On March 9, Mohamed El-Erian, The Wharton School Rene Kern Professor & Allianz Chief Economic Advisor, joined ‘Squawk Box’ on CNBC to discuss the latest market trends, the impact of the Iran war, and the state of the economy. El-Erian noted a significant disconnect between market sentiment and economic reality: while the market currently assigns an 80% probability to the idea that the situation is a temporary and reversible shock, he believes that the true probability is closer to 50%. He explained that while markets net things out, the economy compounds shocks. Since this conflict follows a year of various stressors (like an uncertain labor market, affordability concerns, and existing inflation), the economy’s ability to remain resilient is being severely tested.

El-Erian emphasized that the global economy is entering a period of more frequent and violent shocks because it has lost its unifying themes. Regarding the potential for escalation, he acknowledged the unpredictable nature of asymmetrical wars and noted that this unpredictability creates a large left-tail risk. Looking at the broader economic impact, El-Erian does not predict a full-scale recession but expects a significant slowdown. He anticipates that the Fed will adopt a wait-and-see approach to avoid repeating the mistake of the 2021 transitory-inflation call, while central banks in Europe with single mandates may be forced to hike rates. He concluded that the term ‘transitory’ should be avoided as it encourages poor economic behavior and masks the reality of a volatile year ahead.

That being said, we’re here with a long-term stock portfolio with 15 best stocks for 20 years.

Our Methodology

We sifted through financial media reports to compile a list of stocks widely discussed for their long-term potential, and limited our final selection to companies that have recently reported noteworthy developments likely to impact investor sentiment. These stocks are also popular among analysts and elite hedge funds.

Note: All data was sourced on March 10. 

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).

Long-Term Stock Portfolio: 15 Best Stocks for 20 Years

15. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C)

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is one of the best stocks for 20 years. On March 9, Citi successfully issued its first digitally native structured note via Euroclear’s Digital Financial Market Infrastructure/D-FMI platform. This transaction, issued under English Law by Citigroup Global Markets Funding Luxembourg, represents a milestone as the first of its kind within the wealth management industry.

The initiative reflects a move to utilize Luxembourg’s supportive environment for digital financial innovation while enhancing the bank’s internal efficiency and transparency. The collaboration between Citi and Euroclear demonstrates the practical application of Distributed Ledger Technology/DLT within existing market frameworks. By utilizing the D-FMI platform, the issuance maintains the traditional investment profiles expected by clients while streamlining the delivery process.

This deal involved multiple divisions across Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), including its Markets, Wealth, and Issuer Services businesses, to showcase the firm’s comprehensive capabilities in digital capital markets. This issuance signifies a shift from digital experimentation to everyday market practice, embedding DLT into the core of the financial ecosystem. The integration of this tech fosters more efficient capital flows and unlocks new possibilities across various asset classes without compromising legal certainty or investor protections.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is a diversified financial service holding company that provides various financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. It operates through five segments: Services, Markets, Banking, US Personal Banking, and Wealth.

14. Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY)

Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is one of the best stocks for 20 years. On March 9, Joby Aviation announced that it had been chosen as a key partner in the federally-backed Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing/eVTOL Integration Pilot Program/eIPP. This initiative enables Joby to launch early operations across ten US states, including Arizona, Florida, New York, and Texas, before receiving full FAA type certification.

The program is designed to accelerate the commercial air taxi industry by streamlining regulatory coordination between the FAA, DOT, and local authorities to integrate these aircraft into the national airspace and develop necessary infrastructure. The company will participate in several regional projects, such as establishing passenger services at the Manhattan heliport and creating transport networks connecting major Texas cities like Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.

Beyond passenger travel, the applications cover a variety of use cases, including medical response, cargo delivery, and the testing of Joby’s Superpilot autonomous flight platform. These operations are expected to begin within 90 days of finalizing the official agreements, marking a transition from flight testing to real-world community integration. The milestone follows Joby Aviation Inc.’s (NYSE:JOBY) progress toward Type Certification, with its first FAA-conforming aircraft scheduled for inspection shortly.

Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is an air mobility company that researches, develops, tests, manufactures, and sells electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in the US, Japan, Europe, and internationally.