Slop bowls. AI layoffs. What your girlfriend spends money on.
All of those themes have a place in investors’ portfolios for 2026, according to Citrini Research, which unveiled its top bets for the market heading into the new year.
Citrini, which releases an annual “thematic watchlist” for investors, ended up handily beating the market with many of its 2025 calls. An equal-weighted portfolio of the firm’s individual stock picks for the year gained 26.5%, outpacing the S&P 500‘s 15% gain. Around half of the 25 investment baskets it created for the year also beat the benchmark.
The firm’s investment ideas for the coming year were based on trends it believes are unfolding.
“Some we think could be real winners, some are preparation for a specific scenario or eventuality, some we simply want to keep on our screen,” Citrini wrote on Wednesday.
Here are some of the firm’s most interesting market calls going into 2026.
1. AI job losses
Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters
Thesis: Critrini said it was bullish on stocks that were best-positioned to benefit from AI by reducing headcount.
The firm said it screened for companies that could most benefit from AI-induced layoffs by developing a “Bureaucracy Score”, a gauge that measures how robust a firm’s administrative and managerial layers are, as well as a “Margin Optionality Score,” which determines if a company is able to earn more if its workforce were leaner.
Stock picks:
Citrini identified over thirty firms in this category. Here are some of the largest on the list:
- Accenture
- IBM Corp.
- Zoom Video
- Target
- United Parcel Service
- Intuit
- Dollar General
2. Slop bowl automation
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Thesis: Critrini said it believes slop bowl chains would be among the first to benefit from back-of-house automation, which would allow those firms to reduce labor costs and boost profit margins.
Chipotle, Cava, and other restaurants within the slop bowl universe are likely headed for an inflection point next year, they said.
Stock picks:
The firm identified several slop bowl food chains and robotics companies that could benefit from the shift:
- Chipotle
- Cava
- Sweetgreen
- Fanuc Corporation
- Circus SE
- Compass Group
3. Weight loss
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Thesis: As drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy become more popular, an investment opportunity is growing among users who are looking to keep the weight off after they stop taking a GLP-1 drug, Citrini said.
The firm pointed to GaINAc-SiRNA drugs, which are believed to help users preserve lean body mass and “deliver sustained metabolic benefit.” The drugs are also believed to redistribute fat away from “metabolically harmful sites,” Citrini added, referring to visceral fat, which resides deep in the abdominal cavity.
Stock picks:
- Wave Life Sciences
- Arrowhead
- SanegeneBio
- Alnylam
4. The Girlfriend Index
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Thesis: The firm pointed to the Girlfriend Index, an online indicator built around the idea that investors can identify market opportunities based on what female consumers are spending money on.
Quiet luxury fading out of the cultural zeitgeist is one such trend that looks to be gaining traction in 2026, Citrini said, citing contributions from The Girlfriend Index, a Substack that publishes a weekly memo on female-driven consumer spending.
“When culture rotates from restraint to expression, heritage luxury historically leads. The emerging expression of 2026 is luxury as self-expression,” Citrini wrote.
Stock picks:
- LVMH
- Kering
- Ralph Lauren
- Richemont
- Amer Sports
- Prada Group