If We’re Headed Back Into a Bull Market, Here Are the 3 Stocks That Could Lead the Way Higher

We’re at an interesting inflection point in the market. Stocks continue to gyrate (though mostly higher of late) as investors collectively hope for some sort of resolution to the Trump administration’s tariff policy and greater clarity on what the direction of play will be for the geopolitical environment moving forward.

With recent GDP data suggesting we could be already in the midst of a recession (and some investors clearly bracing for such a scenario), it’s also true that we’re seeing strong signs of consumer spending remain as a focal point for economists. Thus, the path forward is anything but clear.

This murky reality means that Wall Street analysts, and many retail investors for that matter, remain split on the ultimate direction equities could be headed. In one camp, perma-bears who have been calling for a recession have been in some ways vindicated by recent data releases. But it’s also true that while we have seen a very significant dip of more than 20% at most indices’ lows, it’s hard to call the current state of valuations truly a bear market.

So, if we take the optimistic lens on where stocks could be headed and assume we’re still in a long-standing bull market (structurally anyway), here are three stocks that investors may want to consider as companies that could lead the way higher.

Nvidia (NVDA)

A true market leader for much of the past decade, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) stands tall as the leading high-performance chip maker globally. The company’s dominance in the data center market and unprecedented demand from AI accelerators have led Nvidia’s revenue and earnings growth to continue this past quarter, with the company reporting strong fiscal Q4 2025 results in February. 

With revenue rising 78% on a year-over-year level to nearly $40 billion this past quarter and full year revenue more than doubling, this is a massive mega-cap giant which continues to show how fast such a company can grow at scale (when it’s operating in the right industry). 

Importantly, earnings per share also increased over the course of the year by a whopping 147%, meaning Nvidia is showing even better bottom line growth and overall operating efficiency. The company has cited its Blackwell launch and continued growth in AI reasoning as key demand drivers moving forward for the company’s chips. And despite concerns around lower-cost models continuing to hamper excitement around valuations in this space, I do think this is a long-term trend that investors will largely continue to hone in on.

As the biggest AI winner in the market thus far, Nvidia stands to benefit from any resumption of “animal spirits” in the investing community. For those banking on a bull market continuation moving forward, this is a no-brainer stock to at least keep an eye on moving forward. 

Meta Platforms (META)

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) recently reported earnings, and the numbers didn’t really matter all that much. Well, they did, in the sense that investors like to see expanding operating margins and top-line growth driven by Meta’s core advertising business.

But I think the key item investors are focusing most on when it comes to Meta is the company’s projections for AI revenue moving forward. The company noted it expects to see between $2 and $3 billion in AI related revenues in 2025, with this number rising to an aggregate total of between $460 billion and $1.4 trillion over the next decade. That’s a staggering sum.

Of course, we’ll have to see if the company can achieve these targets, or if Meta’s management team is mostly blowing smoke. The good news on this front is the company continues to invest heavily in AI, raising its CapEx budget range to between $64 and $72 billion this year. As the company continues to rapidly scale its new AI technologies and grow its cash flow from Meta’s underlying cash cow (social media), this is a stock that could certainly have room to run higher, particularly if multiples expand in a bull market environment. 

Amazon (AMZN)

The third “Magnificent 7” stock to make this list, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has certainly been no slouch in its own right in terms of its recent impressive earnings growth. The company will report its Q1 earnings after the bell today, and these results will be closely watched by millions of investors, to be sure.

That’s because Amazon’s core operating business (its e-commerce business) will provide some clues on how consumers of all stripes continue to spend (or not). Again, the strength of the consumer is one of the key underlying factors that’s driven hopes for many investors that we could see another bull market form. But with analysts expecting overall revenue growth of around 8% per year, it’s also true that Amazon’s growth rate is slowing. So, any sort of acceleration on this front could be beneficial for those betting on a big move higher after this earnings call.

It’s my view that Amazon’s upcoming AI spend and its focus on improving its leadership in both the cloud and AI sectors will be on full display. While I’m not sure exactly which way this stock will move over the short-term, for investors with a long-term investing mindset, this still remains one of the top Mag 7 names I think is worth owning right now. 

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