Postgame Analysis Of 2025 Stock Picks Increases Chances For Profitable 2026

While an end-of-year analysis of stock market trades is always a worthwhile endeavor, it’s easy to see why growth investors might be a bit rusty at the practice in recent years.

The stock market has delivered another year of strong gains. And 2025 was another great year for growth stocks, as this year’s list of the Best Stocks of 2025 shows.

While gains for some growth investors have been stronger than others during the three-year bull run, the common bond among the most successful investors is the same. They’re all strong in the process of a post-year analysis. That means they’re good at turning past trades into learning experiences.

Your online trading platform can help you easily identify your leaders and laggards for the year so you can study your past trades. Start by printing out daily and weekly charts of some of your winners and losers. Then mark where you bought and sold each stock.

Analysis Of Stock Winners

Oftentimes, an end-of-year analysis might show well-timed buys. But some mishandled stocks either sold too early or sold too late.

Investors who bought Micron’s (MU) breakout in September were richly rewarded when the stock more than doubled after a breakout from a cup-with-handle base in early September. No doubt some investors got shaken out and decided to take profits when shares plunged 16% in mid-November and Micron briefly pierced its 10-week moving average.

But the same investors who did a postgame analysis realized rules should’ve kept them in the stock. Micron rallied the week ended Nov. 21 and moved back above its 10-week line.

A look back at Irish discount airline Ryanair (RYAAY) also revealed a well-timed buy during the week ended May 2 when the stock broke out of a base in strong turnover.

It rallied powerfully from there. The sell came when the stock fell below its 10-week line in early September.

But the CoreWeave (CRWV) buy off the 10-week line during the week ended Oct. 24 was ill-advised because the bounce came in lower volume. Still, cutting losses two weeks later was the right move.

Barrick Mining

Plenty of other well-timed trades were there for the taking in 2025. They were literally a dime a dozen after the Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 confirmed a new uptrend on April 22 with follow-through days.

An example would be Barrick Mining (B), which gave three different buy signals earlier this year.

The first was when the gold producer broke out of a cup base in June (Point 1). Then it moved sideways along its 10-week line and broke out of a base again in August (Point 2). Then it rallied sharply for several weeks and bounced off its 10-week line (Point 3) after reporting earnings.

Follow Ken Shreve on X @IBD_KShreve for more stock market analysis and insight.

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