2026 YTD Stock Performance Review

I know some investors are shocked by the recent market volatility. Yet everything on the table right now was foreshadowed in my 2026 Stock Market Outlook. 

In short, the “Easy Button” gains for Mega Caps and AI stocks are over. Those profits are being taken off the table at lightning speed and rotated to undervalued areas with greater upside potential. 

Because the Zen Ratings includes 21 factors of value in the quant model…then this shift has been the “gift that keeps on giving” for the legions of investors following our picks. 

+4.15% is the average year to date gain for our A rated Strong Buy stocks. (through Thursday’s close when overall market was in the red).  

Gladly WallStreetZen has no shortage of ways to dig into these top stocks. One of the easiest paths is going directly to the daily updated list of All “A” Rated Stocks > 

Today that screen shows 213 stocks. 

That is great news for those who enjoy the process to narrow down to the handful that end up in their portfolio. 

That is bad news for everyone else who finds that to be a time consuming headache. 

If you are in the latter camp…then there is an easy solution: Zen Strategies. 

In total we have created 11 different stock selection strategies. 

Each featuring the top 7 stocks. Each featuring market beating performance.

Let’s drill into that early year to date performance to appreciate why Zen Strategies has become our fastest growing service:

+29.53% Buy the Dip

+7.37% Momentum

+6.90% Small Caps

This is not a 2026 only phenomena. Looking back the past 1 year, there is ample outperformance in these model portfolios such as…

+45.21% Income (this group does very well when rates fall)

+29.13% Small Caps

+27.40% Large Caps 

Please feel free to click on any of the links above to explore the complete performance details for these strategies going back more than 20 years. 

However, the list of the top 7 stocks for each is only shared with members of Zen Strategies. 

The best way to learn about the full benefits of the service, and how to get daily access to these top picks, is to watch this vital presentation below. 

77 Best Stocks for 2026 >

For everyone else, I hope you are taking advantage of the Zen Ratings on our site to outperform the market in the months and years ahead.  

At a minimum you should be reviewing the ratings for your current stocks on our quote pages to eliminate the D and F positions that are like ticking time bombs in your portfolio. 

Then use the abundant resources on WallStreetZen.com to find more A rated stocks to add to your portfolio. 

As they say… out with the bad, in with the good. 

And for those who want the very best way to leverage the Zen Ratings to beat the market…please consider watching this presentation today:

77 Best Stocks for 2026 >

Wishing you a world of investment success!

Steve Reitmeister…but everyone calls me Reity (pronounced “Righty”)

Editor-in-Chief of WallStreetZen

Want to get in touch? Email us at news@wallstreetzen.com.