It was a rollercoaster year for S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) tech shares in 2025.

Fear of a potential artificial intelligence (AI) bubble contributed to tech stocks entering bear market territory in November.

A bear market is one in which shares drop by 20% or more from their most recent peak.

The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) finished the year down 21.04%.

The total return, including dividends, was 20.80%.

This made ASX 200 tech shares the second-worst performer of the 11 market sectors for 2025.

Tech shares vastly underperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which rose 6.8% and delivered total returns of 10.32%.

Amid the carnage, which ASX 200 tech shares came out best for capital gains?

And what ratings have these tech shares attracted from analysts for 2026?

Let’s find out.

Which ASX 200 tech shares triumphed amid sector ruin?

1. Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA)

Electronics solutions provider Codan delivered the best capital growth among ASX 200 tech shares last year.

The Codan share price soared 77% to finish the year at $28.43.

Codan designs and manufactures electronics solutions for government, corporate, NGO, and consumer clients worldwide.

Petra Capital has a hold rating on Codan with a 12-month share price target of $32.70.

Canaccord Genuity has a buy rating with a $37.54 target.

2. Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

The Megaport share price ripped 65% to $12.17 in 2025.

Megaport provides cloud and data centre connectivity services through a global network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform.

Macquarie has an outperform rating on Megaport with a share price target of $21.70.

Citi has a buy rating and a target of $16.30.

3. Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

The Life360 share price leapt 49% to close at $33.53 on 31 December.

Life360 owns the popular family location app.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and a $52.50 price target on Life360 shares.

Morgan Stanley has an overweight rating and $58.50 price target.

4. Data#3 Ltd (ASX: DTL)

Shares in this IT services provider ascended 41% to close at $9.01 apiece on 31 December.

Macquarie has downgraded its rating on this ASX 200 tech share to neutral but lifted its target from $9.15 to $9.85.

Morgan Stanley gives Data#3 shares a buy rating with a $9.50 target.

5. Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT)

The Catapult Sports share price lifted 12% to finish the year at $4.15.

Bell Potter has a buy rating on Catapult shares with a 12-month target of $6.50.

Morgans also gives the sports performance analytics company a buy rating with a target of $6.25.

The post Top 5 ASX 200 tech shares for growth in 2025 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports, Life360, Macquarie Group, and Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports, Life360, and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

 WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX:WTC) shares tumbled sharply from their highs in 2025, falling 46% in the past 12 months.

The start of this year has been far from impressive, with Australia’s biggest tech stock dropping a further 3.2% to $66.73 at the time of writing.

No wonder investors are asking if WiseTech shares can rebound in 2026?

Let’s unpack the tale.

What’s still working for WiseTech?

First, there is a real business under the share price angst. WiseTech’s flagship CargoWise platform remains a dominant global logistics software suite. It helps freight forwarders and supply-chain operators automate complex cross-border workflows.

Its recurring SaaS model delivers high margins and sticky customers. The company’s cloud footprint also gives it a truly worldwide addressable market.

On fundamentals, revenue continues to climb. Management forecasts around 80% top-line growth in FY26 on the back of strong demand, even if margins are forecast to compress slightly amid integration costs.

What’s holding it back?

But the plot twist isn’t trivial. Investors hate uncertainty, and WiseTech’s story has had plenty. The recent leadership and governance drama — including board turnover and regulatory scrutiny — has left a ‘governance discount’ hanging over WiseTech shares.

There are execution risks too. The company’s ambitious acquisition of e2open and rollout of new products have created integration complexities and near-term margin pressure. Guidance for FY26 came in below some market expectations, prompting at least one respected broker to trim its price target.

What the analysts are saying

Despite the headwinds, optimism around WiseTech shares still outweighs pessimism. Broker consensus shows most analysts still peg WiseTech as a buy or strong buy with average 12-month price targets around $110.00, a 65% upside. The most optimistic market watchers see possible gains for 2026 of well over 150% at a maximum share price of $176.

Analysts at Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) just upgraded WiseTech shares to an outperform rating with a $108.50 price target, a possible gain in 2026 of 63%. The broker is feeling more confident about WiseTech’s business model transition and believes that the company will be able to reshape the logistics industry. 

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $100.00 price target on WiseTech Global’s shares. This points to a 45% upside from current levels.

The broker notes:

The company’s quality is underpinned by a highly predictable business model, with around 95% of its revenue being recurring and a customer churn rate of less than 1%. This provides clear and consistent cash flow, enabling a distinct path to deleverage, with management confident in reducing ND/EBITDA from ~3x in FY26 to 1.7x in FY27.

