Market Mondays #291: 2026 Stock Picks, Venezuela Investment Plays, 3 Sectors to Focus On, Gold & Bitcoin Predictions Date: January 6, 2026
Hosts: Rashad, Troy, Ian Schwarzman (EYL Network)

Episode Overview

The kickoff 2026 episode delivers a deep dive into the year's investment landscape. Hosts Rashad, Troy, and stock market expert Ian Schwarzman (Dunlap) examine actionable stock picks, sector trends, and global events impacting markets. They elaborate on the Venezuela crisis, the rise of defense tech, health sector innovations (notably weight-loss drugs), and gold & Bitcoin forecasts. The crew also fields live investment questions, all with their trademark candor, insight, and culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Five Essential Daily Habits for Success in 2026

(05:03 – 13:13)

Hosts share habits to cultivate wealth, discipline, and health:

• Rashad & Troy:
  • Workout an hour daily for physical health.
  • Morning meditation and prayer for mental/spiritual clarity. "You gotta be grateful. That's a major thing. I'm a big proponent in prayer." – Troy (06:21)
  • Nutrition: Only fruit/juice before noon, no eating after 8pm, hydrate with a gallon of water per day.
  • Daily education: Read, listen/watch at least 1 hour of informative content.
  • Self-reflection with family ("Reflection turns experience into wisdom").
  • Daily asset check-in: "Every day I check the money. Every account, personal account, and business credit." – Rashad (09:52)
• Ian:
  • Meditation & prayer first.
  • Proactively connect with loved ones.
  • Daily gratitude journaling.
  • Learn and do one new thing per day.
  • Study obscure markets (commodities, prediction markets): "Your edge is going to come from something that people don't see yet." (11:54)

Boundaries for 2026:

• Ian: No business calls before 9am.
• Rashad: Start the day with prayer and reading before any screen or email.

2. Health Sector Update: Novo Nordisk's Weight-Loss Pill

(14:55 – 20:13)

• Novo Nordisk launched first FDA-approved weight-loss pill, shifting the industry away from injections (e.g. Ozempic).
• Ian’s view:
  • "Great effort but will they beat Lilly? No." – Ian (15:54)
  • Stock may pop to $77.26 but not a buy; Eli Lilly remains dominant ("They're like Apple in the healthcare space").
• Rashad:
  • Pill makes treatment more affordable (“from $1,200 to $149/month”).
  • Expansion to 70k+ retail stores is a "game changer."
  • GLP pill removes access/insurance barriers, but competitive advantage will erode as other companies (Lilly) catch up.
• Bigger takeaway: Innovation in delivery methods is great, but fundamentals and American market politics still determine winners.

3. Venezuela Crisis & Investment Implications

(21:15 – 41:35)

Backdrop: US ousts Venezuela’s president; regime change and resource control are in play.
Discussion Tracks:

Investment Angles:

• Obvious energy plays: Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Slumberger, ETF XLE, ITA.
  • "Nobody will care about this oil trade in three months. It’s a good move for today." – Ian (23:38)
• Key insight:
  • The oil trade is short-lived—"oil is a very short term, short-sighted trade" (37:18).
  • Long-term impacts are in gold, Bitcoin, Palantir (defense/data tech), and other safe havens.
  • "Gold was up today... that's also another benefactor of the situation." – Troy (24:05)

Geo-political/Moral Context:

• Morality of investing in crisis: Hosts debate the line between profits and ethics.
  • "There's that part of, like that moral investing that people will stick to. Or some people just say, yo, there's an opportunity to make money. We got to make it." – Rashad (30:24)
  • "Morals is a tricky thing..." – Troy (30:41)
• US regime change vs. Iraq/Gaddafi: Hosts note it's not a classic regime change, but rather installation of a “cooperative” leader.

Defense & Commodities:

• Mention of defense stocks as long-term plays: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (RTX), Boeing, Palantir, Anduril.
• Tech-driven warfare: "This is the new way to wage warfare…" (39:25)
• ETFS: ITA (defense), energy and gold.
• Notable quote: "In any crisis, the obvious trade is never the one that's in front of you." – Ian (41:47)
• Caution against oversimplified viral advice (e.g. “buy land in Venezuela”): "The context of that is missing so much." – Troy (41:12)

4. China, Taiwan & Semiconductors – A Brewing Geopolitical Storm

(42:14 – 52:03)

• China signals intention to unify with Taiwan in 2026; implications for TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor).
• Debate: Will China invade soon?
  • Troy/Rashad/Ian: Consensus is not this year; sabotage of TSMC would be mutually destructive.
  • Rashad: "Inside that company, there's a kill switch, right?" (46:44)
• Critical numbers:
  • TSMC makes 90% of certain global semiconductors.
  • 45% of US GDP last year came from 42 tech stocks, with TSM responsible for 20% of that.
  • "TSMC is the linchpin of global tech." – Ian
• Wider concern: Hyper-concentration in markets (top tech stocks), the risk if that resets, and America’s dependency on tech/growth stocks.

5. The Top Three Sectors to Focus on in 2026

(54:01 – 58:45)

• Rashad’s picks: Tech, Energy, Financials
  • Tech (AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity, subsectors).
  • Energy (esp. nuclear, clean, and infrastructure: "Caterpillar… turbines…").
  • Financials poised to benefit from deregulation, rate cuts, and new Fed chair.
• Ian’s picks: Tech, Healthcare, Financials
  • Healthcare poised for growth (weight-loss drugs, innovation, deregulation).
  • "JP will do well. Robinhood [and] Citi trading at 2008 levels.”
• Other mentions: Commodities (gold, silver, copper), subsectors like cybersecurity, ETFs.

