Strasmore Research
Market Recap Matt ConnorBy Matt Connor · Updated 2026-07-23 · data as of July 23, 2026 · refreshed weekly

Biggest Stock Gainers & Losers of 2026

The best performing stocks of 2026 and the biggest losers, ranked from the exchange tape on real liquidity, with stock splits and leveraged funds excluded.

The best performing stocks of 2026 so far are led by SNDK, up 550.2% from the opening session of the year through the most recent completed session. This page ranks the biggest stock gainers and losers of 2026 among names that genuinely trade, measured from the exchange tape rather than a vendor summary, and it refreshes while the year runs. Stock splits and leveraged funds are stripped out before anything is ranked, which is where most year-to-date lists quietly go wrong.

Biggest stock gainers of 2026

Every name below cleared a liquidity floor before it was ranked: an average of at least $100 million of stock changing hands per completed session over the past month. A large percentage on a stock nobody trades is a quote, not a result.

QueryBiggest stock gainers of 2026: top ten year to date among heavily traded names
The exact SQL behind every number
WITH complete AS (
    SELECT toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) AS d
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ticker = 'SPY'
      AND window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00')
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY d
    HAVING count() >= 380
),
universe AS (
    SELECT ticker,
           sum(toFloat64(close) * toFloat64(volume)) / uniqExact(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'))) AS adv
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 21 DAY
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= today() - 20
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) IN (SELECT d FROM complete)
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING adv >= 100000000
),
edges AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMinIf(toFloat64(open), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS year_open,
        argMaxIf(toFloat64(close), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS latest_close,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_open,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_close
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ((window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00') AND window_start < toDateTime('2026-01-10 00:00:00'))
        OR (window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 8 DAY))
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
      AND ticker NOT IN ('SPCX')
      AND ticker NOT IN ('KORU','SOXL','SOXS','SOXY','TQQQ','SQQQ','QQQU','SPXL','SPXS','UPRO','SPXU','SPYU','LABU','LABD','FAS','FAZ','TNA','TZA','YINN','YANG','UDOW','SDOW','BOIL','KOLD','UCO','SCO','USD','SSO','SDS','QLD','QID','ERX','ERY','DRN','DRV','CURE','MUU','SNXX','UVXY','SVXY','UVIX','SVIX','BULZ','WEBL','WEBS','DPST','DRIP','GUSH','AGQ','ZSL','GDXU','GDXD','FNGU','FNGD','DUST','JNUG','JDST','NUGT','BITX','BITU','SBIT','ETHU','ETHT','NVDL','NVDS','NVD','NVDX','NVDU','NVDD','NVDQ','TSLL','TSLQ','TSLZ','TSLR','TSLT','TSLS','TSDD','AAPU','AAPD','MSFU','MSFD','GGLL','GGLS','AMZU','AMZD','METU','METD','PLTU','PLTD','SMCX','SMCZ','CONL','CONI','MSTX','MSTU','MSTZ','BRKU','AMDL','AMUU','AMDD','ELIL','ELIS','HOOX','AVGX','AVGU','TSMX','TSMZ','MULL')
      AND ticker NOT IN (SELECT ticker FROM global_markets.stocks_splits
                         WHERE execution_date BETWEEN toDate('2026-01-01') AND today())
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING bars_open >= 100 AND bars_close >= 100
)
SELECT e.ticker AS ticker,
    round((e.latest_close / e.year_open - 1) * 100, 1) AS ytd_return_pct,
    round(u.adv / 1e6, 0) AS avg_daily_dollar_m
FROM edges AS e
INNER JOIN universe AS u ON e.ticker = u.ticker
WHERE e.year_open >= 10
ORDER BY (e.latest_close / e.year_open) DESC
LIMIT 10

SNDK leads the year at 550.2%, with MXL next at 382.4% and AEHR third at 370.6%. Tenth place on the board, SYRE, is still up 213.2%, so the whole table has run far ahead of any broad index.

The dollar column beside each move carries as much information as the percentage. SYRE averages about $100 million of turnover a day. SNDK at the top of the board averages $18782 million. Every name here clears $100 million a day, and the range above that floor is wide enough that the same headline percentage means two different things at its two ends. A thin name is easier to push and harder to exit at the price on the screen.

Biggest stock losers of 2026

The identical measure, in reverse: the steepest year-to-date declines among names clearing the same liquidity floor.

