We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
AI, Clean Energy & Health Stocks: The Big Winners in a Multipolar 2026
Read MoreHide Full Article
Key Takeaways
AI, clean energy and healthcare lead a polarized 2026 market amid uneven global growth.
NVDA and Vertiv ride a $650B hyperscaler AI spending surge in 2026.
Albemarle and Axsome Therapeutics target triple-digit earnings growth in 2026.
According to the United Nations’ January 2026 forecast, global GDP growth is expected at 2.7–2.8%, below pre-COVID averages. However, growth is uneven. Advanced economies are expanding modestly, while Asia-Pacific remains comparatively resilient, with India projected near 6.6% and parts of East Asia around 4.4%, creating a “two-speed” global economy.
IMF's January 2026 projections also reflect this pattern. Advanced economies are expected to grow at around 1.8%, while emerging market and developing economies are projected to grow above 4% in 2026. This widening gap is translating into a multidimensional market split between sectors benefiting from capital concentration and those experiencing earnings compression.
Equity markets are showing clear signs of polarization, with a handful of megatrends, particularly AI investment, clean energy and healthcare, capturing major capital flows.
Drivers of Polarization
Artificial intelligence investment is the core driver of market polarization in 2026, with hyperscalers and chip makers pushing record capital spending and production growth.
Going by a recent Bloomberg report and multiple other sources on hyperscaler capex plan, major technology companies, including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta, are projected to spend roughly $650 billion on AI-related infrastructure this year, up about 67% from 2025 levels, with vast sums allocated to data centers and compute capacity.
Image Source: Bloomberg
Semiconductor foundries are expanding accordingly. Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, has raised its 2026 capex target to $52-$56 billion, significantly above 2025, reflecting strong AI demand. Global semiconductor revenues are forecast to exceed $1 trillion in 2026, driven by memory and logic ICs for AI workloads (February 2026 Semiconductor Industry Association report).
3 Sectors Poised for Maximum Gains and Winning Stocks
AI & Technology Infrastructure: Companies that build the core tools behind AI, spanning advanced semiconductors, data-center systems, networking and cloud platforms, remain directly leveraged to the AI capital-expenditure cycle. NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, continues to dominate AI accelerators powering hyperscale data centers, while Vertiv Holdings (VRT - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, benefits from rising demand for cooling and power systems essential for high-density AI workloads. NVDA is projected to report earnings growth of 57.7% in fiscal 2027 (ending January 2027). VRT is expected to report earnings growth of 46.9% in 2026.
Renewable Energy & Battery Materials: Energy transition spending is accelerating globally, driven by electrification, grid upgrades and storage deployment. Albemarle (ALB - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 stock, is positioned to gain from lithium demand tied to EVs and stationary storage. Structural decarbonization mandates and rising power consumption from AI data centers strengthen long-term growth visibility across renewables and battery supply chains. ALB is expected to report earnings growth of 855.7% in 2026.
Healthcare & Biotech: Demographic tailwinds and technology-enabled innovation support durable healthcare growth. Axsome Therapeutics (AXSM - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, represents high-growth biotech exposure in CNS therapies. Advances in AI-assisted drug discovery and digital clinical workflows are enhancing productivity and supporting earnings resilience across select pharma and biotech segments. The stock is projected to report 109% earnings growth in 2026.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
AI, Clean Energy & Health Stocks: The Big Winners in a Multipolar 2026
Key Takeaways
According to the United Nations’ January 2026 forecast, global GDP growth is expected at 2.7–2.8%, below pre-COVID averages. However, growth is uneven. Advanced economies are expanding modestly, while Asia-Pacific remains comparatively resilient, with India projected near 6.6% and parts of East Asia around 4.4%, creating a “two-speed” global economy.
IMF's January 2026 projections also reflect this pattern. Advanced economies are expected to grow at around 1.8%, while emerging market and developing economies are projected to grow above 4% in 2026. This widening gap is translating into a multidimensional market split between sectors benefiting from capital concentration and those experiencing earnings compression.
Equity markets are showing clear signs of polarization, with a handful of megatrends, particularly AI investment, clean energy and healthcare, capturing major capital flows.
Drivers of Polarization
Artificial intelligence investment is the core driver of market polarization in 2026, with hyperscalers and chip makers pushing record capital spending and production growth.
Going by a recent Bloomberg report and multiple other sources on hyperscaler capex plan, major technology companies, including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta, are projected to spend roughly $650 billion on AI-related infrastructure this year, up about 67% from 2025 levels, with vast sums allocated to data centers and compute capacity.
Image Source: Bloomberg
Semiconductor foundries are expanding accordingly. Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, has raised its 2026 capex target to $52-$56 billion, significantly above 2025, reflecting strong AI demand. Global semiconductor revenues are forecast to exceed $1 trillion in 2026, driven by memory and logic ICs for AI workloads (February 2026 Semiconductor Industry Association report).
3 Sectors Poised for Maximum Gains and Winning Stocks
AI & Technology Infrastructure: Companies that build the core tools behind AI, spanning advanced semiconductors, data-center systems, networking and cloud platforms, remain directly leveraged to the AI capital-expenditure cycle. NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, continues to dominate AI accelerators powering hyperscale data centers, while Vertiv Holdings (VRT - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, benefits from rising demand for cooling and power systems essential for high-density AI workloads. NVDA is projected to report earnings growth of 57.7% in fiscal 2027 (ending January 2027). VRT is expected to report earnings growth of 46.9% in 2026.
Renewable Energy & Battery Materials: Energy transition spending is accelerating globally, driven by electrification, grid upgrades and storage deployment. Albemarle (ALB - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 stock, is positioned to gain from lithium demand tied to EVs and stationary storage. Structural decarbonization mandates and rising power consumption from AI data centers strengthen long-term growth visibility across renewables and battery supply chains. ALB is expected to report earnings growth of 855.7% in 2026.
Healthcare & Biotech: Demographic tailwinds and technology-enabled innovation support durable healthcare growth. Axsome Therapeutics (AXSM - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, represents high-growth biotech exposure in CNS therapies. Advances in AI-assisted drug discovery and digital clinical workflows are enhancing productivity and supporting earnings resilience across select pharma and biotech segments. The stock is projected to report 109% earnings growth in 2026.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.