The post Can WiseTech shares bounce back in 2026? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Even after its 38% rise in 2025, I think Nvidia is still a top buy for 2026. I’ve got a handful of reasons why Nvidia is still a top buy now, and investors who don’t have enough exposure to the top growth stock in the market should consider them as a reason to buy more. 

1. AI spending isn’t slowing down

After three years of artificial intelligence spending increasing, 2026 appears to be another year of growth. All the AI hyperscalers have informed investors that they should expect higher capital expenditures in 2026 than in 2025. Several companies benefit from these higher spending amounts, and Nvidia is one of them. 

For example, Meta Platforms told investors during its Q3 earnings announcement that its “capital expenditures dollar growth will be notably larger in 2026 than 2025.” In 2024, Meta spent $39 billion on capital expenditures. For 2025, it expects full-year capital expenditures to be around $70 billion to $72 billion. If Meta continues this acceleration, it’s reasonable to expect its AI spending to reach $100 billion by 2026.

While Meta isn’t spending all of that money on Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs), a decent chunk will be heading Nvidia’s way. This same story can be repeated for practically any AI company, making Nvidia a strong candidate to own in 2026.

2. 2026 isn’t going to be the last year of AI growth

This won’t be the last year we see strong AI growth. Data centers take a considerable amount of time to build, and many of the plans announced in 2025 won’t be fully operational for several years. This means that they won’t be purchasing Nvidia chips for a few years, so the AI growth trend will stretch out beyond 2026. That’s why Nvidia has informed investors that it expects global data center capital expenditures to rise from $600 billion in 2025 to $3 trillion to $4 trillion by 2030.

With multiple years of AI growth expected, Nvidia is a great stock to buy and hold.

3. Nvidia isn’t as expensive as you may think

There is a common misconception in the market that Nvidia’s stock is overvalued. However, when you factor in the growth Nvidia is expected to deliver, this argument breaks down quickly. Nvidia trades for about 25 times fiscal year 2027’s (ending January 2027) earnings.

NVDA PE Ratio (Forward 1y) data by YCharts.

That’s right in line with where other big tech companies trade, yet they don’t have the great long-term prospects Nvidia does.

NVDA PE Ratio (Forward 1y) data by YCharts.

4. Nvidia doesn’t have the capacity to meet demand

The massive AI demand for advanced chips has consumed all of Nvidia’s production capacity. During its earnings call for the fiscal 2026 third quarter, Nvidia informed investors that it is “sold out” of cloud GPUs. When demand outpaces supply, that allows Nvidia to maintain its high margins and also control the supply of chips. Although alternatives are starting to emerge as real competition for Nvidia, it’s still at the top of the AI food chain.

Nvidia is working as hard as it can to increase capacity to meet demand for its products, but just because you hear about an AI hyperscaler creating its own chips doesn’t mean it’s completely shifting away from Nvidia’s technology.

Nvidia is still the top name in AI computing, and with AI spending expected to continue rising over the next few years, Nvidia is an excellent stock to buy hand over fist.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post 4 reasons to buy Nvidia stock like there’s no tomorrow appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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Keithen Drury has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Meta Platforms and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Meta Platforms and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Most investors spend far too much time worrying about when to buy and not nearly enough time thinking about what they want to own for the long haul.

Yet history shows that wealth is usually built by backing the right assets and then giving them time to work, not by constantly tweaking a portfolio.

If your goal is to invest once, stay invested, and let global growth do the heavy lifting over the next decade, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are hard to beat. They offer portfolio diversification, exposure to powerful structural trends, and far less stress than trying to pick individual winners.

With that in mind, here are three ASX ETFs that could be top buys in 2026 and worth holding through to at least 2036.

Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

The Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF gives investors access to some of the most influential technology companies across Asia, excluding Japan. These are businesses powering everything from ecommerce and digital payments to semiconductors and social media across fast-growing economies.

Key holdings include companies such as WeChat owner Tencent Holdings (SEHK: 700), chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), Temu owner PDD Holdings (NASDAQ: PDD), and ecommerce leader Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA).

While Asian tech stocks can be volatile in the short term, the long-term opportunity is compelling and underpinned by rising middle classes, accelerating digital adoption, and ongoing innovation.

This fund was recently recommended by analysts at Betashares.

BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF is one of the simplest ways to invest in many of the world’s highest-quality growth companies. It tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, which is home to global leaders in technology, consumer services, and healthcare.

