Group 1 - The market is currently focused on artificial intelligence (AI) spending, with significant investments from major tech companies but limited immediate returns [1][2] - Investors are encouraged to adopt a long-term perspective, as AI spending may yield substantial benefits over a 50-year timeframe, particularly for companies like Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft [2] - Cloud computing is a primary driver of spending for these companies, providing a rental platform for excess computing capacity, which is more cost-effective for AI startups than building their own data centers [3][4] Group 2 - Companies like OpenAI initially relied on Microsoft Azure for cloud services but are now expanding to build their own data centers, indicating a shift in strategy [4] - Once the major tech companies have established sufficient computing capacity, their cloud computing divisions are expected to become highly profitable, transforming into significant cash generators [5]

U.S. equity markets climbed during afternoon trading on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, as a significant partnership between two technology titans reinvigorated investor confidence in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. The rally, led primarily by the technology and semiconductor sectors, has pushed major indexes back toward record territory while investors keep a close eye on the Federal Reserve for clues regarding the future of interest rate policy.Market Index Performance and Sector TrendsAs of mid-af ...

Core Insights - Nvidia has sold its stakes in several AI-focused firms, leading to a decline in their stock prices [1] - The company has added new investments in Intel, Nokia, and Synopsys, while maintaining its holdings in CoreWeave and Nebius Group [1] Nvidia's Stake Sales - Nvidia's divestment included shares in Applied Digital, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, and WeRide, with their stock prices dropping by nearly 10%, 14%, and close to 4% respectively [1] - The regulatory filing did not provide reasons for Nvidia's sales, and the company declined to comment on the changes [1] Impact on Market Confidence - The exit from these stakes may undermine investor confidence in the affected companies, which previously benefited from Nvidia's support [1] - Nvidia's own stock rose about 2%, recovering from earlier losses attributed to concerns over an AI bubble [1] New Investments - Nvidia has increased its positions in Intel, Synopsys, and Nokia, with Synopsys shares rising about 6% and Nokia shares increasing by 2% [1] - The investment in Intel follows Nvidia's announcement of a multibillion-dollar partnership, with ongoing speculation about a potential foundry deal [1] Holdings Maintenance - Nvidia has kept its investments in AI cloud infrastructure providers CoreWeave and Nebius Group unchanged, with both companies' shares climbing close to 5% [1]

Group 1: 13F Filings Overview - 13F disclosures are quarterly reports that institutional investors with $100 million or more in assets under management must file with the SEC, providing insights into their investment strategies [1][2] - The reports include details such as the name of the security, type of security, number of shares or contracts held, fair market value, and the percentage of the portfolio that the position comprises [1] Group 2: Notable Investments in AI - Stanley Druckenmiller made a $64 million investment in Bloom Energy (BE), capitalizing on the increasing demand for energy in AI data centers [2][3] - Ray Dalio's Bridgewater has increased its investments in large-cap tech stocks, despite concerns over the fiscal deficit [3][6] - Nvidia has made a strategic $5 billion investment in Intel (INTC), with 50.30% of its investment portfolio currently allocated to Intel [4][6] Group 3: Institutional Investments in AI Infrastructure - BlackRock disclosed an $800 million position in Nebius (NBIS), representing a 39.418% increase quarter-over-quarter, indicating a strong interest in AI infrastructure [5][6] - David Tepper doubled his position in Micron (MU), betting on the continuation of the AI-driven memory chip shortage [8] Group 4: Summary of Major Investments - Major investments reported include $695 million in Nvidia (NVDA), $487 million in Alphabet (GOOGL), $395 million in Microsoft (MSFT), and $388 million in Amazon (AMZN) [7] Group 5: Conclusion on 13F Filings - While 13F filings represent a snapshot of past investments, they are crucial for monitoring trends and aligning portfolios with successful investors as the AI revolution accelerates [9]