6. Gold, Silver, and Bitcoin – Predictions & Rationale

(58:46 – 61:10; 71:14 – 73:08; Various)

• Gold: Remains a strong buy due to global unrest & financial market risk.
  • "Gold, copper, and silver up at the same time—that’s scary." – Ian (57:53)
• Bitcoin: Ian projects BTC could hit $119k–$143k, driven by global instability and political adoption. "If an investment can give you a potential upside of 80 to 100%, you have to be optimistic about bitcoin for this year." – Ian (71:23)
• Mike Novogratz quote (36:37): "Gold getting to $10,000 is not too far-fetched these days."

7. 2026 Stock Picks: Rashad & Ian’s Top Choices

(59:47 – 71:03)

Rashad's 2026 Portfolio:

• Tech/Semiconductors: TSMC, Nvidia, AMD, Micron, Western Digital
• AI/Tech: Meta (highlighting $2B Manus acquisition), Google (Gemini TPU, SpaceX partnership, Samsung deal), Microsoft
• Financials: Visa, Robinhood
• Healthcare: Eli Lilly (Lily)
• Green Energy: GEV (Green Energy Vehicle)
• Quote re: Meta acquisition: "Manus was the fastest company ever to $100M ARR." (61:11)
• Micron’s importance: "Memory, memory, memory." (69:54)
• Physical AI as a real thing: Nvidia’s lead through acquisitions and innovation.

Ian’s Picks:

• Nvidia, Visa, American Express, Moody’s, plus more in Stock Club.

Bonus Picks (IPOs):

• If you could only buy two IPOs for the next 7 years: SpaceX and OpenAI (98:14)
• Stripe and Anthropic also get mentions for the future.

Actionable Micron Buy Levels:

(94:48)

• Quick Entry: $273.79
• Swing Trade: $249.75
• "Load the boat": $210.50

8. Broader Market & Political Outlook for 2026

(76:21 – 90:14)

• General 2026 sentiment:

  • First half expected to be “absolutely amazing”; expect Dow at 52,000 and SPY at 749. (76:24)
  • Watch out for a mid-year drop due to geopolitical risk.
  • Strong AI trade persists, but concern for “the bottom 40% of software companies” (78:07).
  • The first 5 trading days can signal the year’s direction; 2 of 5 positive so far.
  • "I think we end up 13%... double digits", between 9%–13% for the year, barring a political shakeup. (82:24)

• Politics and Market Risk:

  • Blue wave (Democratic sweep) could lead to brief market negativity.
  • "Republicans keep the House and Senate, good for the stock market in the short-term." – Troy (81:53)
  • Hosts highlight manipulation of political narratives via social media and the risks it poses.

• Market Structure Warning: Hyper-concentration in "Magnificent 7" tech stocks is historically risky (52:07).

9. Investment Guidance: When to Buy, How to Automate, and Dollar Cost Averaging

(90:55 – 94:48)

• General advice to new investors:
  • Automate monthly investments (dollar cost averaging).
  • Pre-select entry points: 10%–40% drawdowns from ATH for partial-to-heavy buying.
  • Rashad: "Don't want to invest at all-time highs... set your plan."
  • Ian: "If you stop going out as much and put that money into the companies that run the world, you have money to go out all the time." (91:41)

10. Memorable/Notable Quotes

• "Your edge is going to come from something that people don't see yet" – Ian (11:54)
• "This administration is going to push a company forward. That’s America." – Ian (20:03)
• "You seize the oil. We’re talking 3 billion barrels, right? You trade that for petrodollars…" – Rashad (25:29)
• "Every day I check the money." – Rashad (09:52)
• "In any crisis, the obvious trade is never the one that’s in front of you." – Ian (41:47)
• "AI eats software—what happens to the bottom 40% of software companies?" – Ian (77:34)
• "If bitcoin can give you 80% to 100% upside, you have to be optimistic." – Ian (71:23)
• "I think 13% is where we're coming at." – Ian (80:34)

11. Giving Back: Brokerage Account Cash Giveaway

(100:00)

• In honor of the new year and new investors, the team gives away $1,000 cash app drops to several first-time investors to help them start a brokerage account.

Summary Table: Sectors, Stocks, and 2026 Standouts

| Sector | Top Picks/ETFs | Key Rationale | |-----------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | Technology | TSMC, Nvidia, AMD, Micron, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Apple | Dominant sector; AI, semiconductors, hardware, innovation, cloud | | Energy | Chevron, ExxonMobil, Conoco, Phillips 66, XLE, GEV, Caterpillar | AI/data revolution needs power; nuclear, oil as short-term trade | | Financials | Visa, Robinhood, Moody’s, JPMorgan, Citi | Rate cuts, deregulation, innovation in fintech | | Healthcare | Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk | Weight loss drugs, deregulation, long-term growth | | Defense Tech | Palantir, Raytheon (RTX), Lockheed, Boeing, Anduril, ITA | Shift to tech-driven warfare, AI, autonomy | | Commodities | Gold, Silver, Copper, Bitcoin | Safe havens amid geopolitical risk |

Useful Timestamps

• Daily Habits for 2026: 05:03–13:13
• Novo Weight Loss Pill: 14:55–20:13
• Venezuela Investment Plays: 21:15–41:35
• China, Taiwan & TSMC: 42:14–52:03
• Three Sectors for 2026: 54:01–58:45
• Gold/Bitcoin Predictions: 58:46–61:10; 71:14–73:08
• Stock Picks: 59:47–71:03
• Entry Price Strategy: 90:55–94:48
• Cash Giveaway: 100:00

Tone & Style

Conversational, honest, culturally attuned, focused on practical investment strategy and market education with plenty of energy, debate, and timely humor.

For anyone new or seasoned in investing, this episode offers a nuanced, actionable lay-of-the-land for 2026—from stocks and commodities to macro risks and habits that lead to lasting wealth.