While the Magnificent Seven often dominate headlines, the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF also provides exposure to businesses beyond that group. This includes stocks like Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE), Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST).

Over a 10-year horizon, continued investment in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services could help the Magnificent Seven and these businesses compound earnings well into the 2030s.

Betashares India Quality ETF (ASX: IIND)

The Betashares India Quality ETF offers a different kind of long-term opportunity. Rather than focusing purely on technology, it targets high-quality Indian stocks with strong balance sheets, sustainable earnings, and competitive advantages.

India is forecast to be one of the fastest-growing major economies over the next decade, driven by favourable demographics, infrastructure investment, and a rapidly expanding middle class.

The Betashares India Quality ETF provides exposure to this growth through a diversified portfolio of businesses across financials, consumer sectors, and industrials.

For investors looking to diversify beyond developed markets, this fund adds an attractive growth engine to a long-term portfolio. It was recently recommended by analysts at Betashares.

The post The best ASX ETFs to buy in 2026 and hold until at least 2036 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF and Betashares Capital – Asia Technology Tigers Etf. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Adobe, BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, Costco Wholesale, Intuit, Starbucks, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Tencent. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Alibaba Group and has recommended the following options: long January 2028 $330 calls on Adobe and short January 2028 $340 calls on Adobe. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adobe and Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares have just wrapped up what was an exceptionally lucrative year. The ASX 200 mining giant rose from $117.46 a share at the end of 2024 to the $146.82 we saw the miner close out 2025 at last week. That’s a gain worth almost exactly 25%.

Much of these gains came in the latter half of 2025, with the Rio share price rising more than 44% between late June and late December. Not bad, considering the broader market’s gains for 2025 were far more muted at just under 6%. Particularly given that Rio investors also enjoyed two decent dividends over the year just gone, worth about 4% at current pricing.

Despite these rosy returns, Rio shares have evidently not decided to rest on their laurels now that 20206 is underway. Since 1 January, Rio Tinto stock has put on another 1.4%, including today’s gains of just over 1%.

What’s even more exciting, though, is Rio Tinto’s new all-time record high.

Yep, Rio Tinto shares hit a new record this Monday. After opening at $148.29 a share this morning, today’s trading saw the miner get as high as $150.14 a share.

Not only is that price a new all-time high for Rio, but it is also the first time in the company’s long history that we have seen a ‘$150’ at the front of its ticker.

A long time coming for Rio Tinto shares’ latest record high

It’s taken a long time for Rio shares to get to where they are today. Way back in 2008, Rio reset what was then its record high by reaching $123 a share. But the global financial crisis quickly put a stop to that momentum. It took until 2021 for Rio Tinto shares to finally topple that previous high.

Even today, someone who bought Rio shares at that 2008 peak and kept holding would only be up by about 22% from that 2008 high. That doesn’t include dividends, which would have improved that rather paltry metric substantially.

So why are Rio shares doing so well in early 2026?

Well, investors seemed to have taken note of how well commodity markets fared in 2025. As my Fool colleague Bronwyn noted last week, raw materials saw significant price spikes last year. Copper, aluminium, silver, and lithium all saw healthy increases, and all happen to be metals that Rio Tinto mines and processes.

Given Rio’s large-scale operations and relatively low cost bases, perhaps investors are piling in anticipation of further price rises, or possibly broader economic inflation. Let’s see how Rio Tinto shares fare over the rest of January and beyond.

The post Own Rio Tinto shares? They just hit a new record high appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares had one of the wildest rides you will ever experience on the Australian share market in 2025.

The counter drone technology company’s shares had plenty of ups and downs, but ultimately delivered the goods (and more) for investors.

What happened with DroneShield shares in 2025?

After ending the previous year at 77 cents, the DroneShield share price was as high as $6.71 at one stage last year.

However, some heavy insider selling and the accidental release and subsequent retraction of a contract win announcement weighed heavily on sentiment.

This meant that DroneShield shares ultimately ended the period at $3.08, which represents an annual return of 300%.

The catalyst for this was the announcement of an endless stream of major contract wins, which underpinned explosive sales and profit growth.

For example, in October, DroneShield released its third quarter results and revealed revenue of $92.9 million and cash receipts of $77.4 million. This was a 1,091% and 751% increase, respectively, over the prior corresponding period.

