Summit Midstream Corporation

Investors should pay attention to small-cap securities of Summit Midstream Corporation, which develops and manages infrastructure for oil and gas transportation and storage, broker-dealer Noble Capital Markets <a href="https://dashboard.channelchek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SMC_20251218_279471.pdf">said</a>. He was the first on Wall Street to assign a rating to its securities. Among the drivers of growth analysts call recent acquisitions and possible interest in it from larger players.

Noble was the first on Wall Street to believe in the potential of the energy Summit. What are the drivers?

At the end of the year, investors wonder if they can capitalize on the so-called "Santa Claus rally" - a period when stocks traditionally rise during the last five trading days of December and the first two days of January. Is it worth counting on this seasonal effect and which market segments give the best chances for additional profitability? Analyst Aldiyar Anuarbekov analyzed for Oninvest how ETFs from different small-cap sectors have behaved during this period over the past 15 years and compared this data with the dynamics of individual companies from the Russell 2000 index.

Does the "Santa Claus Rally" exist? Can you make money on small-caps at the end of the year

D-Wave Quantum Inc.

IonQ, Inc.

Quantum Computing Inc.

Rigetti Computing, Inc.

Shares of quantum computing company D-Wave could rise about 40% over the next two months, Freedom Broker argues in a short-term trade idea seen by <i>Oninvest</i>. A potential increase in U.S. government involvement in the sector is seen as the key growth driver. At the same time, concrete details remain limited, as “sector shares are capable of reacting sharply even to rumors,” and market dynamics “largely determined by sentiment,” Freedom wrote. Year to date, D-Wave shares have about <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/QBTS/">doubled</a>,&nbsp;yet Wall Street believes the rally is not over.

Freedom: D-Wave offers 40% upside on two-month horizon amid U.S. government support

Lemonade, Inc.

Morgan Stanley has <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/lemonade-upgraded-to-equal-weight-from-underweight-at-morgan-stanley/ar-AA1SsuNC">upgraded</a>&nbsp;from "underweight" to "equalweight" mid-cap insurer Lemonade while setting the <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/lmnd/analystestimates?mod=mw_quote_tab">most optimistic target price</a> on Wall Street. The company is showing sustained growth in its auto insurance business and is steadily moving toward EBITDA profitability, the investment bank argued. Against this backdrop, Lemonade shares jumped more than 8% on Tuesday, December 16.

Morgan Stanley upgrades insurer Lemonade to 'equalweight', sets $85 per share TP

Nektar Therapeutics

Pfizer Inc.

Eli Lilly and Company

AbbVie Inc.

Freedom Broker has issued a short-term investment idea to buy shares of Nektar Therapeutics, a small-cap biotech developing a drug for alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. On Tuesday, December 16, the company is set to <a href="https://ir.nektar.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nektar-hold-conference-call-discuss-topline-results-36-week">release</a>&nbsp;new clinical trial data on its lead therapy. If the results are positive, Nektar shares could gain about 22% over the next two months, Freedom Broker analysts said.

Freedom Broker: Nektar may jump 22% in two months on potential upbeat trial results

REV Group, Inc.

Vox Royalty Corp.

Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc.

Contango Ore, Inc.

Aviat Networks, Inc.

Freedom Broker has named five small caps that investors should watch ahead of a potential "Santa Claus rally" – the <a href="https://get.investors.com/infographics/santa-claus-rally/">calendar effect</a> involving a rise in stock prices during the last five trading days in December and the first two in January.&nbsp;

Freedom Broker offers five small caps ahead of potential Santa Claus rally

Ferrari N.V.

Renault SA

Volkswagen AG

Bank of America has bet that some European automakers will be in a favorable position for price gains in 2026 thanks to a likely easing of regulatory rules, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/15/here-are-bank-of-americas-top-european-auto-picks-for-2026.html">reports</a>. The sector's relatively cheap stocks retain catch-up potential amid a possible revision of CO2 emissions regulations, according to Horst Schneider, head of sector research at BofA. The analyst predicts a traditionally strong first quarter for the sector, followed by a correction and a new upturn by the end of the year.

Ferrari and 4 other companies: BofA names the best stocks in Europe's car industry for 2026

Small-cap stocks could outperform both Big Tech shares and the broader S&amp;P 500 index in 2026, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/riskier-small-caps-seen-outperforming-in-2026-on-growth-outlook?srnd=homepage-europe&amp;sref=Y0jVLcFo">Wall Street analysts cited by Bloomberg</a>. Polar Capital America says small caps are an attractive place to invest after years of being overlooked, while JPMorgan argues markets are approaching what it calls "the best stock-picking era we have seen in our lifetime."

'At the gates of the best stockpicking era': Small caps seen as outperforming in 2026

Wealthfront Corporation

The company went public on the Nasdaq under the ticker WLTH

Wealthfront IPO: Shares of major robo-advisory platform become available

Roku, Inc.

Roku's market capitalization is up more than 40% this year, but Wall Street thinks there's still potential there

Immediately two analysts have advised buying shares of the streaming company "off the radar"

Photronics, Inc.

Shares of Photronics, a mid-cap manufacturer of photomask technologies that are a key component in semiconductors, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/PLAB/">surged</a>&nbsp;more than 45% on Wednesday, December 10, to mark their highest level since mid-2001. Investors were snapping up the stock after the company reported quarterly <a href="https://photronicsinc.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/photronics-reports-full-year-and-fourth-quarter-fiscal-2025">results</a>&nbsp;that <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/photronics-earnings-stock-price-67f82a0f?st=njSZRM">beat</a>&nbsp;Wall Street’s expectations across all major indicators.

Quarterly earnings lift semiconductor supply stock Photronics to 24-year high

Alphabet Inc.

Micron Technology, Inc.

CenterCredit

The race for artificial intelligence is turning into the biggest infrastructure cycle of the decade. In 2025, a wave of AI infrastructure investment <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366636102/IT-spending-bonanza-biggest-in-30-years">will drive</a> technology spending worldwide at a pace not seen since the release of Windows 95 in 1995, analysts at IDC have calculated. Record demand for computing power and memory is shaping a new capital architecture and investment direction. We asked Askar Akhmedov, investment director at Atlas Capital, where to invest $10,000 by the end of the year. And two of the three stocks are AI-related.

Investment ideas