Stocks to avoid in 2026, according to 10 top fundies

Buy Hold Sell, by Livewire Markets · Jan 11, 2026 · 8m

For most investors, the biggest determinant of long-term outcomes isn’t finding the next multi-bagger – it’s avoiding the handful of stocks that permanently destroy capital.

The data is unambiguous. In his landmark study Do Stocks Outperform Treasury Bills?, Professor Hendrik Bessembinder found that just 4% of listed US stocks accounted for all net wealth creation above Treasury bills since 1926, while the majority failed to outperform cash at all.

For investors, that means the damage done by owning the wrong stocks can outweigh the benefit of trying to pick the next big winner. In other…