QueryBiggest stock losers of 2026: worst ten year to date among heavily traded names
The exact SQL behind every number
WITH complete AS (
    SELECT toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) AS d
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ticker = 'SPY'
      AND window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00')
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY d
    HAVING count() >= 380
),
universe AS (
    SELECT ticker,
           sum(toFloat64(close) * toFloat64(volume)) / uniqExact(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'))) AS adv
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 21 DAY
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= today() - 20
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) IN (SELECT d FROM complete)
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING adv >= 100000000
),
edges AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMinIf(toFloat64(open), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS year_open,
        argMaxIf(toFloat64(close), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS latest_close,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_open,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_close
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ((window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00') AND window_start < toDateTime('2026-01-10 00:00:00'))
        OR (window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 8 DAY))
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
      AND ticker NOT IN ('SPCX')
      AND ticker NOT IN ('KORU','SOXL','SOXS','SOXY','TQQQ','SQQQ','QQQU','SPXL','SPXS','UPRO','SPXU','SPYU','LABU','LABD','FAS','FAZ','TNA','TZA','YINN','YANG','UDOW','SDOW','BOIL','KOLD','UCO','SCO','USD','SSO','SDS','QLD','QID','ERX','ERY','DRN','DRV','CURE','MUU','SNXX','UVXY','SVXY','UVIX','SVIX','BULZ','WEBL','WEBS','DPST','DRIP','GUSH','AGQ','ZSL','GDXU','GDXD','FNGU','FNGD','DUST','JNUG','JDST','NUGT','BITX','BITU','SBIT','ETHU','ETHT','NVDL','NVDS','NVD','NVDX','NVDU','NVDD','NVDQ','TSLL','TSLQ','TSLZ','TSLR','TSLT','TSLS','TSDD','AAPU','AAPD','MSFU','MSFD','GGLL','GGLS','AMZU','AMZD','METU','METD','PLTU','PLTD','SMCX','SMCZ','CONL','CONI','MSTX','MSTU','MSTZ','BRKU','AMDL','AMUU','AMDD','ELIL','ELIS','HOOX','AVGX','AVGU','TSMX','TSMZ','MULL')
      AND ticker NOT IN (SELECT ticker FROM global_markets.stocks_splits
                         WHERE execution_date BETWEEN toDate('2026-01-01') AND today())
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING bars_open >= 100 AND bars_close >= 100
)
SELECT e.ticker AS ticker,
    round((e.latest_close / e.year_open - 1) * 100, 1) AS ytd_return_pct,
    round(u.adv / 1e6, 0) AS avg_daily_dollar_m
FROM edges AS e
INNER JOIN universe AS u ON e.ticker = u.ticker
WHERE e.year_open >= 10
ORDER BY (e.latest_close / e.year_open) ASC
LIMIT 10

The steepest year-to-date decline belongs to EOSE at -63.6%, followed by CSGP at -57.5%. Tenth on the list, HUBS, sits at -45.2%. Several names here are large, widely held companies rather than speculative micro caps, which is the part of a loser list that surprises people. Liquidity and analyst coverage put no floor under a share price. Anyone holding one of these as an outsized share of a portfolio took the full move, which the risk of holding one stock page measures with volatility and drawdown numbers.

How much of the market is up in 2026

A leaderboard only shows the two tails. Breadth shows the body: how the whole screened universe, index funds included, splits between advancing and declining names, bucketed by size of move.

