So today, let's talk about five US stocks that I would love to buy, or buy more of, this year.

5 US stocks I'd love to buy in 2026

Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN)

First up, no one will be surprised to see Amazon. This e-commerce and cloud giant has been in my portfolio for many years. But I would love to add some more in 2026. I am still excited about this company's future growth. Amazon's online marketplace has never looked more dominant, given that it is entrenched in economies right around the world.

This company's AWS cloud platform also continues to grow at an astounding pace, and seems to be carving out a place as the clear market leader in cloud-based infrastructure.

Amazon stock had a fairly flat 2025, so I wouldn't be surprised if it is my first US stock purchase this year.

Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ: DUOL)

Duolingo is another US stock that I've owned for a while now, and one that has been particularly lucrative to my portfolio. I am delighted to see this language-learning company report seemingly evergreen growth year after year, both in active users and through the number of courses users can engage with (chess was a notable 2025 addition).

Despite its impressive growth rates, Duolingo is a stock that tends to be highly volatile. Over 2025, for instance, it got as high as US$544.93 and as low as US$166.27 a share. I'm hoping for more volatility this year, and a low price to pick up more shares at.

S&P Global Inc (NYSE: SPGI)

Now onto a stock that I don't yet own, but would like to by this time next year. S&P Global is a financial services company you might know best from its stewardship of many of the world's most important stock market indexes. These include both the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and the S&P 500 Index.

The rise of index investing over the past decade or two has been a boon for S&P Global. It has been able to compound revenues and profits at a remarkably consistent rate. This is evidenced by its 52-year streak of annual dividend increases, which have averaged an inflation-crushing rise of 7.46% per annum over the past five years. If there is a pullback opportunity to buy this company in 2026, I won't miss it.

Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ: COST)

Costco is the US stock behind the eponymous supermarket chain. Costco's unique membership model and bulk-oriented grocery warehouses have helped the company stand out against fierce global competition, including in Australia. We can see this in action through Costco's 21-year streak of dividend increases, which have averaged an impressive 12.97% per annum over the past five years.

Costco stock also had an uncharacteristically poor year in 2025. If this trend continues in 2026, I will be happy to add some more shares to my existing position.

Mastercard Inc (NYSE: MA)

Our final US stock is a company we'd all be familiar with, and one that is probably in your wallet as we speak. Mastercard is the global payments giant that forms a near-duopoly with its fierce rival, Visa.

Mastercard has one of the most picture-perfect growth trajectories you can imagine, with more than a decade of double-digit growth in revenues, earnings, profits and dividends in the bank. Its annual dividend growth has averaged 13.7% over the past five years.

I've held Mastercard shares for many years, but have always regretted not loading the boat to the brim at the time of my first purchase. If I have the opportunity to rectify this mistake in 2026, I would be delighted to.

The post I want to buy Amazon and these 4 US stocks in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Until now, ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the Australian share market follow a very narrow range of ASX-based indexes. These mostly revolve around the flagship S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). However, there are other less-used indexes, such as the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO).

But as you might have noticed, most of these 'ASX-only' indexes are run by S&P Global Inc (NYSE: SPGI).

But today, we have news that another global index provider in MSCI is set to join the party.

Who's this?

MSCI (formerly Morgan Stanley Captial International) is a New York-based company known for its globe-spanning indexes. Although MSCI currently does not offer ETFs, ASX investors might be familiar with some ASX ETFs that already track MSCI indexes around the world.

These include the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS), the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (ASX: IKO) and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (ASX: IEM).

But in Australia, MSCI is moving from the backroom to the open in offering its own indexes that exclusively track ASX shares. The Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported today that MSCI is launching more than 50 Australian indexes this week. According to the report, MSCI has been "quietly" working with super funds, ETF providers and fund managers over the last few months on the new offerings.

The new indexes will be grouped into four areas: market capitalisation, factor, thematic, and ESG (environmental, social and governance).

The market cap indexes will group ASX shares based on size (eg large-cap, small-cap), while the factor indexes will revolve around labels like value, quality or momentum.

Thematic indexes will cover specific sectors or areas of interest, such as real estate or resources. The ESG offerings will include a universal ESG index and others based on factors like climate change and excluding fossil fuels.

ASX is the pick of the bunch

The AFR reports that Australia is one of only 2 markets that MSCI has chosen to build a portfolio of domestic indexes. That's due to 2 reasons.

Firstly, the large capital base that our unique superannuation system provides. With at least 9.5% of the country's pre-tax income going into the superannuation system every year, there is a wide capital base to work off and a long runway for growth. Clearly, MSCI has noticed and is banking on super funds offering investments that may track MSCI's indexes in the future.

Secondly, the shift towards ESG investing in Australia. That AFR report states there is "a hunger for index-based strategies that can better replicate their investment philosophies". That spills over into which super products and investments Australians might choose to direct their super into.

MSCI clearly sees an opportunity here as the report states that the company wants to "work with each fund to create custom indexes that can reflect the fund's ESG view".

The post Countdown to launch of new ASX indexes for ESG boom appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

That's why the first financial statistics you're likely to see on an Aussie news bulletin's business report each night usually relate to the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) or the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO). In the case of the ASX 200, this index measures the performance of the largest 200 companies on the ASX, weighted to market capitalisation. With the All Ords, it's the largest 500 companies.

Over in the United States, it's a similar story with the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI), S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC). The Dow measures the performance of 30 individually selected shares on the US markets. The S&P 500 is more similar to our All Ords in that it measures the performance of most of the 500 largest companies listed on US markets. The Nasdaq is a little different in that it only includes companies that list on a certain exchange (the Nasdaq), but works in a similar manner to the S&P 500 in terms of weightings and so on.

But indexes don't just measure shares (albeit stock indexes remain the most popular indexes to track). There are indexes for almost anything you can think of. For example, the Bloomberg AusBond Composite Index tracks a basket of bonds issued by the Australian Government. The S&P GSCI Crude Oil Index tracks the price of crude oil. You get the idea.

But a new type of index is set to be joining this throng, if reporting from Reuters is to be believed.

Bitcoin set to be indexed

Reuters reports that S&P Global Inc (NYSE: SPGI), the company behind the 'S&P Indexes', is set to launch a cryptocurrency index for the first time ever. 2021 will reportedly see the launch of this new index, which looks set to track "more than 550 of the top traded coins". This will likely include the cryptocurrency posterchild Bitcoin. But it will also probably include popular 'altcoins' like Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash.

S&P Global is apparently working with a New York-based virtual currency company – Lukka – in this endeavour. The two companies issued a joint statement on the matter, which stated the following:

S&P's clients will be able to work with the index provider to create customized indices and other benchmarking tools on cryptocurrencies… S&P and Lukka hope more reliable pricing data will make it easier for investors to access the new asset class, and reduce some of the risks of the very volatile and speculative market.

Reuters also quotes Peter Roffman, the global head of innovation and strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices as saying:

With digital assets such as cryptocurrencies becoming a rapidly emerging asset class, the time is right for independent, reliable and user-friendly benchmarks.

Bitcoin has been generating headlines again this year due to massive price appreciation. Over the past year, bitcoin has increased by more than 150% in US dollar terms.

The post S&P Global set to launch world's first cryptocurrency index appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.