The AI trade proved its worth again last year, as tech stocks finished with a more than 22% gain. That led to the sector outperforming the broad S&P 500 for the 11th time in the past 12 years.
When it comes to pure-play AI stocks, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) receives the lion’s share of attention. The Magnificent Seven mainstay and the largest publicly traded company by market cap gained nearly 36% in 2025, and is up 1,336% over the past five years.
