Stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange tend to be some of the fastest-growing and most tech-focused stocks on the market. Of the top 10 largest U.S. stocks by market cap, only one of them is listed on the New York Stock Exchange: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A +0.24%) (BRK.B +0.20%). The rest are non-U.S. stocks or are members of the Nasdaq exchange, making it a great place to look for promising investments.
I've got four that look like excellent stocks to buy now, and are slated to have a strong 2026.
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1. Nvidia
Nvidia (NVDA 0.68%) tops many lists as the best stock to buy for 2026, and for a good reason: It's expected to continue posting outsized growth. Its growth was impressive in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Wall Street analysts estimate that Nvidia's revenue will rise 63% for fiscal year 2026 (ending January 2026) and 48% for fiscal year 2027 (ending January 2027). That's not too shabby for the world's largest company by market cap, and it's all because of the artificial intelligence (AI) spending spree.
NASDAQ: NVDA
Key Data Points
Nvidia makes graphics processing units (GPUs), which have been the go-to computing product since the AI build-out began in 2023. Nvidia estimates that global data center capital expenditures will reach $600 billion in 2025, but rise to $3 trillion to $4 trillion by 2030. That's incredible growth, and with the build-out not expected to slow down for many years, Nvidia is a top stock to buy now.
2. Advanced Micro Devices
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 1.50%) is another GPU maker that has been successful in the past few years (but not quite as successful as Nvidia). In its latest reported quarter, AMD posted data center revenue of $4.3 billion (up 22% year over year). That revenue segment is more than 10 times smaller than Nvidia's $51.2 billion in data center revenue. However, AMD believes it has now formulated an offering that will allow it to be more competitive and perhaps steal away some market share from Nvidia.
They believe that the market is beginning to switch from one dominated by training AI to one focused on AI inference, which should make its GPUs more attractive, as the performance gap isn't as great. Management projects a 60% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in its data center business over the next five years. If AMD can deliver that level of growth by capturing a greater portion of the market, it will be a great stock to own in 2026.
3. Broadcom
Broadcom (AVGO 2.96%) makes an alternative to GPUs known as custom AI accelerators. These units would lose in a head-to-head matchup with GPUs if there were multiple types of calculations done. However, most of these AI computing units only see one type of workload. If that workload is configured properly, custom AI accelerators from Broadcom outperform GPUs at a lower price point.
NASDAQ: AVGO
Key Data Points
This makes them extremely attractive, and several AI hyperscalers have partnered with Broadcom to produce these chips. I think that trend will continue throughout 2026, making Broadcom a smart stock to pick up now.
4. Alphabet
One company that partnered with Broadcom to produce a custom AI accelerator is Alphabet (GOOG +0.18%) (GOOGL +0.18%). Its units are known as Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), and have been successfully deployed inside Alphabet or made available to rent through its cloud computing service, Google Cloud. However, it's considering selling them to Meta Platforms (META 3.12%) -- something that has never been done before. If this starts to become a viable segment for Alphabet, its stock could have an incredible 2026, as it's a revenue stream that nobody is accounting for.
Furthermore, Alphabet has emerged as the company to beat in generative AI technology, as industry leader OpenAI, with its ChatGPT platform, recently declared a "code red" regarding Alphabet's capabilities.
Alphabet's future looks bright, and 2026 could bring more of the same success it experienced in 2025.
