AoT Top Pick Weekly Update 2026

Hi folks,

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Art of Trading "Top Pick of the Week" Strategy. I thought this strategy up in mid 2021 and decided to put it into practice in 2022. Since then the strategy has become VERY popular with Art of Trading members!

We've covered the Top Pick of the Week extensively on the Art of Trading blog since its inception. Basically the strategy uses a fixed $10,000 position size each week. A "Top Pick", which is sent to Art of Trading members Sunday evening is then simply bought on the Monday morning open and then simply sold on the Friday afternoon close. The position size stays fixed ($10,000) each week. Very simple and straight forward!

I developed the strategy for those that have professional lives and full time obligations outside of the market and can't always be around screens to trade. It provides a way to be involved in the market with very little effort!

Since I've made this strategy live the Top Pick of the Week returned:

• +115.74% in 2022 [Full review]

• +131.86% in 2023 [Full review]

• +37.46% in 2024 [Full review]

• +10.19% in 2025 [Full review]

A full analysis on the strategy since inception can be found [here]

At the end of each week I update the Top Pick of the Week blog post with the results so its easy to follow along and adds transparency!

Below are the live stats for 2026 (1 week lag)! Be sure to check this post each Sunday evening for a new update for the previous week!

***A small modification to the strategy might be warranted in the case of overbought and oversold levels in the market. Occasionally the market will reach these conditions and it may make sense to hold off on the "Top Pick" when these conditions are met. The chances of the market making a sharp countertrend move during these times is heightened. These conditions are rarely met so it doesn't change the overall strategy in a major way.

2026 Live Stats:

*Based on a $10k position

Percent Gain after Week 16: + 39.81%

  Profit / Loss after Week 16: + $3981

Week 17 update here (click)

• Week 1 Top Pick: $NVDA

$NVDA: (long setup) A very nice pullback recently from highs and looks ripe for a big breakout this week out of the mini bullish flag. 

Target: $210 to $220

$NVDA faded lower each day along with the market last week. The trade was closed as per the AoT strategy rules on the close on Friday

$NVDA traded down -3.60% on the week. Lots of great looking ideas coming down the pipeline for next week!

• Week 2 Top Pick: $AEHR

*** NOTE for Week 2:

$AEHR was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $28.85. Part 1 was sold into strength on Tuesday January 13th at $28.35. The second part was sold on Friday, January 16th at $29.35. Alerts were sent for both part 1 & 2.

$AEHR: (long setup) a very nice 17% short interest as it printed a PEG on Thursday (2 days ago). Reported strong earnings and guidance earlier this week. Strong momentum since the Friday's PEG coupled with the big short interest, I think this one will squeeze hard this week. 

Target: $30 to $34

$AEHR primarily chopped and churned Monday through Thursday creating wide ranged candles. Support held over that 4 day period allowing Friday to ignite higher and post a +8.44% day. The two strategic exits this week allowed the Top Pick to lock in some gains during volatile trading sessions and also see the trade out into week end.

$AEHR traded up + 10.88% over the two exits ($28.85 & $29.35) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 7.28% after week 2, 2026.

• Week 3 Top Pick: $WDC

*** NOTE for Week 3:

$WDC was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $235.87. Part 1 was sold into strength on Wednesday January 21st at $231.75. The second part was sold on the same day at $240.00. Alerts were sent for both part 1 & 2.

$WDC: (long setup) a nice 4.5% gap down in pre-market. Reported strong earnings and phenomenal guidance a few weeks ago.  Strong momentum since the last PEG. I think today's dip will be bought aggressively this week. 

Target: $230 to $240

$WDC opened strong and held during market weakness on Tuesday, January 20th. A slew of upgrades helped with this. I made note of this in the Art of Trading feed, last evening. Evidently this helped keep the stock as a relative strength leader during a big 2% draw down day for tech.

$WDC traded up + 6.83% over the two exits ($235.87 & $240.00) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 14.11% after week 3, 2026.

• Week 4 Top Pick: $NFLX

$NFLX: (long setup) After a massive 40% pullback in the stock. Extremely oversold on RSI indicator. Risk to reward favors a bounce play this week in NFLX. 

Target: $95 to $100

$NFLX faded lower along with the market last week. Surprisingly it held in quite well compared to the general market and comparable sectors. All in all, not the best but certainly not the worst!

$NFLX traded down -3.95% on the week. Volatility starting to pick up so the next few "Top Picks" will need to be on the conservative side!

• Week 5 Top Pick: $HL

*** NOTE for Week 5:

$HL was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $23.27. Part 1 was sold into strength on the morning of Tuesday February 3rd at $23.55. The second part was sold on Friday, February 6th at $23. Alerts were sent for both part 1 & 2.

$HL: (long setup) Made a huge 40% pullback in this Silver sector stock. It went from overbought to now short term oversold following 6 down days in a row. Risk to reward favors a bounce play this week in $HL especially since it's down again in pre-market. Down about 6% in pre-market and looks to open near $21 area which is right off the 50 day MA. 