QueryYear-to-date breadth: how the screened universe is distributed across return buckets
The exact SQL behind every number
WITH complete AS (
    SELECT toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) AS d
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ticker = 'SPY'
      AND window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00')
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY d
    HAVING count() >= 380
),
universe AS (
    SELECT ticker,
           sum(toFloat64(close) * toFloat64(volume)) / uniqExact(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'))) AS adv
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 21 DAY
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= today() - 20
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) IN (SELECT d FROM complete)
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING adv >= 100000000
),
edges AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMinIf(toFloat64(open), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS year_open,
        argMaxIf(toFloat64(close), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS latest_close,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_open,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_close
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ((window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00') AND window_start < toDateTime('2026-01-10 00:00:00'))
        OR (window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 8 DAY))
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
      AND ticker NOT IN ('SPCX')
      AND ticker NOT IN ('KORU','SOXL','SOXS','SOXY','TQQQ','SQQQ','QQQU','SPXL','SPXS','UPRO','SPXU','SPYU','LABU','LABD','FAS','FAZ','TNA','TZA','YINN','YANG','UDOW','SDOW','BOIL','KOLD','UCO','SCO','USD','SSO','SDS','QLD','QID','ERX','ERY','DRN','DRV','CURE','MUU','SNXX','UVXY','SVXY','UVIX','SVIX','BULZ','WEBL','WEBS','DPST','DRIP','GUSH','AGQ','ZSL','GDXU','GDXD','FNGU','FNGD','DUST','JNUG','JDST','NUGT','BITX','BITU','SBIT','ETHU','ETHT','NVDL','NVDS','NVD','NVDX','NVDU','NVDD','NVDQ','TSLL','TSLQ','TSLZ','TSLR','TSLT','TSLS','TSDD','AAPU','AAPD','MSFU','MSFD','GGLL','GGLS','AMZU','AMZD','METU','METD','PLTU','PLTD','SMCX','SMCZ','CONL','CONI','MSTX','MSTU','MSTZ','BRKU','AMDL','AMUU','AMDD','ELIL','ELIS','HOOX','AVGX','AVGU','TSMX','TSMZ','MULL')
      AND ticker NOT IN (SELECT ticker FROM global_markets.stocks_splits
                         WHERE execution_date BETWEEN toDate('2026-01-01') AND today())
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING bars_open >= 100 AND bars_close >= 100
),
rets AS (
    SELECT e.ticker AS ticker, (e.latest_close / e.year_open - 1) * 100 AS ret
    FROM edges AS e
    INNER JOIN universe AS u ON e.ticker = u.ticker
    WHERE e.year_open >= 10
)
SELECT bucket,
       names,
       round(100 * sum(names) OVER (PARTITION BY side) / sum(names) OVER (), 1) AS side_share_pct
FROM (
    SELECT tup.1 AS bucket, tup.2 AS names, tup.3 AS ord, tup.4 AS side
    FROM (
        SELECT arrayJoin([
            ('Down 40%+',   countIf(ret < -40),               1, 'down'),
            ('Down 20-40%', countIf(ret >= -40 AND ret < -20), 2, 'down'),
            ('Down 10-20%', countIf(ret >= -20 AND ret < -10), 3, 'down'),
            ('Down 0-10%',  countIf(ret >= -10 AND ret < 0),   4, 'down'),
            ('Up 0-10%',    countIf(ret >= 0 AND ret < 10),    5, 'up'),
            ('Up 10-25%',   countIf(ret >= 10 AND ret < 25),   6, 'up'),
            ('Up 25-50%',   countIf(ret >= 25 AND ret < 50),   7, 'up'),
            ('Up 50%+',     countIf(ret >= 50),                8, 'up')
        ]) AS tup
        FROM rets
    )
)
ORDER BY ord

61.8% of the screened names are higher on the year and 38.2% are lower. The distribution is what a top-ten table hides. 25 names sit in the Down 40%+ bucket at one end and 132 in the Up 50%+ bucket at the other, against 144 in Down 0-10% and 173 in Up 0-10% either side of unchanged. Most of the market is doing something ordinary in any given year, and the names on the two tables above are the exception the averages are built from.

Where the market itself stands

A single stock's year reads differently against the market's own. The four major index ETFs, over exactly the same window:

QueryThe four major index ETFs, year to date, over the same measured window
The exact SQL behind every number
WITH complete AS (
    SELECT toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) AS d
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ticker = 'SPY'
      AND window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00')
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY d
    HAVING count() >= 380
),
edges AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMinIf(toFloat64(open), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS year_open,
        argMaxIf(toFloat64(close), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS latest_close,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_open,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_close
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ((window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00') AND window_start < toDateTime('2026-01-10 00:00:00'))
        OR (window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 8 DAY))
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
      AND ticker IN ('SPY', 'QQQ', 'DIA', 'IWM')
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING bars_open >= 100 AND bars_close >= 100
)
SELECT multiIf(ticker = 'SPY', 'S&P 500 (SPY)', ticker = 'QQQ', 'Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)',
               ticker = 'DIA', 'Dow (DIA)', ticker = 'IWM', 'Russell 2000 (IWM)', ticker) AS label,
    round((latest_close / year_open - 1) * 100, 1) AS ytd_return_pct,
    (SELECT toString(min(d)) FROM complete) AS measured_from_date,
    (SELECT toString(max(d)) FROM complete) AS measured_through_date
FROM edges
ORDER BY ytd_return_pct DESC

Both boards and the panel above are measured over one window: the first full session of 2026 (2026-01-02) through the most recent completed session (2026-07-21). Across it Russell 2000 (IWM) returned 19.7% and Dow (DIA) returned 8.2%. Every name on the gainers table cleared all four by a wide margin, which is the arithmetic of an index at work: hundreds of holdings averaged into one line, where individual moves partly cancel. The spread underneath that line was far wider than the line itself, and the sector scorecard for the first half ranks all eleven sectors against each other.

