10 Stocks on Fire Ahead of 2026

Ten stocks capped off the second-to-last trading day of the year standing firmer despite a broader market pessimism, on the back of strong investor confidence.

Meanwhile, Wall Street’s major indices all finished in the red, with the Nasdaq leading the drop by 0.24 percent, followed by the Dow Jones, down 0.20 percent, and the S&P 500, dipping 0.14 percent.

Indices aside, we spotlight the 10 top-performing stocks on Tuesday and explore the reasons behind their gains.

To come up with the list, we focused on the stocks with more than $2 billion in market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.

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10. Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LUMN)

Lumen Technologies rebounded by 3.44 percent on Tuesday to close at $7.81 apiece as investors resorted to bargain-hunting following a three-day drop.

Month-to-date,  the stock was down by 3.7 percent.

In recent news, Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LUMN) announced the early redemption of its entire note series due 2029, 2030, and 2031, removing its earlier cap to redeem only $1.5 billion worth of notes.

While the offer stands to benefit holders of the said notes, the initiative sparked caution among shareholders over the possibility of Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:LUMN) burning more cash and tapping new debt facilities to implement such an initiative.

The announcement followed Lumen Technologies, Inc.’s (NYSE:LUMN) plan earlier this month to raise $1.25 billion in fresh funds from the issuance of senior notes due 2036.

The new notes were higher by $500 million than the initial plan and carry a yield rate of 8.5 percent, proceeds of which will be used to fund the buyback of the 2029, 2030, and 2031 notes.

The 2036 notes were priced to investors at 100 percent of their aggregate principal amount and will mature on Jan. 15, 2036. Upon issuance, the notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on an unsubordinated and unsecured basis by Level 3 Parent, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company.

9. Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE:RKT)

Rocket Companies bounced back by 3.56 percent on Tuesday to close at $20.06 apiece as investor sentiment was boosted by announcements that the Federal Reserve would likely keep interest rates unchanged for some time before making any adjustments anew.

This followed a 25-basis-point rate cut in this year’s last Federal Open Market Committee meeting, highly benefiting the interest rate-sensitive real estate and financing market.

Firms such as Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE:RKT) tend to benefit from the lower rates, as lower benchmark rates could translate into more affordable mortgage costs and support higher demand for home purchases and refinancing.

As a result, investors have placed bets that stable rates could help bolster home sales volumes and improve revenue prospects for property firms such as Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE:RKT).

The listed firm is a Detroit-based fintech platform that owns mortgage, real estate, and personal finance businesses, namely Rocket Mortgage, Redfin, Mr. Cooper, Rocket Homes, Rocket Close, Rocket Money, and Rocket Loans.

In the fourth quarter of the year, it was expected to rake in adjusted revenues between $2.1 billion and $2.3 billion.