Every year before Christmas I like to do something a little different.

Instead of reacting to headlines or chasing whatever trade is working right now, I step back and ask a simpler question:

What’s the best long-term idea I can give readers?

Last year, that answer was Uber (UBER).

Since then, the stock is up roughly 35%.

This year, the answer isn’t a single ticker.

It’s an entire supply chain – one the U.S. cannot function without if it’s serious about nuclear power.

Introducing: The Nuclear Trifecta

The U.S. has made its position clear.

Energy demand is exploding. AI data centers, electrification, and reshoring are all pushing the grid to its limits.

Wind and solar help at the margins. But they don’t solve baseload reliability.

That’s why the U.S. has set a goal to roughly 4X nuclear capacity by 2050.

If that happens, three things must be true:

• Uranium must be converted

• Uranium must be enriched

• Nuclear facilities must be built, managed, and maintained

That entire chain is controlled by just a handful of companies.

And in the United States, three of them quietly dominate their respective choke points.

Together, they form what I call The Nuclear Trifecta – companies that don’t compete on hype or headlines, but on infrastructure that cannot be replaced.

Stock #1: Solstice Advanced Materials (SOLS)

This company was spun off from Honeywell (HON) just two months ago.

The stock is actually down since then despite owning one of the most critical choke points in the nuclear supply chain: the Metropolis Works facility in Metropolis, Illinois.

This is the only uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) conversion facility in the United States.

Without getting too technical… 

Before uranium can power a nuclear reactor, it has to pass through a very specific sequence.

This is where Solstice becomes critical.

Here’s the simplified flow from raw material to usable fuel:

1. Uranium ore is mined

2. Converted into uranium oxide

3. Converted into UF₆ gas ← This is Solstice

4. UF₆ is what is sent to enrichment facilities

5. Enriched UF₆ is used to power nuclear reactors

That UF₆ conversion step is non-negotiable

You cannot have nuclear power without it.

This makes Solstice an indispensable link in the U.S. nuclear supply chain.

Going further…

• There are only ~10 conversion facilities worldwide.

• Solstice controls roughly 25% of global UF₆ conversion capacity.

• The company has a $2.2 billion backlog that continues to grow quarter after quarter.

If the U.S. is serious about expanding nuclear capacity, this facility won’t compete for business.

It’s the only option.

Stock #2: Centrus Energy (LEU)

After uranium has been converted into UF₆ gas, it still isn’t ready to be used as fuel.

It must be enriched.

Enrichment upgrades uranium so it can actually power a nuclear reactor.

Without it, nuclear energy simply doesn’t work.

The United States has very limited domestic enrichment capacity, and for decades much of the world’s enrichment has been handled by Russia.

That dependence has become a major national security concern, which is why the U.S. government is actively pushing to rebuild enrichment capability at home.

Centrus Energy sits right in the middle of that effort.

It owns the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio.

This is one of two operational enrichment facilities in the U.S.

(The other being the National Enrichment Facility which is associated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory.)

Centrus operates advanced enrichment technology and has been working closely with the Department of Energy as part of programs designed to establish a domestic supply of advanced nuclear fuel, including High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU).

HALEU is a higher-grade fuel required for many next-generation nuclear reactor designs, including small modular reactors.

As advanced nuclear projects move from concept to construction, demand for this fuel is expected to grow.

Centrus currently has a near monopoly in this space and already has relationships with companies developing these reactors, including Oklo (OKLO) and TerraPower (founded by Bill Gates).

This isn’t about predicting which specific reactor design wins.

It’s about recognizing a structural reality.

If the U.S. wants to expand its enrichment capacity and reduce reliance on Russia, domestic enrichment has to happen.

Centrus is the company best positioned to make that possible.

Stock #3: Amentum (AMTM)

This is arguably the most important piece of the Nuclear Trifecta.

Amentum is one of the largest nuclear contractors in the United States that nobody knows about.

This company currently manages 90% of the Department of Energy’s nuclear assets.

If the U.S. is really going to 4X its nuclear capacity by 2025, this company will be involved in nearly every step of the process:

• Site selection

• Permitting and Regulation

• Design and Construction

• Management and Operation

• Decommissioning

This is not a high-growth startup story.

It’s an infrastructure and services story, where scale, experience, and government trust matter more than innovation headlines.

If nuclear capacity grows, Amentum’s role grows with it.

If nuclear capacity merely maintains its importance, Amentum remains embedded anyway.

While many companies are focused on developing advanced nuclear technology, Amentum’s role is far more practical.

The nuclear system still has to be built, managed, and maintained, and that is exactly what Amentum already does.

Why This Is My #1 Idea for 2026 and Beyond

These companies aren’t moonshots.

These companies don’t need perfect execution, technological miracles, or speculative demand.

They already control irreplaceable positions within the U.S. nuclear ecosystem.

If nuclear expands quickly, they win.

If it expands slowly, they win.

If the U.S. wants energy independence, they win.

That’s my Christmas gift to you.

Three little-known stocks behind one of America’s most important long-term priorities.

Thank you for being along for the mission.

Merry Christmas.