Market Overview - Wall Street's rally of U.S. stocks continued into 2026, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite up 13%, 16.4%, and 20.4% respectively [2] - Financial analysts and economists are optimistic about the continuation of this rally in 2026 [2] AI Infrastructure Investment - AI infrastructure capital expenditure is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2028 according to Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, with JP Morgan and Citigroup forecasting a cumulative total of $5 trillion by 2030 [4] - McKinsey & Co. estimates that global AI-powered data center infrastructure capex will reach around $7 trillion by 2030 [4] - Four of the "magnificent 7" stocks are set to invest $380 billion in 2025 for AI infrastructure, marking a 54% year-over-year increase, with expectations to rise to $440 billion in 2026 [5] U.S. Economic Fundamentals - The U.S. GDP growth rate increased by 4.3% in Q3 2025, following a 3.8% growth in Q2 2025, with consumer spending rising by 3.5% year-over-year [6] - Analysts expect S&P 500 earnings to increase by 7.6% in Q4 2025 and by 12.3% in 2026, with revenues expected to rise by 7.7% and 6.9% respectively [7] Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - The Federal Reserve lowered the benchmark lending rate by 75 basis points in 2025, following a 1% reduction in 2024, with the current rate at 3.50-3.75% [8] - Market participants anticipate two additional rate cuts of 25 basis points each in 2026, with a 60% probability for the first cut in April [8] Company Highlights: Marvell Technology Inc. - Marvell Technology, ranked 1 by Zacks, is benefiting from AI-driven data center growth, particularly in custom XPU silicon and electro-optic interconnect products [11] - The company is positioned as a key player in high-performance computing, with expected revenue and earnings growth rates of 22.3% and 26.1% respectively for the next fiscal year [18] - Marvell's acquisition of Celestial AI, specializing in Photonic Fabric technology, is expected to enhance its capabilities in energy-efficient AI infrastructure [14][16] Company Highlights: PG&E Corp. - PG&E, ranked 2 by Zacks, is involved in electricity and natural gas delivery in California, with a focus on nuclear energy as a clean energy solution [19][20] - The company has begun deploying AI-powered solutions at its Diablo Canyon Power Plant, enhancing operational efficiency and compliance [21][22] - PG&E's expected revenue and earnings growth rates are 6.4% and 9.1% respectively for the current year [24] Company Highlights: Snap Inc. - Snap, also ranked 2 by Zacks, is integrating AI across its platform, creating new monetization opportunities beyond traditional advertising [25] - The partnership with Perplexity will generate $400 million over one year, enhancing Snap's AI capabilities and targeting its 943 million monthly active users [27] - Snap's expected revenue and earnings growth rates are 13.4% and 52.3% respectively for the current year [29]
The Zacks Analyst Blog Marvell, PG&E and Snap