The stock market had some winners and losers this year. Here are the five best-performing stocks of 2019.
This year has been a good year for the stock market. The S&P 500 is up nearly 30%, and the Dow Jones is up more than 20%. These gains are largely thanks to a few key stocks. Let’s look at five of the best-performing stocks of 2019.
1. Apple
As of this writing, Apple is up more than 84% in 2019. This year, Apple was able to break the $1 trillion market cap, even in light of the trade war concerns that plagued the company.
The company experienced some moderate success with its core iPhone business this year. And analysts are looking forward to the pending release of the 5G iPhone.
But the company saw the biggest gains by expanding other areas of its business. In particular, the company saw the wearables and services segments of its business take off.
2. Advanced Micro Devices
2019 was a good year for semiconductor stocks. These gains were somewhat surprising, given the ongoing trade war. But the proof is in the numbers, and Advanced Micro Devices is currently up 145% year to date.
AMD continues to chip away at competitor Intel’s market share by releasing new products. And the company’s operating margins and revenue have continued to improve since 2018.
3. Microsoft
Microsoft continues to go to battle with Amazon over who will lead the market in cloud computing. Amazon is still in the lead, but 2019 has been a great year for Microsoft. The company’s shares are up 55% year to date.
And Microsoft recently landed a $10 billion cloud-computing contract with the Pentagon. Major wins like this indicate that there will be more good things to come from Microsoft in the coming year.
4. Visa
Shares of Visa are up 42% year to date, thanks largely to the growth in cashless transactions. Payment processing companies will continue to be in-demand for years to come, so Visa is likely a good long-term investment thanks to its stable growth.
5. Lam Research
Advanced Micro Devices is not the only win for the semiconductor industry. Not to be outdone, Lam Research Corp. is up 115% in 2019.
The company’s shares jumped by about 14% in October after it reported positive fiscal first-quarter earnings. If Lam can maintain this momentum, the company could do good things in 2020 and beyond.