Since then, it has continued to win significant contracts. This includes an $8.2 million contract from an in-country reseller for delivery to a western military end-customer and a $49.6 million contract with an in-region European reseller that is contractually required to distribute the products to a European military end-customer.

In addition, DroneShield addressed investor concerns by announcing plans to establish a mandatory minimum shareholding policy (MSP) for all directors and members of senior management.

What’s next?

The good news is that there could be further market-beating returns for investors in 2026 according to analysts at Bell Potter.

Late last year, the broker put a buy rating and $4.40 price target on DroneShield’s shares. Based on its current share price of $3.31, this implies potential upside of 33% for investors over the next 12 months.

Bell Potter highlights that the company has an approximate $2.5 billion sales pipeline to attempt to convert in the first half of the year. The broker said:

We believe DRO has a market leading RF detect/defeat C-UAS offering and a strengthening competitive advantage owing to its years of battlefield experience and large and focused R&D team. We expect 2026 will be an inflection point for the global counter-drone industry with countries poised to unleash a wave of spending on RF detect and defeat solutions. Consequently, we believe DRO should see material contracts flowing from its $2.5b potential sales pipeline over the next 3-6 months as defence budgets roll over to FY26e.

The post Why did DroneShield shares rocket 300% in 2025? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended DroneShield. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Biome Australia Ltd (ASX: BIO) share price is in the spotlight on Monday. This comes after the company released a strong sales update to the market.

At the time of writing, the Biome share price is up 10.84% to 46 cents, making it one of the stronger performers on the ASX today.

By comparison, the broader S&P/ASX All Ords Index (ASX: XAO) is currently flat.

So, what did Biome report, and what else could be driving the share price higher?

Sales keep growing despite a tough quarter

According to the release, Biome reported Q2 FY26 revenue of $6.48 million. That result represents 40.9% growth compared to the same quarter last year and 9.1% growth compared to the previous quarter.

This is a strong result because the December quarter is usually a slower time for the business. There are fewer trading days, and pharmacies often focus more on gift items than health products.

Even with those challenges, Biome still delivered its strongest second-quarter result on record. This shows demand for its probiotic products remains strong.

A solid first half of the year

Looking beyond the quarter, Biome also shared its half-year results for FY26.

Total sales for the first half came in at $12.42 million, which is 40.2% higher than the same period last year. This compares with $8.86 million in the first half of FY25.

Management said the result reflects continued demand for its Activated Probiotics products. These products are backed by clinical research and are mainly sold through healthcare practitioners and pharmacies.

Why investors are paying attention

There are a few reasons why the market has responded positively today.

First, revenue growth above 40% is impressive for a consumer healthcare company. Second, achieving that growth during a seasonally slower period makes the result even more encouraging.

Biome also operates in the healthcare sector, which many investors see as more defensive. Demand for health products often holds up better when economic conditions are uncertain.

With a market capitalisation of around $102 million, investors may be starting to reassess how fast Biome can grow if current trends continue.

What to watch next

While today’s update focused on sales, profitability will be the next area of interest for investors. The market will now start looking for signs that growth is translating into improving earnings.

But so far, Biome appears to have started FY26 well.

The next few months should give a clearer picture of whether that growth can continue.

The post This ASX small-cap stock just jumped 10%. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

A market return of 9% to 10% in 2026 would be a good result by almost any standard. But good market returns don’t stop investors from asking a familiar question: where could the upside come from on top of that?

For me, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares stand out as one of the few ASX heavyweights that could realistically do more than just keep pace. And the reasons have less to do with iron ore and more to do with copper.

A different cycle is doing the heavy lifting

When investors think about BHP, iron ore is usually at the forefront of their minds. It remains enormously important, but the most powerful driver of potential outperformance heading into 2026 is copper.

Copper prices have moved to record highs, reflecting a structural mismatch between demand and supply. Electrification, renewable energy, electric vehicles, data centres, and artificial intelligence are all highly copper-intensive. At the same time, new copper supply is expensive, slow to develop, and increasingly constrained.

This is not a short-term commodity spike. I think it’s a multi-year theme, and BHP is increasingly leveraged to it.

BHP owns some of the world’s most significant copper assets, including Escondida in Chile and a growing copper province in South Australia. Operationally, copper volumes have been trending higher, supported by improved throughput and ongoing investment.

More importantly, management has been explicit about copper’s role in BHP’s future. The company is actively prioritising capital toward copper growth options across existing assets and future developments. It has also been looking at acquisitions to increase exposure.

That gives BHP leverage not just to today’s prices, but to where copper prices could settle over the next decade.