The stock split that fakes a year-to-date move

A split changes the share count and the per-share price without changing what a holding is worth. Over a window this long many companies split, and an unadjusted year-to-date calculation reads the change in the per-share price as performance. The names below each carried a 2026 split or stock dividend large enough to move that price by at least a fifth, and each cleared the same liquidity floor, so each was eligible for the boards above before the split filter removed it.

QueryExcluded from the boards: 2026 splits large enough to fake a year-to-date move
The exact SQL behind every number
WITH complete AS (
    SELECT toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) AS d
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ticker = 'SPY'
      AND window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00')
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY d
    HAVING count() >= 380
),
universe AS (
    SELECT ticker,
           sum(toFloat64(close) * toFloat64(volume)) / uniqExact(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'))) AS adv
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 21 DAY
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= today() - 20
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) IN (SELECT d FROM complete)
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING adv >= 100000000
),
split_terms AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMax(split_to, execution_date) AS new_shares,
        argMax(split_from, execution_date) AS old_shares,
        round((old_shares / new_shares - 1) * 100, 1) AS split_price_effect_pct,
        replaceAll(argMax(adjustment_type, execution_date), '_', ' ') AS split_type,
        toString(max(execution_date)) AS split_date
    FROM global_markets.stocks_splits
    WHERE execution_date BETWEEN toDate('2026-01-01') AND today()
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING new_shares > 0 AND old_shares > 0
       AND greatest(new_shares / old_shares, old_shares / new_shares) >= 1.25
),
edges AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMinIf(toFloat64(open), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS year_open,
        argMaxIf(toFloat64(close), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS latest_close,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_open,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_close
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ((window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00') AND window_start < toDateTime('2026-01-10 00:00:00'))
        OR (window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 8 DAY))
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
      AND ticker NOT IN ('SPCX')
      AND ticker NOT IN ('KORU','SOXL','SOXS','SOXY','TQQQ','SQQQ','QQQU','SPXL','SPXS','UPRO','SPXU','SPYU','LABU','LABD','FAS','FAZ','TNA','TZA','YINN','YANG','UDOW','SDOW','BOIL','KOLD','UCO','SCO','USD','SSO','SDS','QLD','QID','ERX','ERY','DRN','DRV','CURE','MUU','SNXX','UVXY','SVXY','UVIX','SVIX','BULZ','WEBL','WEBS','DPST','DRIP','GUSH','AGQ','ZSL','GDXU','GDXD','FNGU','FNGD','DUST','JNUG','JDST','NUGT','BITX','BITU','SBIT','ETHU','ETHT','NVDL','NVDS','NVD','NVDX','NVDU','NVDD','NVDQ','TSLL','TSLQ','TSLZ','TSLR','TSLT','TSLS','TSDD','AAPU','AAPD','MSFU','MSFD','GGLL','GGLS','AMZU','AMZD','METU','METD','PLTU','PLTD','SMCX','SMCZ','CONL','CONI','MSTX','MSTU','MSTZ','BRKU','AMDL','AMUU','AMDD','ELIL','ELIS','HOOX','AVGX','AVGU','TSMX','TSMZ','MULL')
      AND ticker IN (SELECT ticker FROM split_terms)
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING bars_open >= 100 AND bars_close >= 100
),
ranked AS (
    SELECT e.ticker AS ticker,
        round((e.latest_close / e.year_open - 1) * 100, 1) AS unadjusted_ytd_pct,
        s.split_price_effect_pct AS split_price_effect_pct,
        s.split_type AS split_type,
        s.split_date AS split_date
    FROM edges AS e
    INNER JOIN split_terms AS s ON e.ticker = s.ticker
    WHERE e.year_open >= 10 AND e.ticker IN (SELECT ticker FROM universe)
)
SELECT ticker, unadjusted_ytd_pct, split_price_effect_pct, split_type, split_date
FROM (
    SELECT ticker, unadjusted_ytd_pct, split_price_effect_pct, split_type, split_date,
           row_number() OVER (ORDER BY unadjusted_ytd_pct ASC) AS rn_low,
           row_number() OVER (ORDER BY unadjusted_ytd_pct DESC) AS rn_high
    FROM ranked
)
WHERE rn_low <= 14 OR rn_high = 1
ORDER BY unadjusted_ytd_pct ASC

