So here’s a fun holiday experiment: Business Insider asked 10 professional investors what single stock they’d gift this Christmas. You know, because nothing says “Merry Christmas” like unsolicited investment advice from your uncle who works in finance.
The results? Well, let’s just say if this were a high school popularity contest, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) would be prom king. Three different pros picked it as their #1 gift stock. That’s either really smart consensus thinking or a serious case of groupthink. You decide.
The Alphabet Fan Club
Ross Gerber from Gerber Kawasaki thinks Google is the ultimate stock gift because of its “vast resources” and investments in other tech companies. Translation: Google has its fingers in every pie, and when you’re that diversified, something’s bound to work out. Plus, he thinks Google’s self-driving car tech gives it an edge over Tesla. (Shots fired, Elon.)
Daniel Newman from Futurum Group agrees, calling Google a mix of “significant upside with deep moats” but without “massive downside risk.” In plain English: it’s the investment equivalent of ordering chicken at a fancy restaurant – probably won’t blow your mind, but you’re not going to hate it either.
The Nvidia True Believer
Louis Navellier went full fanboy on Nvidia, calling it “a monopoly and a safe hold till at least the end of the decade.” Bold words for a stock that’s already up 38% this year. But hey, when you’re the company basically powering the entire AI revolution, confidence isn’t exactly misplaced.
The Contrarian Picks
Some pros went off the beaten path. Eric Clark picked Warby Parker because, and I quote, “as we spend more time on devices, we pull forward the need to get glasses.” Basically, he’s betting that our collective screen addiction will make everyone need reading glasses sooner. Depressing but probably accurate.
Then there’s Darius Dale, who skipped stocks entirely and went with a gold ETF. His reasoning? Gold is “the gift that is likely to keep on giving.” Nothing says Christmas spirit like betting against the entire financial system, right?
The Amazon Bargain Hunter
Greg Halter made the case for Amazon, pointing out it’s now “cheaper than Walmart on a valuation basis.” When Amazon looks like a value play compared to Walmart, you know we’re living in interesting times. He’s betting on AI and robots making Amazon’s warehouses even more efficient, which sounds both exciting and slightly terrifying.
The Dark Horse
Alexander Wah picked Legence, a under-the-radar tech stock that’s up 59% this year. His pitch involves “specialized plumbing for datacenter division,” which sounds incredibly boring until you realize someone has to build the infrastructure for all those AI servers.
The takeaway? Even the pros can’t agree on what to buy, but they’re all pretty bullish on tech companies that either dominate search, power AI, or help us see our screens better. Maybe the real gift was the diversified portfolio we made along the way.