2026 Midyear Update: Winners, Losers & What's Next
Quoth the Raven
· QTR’s Fringe Finance
· August 06, 2026 at 11:35
· ⏱ 1 min read
| Read on Substack ↗
Summary
The author argues that his 26-stock 2026 watchlist is working well despite a volatile first half, with the equal-weight list up an estimated 24.0% versus the S&P 500's 12.8% gain. That 11.2 percentage point outperformance validates his approach of combining diversified, valuation-driven contrarian long-term ideas rather than running a concentrated portfolio. The article as provided contains no ticker-specific actionable trades.
•The 26 Stocks For 2026 watchlist is up an estimated 24.0% on an average equal-weighted basis through roughly seven months of 2026.
•The S&P 500 is up 12.8% over the same period, meaning the watchlist has outperformed by 11.2 percentage points.
•The portfolio was designed as diversified long-term ideas, not a concentrated portfolio.
•Idea selection was based on valuations, macro trends, and areas where Wall Street was too pessimistic or looking in the wrong place.