In this article, we will take a look at some of the best stocks to buy for a stock market game.

We all have heard the phrase ‘value isn’t always visible at first glance’ at least once in our lifetime and this isn’t something to overlook, particularly when you are playing the stock game. A small investment results in a big fortune, but only if you’re lucky or a contrarian genius.

In his ‘How To Start Investing in Stocks in 2025 and Beyond’ guide, Peter Gratton provides a list of 7 steps to lead the stock market game. When selecting stocks, it is pertinent to consider stocks with good track records or as he says,

“The greater the chances for outsized growth in a stock, the riskier investing in it will be. Beginners interested in growth stocks should target industries with long-term potential, such as technology or healthcare.”

The foundation of the preference of most of the stocks listed below is how deeply the company embraces AI. Since the last few years, everyone has been going on about AI, just as blockchain was once a buzzword. Research by IDC expects that AI could add around $20 trillion to the global economy by 2030. While Warren Buffett stays away from most of the technology stocks, simply because he doesn’t understand their business, he reports missing out on some golden stocks. Today, almost every investor owns a stock based on the company’s AI-related strategies.

Similarly, analyzing the global demand patterns can help in identifying highly valued sectors. A report by WHO reported that global healthcare spending reached an impressive $10.3 trillion in 2024 underscoring the demand for such a crucial sector. And when you integrate healthcare with the tech sector, that’s when you get another cutting-edge healthcare technology sector, that too is expected to lead the market in the years ahead.

Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing, stated:

“In the short run, the market is a voting machine, but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists. The future is never clear, and you pay a very high price in the stock market for a cheery consensus. Uncertainty is the friend of the buyer of long-term values.”

Thus, it is the long run when the true value of a stock is realized as the short run just focuses on the investors’ sentiments. In making investment decisions, it is important to know the value that you will be getting not the price that you will be paying.

To assist you in getting ahead, we have compiled a list of 12 stocks that have the potential to surpass peers amid the growth of key industries like semiconductors, cybersecurity, health, and AI. These sectors are considered the most-yielding and highly safe bets in this world of extreme volatility.

Our Methodology

For this list, we screened for 12 penny stocks from Finviz and Yahoo Finance that have exhibited positive returns in the past year. These companies have been listed in descending order, with the lowest returns to the highest. The growth trend has been captured from Google’s latest stock prices, in correspondence to the returns of the respective shares.

At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

12. Taseko Mines Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB)

Price momentum over the past year: 23.71%

Taseko Mines Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB) is a mid-tier mining company that acquires, develops, and operates mineral properties. Incepted in 1966, this Canada-based company explores copper, molybdenum, gold, niobium, and silver deposits. With interests in the Gibraltar, Florence Copper, Aley Niobium, Yellowhead, New Prosperity, and Harmony projects, the company is focused on unlocking the true value of copper for its investors, communities, employees, and for an ever-evolving world. This North American mining company is known for its operational efficiency, safety, and delivery of 360 degrees of value.

The company’s recent financials unveiled that despite reduced production, revenues increased by 9% to CAD$167.8 million, owing to a relatively higher price of copper. This continuous rise in copper prices sets Taseko Mines Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB) toward a good start.

Apart from the factor that is, in general, externally controlled, Taseko Mines Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB) has plans that will further define its future trajectory. The company is aiming to increase full-year production to 120-130 million pounds of copper from 106 million reported in 2024 supported by increased mill availability. We can expect an even 70% more production with the Florence project, anticipated to begin later this year and ramp up in 2026.

With every day, the world demand for copper only grows stronger. Electrification across various industries, the rising deployment of copper-heavy renewable energy, and robust electrical conduction properties are just a few reasons to believe copper is the right choice. According to the Future of Copper Report by S&P Global, the demand for copper could double from the 2022 levels, surging toward 50 million metric tons of demand per year.

At the current price level, TGB seems undervalued compared to its competitors. Although it is trading in line with its peers, the Florence project boost isn’t taken into account. Driven by these growth catalysts, analysts rate Taseko Mines Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB) as a Strong Buy.

11. Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKBA)

Price momentum over the past year: 26.98%

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKBA) is a fully integrated renal biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing and commercializing therapeutics. Incepted in 2007, the company provides solutions for people with kidney disease. AKBA is also involved in the development of drugs for treating people living with renal and metabolic disorders. The core offerings of this US-based company include Auryxia and Vadadustat. From collaborative agreements with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation to research and license agreements with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, the biopharma powerhouse is well-equipped to target countries from all over the globe.

From relying on Auryxia to Vafseo, Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKBA) is transitioning to a low-risk future. Apart from this shift, the company also has plans for a label expansion to target a wider population with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The current year is one of the most crucial years for the company as it will not only offset Auryxia’s declining sales but also aim to tap a wider TAM in the process. Much of the company’s success in the years ahead depends on the growth curve of Vafseo, which we are positive about.

In its recent earnings call, Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKBA) disclosed strong growth for Vafseo since its launch, with the number of prescribers and prescriptions rising throughout the quarter. The management also shared its vision for the first quarter of 2025, anticipating between $10 million and $11 million in Vafseo net product revenue.

With the company’s full focus on driving the demand for Vafseo, we can expect the company to capitalize on this potential, becoming the foundation for our bullish thesis.

10. Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB)

Price momentum over the past year: 40.38%

Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB) is Southeast Asia’s leading superapp based on gross merchandise value (GMV) in food deliveries, mobility, and the financial services sector. This Singapore-based application allows its users to access the drivers and merchant partners to order food or groceries, send packages, book a ride, pay for online purchases, or access services across 700 cities in eight countries. From necessities to earning opportunities, the company claims to be an all-in-one platform that makes each day better.

Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB) has recently gained attention owing to the FinTwit influencers posting about Grab on X and new tax rebates announced by the Singaporean government. The company witnessed a growth in its Monthly Transacting Users by 16% year-over-year, as disclosed in its recent earnings. Additionally, GrabUnlimited, a paid subscription plan, reached an all-time high in signups, generating around 35% of Deliveries GMW. These are strong indicators signaling GRAB’s success for years to come.

The management plans to continue to evolve its product strategy to make the most of its ecosystem by maintaining GMV growth momentum in 2025. In doing this, Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB) will focus on balancing premium and affordable pricing to support overall growth acceleration. With a forecasted revenue of $3.33 billion to $3.40 billion in 2025, the company is committed to delivering an annual growth rate of about 19% to 22%. Similarly, the EBITDA is anticipated to be between $440 and $470 million, reflecting a growth of 41% to 50%.

As GRAB advances into the future, it aims to invest in strategic initiatives powered by AI to enhance efficiency in areas like marketing, customer service, and menu translation. For instance, the company recently integrated an AI translation tool into its platform for its Help Center articles.

Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GRAB) CEO and Co-founder Anthony Tan underscored the company’s efforts to leverage generative AI further to fuel product improvements. This is what he said during the earnings call:

“For example, we have now developed our own in-house LLM-powered marketing tool, which has enabled us to reduce content generation time from 99 hours to just 90 minutes while raising output quality.”