| By Andy Swan When you think about the best-performing stocks of all time, names like Nvidia (NVDA) or Apple (AAPL) might come to mind – and for good reason. These tech titans have delivered outlandish returns over the last 25 years, to the tune of 330,000% and 51,000%, respectively. But you can’t talk about the best of the S&P 500 without mentioning another monster winner – Monster Beverage Corp. (MNST). Between September 30, 1999, and September 30, 2024, MNST racked up a total return of 98,830.5%, placing it second only to the artificial intelligence (AI) legend, NVDA. Thing is, you wouldn’t know what a monster winner MNST is just by looking at this year’s performance; shares are uncharacteristically down 7% year to date: 
Source: TradingView It’s not just Monster. Energy drink plays are struggling across the board in 2024. Check out the year-to-date performance for five major players in the typically high-octane energy market: 
Source: TradingView The top performer in blue is Dutch Bros (BROS), up by 6%. We’ve covered this rising coffee chain before (get caught up here). What’s more surprising is the worst performer – that black line at the bottom represents one of our former star players… the better-for-you energy drink maker, Celsius Holdings (CELH). Following in MNST’s footsteps, CELH has been one of the top-performing stocks on the market, gaining more than 2,000% in the last five years. In fact, our LikeFolio Investor members took a hefty 390% payday on CELH earlier this year. 
But it’s struggled to keep up with sky-high growth expectations in 2024. With both Celsius and Monster due to report earnings this week – CELH on Wednesday, November 6, and MNST on Thursday, November 7 – we wanted to know: Could these former all-stars get the energy boost they need? To help answer that question, we consulted LikeFolio’s predictive consumer insights. Here’s what we found… Celsius: A Tough Road Ahead (with a Silver Lining) Celsius saw significant popularity among teens in recent years, but it has lost about 2% in market share since Spring 2024. This is likely due to competition from fast-growing brands like GHOST Energy, which appeals to the same cohort of health-conscious, younger consumers. 
Source: @ghostenergy on Instagram On the bright side, Celsius made a big move to strengthen its market position this month with the acquisition of Big Beverages, its long-time co-packer, for $75 million. This acquisition gives Celsius greater control over production, reducing costs, increasing capacity, and potentially accelerating product launches. On the not-so-bright side, LikeFolio data suggests Celsius faces the toughest road ahead. Not only has the stock slumped ~47% year to date, but CELH web visits are down by double digits (-15% year over year): 
The silver lining: With expectations already low, any positive news could send CELH shares soaring as investors look for a recovery signal. Monster: The Better Bet Monster’s setup is more promising. Shares are down only ~7% this year, showing positive momentum since August. A strategic Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 collaboration appears to be a success, driving unprecedented digital traffic for Monster’s brand. As you can see from the chart above, MNST web visits are up by an eye-popping 74% year over year. Although some users reported issues with redeeming rewards, the overall campaign boosted brand visibility and engagement among younger, tech-savvy consumers. 
If Monster provides an optimistic outlook, especially tied to this recent promotional traffic, it could push the stock higher. The Bottom Line While the caffeinated beverage sector’s top players have lagged the market in 2024, it’s not all dour. The energy drink market is on the brink of explosive growth. A recent report found that by 2030, the U.S. market will be worth a whopping $33 billion, driven by health-conscious consumers and innovative packaging that encourages convenient consumption. Celsius and Monster are at the forefront of this sector. And we’ll be watching their upcoming reports closely. Until next time,  Andy Swan
Founder, LikeFolio Discover More Free Insights from Derby City Daily Here’s what you may have missed from Derby City Daily this week… ✓ Digital Ad Spend SNAPs Back: 3 Big Winners ✓ The No. 1 Buy Now, Pay Later Stock for the Holiday Spending Rush ✓ First Amazon, Now Chewy – Walmart’s Next Market Share Steal
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