This Space Stock Will Beat SpaceX to the Nasdaq-100 — And It’s the One to Buy

2 hours ago 7

Rich Duprey

Sat, June 20, 2026 astatine 9:44 AM CDT 4 min read

Space investing is entering a caller phase. SpaceX's (NASDAQ:SPCX) blockbuster IPO rapidly became the largest and 1 of the astir anticipated nationalist listings successful marketplace history, prompting the Nasdaq speech to revise its inclusion rules to velocity the company's way into its large indexes.

A large, multi-stage rocket, predominantly orangish and white, is shown during liftoff from its launchpad. Bright orangish and yellowish flames erupt from its base, surrounded by billowing clouds of achromatic and light-orange exhaust smoke. A tall, intricate metallic motorboat operation is disposable to the close of the rocket, partially obscured by the smoke. The entity supra is simply a gradient of heavy bluish to a lighter, somewhat purplish hue connected the close horizon.

Those regularisation changes volition apt execute their goal. SpaceX appears connected way to articulation the Nasdaq-100 successful aboriginal July, bringing automatic buying from scale funds and ETFs that way the benchmark. Yet contempt each the attraction surrounding SpaceX, it won't beryllium the archetypal abstraction banal successful the Nasdaq-100. In fact, different volition participate the scale opening Monday. And for investors looking to bargain a abstraction banal today, it looks similar the amended choice.

Rocket Lab Gets There First

Nasdaq's determination to fast-track recently listed mega-cap companies was wide viewed arsenic a effect to the unprecedented size of the SpaceX IPO. The determination ensures it won't person to hold done the accepted seasoning play of 3 months oregon 1 afloat 4th of trading earlier becoming eligible for inclusion.

But portion SpaceX whitethorn beryllium the crushed the rules changed, Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) is the institution benefiting first. Nasdaq selected the abstraction banal connected June 11 to articulation the Nasdaq-100, on with Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS), CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), Teradyne (NASDAQ:TER), and Astera Labs (NASDAQ:ALAB).

Inclusion matters due to the fact that index-tracking funds are required to bargain shares. According to Nasdaq data, hundreds of billions of dollars way the benchmark straight oregon indirectly. That creates contiguous request for stocks entering the index.

For Rocket Lab, that buying unit could supply a short-term tailwind. Yet the existent concern lawsuit goes overmuch deeper than scale membership.

The Numbers Favor Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab's biggest situation entering 2026 was valuation. Shares climbed rapidly and reached a 52-week precocious of $151 successful precocious May earlier retreating astir 30%. That pullback has changed the risk-reward equation.

Act now: the expert who called NVIDIA successful 2010 conscionable named his apical 10 AI stocks — and Rocket Lab didn't marque the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Even aft the decline, Rocket Lab banal remains up astir 53% year-to-date. More importantly, the institution continues expanding crossed aggregate maturation markets alternatively of relying solely connected motorboat services.

Here's what the numbers archer us:

Metric	Rocket Lab	SpaceX
Public marketplace past	Established nationalist institution	Newly nationalist
YTD show	+53%	+37% from IPO
Distance from caller precocious	-29%	-18%
Growth drivers	Launch, satellites, abstraction systems, defence	Primarily motorboat and Starlink
Nasdaq-100 presumption	To beryllium added June 22	Expected aboriginal July