AI, Barbie, Chocolate: Bloomberg Names 10 Stocks That Could Perform Well in the Third Quarter

Bloomberg has completely revamped its quarterly list of the ten most interesting stocks: not a single stock from the April edition remains in the July–September 2026 selection. Bloomberg analysts track thousands of companies across industries ranging from computers and automobiles to finance and food, and each quarter they select ten that investors should keep an eye on in the coming months—both for the potential for exceptional returns and because of possible problems.

Compared to the second quarter, the focus has shifted noticeably. The spring list was decidedly optimistic—eight positive, “sunny” forecasts versus two cautious, “cloudy” ones. Now the picture is more subdued: the number of potentially “bearish” stories has doubled.

The geographic scope has expanded: while in the spring Bloomberg identified promising stocks primarily in developed markets—the U.S., Germany, and Japan—the list for the third quarter now includes issuers from Brazil, Malaysia, and South Africa. Artificial intelligence infrastructure remained a recurring theme, but instead of Broadcom chips, it is now driven by Microsoft’s cloud services, Halma components, and Telekom Malaysia’s networks.

— Microsoft (Bloomberg’s “bullish” call) — the largest tech company on the list and the biggest AI story of the quarter. Bloomberg believes the market is underestimating its position in artificial intelligence: its long-standing partnership with OpenAI has turned Microsoft’s cloud into one of the leading neural network platforms. More and more companies are switching to cloud services, and the number of Microsoft 365 subscriptions is also growing. The July earnings report will show whether the company can maintain profitability amid rapidly rising AI infrastructure costs.

— Halma ( growth stock) — a British supplier of equipment for safety, life safety, and health and safety. The positive outlook is linked to AI: about 20% of the company’s revenue comes from optical components that help data centers process data faster and consume less energy. Against the backdrop of cloud giants investing in AI infrastructure, Halma’s sales are expected to exceed expectations, according to Bloomberg’s forecast. The September earnings report will confirm this.

— Telekom Malaysia (Growth) — a Malaysian digital infrastructure provider. According to Bloomberg, the company is expected to benefit from the expansion of data centers in Southeast Asia beyond Singapore. Telekom Malaysia controls key assets in fiber optics, submarine cables, and data transmission infrastructure, and the growth of digitalization is expected to support profits and reduce costs.

— SolarEdge ( growth) — a manufacturer of solar energy equipment. Energy security, volatile gas prices, and high electricity costs are driving demand for SolarEdge systems. Bloomberg expects a recovery in Europe, which accounts for about 30% of the company’s revenue. Data on European sales will be included in the second-quarter report in August.

— Nokian ( growth) — a Finnish tire manufacturer. Bloomberg’s positive outlook is based on a recovery following the loss of low-cost production capacity in Russia. A new plant in Romania should reduce dependence on more expensive third-party manufacturing, and demand for new products will help the company avoid discounts and narrow the margin gap with Pirelli and Continental.

— Hongkong Land (up) — one of the largest owners of office real estate in Hong Kong’s business district. Bloomberg expects a stronger recovery in real estate prices than the market is currently anticipating: rents are rising, companies are upgrading their workspaces, and the value of commercial space has reached a multi-year high.

— Banco do Brasil (Bloomberg points to potential business risks) — Brazil’s largest state-owned bank. Bloomberg’s outlook is negative: households and farmers are increasingly delaying payments, so the bank will likely have to increase its provisions for non-performing loans. Data from the country’s central bank on delinquencies and statistics on the agricultural sector will provide insight into the current state of affairs; the reports are due out in August.

— Barry Callebaut (risk) — a Swiss manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products. Following a spike in cocoa prices, manufacturers have begun reducing the proportion of cocoa in their recipes, which is hurting sales, while extreme weather events, such as the “super El Niño, ” threaten to reduce the harvest and drive up costs. Data on cocoa processing and financial results will be released in July.

— Impala Platinum (risk) — a South African producer of platinum, palladium, and rhodium. The market is pricing in stable metal prices, but prices are falling while production costs are rising. This could lead to weak earnings in September, Bloomberg warns.

— Mattel ( risk) — the manufacturer of Barbie dolls. The impact of the 2023 movie “Barbie” is gradually fading, and retailers are giving shelf space to better-selling categories, such as building sets and trading cards, so sales are likely to be disappointing, Bloomberg fears. The first sales data for merchandise tied to the new “Toy Story” and “Moana” films will appear in the July earnings report.

According to FactSet, the Wall Street consensus does not always align with Bloomberg’s analysis. Microsoft and Hongkong Land have the most unequivocally positive ratings—both stocks have an average “Buy” rating. Wall Street also considers Halma, Telekom Malaysia, Impala Platinum, and Mattel to be attractive (consensus rating: “Overweight,” which corresponds to a buy recommendation), although Bloomberg classifies the latter two companies as risk plays. For SolarEdge, Nokian, Banco do Brasil, and Barry Callebaut, the consensus is neutral—Hold.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor