"Buy nicotine, energy drinks, and candy stocks"! Goldman Sachs calls: Get ready for a frenzy in U.S. consumer stocks

Goldman Sachs analyst Bonnie Herzog advises investors to decisively buy stocks in nicotine, energy drinks, candy, and beauty sectors as 2026 approaches. She believes that with a significant improvement in consumer fundamentals, growth in these segments will outperform the market in the future, making now a good entry point for these consumer stocks.

On December 16, Bonnie Herzog, Managing Director and Senior Consumer Analyst at Goldman Sachs, issued a strong bullish signal in her latest report, suggesting that the market logic is changing after the consumer staples sector's overall poor performance in 2025.

She expects that the U.S. consumer environment in 2026 will be more constructive, driven by a rebound in real income growth, job growth, tax cuts, and a decline in tariff-related inflation, particularly for the middle-income group. This will support an investment strategy of "non-essential consumption outperforming defensive consumption."

Herzog emphasized that although the consumer staples sector may still face pressure next year, the stock-picking environment will be encouraging. Goldman Sachs continues to encourage investors to allocate new funds to categories that are attractive and have profit growth that can outperform the market, specifically including energy drinks, nicotine, candy, and beauty products.

Additionally, the firm pointed out that benefiting from the "three major favorable events," 2026 is very likely to become the "year of beer stocks." This bullish call comes as signs of recovery emerge in the U.S. economy. Despite ongoing concerns about a "K-shaped" economic recovery, strong growth in core retail sales in October indicates that the overall condition of consumers remains robust.

Shifting from Defensive to Offensive: Improvement in Macroeconomic Background

In her report, Herzog reviewed the market performance of 2025, describing it as a year of poor performance for consumer staples. With the exception of nicotine stocks, the sector lagged behind the market overall.

This phenomenon is primarily attributed to concerns about the health of U.S. consumers, including macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and layoffs, which suppressed consumption trends and forced consumers to seek value.

However, looking ahead to 2026, Goldman Sachs expects a reversal in the macro environment. Herzog pointed out that with the acceleration of real income growth, coupled with support from the job market and potential policy benefits, consumer confidence will be restored.

This backdrop will no longer favor traditional defensive sectors but will create opportunities for more resilient consumer categories. Regardless of the overall trend of the consumer staples sector, Goldman Sachs believes that 2026 will be a stock-pickers' market.

2026: "Year of Beer Stocks" and "Super Triple Play"

In specific segments, Goldman Sachs has placed significant attention on the beer industry, even predicting that next year will be the "year of beer stocks."

Herzog believes that the headwinds facing the industry will gradually weaken, giving way to a series of specific favorable factors.

These positives include last year's low base effect, anticipated better weather conditions, and most critically, the "triple play of events": FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Goldman Sachs believes that these three major events will significantly increase beer consumption scenarios next year, thereby driving substantial growth in sales