Looking back at 2025, it was quite a crazy year for the markets. After the record highs of 2024, everything changed when Trump imposed those brutal tariffs. A 10% base on all imports, 50% on the EU, 55% accumulated on China... stock indices fell sharply at first. Gold surged past $3,300 an ounce, typical during panic. But you know how it is, after the initial shock, markets rebounded. By March-April, people were already looking for opportunities in the corrections.

In that context, many investors wondered which companies were really the best to invest in at that moment. I was watching the movement quite a bit, and a couple of things stood out.

First, the tech sector was quite a ride. Microsoft had a 20% drop from its highs in early 2025, reaching $367 in March. Many people panicked, but then they saw the third-quarter fiscal numbers in April: $70.1 billion in revenue, a 46% operating margin, and Azure growing 33%. That’s solid. The company cut 15,000 jobs between May and July, but everything pointed to reorganizing for AI. For those looking for stocks with potential, Microsoft during that correction was interesting.

Then there was ASML, the Dutch company that makes lithography equipment. It lost about 30% of its value in the last year of 2025, mainly because Intel and Samsung reduced their chip investments. But ASML projected sales between €30 billion and €35 billion for 2025, with gross margins of 51-53%. Demand for chips for AI remained strong. It was one of those cases where the correction created opportunity.

Alibaba also had its moment. It fell 35% from its 2024 highs in January 2025, with many scared about its investments in AI and cloud. But then it rose more than 40% in February when the tech sector rebounded. The March quarter showed a 22% net adjusted growth, with Cloud Intelligence up 18%. That’s the kind of movement you see when the market overvalues risk.

In luxury, LVMH took some hits. It fell 6.7% in January, another 7.7% in April due to weak first-quarter revenues. US tariffs of 20% on EU products didn’t help. But the company remains solid: €84.7 billion in revenue in 2024, a 23.1% operating margin. Plus, they were aggressively expanding in Japan, the Middle East, and India. The correction offered an entry point into a fundamentally strong name.

And Novo Nordisk, the Danish company for diabetes and obesity. That had the steepest drop: 27% in March 2025, the worst since 2002. Competition from Eli Lilly, CagriSema not meeting expectations. But the company acquired Catalent for $16.5 billion to expand capacity, licensed LX9851 from Lexicon for $1 billion. Pipeline with a dual GLP-1/amylin molecule showing 24% weight loss. Gross margin of 43%. The global demand for these treatments continues to rise. That was a textbook case of exaggerated correction.

What I learned from all this is that 2025 separated those who panicked from those who saw opportunity. The best companies to invest in don’t disappear because of a market correction. Microsoft, ASML, Alibaba, LVMH, Novo Nordisk—all still had solid numbers, innovation, competitive positions. Just cheaper.

The strategy that worked was real diversification: not only across sectors but geographically. Technology in the US and Netherlands, French luxury, Danish pharma, Chinese e-commerce. When there’s volatility and trade tensions, that matters. Also, holding some safe assets like bonds or gold helps you sleep peacefully.

Now in 2026, looking back, many of those 2025 prices were incredible entry points for those with discipline. Panic is the investor’s enemy. Being informed about politics, economics, conflicts gives you an advantage. And above all, don’t sell in panic after big drops. Almost always, corrections follow upward, and if you sold at the bottom, you lost.