Barnes & Noble

Your buddy may have bragged about buying Facebook at $116 at the end of 2016, when it was primed for 2017's yearlong, 53% vertical climb to $178.

Check in – ask them how they feel now.

It's not just Facebook, of course. The big indexes are flat for the year; they stand every chance of notching losses by Dec. 31.

With shares treading water in this classic "stockpicker's market," finding the right company is an essential component of any successful moneymaking strategy.

We think that some of the biggest, fastest gains available to investors in 2019 will come from companies involved in deals – mergers & acquisitions.

Just look at key cannabis player Cronos Group.

When $100 billion tobacco giant Altria Group announced on Dec. 7 that it was taking a 45% stake in Cronos, CRON shares zoomed from $9.92 to an intra-day high of $13.95 the next day.

That's a 40.62% profit in less than a day.

Compare that to the 1.2% loss taken by the S&P 500 so far in 2018, and you see why dealmaking – mergers, acquisitions, capital infusions – has the potential to drive regular investors' profits in the year ahead.

All you need to do is be in the right place at the right time.