Target: $25 to $27

$HL primarily chopped and churned Monday through Friday creating wide ranged candles. The two strategic exits this week allowed the Top Pick to lock in some gains during volatile trading sessions and also see the trade out into week end. This trade was excellent considering the market conditions we were faced with throughout the week!

$HL traded up + 4.26% over the two exits ($28.85 & $29.35) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 14.42% after week 5, 2026.

• Week 6 Top Pick: $HL

$HL: (long setup) Making this Silver stock the Top Pick again for this week! It recently made a huge 40% pullback and went from overbought to short term last week. Made a bottom and reversed smartly higher last week. Risk to reward still favors a continued bounce play this week to follow-thru on last week's bull reversal. Love how it printed a Double Bottom off the 50 day MA late last week. 

Target: $26 to $28

$HL traded with the market last week. With a big move lower on Thursday but staged a recovery on Friday allowing us to close the trade out with a minor loss.

$HL traded down -5.18% on the week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now +9.24% after week 6, 2026.

• Week 7 Top Pick: $AMAT

*** NOTE for Week 7:

$AMAT was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $372.94. Part 1 was sold into strength on Wednesday February 18th at $370.50. The second part was sold on Friday, on the close, $375.38 area.

$AMAT: (long setup) Reported strong earnings and phenomenal guidance late last week. Strong sector momentum and formed a PEG on Friday. I think the late day Friday dip will be bought aggressively this week. 

Target: $380 to $400

$AMAT started the week off with a gap down. From there it made a strong 4 day trend move higher closing near highs for the week. The top pick closed into a new high for 2026 on the back of this strength!

$AMAT traded up + 6.25% over the two exits ($370.50 & $375.38) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 15.49% after week 7, 2026.

• Week 8 Top Pick: $STX

$STX: (long setup) Reported strong earnings and phenomenal guidance 3 weeks ago, as the entire data storage sector is seeing unprecedented demand and guidance. Strong sector momentum and formed a PEG in late January. Overnight futures are nicely red so a gap down open in $STX would be an excellent opportunity to get into this week's AOT Top Pick. 

Target: $460 to $480

$STX gets an A+++ for effort this week is what turned out to be a brutally choppy/volatile week for majority of stocks. With 12 minutes left in the session, $STX is literally +0.2% on the week. Which is truly a huge achievement given how badly so many other stocks did this week.

$STX ended up closing down -0.62% from the Monday open into the Friday close last week. Nonetheless a big achievement for this name last week.

$STX traded down -0.62% on the week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now +14.87% after week 8, 2026.

• Week 9 Top Pick: $SOXL

$SOXL: (long setup) The overnight futures are gapping down deep in the red. SOXL is gapping down about 8%. This gap down open would be an excellent opportunity to get into the market's leading sector and this week's AOT Top Pick. 

Quick heads up: if $SOXL sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll look to sell at least HALF. 

Target: $65 to $70

$SOXL made a quick reversal from the gap down open allowing us to sell into strength which has built a very strong base for the Top Pick early into the year.

$SOXL traded up + 6.95% On day one. From the $58.11 open into $62.15 exit area. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 21.82% after week 9, 2026.

• Week 10 Top Pick: $AG

*** NOTE for Week 10:

$AG was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $24.78. Part 1 was sold into strength on Tuesday March 10th at $27. The second part was sold on Friday, March 13th at the close.

$AG: (long setup)The overnight futures are gapping down deep in the red as crude oil futures/USO is gapping down big. This huge gap down open would be a good opportunity to get into one of the market's leading sector(gold/silver) and this week's AOT Top Pick after a near 23% pullback from highs made a few days ago. It's down about 3% in pre-market. 

Quick heads up: if $AG sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $28 to $30

$AG ran with strength on the Monday and Tuesday of last week. Strength was sold into near Tuesdays highs and the rest was held into the Friday close. The market was weak Tuesday into Friday and $AG followed. The half sell into strength on Tuesday helped save this trade with a minimal loss at week end.

$AG traded down slightly on the week -1.67% over the two exits ($27 & $22.56) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 20.15% after week 10, 2026.

• Week 11 Top Pick: $STX

*** NOTE for Week 11:

$STX was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $419.60. Part 1 was sold into strength on Tuesday March 17th at $420.60. The second part was sold on Wednesday March 18th, in the $418.60 area.

$STX: (long setup) A relative strength leader as the general has been pulling back and as indices steadily approaching oversold readings in NYMO and NAMO, we want to be in this leading name this week. 

Quick heads up: if $STX sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $425 to $460

$STX started the week off with a gap up open, not ideal for the Top Pick entry but focusing on selling strength when presented with it on Tuesday help solidify this trade for the week. Part 2 was sold on Wednesday into strength again insuring a gain on the week!

$AEHR traded up + 5.56% over the two exits ($420.60 & $418.60) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 22.93% after week 11, 2026.

