There’s loads of doom and gloom out there proper now, and I’ve to say, I’m not proof against the pessimism. Nevertheless, I additionally wish to ask what can go proper in any state of affairs, and I do suppose quite a few key tailwinds might elevate particular shares increased this yr.
I believe buyers will have to be selective on this entrance. However there are particular names I believe are poised for giant upside, if sure elements align favourably.
Listed below are two progress shares I believe might have a pleasant rally in 2026 in such a state of affairs.
Supply: Getty Pictures
Open Textual content
Open Textual content (TSX:OTEX) is a prime Canadian software program firm that has seen some turbulence of late, to say the least.
This downdraft within the firm’s share value follows bigger strikes throughout the software program sector. To some extent, it is smart, if we do see the degrees of disruption many imagine are attainable with the rise of synthetic intelligence.
That stated, Open Textual content’s underlying fundamentals nonetheless inform a strong story. The corporate simply crushed Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings, posting $1.13 of earnings per share versus analyst expectations of $1.01. That’s a strong beat, made much more spectacular given it was pushed by strong income of $1.3 billion, which additionally edged previous forecasts. Analysts now undertaking 2026 revenues to stay regular at $5.2 billion with EPS leaping 32% to $2.30. That is anticipated to be fueled by 18% cloud income progress in content material administration and sturdy 36.3% adjusted EBITDA margins.
The corporate’s strategic pivot through divestitures like eDOCS slashed debt, whereas additionally boosting flexibility for AI risk detection, cybersecurity expansions, and SaaS transitions. These are key drivers as enterprise AI adoption surges into 2026.
Buying and selling at an affordable ahead earnings a number of and offering loads of capital return over time, Open Textual content is a prime Canadian tech firm I believe buyers might wish to purchase on this dip.
Now, we come to my favorite small-cap choose of all of them proper now – The Metals Firm (NASDAQ:TMC).
This Vancouver-based firm boasts a lean pre-revenue construction primed for polymetallic nodule harvesting of nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese. Importantly, these are important battery metals exploding in demand, for which I count on to see very excessive demand for a very long time. The rise of electrification and AI isn’t going away – if something, these developments are accelerating.
Thus, this makes the corporate’s basic enhancements much more spectacular. Losses narrowed in current quarters amid zero income, however recent 2026 regulatory tailwinds abound. These embrace authorities backing and clarified worldwide guidelines, de-risking commercialization timelines for offshore initiatives.
I believe TMC’s fundamentals additionally spotlight loads of upside potential. Certainly, a $2.6 billion market cap displays a speculative premium, but with no debt overload. And ongoing fairness raises ought to maintain the corporate’s ongoing R&D efforts heading into its commercialization interval.
As EV and inexperienced tech tailwinds speed up (suppose provide shortages), TMC’s nodule tech positions it as a low-cost disruptor, buying and selling in a unstable trend – however with 238% one-year positive factors signalling momentum earlier than full-scale operations take maintain.