2026 Investment Guide: The Best Stocks to Invest in Right Now

The stock market is approaching record highs, but this doesn’t signal a retreat from equity investing. In fact, several compelling opportunities exist for investors with $10,000 ready to deploy. The current market environment presents three standout candidates that represent distinct growth narratives for 2026—each poised to capitalize on different technological and market trends emerging this year.

Nvidia: Dominating the AI Infrastructure Revolution

Nvidia stands as the world’s largest company by market capitalization, powered by its dominant position in graphics processing units (GPUs) that fuel artificial intelligence workloads. The company’s chips are the primary choice for both training and deploying generative AI models, establishing one of the most formidable competitive moats in modern technology.

The AI growth story isn’t losing momentum. Wall Street analysts project that Nvidia will deliver approximately 50% revenue growth in fiscal 2027 (ending January 2027), an extraordinary feat for a company of its scale. This expansion reflects sustained capital deployment from AI hyperscalers and the anticipated launch of its new Rubin architecture. For context, companies of Nvidia’s size rarely sustain growth at such elevated levels, making the company’s trajectory historically exceptional.

The combination of continued AI infrastructure demand and product innovation positions Nvidia as one of the best stocks to invest in for those seeking exposure to artificial intelligence’s next wave.

MercadoLibre: Latin America’s Tech Powerhouse

While less recognized globally than Nvidia, MercadoLibre has constructed an equally impressive enterprise across Latin America. Often termed the region’s equivalent to Amazon, the company operates an expansive e-commerce platform coupled with a sophisticated logistics network capable of same-day and next-day delivery across numerous markets.

However, this comparison understates MercadoLibre’s true competitive advantage. Beyond e-commerce, the company built a fintech ecosystem from scratch—something Latin America lacked when digital payment infrastructure developed in the United States. This dual-platform advantage positions MercadoLibre to benefit from two massive long-term growth trends: online retail expansion and financial services digitalization. Both trends have proven profitable in developed markets, and MercadoLibre enables investors to gain leverage on these dynamics within an emerging market context.

Currently trading nearly 20% below its all-time high, MercadoLibre’s stock presents a rare discount. The company’s shares infrequently trade at such valuations, making this among the best stocks to invest in for those seeking exposure to Latin American growth.

The Trade Desk: Ad-Tech Recovery Value Play

The Trade Desk rounds out this trio as a fundamentally different proposition. Operating an advertising technology platform that connects buyers with optimal digital placements, The Trade Desk excludes walled gardens like Facebook and Google but captures substantial opportunity in open internet channels, particularly connected TV advertising.

The company encountered challenges rolling out its new AI-powered advertising platform and is actively resolving resulting technical issues. This misstep rightfully concerned investors. However, several metrics deserve emphasis: 95% of customers remained with the platform in Q3 2025, maintaining consistency across 11 consecutive years. Additionally, the company delivered 18% revenue growth—the lowest in its history excluding a COVID-19-affected period.

The apparent weakness reflects a specific timing issue: Q3 2024 included substantial political advertising spending that didn’t occur in 2025, creating unfavorable year-over-year comparisons. Stripping out this anomaly, The Trade Desk remains a fundamentally strong operator positioned for above-average growth.

Valuation reinforces the investment case. At 18 times forward earnings, The Trade Desk trades below the S&P 500’s 22.4 times multiple despite growing faster than the broader market. This combination—superior growth rates at a discount valuation—represents a compelling opportunity. For investors seeking the best stocks to invest in among underappreciated names, The Trade Desk merits serious consideration for 2026 recovery.

Building Your 2026 Portfolio

The three stocks outlined above represent distinctly different approaches to capturing 2026’s growth opportunities. Nvidia offers mega-cap artificial intelligence exposure, MercadoLibre provides emerging market e-commerce and fintech leverage, and The Trade Desk delivers undervalued ad-tech positioned for rebound. Together, they comprise a diversified foundation for investors deploying capital into equities during the current market environment. Each represents among the best stocks to invest in right now based on fundamental analysis, growth prospects, and current valuations.