Best investment ideas for 2026 from market-beating research firms

slop bowl. Fired by AI. What your girlfriend spends her money on.

All of these themes could be in investors' portfolios in 2026, according to Citorini Research, which has announced its biggest market bets for the new year.

Citrini, which publishes an annual “Thematic Watch List” for investors, ended up handily beating the market on many of its 2025 calls. The firm's equal-weighted portfolio of individual stocks has gained 26.5% this year, outpacing the S&P 500's 15% gain. Roughly half of the 25 investment baskets created that year also outperformed their benchmarks.

The company's investment ideas for next year were based on trends it believes will develop in the future.

“Some people think they have the potential to be real winners, some are preparing for certain scenarios and eventualities, and some just want to stay on screen,” Citrini wrote Wednesday.

The company highlights some of the most interesting market trends heading into 2026.

1. Job loss due to AI

Kim Kyung-hoon/Reuters

paper: Critolini said he is bullish on stocks best positioned to benefit from AI by reducing headcount.

The company said it screened companies that could benefit most from AI-driven headcount reduction by developing a “bureaucracy score,'' a measure of how robust a company's management and management layer is, and a “margin optionality score,'' which determines whether a company would benefit more if its workforce was leaner.

Brand selection:

Citrini has identified more than 30 companies in this category. Some of the biggest ones on the list are listed below.

• Accenture
• IBM Corporation
• zoom video
• target
• united parcel service
• intuition
• dollar general

2. Slop bowl automation

paper: Critolini said he believes the slop bowl chain will be one of the first companies to benefit from in-house automation, which will allow these companies to reduce labor costs and increase profit margins.

They say Chipotle, Cava and other restaurants in the Slop Bowl neighborhood will likely reach a tipping point next year.

Brand selection:

The company has identified several slop bowl food chains and robotics companies that could benefit from this change.

• chipotle pepper
• kava
• sweet green
• FANUC CORPORATION
• Circus SE
• compass group

3. Weight loss

Peter Daisley/Getty Images

paper: As drugs like Ozempic and Wigovy grow in popularity, there are more investment opportunities among users who want to continue losing weight even after they stop taking GLP-1 drugs, Citrini said.

The company cited its GaINAc-SiRNA drug, which is thought to maintain users' lean body mass and “deliver long-lasting metabolic benefits.” Citorini added that these drugs are also thought to redistribute fat from “metabolically harmful areas,” referring to visceral fat that resides deep in the abdominal cavity.

Brand selection:

• Wave life science
• arrowhead
• Sanegene Bio
• alnylam

4. Girlfriend Index

Matteo Della Torre/Null Photography via Getty Images

paper: The company pointed to the Girlfriend Index, an online index built on the idea that investors can identify market opportunities based on what female consumers are spending their money on.

Quiet luxury, which is fading from the cultural zeitgeist, is one trend likely to gain momentum in 2026, Citrini said, citing contributions from Substack's Girlfriend Index, which publishes weekly notes on female-led consumer spending.

“As culture pivots from restraint to expression, traditional luxury historically takes the lead. The new expression of 2026 is luxury as self-expression,” Citrini wrote.

Brand selection:

• LVMH
• kering
• ralph lauren
• Richemont
• amer sports