What to invest in for 2026? Start with the people you back

By Carel Nolte

Every year around this time, many of our inboxes fill with predictions. Lists. Forecasts. Hot takes. The investment world loves a crystal ball. I have always found them and the clickbait articles mildly entertaining and mostly useless unless they are anchored in real thinking and real people.

Which brings me to Shaun Krom.

Shaun is our Chief Investment Officer at EasyAssetManagement and one of the sharpest, calmest, most forward-thinking minds in the South African investment landscape. Full disclosure – Shaun’s IQ is so high that his EQ sometimes lags – but if you are prepared to engage him and come armed with facts, the man is a formidable debating partner. And we all know that I love a good debate! Shaun reads everything, questions everything, and still manages to build portfolios with elegance and conviction.

He recently shared an internal document mapping the big forces shaping global markets in 2026 and beyond. It is not a prediction piece; it is a perspective piece. And perspective is far more valuable than prediction.

So instead of writing a list of stocks or sectors to buy, I want to reflect on Shaun’s work and add a broader message to our Easy community: your best investment decision for 2026 might simply be choosing who you trust with your long-term capital. And, my old refrain, consistency. Building and protecting wealth is not a one day game.

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The world is reshaping itself. Slowly. Then suddenly.

Shaun’s research is clear about one thing: we are living through a set of structural shifts that will define markets for years. This is not noise. This is not an election cycle. These are forces that cut across geopolitics, technology, demographics, defence, energy, and money itself.

A few of the big themes he highlights – and if any of the abreviations and terms are not known to you (as they weren’t to me – AI gave me some lekker definitions):

• A bifurcated world driven by China’s industrial strategy, Taiwan’s semiconductor centrality, and the race for supply-chain independence.
• Warfare rewritten through drones, software, sensors, and space infrastructure.
• AI reshaping electricity demand and the return of nuclear and natural gas as strategic energy sources.
• Demographics shifting consumption toward health, longevity and emerging-market middle-class growth.
• Automation exploding as labour pools shrink across developed markets.
• AI everywhere, from search to mobility to semiconductors.
• A golden age of health science, from GLP-1s to CRISPR.
• Digital money scaling faster than any financial innovation in history.

None of these themes are “maybe.” They are already here. The question is not whether these shifts matter but how you position a portfolio to benefit from them.

And this is where EAM’s thematic approach shines. It sits above the noise and focuses on the structural trends that actually move capital and shape competitiveness.

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Performance matters. Process matters more.

Let’s deal with performance, because the results have spoken loudly.

EasyAssetManagement’s products have consistently delivered strong numbers, attracting the attention of CityWire and other independent media outlets. In a world where everyone calls themselves a top performer, it is refreshing when outside observers confirm it. Personally I am most grateful as my RAs and other retirement funding has benefited hugely.

Of course, the correct and responsible thing to say is that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. It is also true.

But here is the part I care about: performance comes from people, philosophy and process. Shaun and his team have those in spades. They think in decades, not headlines. They obsess over resilience. They intentionally build multi-thematic portfolios that can compound through volatility and adapt to structural change.

In other words, they do the hard work so our 1,2 million EasyEquities users do not have to.

And those users are growing every day, hundreds and often thousands each day. That is the Easy revolution. Access, education and long-term empowerment for everyone, not just those in the old club. The massive numbers of middle-class and rich people moving portfolios to our platform is exciting. And an endorsement of our work. Thank you.

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So what should you invest in for 2026?

If you want the short answer, it is this:
Invest in the themes that are shaping the decade, and invest with a team that actually understands them.

If you want the fuller answer, it is this:
Back people who have demonstrated the ability to navigate uncertainty, think independently, and act with conviction when the world is noisy.

Shaun is one of those people. His document for me was not just another prediction piece; it is a map of the forces rebuilding the global system. That is what I want guiding my long-term money.

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The Easy revolution continues

I often say that our real product at EasyEquities is not a share or a fund. It is confidence. Confidence to start, confidence to stay the course, confidence to build wealth over a lifetime.

EAM plays a core role in that mission. Shaun’s work reinforces it. Our community embodies it.

So as you think about 2026, ignore the noise. Focus on the signals. And keep building, one month, one contribution, one theme at a time.

We are just getting started. Here’s to 2026. together. The Easy way.