The Nasdaq-100 index is home to 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, including each of the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, which have a combined value of $14.7 trillion:Apple: $3 trillion.Microsoft: $2.9 trillion.Nvidia (NVDA -0.18%): $2.7 trillion.Amazon: $2 trillion.Alphabet (GOOG 1.21%) (GOOGL 1.12%): $1.9 trillion.Meta Platforms: $1.4 trillion.Tesla: $811 billion.Their size is just one of the reasons Wall Street named these stocks the Magnificent Seven in 2023. Eac ...

About this content About Oliver Haill Oliver has been writing about companies and markets since the early 2000s, cutting his teeth as a financial journalist at Growth Company Investor with a focusing on AIM companies and small caps, before a few years later becoming a section editor and then head of research. He joined Proactive after a couple of years freelancing, where he worked for the Financial Times Group, ITV, Press Association, Reuters sports desk, the London Olympic News Service, Rugby World Cup ...

Core Viewpoint - The recent volatility in Wall Street, driven by tariff and trade uncertainties, has created opportunities for investors to capitalize on industry leaders during a bear market, particularly with a small investment amount like $300 [1][3][4]. Market Overview - The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite experienced significant fluctuations, with the Nasdaq entering a bear market, sitting 18.8% below its all-time high as of April 10 [2][3]. - The Nasdaq's volatility included its largest single-session point gain followed by one of its largest declines, indicating extreme market conditions [2]. Investment Opportunities Alphabet (GOOGL) - Alphabet, the parent company of Google, YouTube, and Google Cloud, is highlighted as a strong investment despite concerns over a potential recession impacting advertising revenue, which constitutes 75% of its sales [6][7]. - Historically, U.S. recessions have been short-lived, and Alphabet's dominant market position in internet search (89% to 93% share) supports its advertising pricing power [8][9]. - The growth of Google Cloud and its cash-rich balance sheet ($95.7 billion) position Alphabet well for future investments and stock buybacks, making it an attractive buy at a forward earnings multiple of 15 times [10][11][12]. AstraZeneca (AZN) - AstraZeneca is presented as a resilient investment in the pharmaceutical sector, which remains stable during market volatility due to consistent demand for medications [13][14]. - The company has shown strong sales growth across its core areas, particularly in oncology (24% growth) and cardiovascular (20% growth) sectors [15]. - AstraZeneca's acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals enhances its portfolio in rare diseases, providing pricing power and long-term cash flow stability, with the stock trading at less than 11 times forecast EPS [16][17]. The Trade Desk (TTD) - The Trade Desk, an adtech company, is noted for its potential despite the challenges posed by market volatility and recession fears affecting advertising budgets [18][19]. - The company is positioned to benefit from the shift towards digital advertising, with expected revenue growth of around 20% annually and a historically low valuation at 22 times forward-year EPS [21][23]. - The adoption of Unified ID 2.0 technology by digital companies enhances The Trade Desk's role in the evolving advertising landscape, particularly in connected TV platforms [22].

Although the market rebounded sharply on Wednesday on news that President Trump was pausing tariffs and only levying a flat 10% rate, except for China, the Nasdaq is still in a bear market. Bear markets start when an index drops 20% from its all-time high and technically remain in bear market status until a new all-time high is reached, which then kicks off a bull market.Regardless of the technical definition of a bear market, there are still plenty of bargains to be scooped up right now, and I think invest ...

Core Viewpoint - The Nasdaq Composite index has experienced significant volatility, recently entering a bear market but showing signs of recovery, presenting potential buying opportunities for long-term investors in select stocks [2][3]. Group 1: Alphabet - Alphabet's share price is down approximately 25% from its all-time high earlier this year, creating a favorable buying opportunity for long-term investors [4]. - The company has a price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 1.04, indicating reasonable valuation based on five-year earnings growth projections [4]. - Google Cloud is the fastest-growing major cloud services provider, and the rollout of its Gemini large language model has positioned it competitively against OpenAI's ChatGPT [5]. - Google Search has integrated generative AI features, leading to increased search usage and user satisfaction, which is expected to drive robust growth [6]. - Future revenue growth is anticipated from Alphabet's Waymo self-driving car technology unit [6]. Group 2: Intuitive Surgical - Intuitive Surgical's share price is down about 6% from the beginning of the year, but it remains a strong long-term investment [7]. - The company has over 10,670 robotic surgical systems installed globally, with nearly 2.7 million procedures performed last year, showcasing its market leadership [8]. - A significant 84% of Intuitive Surgical's total revenue in 2024 is expected to come from recurring sources, up from 71% in 2017, indicating strong cash flow [9]. - The company estimates that there are 8 million procedures annually that it can target, which is nearly three times its current procedure volume, with additional potential in 22 million procedures under development [10]. Group 3: Vertex Pharmaceuticals - Vertex Pharmaceuticals has achieved a 17.5% gain so far in 2025, indicating strong momentum [12]. - The company holds a virtual monopoly in treating cystic fibrosis, bolstered by the FDA approval of Alyftrek, which offers more convenient dosing and potentially higher profitability [13]. - Vertex's new drug Journavx, approved in January, is the first new class of pain medication in over 20 years, expected to be commercially successful due to its non-addictive properties [14]. - The company is also advancing the rollout of Casgevy, a gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease, and has a promising pipeline with four late-stage programs, including one aimed at curing severe type 1 diabetes [15].

