AI’s growth story is much bigger than chatbots.

The market was already valued at an estimated $800 billion by late 2025, and continued adoption could push it beyond $1 trillion in the years ahead. That growth will require more data centers, computing power, software, networking and intelligent devices.

But the most obvious AI names may not be the only companies positioned to benefit.

MarketBeat’s free 10 Best AI Stocks to Own in 2026 report identifies ten publicly traded companies helping power the next phase of the AI buildout. Some are established leaders. Others occupy less obvious corners of the expanding AI ecosystem.

This free report names 10 stocks positioned to ride that wave before the rest of the market catches on.

Two stocks made my main list:

Entegris (ENTG)
Rocket Lab (RKLB)

Both are showing improving technical conditions, but for different reasons.

My objective isn't to predict exactly what happens next. I want to form a hypothesis before the move happens, document it publicly, and then come back later to see whether I was right or wrong.

That last part matters.

It is easy to find a great-looking chart after a stock has already moved. It is much more useful to record what you saw beforehand and then measure the result.

My screen uses several indicators together rather than treating any one signal as sufficient:

• 14-day ATR
• 8-day and 21-day moving averages
• Anchored VWAP
• RSI
• MACD
• Support and resistance
• Price compression and expansion

I am looking for confluence.

When several independent pieces of the chart start telling a similar story, that stock gets my attention.

At the time of this screen, ENTG was trading around $151.89.

The first thing that caught my attention was the price.

ENTG has pushed back above the $149.14 area, an important level on this chart.

The 8-day moving average is approximately $145.85, while the 21-day is approximately $142.06.

The shorter moving average is above the longer moving average, and price is above both.

That gives me a bullish short-term trend structure.

My chart also shows the buyer-side AVWAP around $141.09.

ENTG is trading substantially above that area. I interpret that as further evidence that the recent buyer cohort remains in a favourable position, although that does not guarantee the move continues.

RSI is approximately 55.81.

It is above the midpoint, showing improving momentum, but it isn't sitting at an extreme overbought reading. I would rather see momentum building with room available than chase something simply because RSI has already exploded higher.

MACD has also improved considerably from its September lows.

Momentum has shifted upward, and the histogram has moved positive.

Again, MACD by itself isn't the trade.

It is the combination that interests me:

Price above resistance + 8 MA above 21 MA + price above AVWAP + RSI above 50 + improving MACD.

That is why ENTG made my list.

The next major area I'm watching is approximately $161.28.

That level matters because price has previously encountered resistance around this zone.

My hypothesis is that if ENTG can hold the breakout above roughly $149 and momentum continues, it could attempt the $161 area.

If price loses the breakout and falls back through support, the hypothesis becomes weaker.

That's important: a hypothesis needs an invalidation condition.

I don't want to become attached to the ticker simply because I wrote about it.

Rocket Lab tells a very different story.

Earlier in the year, RKLB produced the kind of move that is impossible to miss. The stock accelerated dramatically, eventually reaching roughly $150 before reversing just as dramatically.

By July, much of that excitement had disappeared.

What followed was not another spectacular move but something quieter: consolidation.

For months, RKLB has remained trapped inside a broad range. Price has travelled toward the upper end, retreated toward the bottom, recovered, and retreated again. The chart has effectively spent the summer absorbing the consequences of the enormous move that came before it.

That makes the recent change worth watching.

RKLB was trading around $73.95 when I ran this screen. Its 8-day moving average had risen to approximately $70.19, above the 21-day average at $68.52. Price had also moved above the Anchored VWAP levels around $68.16 and $67.19.

Momentum was changing at the same time.

RSI, which had fallen below 40 earlier in September, had recovered to 53.37. MACD had turned upward, and its histogram had become positive.

The stock was still inside the box, but the character of the movement inside that box was beginning to change.

That distinction matters.

A strengthening stock is not necessarily a breakout.

RKLB still has a considerable obstacle above it. The major resistance on my chart sits around $85.98, an area near the top of the consolidation that has contained price before.

For now, the stock is approaching that test rather than passing it.

My hypothesis is therefore conditional. If momentum improves and RKLB eventually pushes through the $86 area with convincing price action, the months of consolidation become much more significant. If the stock reaches that area and sellers take control again, the range remains intact.

There is no reason to decide the answer before the market does.

On September 27, 2026, ENTG stood at approximately $151.89 and RKLB at $73.95.

That is where this story pauses.

ENTG has crossed $149, with $161 waiting above it. RKLB is strengthening inside a months-long consolidation, with approximately $86 still standing between the stock and a larger breakout.

The hypotheses now exist before the outcomes.

That is important because hindsight makes technical analysis look much easier than it really is. Once a stock has risen 20%, almost anyone can return to the old chart and find the signals that supposedly predicted it. Failed signals quietly disappear from the story.

I want to do the opposite.

These charts are being recorded now. Later, I will return to them and compare what actually happened with what I expected.

Perhaps ENTG reaches $161. Perhaps its move above $149 proves temporary. Perhaps RKLB eventually escapes its range. Perhaps $86 rejects it again.

Being wrong is part of the experiment.

What matters is finding out why.

If you want to see how ENTG and RKLB actually perform—and whether these hypotheses survive contact with the market—subscribe to the newsletter. In a future edition, I'll return to these exact charts, review the outcome and document what worked, what failed and what I missed.

For now, the levels are marked.

The rest of the story hasn't happened yet.

Disclaimer: This article and the accompanying videos are for educational and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal research, observations and trading hypotheses and do not constitute financial, investment or trading advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security.

Investing and trading involve risk, including the potential loss of capital. Technical indicators, chart patterns and historical price movements do not guarantee future results. The hypotheses described above may prove incorrect, and market conditions can change rapidly.

Readers should conduct their own research, consider their individual financial circumstances and risk tolerance, and consult a qualified financial professional where appropriate.