In 2025, tariff threats and trade wars rocked equities and nearly triggered a full-blown bear market. Despite all that, stocks have performed pretty well this year.
What's in store for 2026? Nobody knows. However, some companies can navigate the challenges ahead -- whatever they may be -- and perform well over the long run. These are the kind of businesses that investors want to set their eyes on.
Here are two excellent, well-known candidates that fit the bill: Amazon (AMZN 1.52%) and Apple (AAPL 1.93%). These longtime market beaters are still worth investing in and sticking with next year and beyond.
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1. Amazon
Amazon has basically moved sideways this year. The e-commerce specialist is lagging broader equities and most of its "Magnificent Seven" peers. What's going on with the company?
There are several things, and here's one of the most important: Many investors are worried that the company is losing market share to its closest competitors in the cloud computing industry.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) accounts for most of Amazon's operating profits, as it boasts much juicier margins than its e-commerce operations. If it loses ground in this market, Amazon could see slower-growing earnings. That said, Amazon is showing it can perform well, despite this issue.
During the third quarter, the company's sales growth within AWS accelerated, compared to recent quarters, and was stronger than anything investors have seen since 2022. Amazon maintains its lead at the top of the cloud computing industry.
NASDAQ: AMZN
Key Data Points
Elsewhere, the company is seeking ways to enhance margins and profits within its e-commerce division. To that end, it has deployed a fleet of industrial robots in its warehouses.
The company's goal with this initiative is twofold. First, it will seek to cut costs while making shipping and deliveries faster, thereby improving the customer experience. Amazon's efforts here could help increase its razor-thin margin in its e-commerce division. Even a relatively small improvement may meaningfully boost the company's earnings.
Second, Amazon has several other potential growth drivers. Its advertising business is going strong, and it's making strides within its healthcare division, thanks to initiatives such as Amazon Pharmacy. And here's the best part: The industries and markets where it dominates still have significant long-term growth prospects.
That's the case with e-commerce, which, despite its seeming ubiquity, still captures less than 20% of retail transactions in the U.S. It's also true of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), which, CEO Andy Jassy has observed, are still in their early innings.
Lastly, Amazon has a wide economic moat due to its brand name, switching costs, and network effects. The company's investment thesis remains intact, despite the headwinds it has faced in 2025.
2. Apple
Apple is more exposed to the threat of tariffs than perhaps any of its similarly sized peers. The company still generates most of its sales from its hardware devices, particularly the iPhone, which is manufactured in countries such as China -- a country on which the Trump administration tried to impose steep tariffs.
Despite all that, Apple's shares are up 12% year to date. That's below the performance of the S&P 500 but better than many expected six months ago.
Apple's strength lies in its ability to continue convincing new and existing customers to purchase more iPhones. The company's latest launch, the iPhone 17, was well received and is expected to drive a strong renewal cycle over the next three years, helping to maintain decent sales growth.
NASDAQ: AAPL
Key Data Points
However, Apple's hardware business isn't where the company's most important long-term opportunities lie. The company's services segment -- where Apple boasts more than 1 billion paid memberships -- arguably takes that crown. It accounted for a meaningful 39% of its sales, as of the last quarter.
Moreover, the services segment has been growing its revenue, on average, faster than the rest of the business for years, a trend that should continue for the foreseeable future. Since services boast significantly higher margins than hardware sales, Apple's profits should increase meaningfully over the long run as the company expands this segment.
Revenue from services will rise as Apple's large installed base of devices expands. The company routinely hits new highs in that department. And given the company's high switching costs -- Apple makes it hard to leave its ecosystem -- Apple's installed base should, at the very least, remain stable.
Apple has demonstrated that it can navigate the threat from tariffs, still maintains a solid hardware business, and boasts attractive tailwinds within services. To top it all off, it remains an excellent dividend stock. These are all good reasons to stick with Apple in 2026 and beyond.
