FrançaisThe 20 best stocks of 2018 according to reliable analysts
These stocks were not cherry-picked in hindsight: they are the ones the method would have selected using only info known by end of 2017 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair -10% · vs S&P 500 -6% · -3.2 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BSX Boston Scientific | +43% |
| 2 | NFLX Netflix | +39% |
| 3 | MRK Merck & Co. | +36% |
| 4 | ADSK Autodesk | +23% |
| 5 | BALL Ball Corporation | +22% |
| 6 | AVGO Broadcom | -1% |
| 7 | EXPE Expedia Group | -6% |
| 8 | CTSH Cognizant | -11% |
| 9 | RCL Royal Caribbean Group | -18% |
| 10 | MCHP Microchip Technology | -18% |
| 11 | GM General Motors | -18% |
| 12 | NCLH Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings | -20% |
| 13 | JCI Johnson Controls | -22% |
| 14 | MU Micron Technology | -23% |
| 15 | LRCX Lam Research | -26% |
| 16 | SWKS Skyworks Solutions | -29% |
| 17 | NVDA Nvidia | -31% |
| 18 | AMAT Applied Materials | -36% |
| 19 | EQT EQT Corporation | -39% |
| 20 | WDC Western Digital | -54% |
⚡ JPI Risk + -11% · vs S&P 500 -6% · -4.7 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BSX Boston Scientific | +43% |
| 2 | CRM Salesforce | +34% |
| 3 | ADSK Autodesk | +23% |
| 4 | FE FirstEnergy | +23% |
| 5 | BALL Ball Corporation | +22% |
| 6 | ELV Elevance Health | +17% |
| 7 | A Agilent Technologies | +1% |
| 8 | EXPE Expedia Group | -6% |
| 9 | MCHP Microchip Technology | -18% |
| 10 | GM General Motors | -18% |
| 11 | MU Micron Technology | -23% |
| 12 | MS Morgan Stanley | -24% |
| 13 | LRCX Lam Research | -26% |
| 14 | T AT&T | -27% |
| 15 | SWKS Skyworks Solutions | -29% |
| 16 | INCY Incyte | -33% |
| 17 | AMAT Applied Materials | -36% |
| 18 | EQT EQT Corporation | -39% |
| 19 | PCG PG&E Corporation | -47% |
| 20 | WDC Western Digital | -54% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2019?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | -10% | -6% |
| 2019 | +31% | +29% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +19% | +21% |
💡 The takeaway — you have to accept the average or down years and stay in the method (sell, rebuy the newly recommended names). Whoever panics after a bad year misses the rebound. Discipline > emotion.
📊 See the full 11-year backtest → 🎯 Stocks to buy today →
FAQ
What were the best stocks to buy in 2018?
Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 S&P 500 stocks selected in early 2018 returned +-9.5% on average over 12 months, vs -6.3% for the index. The best was BSX (Boston Scientific) at +43%. See the full list above.
How were these 2018 stocks chosen?
With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2017 (price targets from analysts with a real reliability track record on their sector), then held 12 months. A point-in-time backtest, not a hindsight pick.
Does this method actually work?
Over 11 years (2015-2025), the JPI Fair method returned +26%/yr vs +12.6% for the S&P 500 — double the market. But it's lumpy (drawdowns in 2018 and 2022) and risk-adjusted the edge is thinner. A quality signal, not a guarantee.
What is JPI Invest?
JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500 (plus the S&P MidCap 400), replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 6 years, from cautious to aggressive
- 💬 AI assistant: ask anything about any stock, with the numbers
- 📊 Portfolio tracking + 🔔 price alerts by email
⚠️ Educational analysis, not investment advice. Point-in-time backtest on recomputed Yahoo data, universe = stocks still in the index (survivorship bias). Past performance does not predict the future.