The S&P 500 is almost 17% higher and investors are speculating about 2026 being the fourth consecutive year of double-digit gains to come. The main question is not if the rally will continue, but how well the portfolio is prepared for whatever scenario comes next.

It is true that making predictions generally does not work, but being in stocks that would not only exist in good times but also support in bad times is always profitable.

So, three stocks, which are Alphabet, Nu Holdings, and Taiwan Semiconductor, have been highlighted as stocks that combine growth, scale, and long-term durability. The market in 2026 may either be bullish or bearish, but these companies are the ones with the fundamentals and momentum that can keep them among the best performers.

Alphabet Stock

Alphabet is no longer solely a search engine, instead it is an ecosystem. The current figure for the Search market global share is 90% and it is expected that Search will remain on top for quite some time. However, the company is making real money through its diverse portfolio of products and platforms.

Its outstanding Gemini LLM is now influencing search results, enterprise tools, and through providing enhanced services, it is strengthening the company’s role into the AI market.

Google Cloud, which has become the third largest player globally, is moving up faster than AWS and is matching Microsoft Azure, which shows its growing strategic importance. In fact, beyond AI and cloud computing, all of Alphabet’s bets on hardware, autonomous vehicles, and emerging technologies give it a base that is even more diversified and is often overlooked by the investors.

At a current P/E of 32, Alphabet still seems attractive for a tech giant with such vastness and long-term optionality. The recent investment by Warren Buffett is a clear sign that this is a company that will be around for a long time.

Nu Holdings Stock

Nu Holdings is a digital bank that continues to give an impressive fintech story. With a fully digital and profitable banking model and with over 60% coverage of the Brazilian population as its customers, the company is only at the beginning stage of its monetization potential.

Nu’s cross selling and upselling strategy is already contributing to the rise in the company’s home market, but the real growth is in Mexico and Colombia. These are the two markets that might bring about Brazil’s success over the coming years.

Also, Nu is determined to conquer the U.S market as well, which proves that it has faith in both its product and scalability. The stock of the company is now trading at 32 times earnings, which means that Nu offers growth affordability and global opportunity. Investors are likely to see 2026 as yet another year of product development and geographical expansion at rapid pace.

Taiwan Semiconductor Stock

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is indeed one of the main players in the global tech ecosystem. TSMC, as the top chip manufacturer globally, plays a crucial role in the technology. It powers everything from the AI accelerators of Nvidia to the modified processors of Google, and to the chips in smartphones, electric vehicles and the growing autonomous systems.

The company’s great ability to foresee, react and diversify to the changing market conditions is the reason for it to be such an important player for so many different areas of technology. One can bet that TSMC will always be the one manufacturing the silicon for the newest technology to come.

The company keeps on posting outstanding profitability performance with operating margins over 50% and EPS rising to 39% in 2025. TSMC continues to be the chosen one that is very competitive with a P/E of 30, even if it is far away from the top of the market.

It is the most affordable stock among the three, which allows the company to be a strong contender in the industry. No matter how fast AI, mobility, and consumer electronics grow, TSMC will be able to benefit from every area of growth.

Bottom Line

Alphabet, Nu Holdings, and Taiwan Semiconductor are three different companies, but they have one thing in common, which is long-term strength. These firms together deliver a range of investors who might be interested in AI, digital finance, or the global semiconductor supremacy, along with resilience, and also upside going into 2026.

In a world where the market is uncertain, such stocks are the ones that offer a rare combination of stability and innovation, which is precisely what a portfolio requires during the upcoming year.