Where to Find Good Stocks Right Now: 3 Compelling Picks for Your $1,000 Investment

The stock market has been riding a strong upward wave for over three years. Since the bull market began in October 2022, the S&P 500 index has surged approximately 94%, and major financial institutions are bullish on continued gains. Deutsche Bank projects the S&P 500 could reach 8,000 by year-end 2026—a potential 15% increase from current levels—while Goldman Sachs forecasts a 12% rally throughout the year. For investors with $1,000 in available capital after covering expenses and emergency savings, now presents a meaningful opportunity to position themselves for these anticipated market gains.

Finding good stocks right now requires looking beyond surface-level momentum and identifying companies positioned to benefit from transformative trends. Whether you’re seeking exposure to breakthrough technologies or industries benefiting from massive capital spending, these three stock opportunities deserve consideration based on your risk tolerance.

Quantum Computing: One of the Most Promising Growth Opportunities

Quantum computing remains an emerging field, but its long-term trajectory looks remarkable. McKinsey projects the quantum computing market could expand from $4 billion in 2024 to an extraordinary $72 billion by 2035—an 18-fold increase that would reward early investors in this space.

IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) represents one path to capture this opportunity. The company designs and manufactures quantum computers while offering quantum computing services through major cloud providers. Despite being relatively small today, IonQ’s expansion has been nothing short of spectacular. In the first nine months of 2025, revenue more than doubled year-over-year to $68 million, with Q3 revenue alone surging 222%. The company has concentrated its efforts on improving system accuracy and recently achieved a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate performance—a measure of quantum computing precision. This near-perfect fidelity suggests the technology is approaching mainstream viability, with IonQ claiming its systems cost roughly 30 times less than competing offerings.

That said, IonQ trades at a lofty 158 times sales and experiences significant volatility. However, allocating a modest portion of your $1,000 to this growth stock could yield substantial returns if quantum computing fulfills its market potential. The combination of explosive growth and a massive addressable market creates an intriguing long-term proposition.

AI Infrastructure Spending Drives Compelling Valuations on These Good Stocks

The artificial intelligence infrastructure space has attracted extraordinary investment capital in recent years. Gartner anticipates AI infrastructure spending will spike 41% in 2026, reaching $1.4 trillion globally. This massive spending wave benefits companies providing the underlying infrastructure and components that power AI deployment.

Celestica (NYSE: CLS) has positioned itself as a critical supplier to this booming sector. The company provides design, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain solutions across multiple industries, with particular strength in connectivity and cloud solutions. Celestica manufactures networking components for AI accelerator chips from leading companies like Broadcom, Marvell Technology, AMD, and Intel. Additionally, it develops and builds rack-scale networking solutions for hyperscalers deploying AI data centers. This positioning drove an estimated 27% revenue increase to $12.2 billion in 2025, with forecasts suggesting further acceleration ahead.

Trading at just 3.2 times sales, Celestica represents compelling value among good stocks right now. The company’s accelerating growth trajectory, combined with its reasonable valuation, suggests meaningful upside potential as AI infrastructure spending continues its explosive growth.

Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) offers another attractive opportunity in this space. The memory chip manufacturer trades below 10 times sales despite impressive growth metrics—even its forward earnings multiple of just 11 appears cheap. Micron’s earnings could jump nearly 4x in the current fiscal year on the back of a 100% sales increase. The driver? A significant shortage of memory chips used in AI data centers, smartphones, and computing devices. Memory chip prices have surged as demand outpaces supply, a dynamic expected to persist through 2028. Though memory chipmakers are expanding capacity, constructing new facilities takes time. This inevitable delay should support persistently elevated memory pricing, particularly for high-bandwidth memory essential to AI data center operations.

With Micron having gained 243% over the past year, the valuation and growth dynamics remain compelling. The company presents a balanced opportunity—not as speculative as quantum computing plays, yet still positioned to capitalize on the AI infrastructure boom.

Making Your Investment Decision Right Now

Good stocks right now come in different flavors and risk profiles. IonQ offers explosive growth potential but with considerable volatility and a premium valuation—suitable for investors comfortable with higher risk. Celestica and Micron provide better-established growth stories with more attractive valuations, making them appropriate for balanced portfolios.

Consider allocating your $1,000 across these opportunities based on your personal risk tolerance and investment timeline. The broader market backdrop remains supportive, and these three companies are specifically positioned to benefit from durable, multi-year trends: quantum computing development, AI infrastructure expansion, and semiconductor supply constraints.

By thoughtfully deploying your capital now, you align yourself with companies positioned to drive returns through 2026 and well beyond.