Core Viewpoint - The content emphasizes the importance of conducting personal due diligence and consulting competent advisors before making any financial decisions, particularly in the context of investments and trading activities [1]. Group 1 - The website provides general news, personal analysis, and third-party content intended for educational and research purposes [1]. - It explicitly states that the information does not constitute any recommendation or advice for investment actions [1]. - Users are advised to perform their own research and consider their financial situation before making decisions [1]. Group 2 - The website includes information about complex financial instruments such as cryptocurrencies and contracts for difference (CFDs), which carry a high risk of losing money [1]. - It encourages users to understand how these instruments work and the associated risks before investing [1].

With the Nasdaq Composite in bear market territory, many stocks look like absolute bargains compared to their previous values. One of those stocks is Nvidia (NVDA 1.94%), which has been practically the No. 1 stock to own in the market since 2023.With the stock down around 35% from its all-time high, many investors are likely wondering if buying Nvidia today could be the deal of a lifetime and give them fantastic returns and help set them up for life. Is this true? Or is Nvidia a value trap here?The AI race ...

Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends ASML. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool. ...

The stock market has taken investors on a roller coaster ride. Sharp up and down movements in the market follow the constant announcements from the Trump administration about tariffs, with the S&P 500 up over 10% on Wednesday and down 3.5% on Thursday. The S&P 500 never officially entered a bear market, but the Nasdaq 100 did. Shares of the index of technology and large-cap growth companies fell over 20% in the last few weeks before bouncing back by 12.2% on Wednesday, only to fall 4.3% on Thursday.Looking ...

Market Reaction to Tariffs - U.S. stocks experienced significant declines following President Trump's announcement of 10% tariffs on all trading partners, leading to corrections and bear markets for major equity indexes, with the Nasdaq entering bear market territory [1] - On April 9, Trump announced a temporary reduction in tariff rates to 10% for 90 days, resulting in a historic surge across U.S. markets [2] Market Performance - The S&P 500 surged over 9%, marking its third-largest single-day gain since World War II, while the Dow posted its strongest percentage gain since March 2020, and the Nasdaq Composite had its best single-day performance since January 2001 [3] - The Nasdaq-100-based ETF, Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ), increased by approximately 12% on April 9 [3] Semiconductor Sector Performance - Semiconductor stocks were particularly notable, with six of the top eight performers in the Nasdaq-100 being semiconductor companies, and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) advancing 17.2% on April 9 [4] - Top-performing chip stocks included Microchip Technology Inc (up 27.1%), Arm Holdings PLC (up 24.8%), Advanced Micro Devices Inc (up 23.8%), ON Semiconductor Corp (up 22.7%), Marvell Technology Inc (up 21.9%), and NXP Semiconductors NV (up 21.1%) [5] AI Market Developments - Companies are increasingly showcasing their AI product roadmaps, positively impacting chip stocks, with OpenAI valued at $300 million in a new $40 billion fundraising round led by SoftBank [6] - OpenAI's CEO announced that GPT-5 is set to launch in "a few months," indicating advancements beyond initial expectations [7] - Meta launched the first version of its open-source Llama 4 AI model family, with the most powerful model still under development [8] - Other key players in AI include Google with Gemini 2.5, Anthropic with Claude AI models, Elon Musk's xAI with Grok models, and China's DeepSeek preparing new open-source models [9] Semiconductor Industry Challenges - NVIDIA, a leading semiconductor company, faced a 17% stock drop in 2025, with concerns over margin pressure as it scales production of next-gen Blackwell AI chips [11] - In 2023 and 2024, semiconductor stocks outperformed software companies, but interest in data center infrastructure stocks has cooled in 2025, leading to increased scrutiny of AI stocks [13] - The U.S. is tightening restrictions on semiconductor exports to China, particularly targeting high-performance chips for AI systems and advanced computing [13] Investment Opportunities - Despite challenges, developments in the AI field have kept the semiconductor sector active, with recent valuation corrections seen as beneficial [14] - Investing in semiconductor ETFs such as SMH, iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX), SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD), and Invesco Semiconductors ETF (PSI) could be advantageous if market recovery continues [14]