FTSE shares have been on fire in 2025, with the UK’s flagship index (the FTSE 100), climbing by a jaw-dropping 22.4% since January. But for some intelligent stock pickers, the story’s been even more exceptional:
- Fresnillo – up 362%.
- Pan African Resources – up 215%.
- Goodwin – up 144%.
- Rolls-Royce – up 88%.
- Lloyds Banking Group – up 74%.
Of course, past performance doesn’t guarantee future returns. And in 2026, these businesses could actually struggle to maintain their momentum. So if these aren’t the best anymore, which stocks are?
Here’s what the experts are telling investors to buy.
Best-in-class banking?
Moving into 2026, the Bank of England’s expected to continue steadily cutting interest rates, putting pressure on the profit margins of most banks. But maybe not for NatWest Group (LSE:NWG).
The bank’s expertly positioned itself using structural hedges. These are complex but clever financial instruments that essentially protect lending margins from central bank interest rate cuts.
Other banks have been using them as well. But it seems NatWest has established the best hedging position stretching out to 2027, allowing it to benefit far longer than most of its peers. And as a result, it could soon boast industry-leading profit margins alongside a continued acceleration of its return on tangible equity.
That’s why, ironically, Barclays has highlighted its competitor as a top bank stock to buy in 2026. But success isn’t guaranteed. UK unemployment’s steadily creeping upward while wage growth continues to prove elusive in many sectors.
Consequently, experts have highlighted the threat of a potential rise in loan impairments that could offset the gains of wider margins. And this is only amplified by the continued sluggish demand for mortgages. In other words, NatWest could excel on margins but underwhelm on volume.
Is copper a new precious metal?
Beyond banking, the analyst team at Citigroup has highlighted Glencore (LSE:GLEN) as one of the top stock picks for 2026.
The acceleration of technological innovation has resulted in surging investment to build data centres, energy infrastructure, electric cars, etc. But an often overlooked critical component of these technologies is copper. And at our current rate, miners like Glencore can’t keep up. So much so that by 2035, the International Energy Agency has forecast a massive 30% global supply deficit.
So it’s no surprise that Glencore’s management has recently announced plans for a drastic ramp-up of its copper mining activities. The goal is to increase annual production from around 850,000 tonnes today to one million tonnes by 2028, making it the largest copper producer in the world. And to ensure it keeps that title, production will be expanded even further to 1.6 million tonnes by 2035.
However, Glencore’s track record of hitting production targets is a bit spotty. At the same time, with other mining giants seeking to up their copper volumes, it’s possible that new discoveries are made, reducing the size of the long-term deficit and limiting the long-term growth of copper prices.
The bottom line
Overall, both NatWest and Glencore have compelling investment cases. However, there are obviously significant risks to consider carefully. But given their potential to outperform in 2026 and beyond, I think these FTSE shares deserve a closer look from investors. And they’re not the only stocks I’ve got my eye on right now.
