Looking back over the last 12 months, the TSX defied the odds by delivering a stellar performance. In all likelihood, the sense of FOMO, a psychological phenomenon among investors, will persist heading into 2026. Did you miss out on the three most popular Canadian stocks in 2025, or do you own them?
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How popularity drives stocks
A stock’s rise in popularity is typically anchored on three factors: brand, earnings, and performance. Brand represents the company’s identity and the established trust it has built with the public. Earnings are the proof of profitability, or denote the current and future income-generating potential. Performance is when the stock gains momentum or begins to trend, followed by ‘herd mentality,’ where people buy into the hype.
Ultimate brand
The Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY) is arguably the ultimate brand, if not the gold standard. The $322.6 billion financial institution is Canada’s largest bank and TSX’s largest company by market capitalization. Its sheer size and dividend reliability, not social media hype, are why people invest in RBC.
It would be foolish not to have a Canadian Big Bank, specifically RBC, as an anchor in your investment portfolio. At $232.71 per share, current investors enjoy a 38.8% year-to-date gain on top of a secure 2.9% dividend (43% payout ratio). The dividend track record of this definitive blue-chip stock is 155 years and counting.
Running at full speed
Shopify (TSX:SHOP), Canada’s tech darling and second-largest publicly listed firm, is back in the limelight. The $299.3 billion global commerce company also owns the distinction of unseating RBC briefly twice (2020 and mid-2025) as the TSX’s most valuable company.
SHOP lost investors’ favour from 2022 to 2024 after being recognized as a TSX30 winner in 2019 (2nd), 2020 (1st), and 2021 (2nd). The resurgence this year is due to accelerating revenue and sustained profitability in the last two quarters. Q3 2025 was also a standout quarter, owing to the 20.4% year-over-year increase in free cash flow (FCF) to $501 million and FCF margin of 18%.
According to Shopify President Harley Finkelstein, the ‘we build, we ship, and we grow’ business model is running at full speed. “We’re powering growth across the full spectrum of commerce,” he added.
If you invest today, the share price is $233.80, up 53% from year-end 2024. The three-year total return is +373.3%.
AI champion
Shopify and Celestica (TSX:CLS) are both breakout stocks. The former rose to prominence in 2020 amid the e-commerce boom, while the latter currently dominates due to enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI). CLS is a back-to-back TSX30 winner, ranking first and second in 2025 and 2024, respectively.
The $42.9 billion company builds the hardware that the software runs on. Its two business segments, Connectivity & Cloud Solutions (CCS) and Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS), are growth engines. At $407.37 per share, the year-to-date gain is 207%. Notably, the three-year positive return is 2,597.8%.
Income or growth
RBC is a no-brainer buy if you want fortress-like passive income stability. Shopify and Celestica are non-dividend payers but have rewarded investors with superior capital gains. The three stocks are undoubtedly the TSX’s most popular stocks today.
