Measure real performance
3 MONTHS UPDATE
U.S. News & World Report's August picks trail the S&P 500 by 11.7 points after three months
Article published Aug 13, 2026 · 92 days ago
Source article by Jeff Reeves, U.S. News & World Report
Updated November 11, 2026
3 Months Later — Nov 11, 2026
How are U.S. News & World Report's up-and-coming stock picks performing?
U.S. News & World Report's seven "up-and-coming" picks from mid-August are down 14.3% on average after three months, lagging the S&P 500's 2.6% decline by nearly 12 percentage points.
Only two of the seven recommendations are outperforming the benchmark. SEZL stands out with a 20.2% gain, driving most of the portfolio's positive outliers, but the remaining picks have pulled the average sharply lower.
The S&P 500 itself has fallen modestly over the period, making the underperformance less about missing a rally and more aboutsteeper individual losses. The gap widened as the majority of the picks declined faster than the broader market.
3 Days Later — Aug 14, 2026
How are Kiplinger's 7 up-and-coming stock picks performing?
Kiplinger's seven picks from mid-August are up an average of 0.6% after three trading days, compared to a 0.5% gain for the S&P 500 over the same window. Five of the seven stocks are ahead of the index at this early stage.
Aehr Test Systems leads the group with a 3.7% gain. The remaining picks are clustered closer to the market's performance, with two trailing slightly behind.
Three days is too early to draw conclusions about any portfolio's trajectory. Short-term price moves often reflect noise rather than the fundamental thesis behind a pick, and volatility can swing results quickly in either direction.
Full progress so far — every tracked pick ↓
← swipe to see the full table →
More tracked results