BKNG would print -96.7% on an unadjusted screen after a forward split moved its per-share price -96%, and VGT would print -84.8% after a forward split moved its price -87.5%. No holder of either lost anything on the day the split took effect. The per-share price was divided and the share count was multiplied by the same factor. The split effect column isolates the price change the split alone accounts for, which is the part an unadjusted screen reads as performance.

The last row of the panel runs the other way: DD shows 243.4% after a reverse split lifted its per-share price 200%, raising the price instead of cutting it. Any list that skips this step publishes fiction at the top and the bottom simultaneously, which is why the screen sets split tickers aside rather than trying to patch their prices. A fund can land in this panel as easily as a company: index funds split their shares too, and this screen covers both.

How this screen is measured

Each stage of the screen, with the number of names still standing after it:

QueryThe screen, stage by stage: how many names survive each filter
The exact SQL behind every number
WITH complete AS (
    SELECT toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) AS d
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ticker = 'SPY'
      AND window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00')
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY d
    HAVING count() >= 380
),
universe AS (
    SELECT ticker
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 21 DAY
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= today() - 20
      AND toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) IN (SELECT d FROM complete)
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960
    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING sum(toFloat64(close) * toFloat64(volume)) / uniqExact(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'))) >= 100000000
),
edges AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        argMinIf(toFloat64(open), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS year_open,
        argMaxIf(toFloat64(close), toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York'), toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS latest_close,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT min(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_open,
        countIf(toDate(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) = (SELECT max(d) FROM complete)) AS bars_close
    FROM global_markets.delayed_stocks_minute_aggs
    WHERE ((window_start >= toDateTime('2026-01-01 00:00:00') AND window_start < toDateTime('2026-01-10 00:00:00'))
        OR (window_start >= now() - INTERVAL 8 DAY))
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) >= 570
      AND toHour(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) * 60 + toMinute(toTimeZone(window_start, 'America/New_York')) < 960

    GROUP BY ticker
    HAVING bars_open >= 100 AND bars_close >= 100
),
flagged AS (
    SELECT ticker,
        year_open,
        ticker IN (SELECT ticker FROM universe) AS liquid,
        ticker NOT IN ('SPCX','KORU','SOXL','SOXS','SOXY','TQQQ','SQQQ','QQQU','SPXL','SPXS','UPRO','SPXU','SPYU','LABU','LABD','FAS','FAZ','TNA','TZA','YINN','YANG','UDOW','SDOW','BOIL','KOLD','UCO','SCO','USD','SSO','SDS','QLD','QID','ERX','ERY','DRN','DRV','CURE','MUU','SNXX','UVXY','SVXY','UVIX','SVIX','BULZ','WEBL','WEBS','DPST','DRIP','GUSH','AGQ','ZSL','GDXU','GDXD','FNGU','FNGD','DUST','JNUG','JDST','NUGT','BITX','BITU','SBIT','ETHU','ETHT','NVDL','NVDS','NVD','NVDX','NVDU','NVDD','NVDQ','TSLL','TSLQ','TSLZ','TSLR','TSLT','TSLS','TSDD','AAPU','AAPD','MSFU','MSFD','GGLL','GGLS','AMZU','AMZD','METU','METD','PLTU','PLTD','SMCX','SMCZ','CONL','CONI','MSTX','MSTU','MSTZ','BRKU','AMDL','AMUU','AMDD','ELIL','ELIS','HOOX','AVGX','AVGU','TSMX','TSMZ','MULL') AS not_geared,
        ticker NOT IN (SELECT ticker FROM global_markets.stocks_splits
                       WHERE execution_date BETWEEN toDate('2026-01-01') AND today()) AS no_split
    FROM edges
)
SELECT tup.1 AS screen_step, tup.2 AS names
FROM (
    SELECT arrayJoin([
        ('Traded the first and the last full session', count()),
        ('Averaging $100m+ a day over the past month', countIf(liquid)),
        ('Opened 2026 above $10 a share', countIf(liquid AND year_open >= 10)),
        ('Not on the excluded-fund list', countIf(liquid AND year_open >= 10 AND not_geared)),
        ('No split or stock dividend in 2026', countIf(liquid AND year_open >= 10 AND not_geared AND no_split))
    ]) AS tup
    FROM flagged
)

