My Biggest Predictions for 2026

Dear subscriber,

"Prepare. Don't predict."

That's the edict of Stansberry Research's own Dan Ferris.

Most folks think investing is about prediction... Predict the earnings. Predict the stock price. Predict the future.

But what Dan's telling us is that instead of trying to forecast what comes next, you should prepare your portfolio for various possibilities.

That's how you protect and grow your wealth. And it's one reason that Stansberry Research's carefully allocated and hedged Total Portfolio beat its balanced benchmark and the S&P 500 Index in 2025.

But knowing what you should prepare for and how you should prepare for it... well, that can be difficult.

Because for that, you do need to look into the future. You need to find businesses and opportunities you think may come to fruition. Then you need to carefully align your portfolio... all the while respecting that your predictions may not come true.

In other words, you start with a "possibility set" of what can happen and build your portfolio around that.

From there, you'll get an understanding of what's likely in store for the next 12 months... and you'll know where to invest and what to avoid.

So today, without further ado, I'm going to share what I see happening in 2026...

Affordability Stays Front and Center

And it doesn't get fixed in 2026 (or 2027).

Here's why...

In general, prices aren't going to come down. And they never were, despite any political promises to the contrary.

The government and the Federal Reserve have some claim to be able to lower the rate of inflation. But to push prices into deflation was never on the table... without severe recession.

The December inflation report came in low, possibly due to bad data collected during the government shutdown.

But with lower interest rates ahead, there's no reason to expect inflation to go lower.

Plus, inflation isn't the real culprit of the affordability crisis anyway. That's housing prices. And those simply aren't going to be fixed for years, even if we were doing the right things to get them down.

So the struggle to pay for daily life will continue. And that leads to...

A Monster Blue Wave – Which the Market Loves

Democrats have outperformed in special elections across the country.

Special elections are held outside the regular calendar to fill vacant seats. They don't have a big presidential campaign to draw voters to the polls.

Since they're low-turnout affairs, Democrats tend to do well in special elections that can be dominated by the Democratic base.

But even adjusting for those numbers, voters just don't like the way the country is headed. And when that happens, the party in power always loses seats.

Right now, bettors on Polymarket say there's an 80% chance the Democrats take the House (up from 60% in November). And they think there's a 36% chance Democrats sweep both the House and Senate.

The Senate map is tough for Democrats... But I'd personally put those chances 10 percentage points higher.

And I'd pair that with a rising market...

Yes, President Donald Trump and the GOP are typically seen as more business-friendly. But Trump also brings policy uncertainty.

Most importantly... markets love gridlock. From 1951 through 2023, when Congress was divided, markets returned 9.9% per year. That compares with 8% for a unified Congress.

With the most likely outcome a divided Congress (and Trump with veto power)... nothing will change. And that makes the business environment more predictable, justifying higher valuations.

Gold (and Silver) at a 'New Normal'

Gold had an incredible year, and silver just ripped higher.

We've been covering the metals throughout the year, and their 2025 returns now come to about 66% and 162%, respectively...

Now I can't say that gold and silver will keep rising straight through 2026.

The Bank for International Settlements notes that in the five years after such large moves, the returns for gold are fairly flat. They also point out that retail investors have started to catch on to the gold boom, which is usually a sign of a bubble.

So there's some froth and a high likelihood of a pullback in the metals... but only a temporary one.

Gold isn't returning to $1,500 per ounce, where it languished for a decade. And silver won't return to $20 per ounce, where it has long ranged.

Instead, gold will stay above $3,500 and silver above $40 as new basic levels of fundamental value. So revise your investment strategy accordingly.

AI Value Moves Down the Chain

I could probably fill a whole list of predictions about AI alone, but here's the biggest one...

So far, the largest beneficiaries of AI have been the picks-and-shovels plays like semiconductors and data-center builders.

The build-out will continue. But the opportunity will start to shift to those putting AI in front of users profitably.

The value's not in the big foundational models like the ones OpenAI builds. Rather, Alphabet (GOOGL), Salesforce (CRM), Adobe (ADBE), and other companies that are turning AI into real-world tools for paying customers will flourish.

Recently, I talked with financial commentator Jon Erlichman about these companies and Alphabet's standout performance in particular. I also tried to name my pick for the "Alphabet of 2026" – the next AI company set for a big year.

You can check out that interview here.

Solar Rips Higher

We need more energy.

And most new energy added to the grid in 2026 will be solar power.

It accounted for about 30% of new generation in 2025. (And that's despite setbacks due to less favorable treatment from the government.) In the coming years, that number is expected to climb above 50%.

The simple fact is this...

Solar wins on economics.

Solar has been getting cheaper for decades. But according to calculations from scientist Casey Handmer, it's actually getting cheaper at even faster rates now. (Batteries are getting cheaper, too.)

And according to analysts from Lazard, it actually costs less to build new solar generation than to add to existing nuclear, coal, and gas generation.

Yes, we'll see progress in nuclear and geothermal. But we're heading for the sun-fueled future that you've read about in your sci-fi paperbacks.

Wrapping up, these are just some of the developments I expect and will be watching in 2026. (And again, I could make a whole list of predictions for AI alone.)

Next week, I've got some more market-specific forecasts... including trends that are about to reverse and the resulting opportunities for smart investors. So stay tuned.

What Our Experts Are Reading and Sharing... 

• I was bearish on the U.S. dollar all last year. And indeed, 2025 brought the dollar's biggest drop since 2017. The greenback fell 9.5% against a basket of major currencies.
• Truth Social, the social media network run by Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT), just launched five exchange-traded funds with a "Made in America" theme. As Morningstar notes, this move raises some big questions about "tying an investment vehicle that's already prone to hype-driven launches and unstable performance to a single political figure."
• According to an economics paper published by scholarly research platform SSRN, U.S. tariff rates have really only been implemented at half of the "headline" number. While the average headline tariff rate is around 27%, the actual rate adds up to about 14% after various exemptions and carve-outs. That's not that high... and part of the reason why tariffs haven't disrupted the economy as badly as expected.

New Research in The Stansberry Investor Suite...

You can find good investments by checking the numbers and reading financial statements.

But businesses are also made up of people. And nothing rewards shareholders better than a business being run by the right people... for the right reasons.

This month, in the Stansberry's Investment Advisory, Whitney Tilson and the team recommend two companies that are family-run businesses.

They're "spiritual twins" of the stock market, as you'll see, each run by the founder's grandson. And this generational continuity has created a unique advantage for these companies.

As Whitney explains...

Most CEOs worry about the next quarter. These grandsons are worrying about the next quarter-century. They manage the businesses as if their family name is on the door – because it literally is. This stewardship has fostered a culture where employees aren't just workers, but partners.

One of these firms, based in the South, boasts one of the highest insider ownership rates in the entire S&P 500 Index, with employees owning more than 20% of the company. The other, in the Midwest, uses big stock grants to retain talent.

Both firms are members of the S&P 500 and have already delivered decades of consistent shareholder returns...

Both have paid out rising dividends for more than 15 years.

And the stock prices of these companies have both surged more than fivefold since 2015.

These are the kinds of stocks that make families – including yours – rich for generations.

Stansberry Investor Suite subscribers can read the entire report here.

If you don't already subscribe to The Stansberry Investor Suite – and want to learn more about our special package of research – click here.

Until next week,

Matt Weinschenk
Publisher and Director of Research

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