2025: Where to invest your money in stocks when everything is shaking?

2025 arrived with little pleasant surprises for the markets. While 2024 had been a year of record highs and generous gains, we now live in a completely different reality. Trump’s tariffs—10% base, 50% on the EU, 55% on China, 24% on Japan—triggered an expansive wave of panic that turned global indices red. Gold surged to all-time highs above $3,300, an unmistakable sign of investor fear.

But here’s the important part: after the initial panic came the rebound. Markets shifted from hysteria to recovery, and today they are once again approaching all-time highs. Amid this rollercoaster of volatility, the question everyone asks is: what are the best stocks to invest in 2025?

The 5 key stocks you should watch now

While the world negotiates tariffs and adjusts portfolios, some companies stand out for their ability to generate real profitability. Here are the five with the most promising potential:

1. Novo Nordisk (NVO): The obesity giant that has not finished growing

The March decline was brutal: 27% in a few weeks, the worst since 2002. The apparent culprit: concerns over Eli Lilly gaining ground in the obesity market. But here’s the crucial detail.

Novo Nordisk closed 2024 with sales of 290.4 billion Danish kroner (~$42.1 billion), a 26% increase. It then completed the purchase of Catalent for $16.5 billion, expanding its manufacturing capacity just as demand for its treatments accelerates. In March, it made another strategic move: licensed LX9851, an experimental obesity drug, for $1 billion.

Margins remain solid at 43%, and its pipeline looks promising. The GLP-1/amylin molecule achieved 24% weight loss in early trials. Yes, it faces competition, but the diabetes and obesity market is just beginning to take off globally. The price correction is a door of entry.

2. LVMH (MC): Luxury also discounts itself

Shares fell 7.7% in April after Q1 results that looked modest compared to expectations. US tariffs—initially 20%, then reduced to 10% with a threat of 50%—hit this French company. LVMH generates significant revenue from the US.

However, 2024 closed strongly: €84.7 billion in revenue, €19.6 billion in operating profit. Operating margin of 23.1%, indicating a well-oiled machine even under pressure.

The most interesting part: it identifies clear opportunities in Japan (double-digit sales growth in 2024), Middle East (+6% regional), and India, where Louis Vuitton and Dior are expanding in Mumbai. It also promotes its AI platform Dreamscape for personalization. The stock correction here appears to be a temporary overreaction.

3. ASML (ASML): The bottleneck of semiconductors

ASML does something unique: it manufactures the machines that enable the creation of cutting-edge chips. Without its EUV technology, companies like TSMC and Intel cannot operate. In 2024, it closed with €28.3 billion in sales and €7.6 billion in net profit. In Q1 2025, it achieved a record gross margin of 54%.

It projects between €30 billion and €35 billion for all of 2025. Recent 30% declines responded to: reduced spending by Intel and Samsung, emerging Chinese competition, Dutch export restrictions to China (estimated at 10-15% of sales), but without changing the annual guidance###.

Here’s the key point: demand for chips for AI and high-performance computing continues to grow unabated. ASML controls the only viable access to this technology. The correction presents a clear opportunity for those seeking exposure in semiconductors.

( 4. Microsoft )MSFT(: The cloud beast focused on AI

Microsoft navigated 2024 with revenues of $245.1 billion )+16% YoY(, operating income of $109.4 billion )+24%(, and net income of $88.1 billion )+22%(. The numbers are healthy.

Q1 2025 showed an 11% correction, with nearly 20% decline from all-time highs of $367.24 on March 31. The doubts: relative deceleration of Azure, FTC investigation over monopolistic practices in cloud and cybersecurity, trade tensions.

But in April, it reported solid results: Q3 fiscal with revenues of $70.1 billion, operating margin of 46%, Azure accelerated 33%. Microsoft is aggressively investing in AI and cloud )@announced 15,000 layoffs between May-July to redirect resources###. Its financial position remains unbreakable. The current price offers an attractive entry.

( 5. Alibaba )BABA(: China bets heavily on AI

Alibaba announced a three-year plan of $52 billion for AI and cloud infrastructure. In Q4 2024, it reported revenues of 280.2 billion yuan )+8%(, and in Q1 2025, it reached 236.45 billion with adjusted net profit growing 22% )+18% in Cloud Intelligence(.

Shares fell 35% from 2024 highs, pressured by concerns over investments in AI/cloud and Chinese economic slowdown. It was volatile: rose 40% until mid-February, then dropped 7% after March results considered weak.

The pattern here is revealing: Alibaba invests today to capture future demand. Current prices reflect panic more than deteriorated fundamentals.

Reference table: 15 companies on the investor radar 2025

Data as of July 2025

Why these stocks now?

( Diversification as a shield

With high tariffs and latent trade war, spreading investments across sectors and geographies is not a luxury but a necessity. Energy )Exxon, BHP(, finance )JPMorgan(, pharmaceutical )Novo Nordisk(, luxury )LVMH(, automotive )Toyota, Tesla(, semiconductors )ASML, TSMC(, and technology )Microsoft, NVIDIA, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Alibaba###: this mix reduces regional and sector risk.

Companies leading in innovation

Those dominating AI, cloud computing, advanced chip manufacturing, and biotechnology maintain structural demand even under pressure. ASML, TSMC, Microsoft, NVIDIA: these companies respond to global needs that tariffs cannot slow down.

( Solid margins as a cushion

The selected companies—Novo Nordisk )43%(, LVMH )23.1%(, ASML )54%(, Microsoft )46%###—have robust operating margins. This means capacity to absorb cost pressures without losing morale.

Strategies for investing in the best stocks 2025

Option 1: Direct stock purchase

Access through a bank or authorized broker. You control what to buy, when, and how much. Ideal for those seeking real ownership and long-term investment.

( Option 2: Investment funds

Thematic packages )by country, sector, strategy### managed actively or passively. Diversify without choosing each stock. You lose granular control but gain simplicity.

( Option 3: Derivatives )CFDs

Amplify positions with less initial capital. Allows hedging risks against volatility through leverage. In environments of aggressive policies and trade wars, balancing derivatives with traditional assets maintains long-term exposure while managing short-term volatility.

Critical warning: derivatives require extreme discipline. Leverage magnifies gains and losses equally.

What every investor should remember in 2025

2025 will probably be remembered as the year when the unprecedented profit rally of previous years was abruptly halted. Volatility and uncertainty took their place.

Your move now?

1. Diversify both sectorally and geographically. Eggs in multiple baskets withstand shocks better.

2. Consider safe-haven assets. Bonds, gold: things that counterbalance potential losses in equities.

3. Don’t panic. After big drops come corrections. Selling in fear multiplies damage.

4. Stay informed. Policies, economy, geopolitical conflicts: being prepared means being ready. Markets reward those who see changes coming.

The best stocks to invest in 2025 are not a safe destination. They are tools in disciplined hands, within a clear strategy, under constant watch of the changing world outside.