If copper prices remain elevated, that upside flows directly into cash generation.

Iron ore provides the ballast

While copper offers upside, iron ore provides stability. Even if iron ore prices moderate from recent levels, BHP’s assets sit at the low end of the global cost curve. That means strong margins can persist even in less favourable pricing environments.

The result is dependable cash flow that supports dividends, balance sheet strength, and reinvestment, all of which reduce downside risk, in my opinion.

This balance matters. BHP doesn’t need perfect commodity conditions to perform well. It needs reasonable conditions across multiple commodities, with at least one area delivering upside. Heading into 2026, copper looks well-positioned to be that engine.

Capital discipline

One of the key reasons I’m comfortable backing BHP shares in 2026 is its capital discipline.

After years of learning hard lessons, the company has become far more selective with growth spending. Capital is increasingly directed toward assets with long lives, strong returns, and strategic relevance, such as copper and potash, rather than chasing volume for its own sake.

The Jansen potash project, due to come online later this decade, is a good example. While it won’t drive 2026 earnings, it adds long-term diversification and optionality without compromising near-term financial strength.

This disciplined approach increases the likelihood that higher commodity prices actually translate into shareholder returns, rather than being diluted by poor capital allocation.

What could still hold BHP shares back

Of course, BHP isn’t risk-free. A sharp slowdown in global growth, particularly in China, would weigh on commodity demand.

Furthermore, commodity prices are inherently cyclical, and sentiment can turn quickly. And as the world’s largest miner, BHP won’t deliver explosive upside in a straight line. But I think those risks are well understood, and arguably well priced.

Foolish Takeaway

With copper prices at record highs, long-term supply constraints in place, improving copper exposure, and iron ore providing a strong cash-flow foundation, BHP enters 2026 with a favourable mix of upside potential and downside protection.

I wouldn’t expect BHP to rocket. But in a year of solid market returns, it has a credible path to doing better than the index and rewarding patient investors along the way.

The post Could BHP shares outperform the ASX 200 in 2026? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Market selloffs can feel uncomfortable, but history shows they are a normal part of long-term investing.

Sharp pullbacks often punish weaker businesses, while high-quality assets tend to recover and go on to make new highs.

For investors willing to look past short-term volatility, periods of market stress can actually strengthen long-term returns.

That’s where broad, low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs) come into their own. Rather than trying to predict which individual shares will hold up best, owning diversified ASX ETFs allows investors to stay invested through sell-offs and benefit from eventual recoveries.

With that in mind, here are three low-cost Vanguard ETFs that could prove unstoppable even if markets struggle in 2026.

Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (ASX: VAS)

The Vanguard Australian Shares ETF provides investors with exposure to the 300 largest stocks listed on the Australian share market. Its portfolio includes household names such as BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL), and CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL). These are businesses that dominate their industries and generate reliable cash flow.

During market downturns, these types of companies often hold up better than smaller, more speculative stocks. Many even continue paying dividends, which can help cushion returns while investors wait for sentiment to improve. Over the long run, Australia’s biggest stocks have demonstrated an ability to grow earnings through multiple economic cycles, making the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF a solid core holding in uncertain times.

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

For investors worried about putting all their eggs in one market, the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF could be worth considering. It offers instant global diversification by holding a slice of thousands of stocks across developed markets. This includes global leaders like Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT), Nestle (SWX: NESN), and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).

This global spread means that weakness in one region can be offset by strength in another. Even during global selloffs, many of the world’s largest multinationals continue to grow revenues and invest for the future. Over time, that resilience has helped global equity markets recover from wars, recessions, and financial crises, rewarding patient investors.

Vanguard US Total Market Shares Index ETF (ASX: VTS)

Finally, the Vanguard US Total Market Shares Index ETF goes beyond just the largest American stocks. It provides exposure to the entire US share market, spanning large, mid, and smaller stocks across every major sector.

While technology giants like Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL) feature prominently, this Vanguard ETF also includes industrials, healthcare firms, and consumer businesses that can perform well even when growth slows. This breadth gives investors access to innovation and economic growth without relying on any single theme to succeed.

The post 3 unstoppable Vanguard ETFs to buy even if there’s a stock market sell-off in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• How to retire with a $1 million ASX share portfolio
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• How to invest like Warren Buffett without picking ASX stocks

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in CSL and Woolworths Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Apple, CSL, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Johnson & Johnson and Nestlé and has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Woolworths Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Apple, BHP Group, CSL, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.