How To Start the New Year Right

Imagine waking up every day to Monday morning.

That’s what a lot of people experience the first week of January when we have to return to our regular routine … sometimes dubbed “the January Blues.”

The alarm goes off too early. The bed feels heavier than it should. The calendar is suddenly full again.

That’s how January hits a lot of people. The holidays are over, the glow is gone, and real life comes rushing back all at once. The relaxed schedule disappears. The inbox is overflowing.

January means cold weather, short days, and less natural sunlight, which can disrupt the body’s internal clock and lower serotonin and vitamin D levels.

By mid-January, many New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside – leading many people to feel guilty, inadequate, and disappointed.

Also in mid-January, all that holiday spending quietly shows up on your credit card statement.

At InvestorPlace, we can’t make the weather warmer or the days longer, but we can at least help you feel better about your finances – including one stock leaving the S&P in the dust.

Why 2025 Was Strong

Despite the bumps along the way (remember the tariff tantrum in April?), the stock market meandered higher in 2025 to set new record highs. The volatility was real, but underneath the surface, the one thing that matters most drove the market.

Earnings.

Here is how investing legend Louis Navellier summarized 2025 for his Accelerated Profits readers.

One of the reasons why the stock market hasn’t been derailed by all the negative headlines and fear-mongering financial media is that we remain in one of the best earnings environments in years.

FactSet expects the S&P 500 to achieve 12.1% average earnings growth in calendar year 2025, and earnings will accelerate to an average of 14.5% in calendar year 2026.

As a result, growth stocks stepped into the spotlight this year – and our Accelerated Profits stocks have garnered their fair share of the attention.

If you’re not familiar, Accelerated Profits is Louis’ most aggressive service. He only trades the elite 1% of all stocks in the market by using strict fundamental principles and highly selective quantitative analysis. This service focuses on the top stocks about to hit their stride, those with extremely high earnings and sales growth.

In Accelerated Profits in 2025, Louis sold 31 stocks for gains (some full, some partial), including seven that achieved triple-digit gains ranging from 102% to 555%. He also sold eight stocks that posted double-digit gains between 11% and 98%.

Even accounting for stocks that lost value, Louis’ subscribers saw an average realized gain of nearly 50% in 2025.

That kind of outperformance is characteristic of Louis’ 40+ years in the market.

Gains in a Market Trend

Last year, Louis recommended more than a dozen gold stocks. When I commented that I’d never seen him with so many gold recommendations, his response was characteristic of why he has been so successful.

“They have the earnings!”

In November, Louis recommended IAMGOLD (IAG) to his Accelerated Profits subscribers, arguing that not only gold prices but earnings were the primary reasons for the pick.

Third-quarter revenue increased 61% year-over-year to $706.7 million, up from $438.9 million in the same quarter a year ago. Adjusted earnings soared 66.7% year-over-year to $0.30 per share, compared to $0.18 per share in the third quarter of 2024. The consensus estimate called for earnings of $0.22 per share, so IAMGOLD posted a 36.4% earnings surprise.

Looking forward to the fourth quarter, the analyst community has increased earnings estimates by 36.7% in the past three months. Fourth-quarter earnings are now forecast to surge 310% year-over-year to $0.41 per share, up from $0.10 per share in the fourth quarter of 2024. Revenue is forecast to jump 95.6% year-over-year to $919 million.

Since the recommendation, IAG has outpaced the market by a factor of 5 to 1.

IAG is still available below Louis’ buy below price, so there is still time to get in on this trade.

Are There Dangers to Your Portfolio Ahead?

With the kind of performance Louis had last year, you’d expect him to be very bullish in 2026 … and he is.

But he also sees a danger lurking beneath the surface. Something that could derail retirement plans, or any other financial goals you have for the future.

What makes this moment so challenging is that nothing appears to be broken.

The market hasn’t crashed. Stock market headlines aren’t panicked. Index funds still feel safe.

But Louis knows that the most dangerous market shifts don’t announce themselves like a fire truck blaring sirens as it races down the street — they happen quietly, inside the investments millions of Americans rely on for retirement.

Louis isn’t predicting a catastrophic crash in 2026, but he is issuing a warning about something that could victimize every investor– a “Hidden Crash” that could mean a long period of stagnation that eats away at your purchasing power and retirement timeline.

That’s why I want to share this latest presentation from Louis – he’s one of the few investors who has consistently spotted major market inflection points before they became obvious.

In this research briefing, he explains why many of today’s most popular index funds may be far more vulnerable than they appear… and how institutional money is already rotating into a very different corner of the market.

More importantly, he lays out a clear, methodical way individual investors can respond – without speculation, leverage, or risky trades.

Click here to watch the presentation and see what Louis is warning investors about now.

In the Baltimore area, the sun is back to setting after 5 p.m. As the days get longer, it might be easier to shake off any post-holiday blues.

Regardless, your portfolio should never rest, and following Louis into his next trade can make for a profitable 2026.

Enjoy your weekend

Luis Hernandez

Editor in Chief, InvestorPlace