 10% in the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.33%) since the start of 1950. This works out to a double-digit percentage decline occurring, on average, every 1.9 years. The stock market wouldn't be a "market" without the ability for stocks to move in both directions -- and these dips are normal, healthy, and inevitable.
Image source: Getty Images.
On occasion, these swings in equities can become eye-popping. Over the last two weeks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite have all registered their respective largest-ever single-session point gain, as well as some of their biggest single-day point losses on record. The S&P 500, for instance, logged its fifth-largest two-day decline in 75 years on April 3 and April 4 -- a loss of 10.5%.
History has shown that wild vacillations in the stock market can be the ideal time for investors to go shopping. It can be an especially attractive time to scoop up fast-growing companies at a discount.
What follows are three supercharged growth stocks you'll regret not buying amid historic stock market volatility.
Block
The first high-octane growth stock you'll be happy you added amid a period of turbulence for Wall Street is fintech up-and-comer Block (XYZ 1.28%).
NYSE: XYZ
Key Data Points
Block's rock-solid foundation is built atop the Square ecosystem. This is the company's digital payment network for merchants, which also offers data analytics and loans, among other tools. Gross payment volume (GPV) surpassed $227 billion in 2025, with GPV growth consistently in the high single digits. The international expansion of the Square ecosystem, along with its ability to attract larger merchants, is a recipe for sustained growth and higher gross profit from this operating segment.
However, Block's long-term growth story and juiciest margins are tied to the success of Cash App. When 2019 came to a close, Cash App had only 24 million monthly active users. As of the end of 2024, this figure had increased to 57 million monthly active users. The introduction of new payment solutions, including buy now, pay later, represents one of the ways the Cash App digital payment ecosystem is going to grow in importance over time.
Historically, the gross profit per monthly active Cash App customer has trounced the cost of acquiring new customers to this substantially higher-margin segment. It's in Block's best interest to funnel product development and innovation to Cash App.
Valued at just over 10 times forward-year earnings, Block shares appear to be a screaming bargain.
Image source: Pinterest.
A second fast-paced growth stock you'll be kicking yourself for not buying during a historic bout of volatility on Wall Street is social media platform Pinterest (PINS +1.32%).
Although Pinterest's monthly active user (MAU) count was whipsawed a bit during the COVID-19 pandemic, a wide-lens look at its MAUs shows a fairly steady incline. More users than ever before are visiting Pinterest on a monthly basis (553 million), which is translating into improved ad-pricing power for the company. Pinterest's ongoing expansion into overseas markets should only enhance its average revenue per user.
What makes Pinterest such an intriguing social media stock from an investment standpoint is that it isn't bound by data-tracking tools. Whereas app developers now allow users to back out of data-tracking, which can hurt the ability of advertisers to target users, the entire premise of Pinterest's platform is for its MAUs to willingly and freely share what interests them. This is relevant and valuable data the company can serve to advertisers on a silver platter. It may also position Pinterest to eventually become a jumping-off point for e-commerce sales.
NYSE: PINS
Key Data Points
Pinterest is sporting quite the treasure chest, as well. It closed out last year with north of $2.5 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, which is more than enough capital to invest in its platform, innovate for the future, and buy back some of its own shares.
Similar to Block, Pinterest's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 12 is simply too cheap for investors to ignore.
Okta
The third supercharged growth stock you'll regret not buying amid historic stock market volatility is cloud-based cybersecurity solutions provider Okta (OKTA +1.34%).
One of the smartest moves investors can make during periods of turbulence on Wall Street is to put their money to work in companies that can thrive in any economic climate. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have accelerated the pace by which they're moving their data and that of their clients online and into the cloud. Cybersecurity solutions have evolved into a basic necessity over time, and third-party providers like Okta are increasingly being relied on to keep this data safe from hackers.
NASDAQ: OKTA
Key Data Points
Okta has made its mark as a provider of identity verification solutions. Its suite of products relies on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to become more efficient at spotting and responding to potential threats over time. While cloud-based AI and ML platforms have their own learning curve, they've proved to be nimbler than on-premises solutions.
Perhaps more importantly, Okta ended fiscal 2025 (Jan. 31, 2025) with a record $4.22 billion in remaining performance obligations, which is effectively the company's backlog. This figure has been steadily growing by a double-digit percentage, with Okta also landing larger clients. Since subscription-driven cybersecurity models generate high margins, Okta's subscription margin should approach 80% over time.
Lastly, Okta's forward P/E ratio is below 29. Though this is still a bit pricier than the forward P/E of the S&P 500, Okta is growing faster than the average S&P 500 company and its products have evolved into a basic necessity. In other words, it's worth the premium.
