Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
AI’s surge in demand for memory and storage drove some of 2025’s biggest stock market winners, including hard-drive makers Seagate Technology and Western Digital, and AI chip maker Micron Technology. Retail trading platform Robinhood also put up a blockbuster year and made its S&P 500 debut. And the bidding war by Netflix and Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery propelled the entertainment giant into a top market performer.
Not all companies fared as well, with those tied to health care and consumer brands flagging through last year. A major reset of expectations in October cratered Fiserv’s stock, putting the payment processing company near the bottom of the barrel.
What awaits in the year ahead? For our first episode of 2026, co-host Telis Demos along with WSJ Heard on the Street Editor Aaron Back and Heard Columnist David Wainer tackle audience questions about what to expect for the year and offer their own predictions for investors and the U.S. economy.
AI’s surge in demand for memory and storage drove some of 2025’s biggest stock market winners, including hard-drive makers Seagate Technology and Western Digital, and AI chip maker Micron Technology. Retail trading platform Robinhood also put up a blockbuster year and made its S&P 500 debut. And the bidding war by Netflix and Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery propelled the entertainment giant into a top market performer.
Not all companies fared as well, with those tied to health care and consumer brands flagging through last year. A major reset of expectations in October cratered Fiserv’s stock, putting the payment processing company near the bottom of the barrel.
What awaits in the year ahead? For our first episode of 2026, co-host Telis Demos along with WSJ Heard on the Street Editor Aaron Back and Heard Columnist David Wainer tackle audience questions about what to expect for the year and offer their own predictions for investors and the U.S. economy.
