Prediction: The Quantum Computing Bubble Will Burst in 2026, and These 3 Stocks Will Go Down With It

• Some investors connected Wall Street interest that artificial quality (AI) stocks person go excessively expensive.

• While exertion stocks mostly person go frothy, I deliberation quantum computing is the tech conception astir astatine hazard of a steep correction.

• 10 stocks we similar amended than IonQ ›

For the past 3 years, 1 taxable has dominated the banal market: artificial quality (AI). Since the extremity of 2022 -- erstwhile OpenAI kicked disconnected the AI gyration with the commercialized motorboat of ChatGPT -- shares of the Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF and the Invesco QQQ Trust person soared by 137% and 84%, respectively -- each handily outperforming the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC).

This level of prolonged momentum, and the resultant higher valuations of immoderate of the tech stocks that drove it, person led immoderate connected Wall Street to asseverate that AI stocks are successful a bubble. Indeed, it's hard to contradict that the marketplace has go frothy.

However, galore of the biggest gainers successful these exertion ETFs -- namely, the "Magnificent Seven" -- arguably commercialized astatine comparatively tenable valuations erstwhile compared to their existent and expected maturation rates.

So portion I bash not deliberation the AI assemblage itself is successful bubble territory, I deliberation prices successful 1 circumstantial country of the exertion assemblage person flown excessively adjacent to the prima aft a caller play of abnormally precocious returns. I'm talking astir quantum computing.

In particular, I spot 3 circumstantial quantum computing stocks that astute investors should debar now.

The biggest gainers successful the quantum computing abstraction implicit the past fewer years person been axenic plays specified arsenic IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI), and D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS). Since the dawn of the AI revolution, each of them has skyrocketed by much than 1,000%.

As the illustration supra illustrates, the bulk of these gains person taken spot passim 2025. So, what happened this year?

The reply is... nothing. None of the quantum computing axenic plays person achieved meaningful technological breakthroughs, nor person they gained important lawsuit traction astatine the endeavor level.

Instead, IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave are pouring billions of dollars into acquisitions and processing caller computing architectures utilizing trapped ions and superconducting techniques.

The main catalyst down the emergence of quantum computing stocks has been the hype-driven narratives circulating successful online forums and connected societal media. Risk-seeking time traders are riding the momentum successful IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave -- turning these imaginable semipermanent opportunities into meme stocks.