Where to Find the Best Stock to Buy in 2026: Three Compelling Plays Shaping Tech's Future

The U.S. equity market continues its exceptional run, with the S&P 500 delivering a remarkable 94% return since the bull run commenced on October 12, 2022. Leading investment banks remain bullish—Deutsche Bank projects the index could climb to 8,000 by year-end (roughly 15% above current levels), while Goldman Sachs anticipates a 12% rally throughout 2026. For investors with $1,000 in available capital after covering expenses and building emergency reserves, the current environment presents a strategic window to identify best stock to buy opportunities positioned at the intersection of technological disruption and market tailwinds.

The optimal approach involves targeting three distinct investment thesis: one focused on quantum computing’s emerging potential, and two capitalizing on accelerating AI infrastructure demand. Each offers different risk-reward profiles suited to varying investor temperaments.

Quantum Computing’s Breakthrough: IonQ’s Path to Mainstream Adoption

While quantum computing remains in its infancy, McKinsey projects the market could balloon from $4 billion in 2024 to $72 billion by 2035—a compelling long-term thesis. IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) represents one of the most direct ways to gain exposure to this transformative technology. The company designs and manufactures quantum computers while delivering quantum computing services through major cloud providers.

What makes IonQ particularly interesting is its operational acceleration. Revenue during the first nine months of 2025 surged 100%+ year-over-year to $68 million, with Q3 alone posting a staggering 222% increase. Beyond raw growth numbers, the company achieved a critical technical milestone: a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity in October 2025. This near-perfect accuracy metric signals that quantum systems are approaching error-reduction thresholds necessary for commercial deployment. IonQ’s manufacturing cost structure—reportedly 30 times lower than competing solutions—further strengthens its competitive moat.

Admittedly, the stock commands a premium valuation at 158 times sales and exhibits volatility typical of pre-profitability growth plays. However, for risk-tolerant investors seeking exposure to a transformative technology with genuine proof points, this represents one of the best stock to buy candidates in the high-conviction growth category.

AI Chip Shortage Creates Urgency for Infrastructure Players

While quantum computing remains speculative, artificial intelligence infrastructure investment carries immediate commercial momentum. Gartner forecasts AI infrastructure spending will spike 41% to $1.4 trillion in 2026—a force that benefits two distinct players along the value chain.

Celestica (NYSE: CLS) operates as the manufacturing backbone for AI acceleration hardware. The company designs and manufactures networking components embedded in AI accelerator chips produced by industry heavyweights including Broadcom, Marvell Technology, AMD, and Intel. Additionally, Celestica engineers and builds rack-scale networking systems deployed by hyperscalers constructing AI data centers globally. The result: revenue jumped approximately 27% in 2025 to $12.2 billion, with near-term forecasts signaling further acceleration. Trading at just 3.2 times sales, Celestica emerges as one of the best stock to buy plays for capturing AI infrastructure adoption at reasonable valuation multiples.

Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) takes a different approach, benefiting from persistent memory chip scarcity. The company trades below 10 times sales despite manufacturing growth rates that appear almost unsustainable—earnings could quadruple in the ongoing fiscal year on a near-doubling of sales. The underlying driver remains durable: demand for memory chips in AI data centers, smartphones, and computing systems continues outpacing supply through 2028, according to industry observers. While Micron and competitors are expanding production capacity, facility buildout requires years. This supply lag suggests memory pricing will remain elevated, particularly for high-bandwidth memory modules essential to modern AI infrastructure. At current valuations and with a 243% gain over the preceding year, Micron represents excellent value for investors seeking best stock to buy exposure to structural supply-demand imbalances.

Valuation Context and Investment Approach

The confluence of market momentum, technological advancement, and valuation reasonableness creates an attractive setup for deploying $1,000 into quality equities. Whether through quantum computing exposure, AI infrastructure beneficiaries, or hybrid approaches, the current environment rewards thoughtful stock selection across multiple time horizons.

Investors should calibrate position sizing according to personal risk tolerance—the quantum computing play suits those comfortable with volatility, while infrastructure plays offer better risk-adjusted returns for conservative portfolios. The common thread: all three represent best stock to buy opportunities where fundamental business improvements align with sector-wide tailwinds.