The method, stated in full:

  • The window. The first full trading session of 2026 through the most recent full session on the tape. Both endpoints are read from the minute bars, and a session counts only when it carries a complete regular-hours bar count, so a day still in progress is never treated as finished.
  • The return. First regular-session open of the year against last regular-session close, computed from minute bars. Premarket and after-hours prints are ignored. These are price returns; dividends are not added back, so a high-yield name reads slightly worse here than a total-return figure would show.
  • The liquidity floor. An average of at least $100 million of regular-hours turnover per session over the past 20 calendar days, counting only sessions that ran start to finish. A partial session would otherwise divide part of a day's dollars by a whole day and understate every name's turnover. That single filter takes the field from 4516 tickers to 1039.
  • The price floor. The stock opened the year above $10 a share. Sub-$10 names produce large percentages from small price steps.
  • Leveraged and inverse funds are excluded through a curated list, printed in full in the SQL under every table. It covers the index-geared funds and the single-stock funds that multiply one company's daily move. A geared fund can top any raw movers list without a single piece of company news. The list is maintained by hand, which is its weakness: a fund launched this month is only excluded once someone adds it.
  • Ordinary funds are not filtered out. An unlevered index or sector ETF that clears the liquidity and price floors is ranked here alongside operating companies, and it sits in the breadth counts too. A fund is a basket of names already counted in the same universe, so read those rows as what the basket did rather than as one company's year.
  • Splits. Any ticker with a split or a stock dividend taking effect during 2026 is set aside, however small the ratio. That is the conservative choice: it costs a handful of genuine performers a place on the board, and it never publishes a share-count change as a return. The panel above shows the excluded names whose split was large enough to fake a move.
  • Late listings. A company that listed after the first session of the year has no January price and is absent from these tables, which is a real gap in a year with a heavy new-listing calendar.
  • The result. 956 names are ranked, and the top and bottom ten of them are the two boards on this page.

The same question over three windows

Year to date is one rung of a ladder, and a move looks different at each length. The week view is the biggest stock gainers and losers this week, the month view is the biggest stock movers this month, and this page is the year. The floors differ by rung: this page screens on an average of $100 million a day over the past month, while the week and month pages screen on total dollars traded inside their own windows, so a name can clear one board and miss another. A name that tops the weekly board on one earnings reaction often sits mid-table over the year. For the wider narrative behind the year so far, the first-half market recap carries the index, rates and sector detail, and how leveraged ETFs work explains why the geared funds are set aside here.

FAQ

What is the best performing stock of 2026?

Among names averaging at least $100 million of trading a day, opening the year above $10, carrying no 2026 split and absent from the leveraged-fund list, SNDK is the best performing stock of 2026 to date, up 550.2% from the first session of the year. MXL is second at 382.4%.

What stocks have dropped the most in 2026?

EOSE is the worst performing stock of 2026 on this screen at -63.6%, ahead of CSGP at -57.5%. The full list of the biggest stock losers of 2026 is in the second table above, refreshed as the year runs.

How is a year-to-date stock return calculated?

A year-to-date return compares the latest price with the price at the start of the calendar year and expresses the change as a percentage. Here it is the first regular-session open of 2026 measured against the most recent completed session's close. Stocks that split during the year are set aside rather than adjusted, so no adjustment factor sits between the reader and the tape.

Are leveraged ETFs included in the 2026 gainers list?

No. A leveraged or inverse fund multiplies an index's or a single stock's daily move, so it routinely tops a raw movers list with no company news behind it. Those funds are removed by name before ranking, and the list is visible in the SQL under each table. Ordinary index and sector ETFs are a different case: they clear the same floors as any stock and are ranked here, so a fund can appear on either board.

Every table here is a stored query with its SQL attached. Expand any panel to audit the screen, or rebuild it with your own floors on the Strasmore terminal.

#market movers#gainers and losers#year to date#stock splits#market breadth