Follow The Leaders
Success leaves clues. That’s powerful insight that applies to most areas in life and it also applies to the stock market. There’s two ways I apply this to investing: First, study the most successful investors in history to see what I can learn from them. Second, constantly study the strongest stocks in the market. Why? Because, by definition, they are the “leading stocks” that are lifting the market higher. That’s why my primary focus is studying leading stocks and I do it everyday. I want to find leading stocks that are breaking out, setting up to breakout, and have the same (or similar) characteristics as the strongest stocks in history.
In any competitive arena, knowing the leaders is a very important part of being successful. In sports, you watch the top teams to understand their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. In the stock market, leading stocks—those with the strongest price appreciation, institutional sponsorship, and growth prospects pave the market to rally.
If you study history, you’ll see some of the strongest stocks in history (a.k.a. True Market Leaders) make up the vast majority of the gains on Wall Street. They tend to be the disruptors, the innovators, the pioneers, that change the way consumers behave and create massive economic shifts. Ignoring them is like ignoring the scoreboard in a championship game.
Leading stocks often share common traits: they operate in high-growth sectors, boast innovative business models, and or capitalize on emerging trends like AI, clean energy, or digital transformation. In 2025, for instance, companies tied to artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and consumer technology are gaining traction, reflecting investor confidence in these themes. By focusing on these leaders, investors can align their portfolios with the market’s strongest trends, much like a coach builds a team around the best players.
Moreover, leaders attract institutional money—hedge funds, pension funds, and mutual funds—that drive the market higher. Tracking these stocks allows investors to ride the wave of institutional momentum while avoiding laggards that may hurt returns.
Top 50 Strongest Performing Leading Stocks in 2025
Now let’s take a look at the strongest stocks in the first half of 2025 as of noon eastern on 6/30/25. I have two rules for this screen: 1. Price is over $5/share & 2. Average volume is over 1 million shares per day.
The following 50 stocks have emerged as the strongest performers in 2025, based on year-to-date price percent change. These companies span technology, healthcare, energy, and consumer sectors, reflecting the diverse drivers of today’s market. While not every stock will sustain its leadership, their current strength offers clues to the trends shaping the future.
AEVA – A leader in LiDAR technology, powering autonomous vehicles with cutting-edge sensing solutions.
TDUP – ThredUp, a resale platform capitalizing on sustainable fashion trends.
RGLS – Regulus Therapeutics, advancing RNA-based treatments in biotechnology.
VIGL – Vigil Neuroscience, a biotech firm targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
CRWV – CoreWeave, a cloud computing provider for AI, gaining traction with institutional support.
SEZL – Sezzle, a buy-now-pay-later platform thriving in the fintech space.
APPS – Digital Turbine, enabling app distribution in the mobile ecosystem.
BTM – Bitcoin Depot, riding the wave of cryptocurrency adoption.
GRAL – Grail, a leader in early cancer detection technology.
LTBR – Lightbridge, innovating in nuclear fuel technology.
LFMD – LifeMD, a telehealth platform meeting growing demand for virtual care.
GRPN – Groupon, rebounding with localized deal platforms.
CEP – A lesser-known energy player gaining momentum in clean tech.
LEU – Centrus Energy, a key supplier in the nuclear fuel cycle.
OKLO – Oklo, a small modular reactor company surging after strong sector results.
PRCH – Porch Group, a home services platform leveraging tech innovation.
HOOD – Robinhood, democratizing retail investing with a user-friendly platform.
TSSI – TSS, Inc., providing data center services for high-performance computing.
PGY – Pagaya Technologies, using AI to streamline financial services.
ASTS – AST SpaceMobile, pioneering satellite-to-smartphone connectivity.
CRCL – A clean energy innovator with growing market interest.
EYE – National Vision Holdings, capitalizing on eyewear demand.
SMR – NuScale Power, a leader in small modular reactors with strong earnings.
TMDX – TransMedics, revolutionizing organ transplant technology.
MP – MP Materials, a rare earths producer critical for tech and energy.
CAR – Avis Budget Group, benefiting from travel recovery.
HIMS – Hims & Hers Health, a telehealth leader in wellness and personal care.
OUST – Ouster, a LiDAR company for industrial and automotive applications.
VERV – Verve Therapeutics, advancing gene-editing for cardiovascular disease.
AKRO – Akero Therapeutics, targeting metabolic diseases in biotech.
ADPT – Adaptive Biotechnologies, innovating in immune-driven medicine.
TEM – Tempus AI, using data to advance precision medicine.
SLNO – Soleno Therapeutics, developing treatments for rare disorders.
BKSY – BlackSky Technology, a geospatial intelligence provider.
NVTS – Navitas Semiconductor, powering next-gen electronics.
HTZ – Hertz Global, rebounding in the rental car market.
OPFI – OppFi, a fintech platform for underserved borrowers.
PLTR – Palantir Technologies, a data analytics giant with a 19% surge in April 2025.
NKTR – Nektar Therapeutics, advancing immunotherapy solutions.
NET – Cloudflare, securing and accelerating internet infrastructure.
RBLX – Roblox, a metaverse leader with strong user engagement.
SSRM – SSR Mining, capitalizing on precious metals demand.
NRG – NRG Energy, a diversified energy provider in a shifting market.
GOGO – Gogo Inc., leading in in-flight connectivity solutions.
CELH – Celsius Holdings, a high-growth energy drink company.
KTOS – Kratos Defense, a leader in defense and unmanned systems.
TNGX – Tango Therapeutics, a biotech targeting cancer therapies.
ZS – Zscaler, a cybersecurity leader in cloud security.
ACMR – ACM Research, providing semiconductor manufacturing solutions.
AMLX – Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, focusing on neurodegenerative treatments.
What Does This Mean?
These stocks reflect 2025’s biggest themes: AI and cloud computing, clean & nuclear energy, biotech innovation, and consumer-driven tech. Their strength aligns with macroeconomic trends, such as AI infrastructure investment, which is a priority for just about every big tech stock I can think of. For example, Amazon and Microsoft commited over $80 billion in capex in 2025. Similarly, nuclear energy stocks surged after strong Trump made Nuclear energy a priority and several AI stocks made huge investments in that space.
Year In Review
2025 started off bumpy. The stock market fell by 20% in the first quarter after fear spread about Trump’s tariffs. In early April, the bulls showed up and aggressively bought stocks after Trump eased his stance on tariffs. That lead to a big rally that sent stocks to fresh all time highs by the end of the quarter.
If we zoom out further, we can see that the action is very healthy. The stock market had a huge rally from 2020-2021. Then it had a small and short bear market in 2021-2022. It bottomed in 2023 and had huge rally from 2023-2024. Then in Q4 2024, it moved sideways as it consolidated that very big rally. Finally, in June 2025, it broke out and hit fresh record highs. Zooming out and looking at a monthly chart, that is very bullish. Barring some unforeseen sell off, the second half of 2025 can be very strong.
Disclaimer:
All of these stocks were mentioned in my FindLeadingStocks.com stock market membership website.
To be clear, this list is all general in nature and for educational purposes only. No specific investment recommendations are being made and there are no earnings claims being made. This is just general information that is intended to help people see the leading stocks in the first half of 2025.