• Week 12 Top Pick: $MU

$MU: (long setup) One of the top 3 relative strength leaders in the stock market right now. As the general continues to pullback aggressively and indices steadily approaching oversold readings in NYMO and NAMO, I think owning this Relative Strength Leader on a gap down open this morning will be a good trade as the week unfolds. 

Quick heads up: if $MU sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll consider selling at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $450 to $470

$MU faded lower each day along with the market last week. The trade was stopped out as per the AoT strategy rules at a max loss of 15%~ mid way through Thursdays session.

$MU traded down heavily with the market last week. The strong Top Pick performance over the past 3 months helped make this loss a little less painful. The AoT Top Pick sits at +7.41% after week 12, 2026.

• Week 13 Top Pick: $GLW

$GLW: (long setup) The general continued to pullback aggressively last week and indices are pretty oversold enough for a 2 to 3 day snap back bounce, especially on this week's Holiday shortened week(Market closed on Friday). $GLW is a leading fiber optics name that's seeing increasing demand recently due to A.I. spending. One of the rare few Relative Strength Leaders that's still holding up technically well at 20 day EMA. 

Quick heads up: if $GLW sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $150 to $160

$GLW opened strong Monday but quickly faded lower on the day. Losing just under 8% on the day the stock ended up testing the 50 day MA, where it found support. Tuesday through Thursday proved to be much stronger for this name and since it was a short week I used Thursdays intraday strength to close the Top Pick at a + 3.70% gain for the week!

$GLW traded up + 3.70% selling into strength on Thursday around $146. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now +11.11% after week 3, 2026.

• Week 14 Top Pick: $AXTI

*** NOTE for Week 14:

$AXTI was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $53.07. Part 1 and 2 were sold into strength on April 8th in the $51 area for part 1 and $55.15 for part 2.

$AXTI: (long setup) (long setup): One of the strongest relative strength leaders recently until it began to pullback about 30% to test the 20 day EMA. We want to be in this leading name this week on this pullback. 

Quick heads up: if $AXTI sees a quick bounce of 10% to 14%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $60 to $70

$AXTI sold down viciously out of Mondays open creating a small window for a reversal opportunity as risk started to stack against the trade. Tuesday $AXTI was about to hold in, above the low made on Monday keeping the trade on. Wednesday the stock gapped higher and rallied with strength. Taking into consideration the move it made off of Mondays low I used this opportunity to book this trade.

$AXTI traded up + 7.49% over the two exits ($28.85 & $29.35) this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 18.60% after week 14, 2026.

• Week 15 Top Pick: $AGQ

*** NOTE for Week 15:

$AGQ was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $130.20. Part 1 was sold into strength on the morning of Tuesday April 14th at $126. The second part was sold on Wednesday April 15th near $134.40. Alerts were sent for both part 1 & 2.

$AGQ: (long setup) This Silver sector ETF(2X) is starting to form a bottoming formation as a huge pullback in recent weeks. This is an excellent risk to reward for a reversal/bounce back phase higher. Especially that it looks to be gapping down about 5% in pre-market. 

Quick heads up: if $AGQ sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $125 to $130

$AGQ offered a gap down open to start the week. Gap down opens on the Top Pick usually give some fantastic entry points and it was no different for $AGQ last week. I stuck to the plan and sold into strength on Tuesday when it gapped above my first $125 target. Wednesday allowed us to sell into strength above target #2.

$AGQ ranks as the top performing Top Pick for 2026 so far, YTD.

$AGQ traded up + 13.10% over the two exits this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 31.70% after week 15, 2026.

• Week 16 Top Pick: $AAOI

*** NOTE for Week 16:

$AAOI was sold in 2 parts at an average sell price of $170.15. Both parts were sold into strength on Tuesday April 21st.

$AAOI: (long setup) a leading play in AI ecosystem that's seeing increasing demand due to ramping AI spending. Relative Strength Leader for a while now. 

Early heads up: if $AAOI sees a quick bounce of 8% to 10%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $170 to $180

$AAOI opened the week flat offering an attractive entry. Early strength that spiked early in the day Tuesday offered an out on the Top Pick with another strong weekly gain to help stack more strength into the strategy early into the trading year!

$AAOI traded up + 6.35% over the two exits this week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now + 38.05% after week 16, 2026.

• Week 17 Top Pick: $TXN

$TXN: (long setup) One of the strongest relative strength leaders recently and printed a big PEG late last week. Chances of further upside traction are very high. 

Quick heads up: if $TXN sees a quick bounce of 7% to 8%, I'll look to sell at least HALF, if not all and close the trade early.  

Target: $300

$TXN opened strong Monday but quickly faded lower on the day, followed by weakness Tuesday but managing to stay above the PEG candle low. Wednesday ignited the reversal with Thursday marking a strong trend day higher. Friday basically closed flat marking an inside day. the Top Pick was closed on the Friday close at a + 1.76% gain for the week!

$GLW traded up + 1.76% on the week. The AoT Top Pick strategy is now +39.81% after week 17, 2026 marking a new All Time High on the strategy.

Stay tuned for weekly updates!

Cheers and happy Trading!