On the heels of last year's stock market rout, 2023 has been an animal of a different color. The S 500 has soared an impressive 27% from its bottom in October and now sits less than 5% from a new all-time high. This will mark the final criteria necessary to declare the onset of the next bull market.

Helping fuel this year's market ascent are the exciting possibilities born of artificial intelligence (AI). Some of the biggest gainers of the past year have been those with the most to gain from AI. Currently topping the list of the world's most valuable companies are Apple and , with market caps of $3 trillion and $2.7 trillion, respectively. Both have inexorable ties to AI but are far from the only beneficiaries.

The one-two punch of a new bull market and AI will likely fuel the ascent of the next group of stocks to join the $2 trillion club. Here's my prediction regarding the next two companies destined to join this prestigious community and how they could achieve membership in 2024.

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Source Fool.com