According to a Taurex study tracking asset performance from 2020 to August 2026, Google emerged as the best-performing asset, gaining nearly 291% and more than tripling in value. A $10,000 investment in Google at the beginning of the period would have grown to roughly $39,000 based on the stock's price performance. The study, which covered major US and UK stocks, gold and Dubai real estate, ranked assets based on percentage gains between their 2020 starting prices and 2026 values. BAE Systems ranked second with a 238.4% gain, rising from $672.80 in 2020 to $2,277 in 2026. Gold ranked third with 151% gains, increasing from $1,769.60 per ounce in 2020 to $4,442.10 in 2026. Recent market developments show Bitcoin has surged above $77,000, recovering from a decline that saw it fall from about $95,000 at the start of the year to below $60,000 by the end of June. The cryptocurrency's rally was amplified by forced buying after breaking above $67,000, with over $4 billion worth of bearish positions liquidated.
Apple ranked fourth with 132.1% gains, rising from $130.20 in 2020 to $302.30 in 2026. After experiencing volatility during the 2022 market downturn, the stock recovered, more than doubling in value over the period. Microsoft completed the top five with 127.8% gains, increasing from $216.20 in 2020 to $492.40 in 2026. Its expanding cloud business and growing focus on artificial intelligence supported the stock's performance, while investments and partnership with OpenAI attracted greater investor attention as the AI theme gained momentum. Meta ranked eighth with 112.1% gains, rising from $272.90 in 2020 to $578.90 in 2026. Current market data shows Meta trading at $571.10 with a 5.04% decline, while Microsoft is at $504.96 with a 1.73% gain.
Defence stocks featured prominently among the top performers, benefiting from higher military spending, geopolitical tensions and increased global security expenditure. Kratos Defense gained 123.7%, with its price rising from $28.50 in 2020 to $63.80 in 2026. RTX gained 123.4%, moving from $99.70 to $222.80. General Dynamics more than doubled with 107.4% gains, rising from $190.10 to $394.20. AeroVironment recorded 94.2% gains, increasing from $99.80 to $193.80. The study attributed defence companies' strong performance to rising military budgets in Europe, geopolitical tensions in Asia and a broader increase in security spending.
The composition of the world's largest companies has undergone significant transformation since 2020, with energy giants giving way to a growing mix of retail, technology, and healthcare firms. Amazon rose from ninth place in 2020 to become the world's largest company by revenue in 2026, with $717 billion in revenue narrowly surpassing Walmart's $713 billion. In 2020, five of the world's 10 largest companies by annual revenue were energy companies, led by Chinese oil refiner Sinopec ($407 billion). However, the pandemic led to declining energy demand, causing all non-Chinese energy companies to fall off the top 10 list by 2021. Healthcare companies also gained significant ground, with UnitedHealth climbing to fourth place with $448 billion in revenue by 2026, while CVS Health ranked ninth at $402 billion. The transformation reflects broader shifts in investor preferences toward alternative assets amid growing uncertainty over debt, inflation and U.S. economic policy direction.