Market Sentiment and Trends - The first two months of the year highlighted a shift in investor sentiment, with a rotation from high-growth tech stocks to more defensive sectors like consumer staples and utilities, leading to underperformance in tech-heavy indices such as the Nasdaq 100 [1][2] - The tech sector, after years of growth driven by AI and low interest rates, faced profit-taking due to fears of rising investments and regulatory scrutiny [2] Seasonal Factors and Economic Indicators - The March-April timeframe is historically positive for equities, suggesting a potential pivot back to risk-on sentiment as tax refunds and resilient earnings could inject liquidity into the market [4][5] - Tax refunds are projected to average $2,290, a 10.9% increase, potentially adding $50-$100 billion in liquidity, which could boost Q1 GDP by 0.5%-0.8% [6] Earnings Outlook - Analysts project a robust outlook for S&P 500 earnings in 2026, with an expected annual growth of 12.1%, marking three consecutive years of double-digit expansion, primarily driven by tech and communications services [8] - The tech sector remains a key driver of earnings growth, with recent earnings results indicating that its fundamental story is intact, setting the stage for a potential rebound [7] Stocks to Watch - Nvidia (NVDA) is highlighted as a stock to watch, with a recent deal with Meta Platforms for chip supply, and upcoming earnings expected to show over 70% growth year-over-year, with revenues projected to rise nearly 67% to $65.56 billion [10][14] - Palantir (PLTR) has been upgraded to Outperform by analysts, with expectations of 78.7% growth in earnings per share and 61% higher revenues, indicating a strong long-term uptrend [15][16] Conclusion - The tech sector is viewed as recalibrating for sustainable growth, with catalysts including positive earnings revisions, post-tax season liquidity, and favorable seasonality, suggesting a strong potential for further gains in the current bull market [18]

Broader AI-linked and megacap technology stocks had lost ground earlier this month as investors demanded stronger evidence the heavy investments in the technology were tangibly boosting revenue and profits.Most megacap and growth stocks rose on the day, with Nvidia gaining 2.6 per cent after ​the company said it had signed a multi-year deal to sell Meta Platforms ⁠millions of ‌its current and future AI chips.Moderna jumped 7.7 percent after announcing that the US Food and Drug Administration would review i ...

Company News - Nvidia (NVDA) shares surged by 2.6 percent following the announcement of a multi-year strategic partnership with Meta (META) to enhance on-premises, cloud, and AI infrastructure, enabling large-scale deployment of Nvidia CPUs and millions of GPUs [2] - Micron (MU) shares spiked by 5.9 percent after David Tepper's Appaloosa Management increased its holdings in the company by 200 percent [3] - Amazon (AMZN) shares jumped by 2.7 percent after Bill Ackman's Pershing Square raised its stake in the company by 65 percent during the fourth quarter [3] Economic Data - Positive sentiment in the market was bolstered by U.S. economic data, including a report from the Federal Reserve indicating that industrial production increased more than expected in January [4] - The Federal Reserve is set to release the minutes of its latest monetary policy meeting, which may provide insights into the future outlook for interest rates [4] Sector Performance - Gold stocks experienced a 3.5 percent surge, driven by rising prices of the precious metal, as reflected in the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index [4] - The NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index rose by 2.5 percent, indicating considerable strength among computer hardware stocks [5] - The Philadelphia Oil Service Index increased by 2.3 percent, supported by a spike in crude oil prices, contributing to strength in oil service stocks [5] - Other sectors such as brokerage, semiconductor, and software stocks also showed notable strength, while utilities and commercial real estate stocks faced declines [5] International Markets - In the Asia-Pacific region, stock markets mostly moved higher, with Japan's Nikkei 225 Index up by 1.0 percent and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index climbing by 0.5 percent [6] - Major European markets also saw gains, with the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index up by 1.4 percent, the German DAX Index up by 1.2 percent, and the French CAC 40 Index up by 0.8 percent [6]

Core Insights - Gavin Baker's Atreides Management has made significant investments in NVIDIA, indicating a bullish outlook on the company's future performance in the AI sector [1] - The firm has also increased its stakes in Astera Labs and Micron Technology, while reducing its position in GitLab, reflecting a strategic shift in focus towards companies with strong AI-related growth potential [1] Investment Moves - Atreides Management acquired call options on 3.5 million shares of NVIDIA, signaling confidence in the company's near-term performance [1] - Baker's investment in Astera Labs increased from 62,050 shares to over 1.6 million, a nearly 2,500% rise, despite the stock's recent decline of 32% [1] - Micron Technology's Q1 FY2026 revenue reached $13.64 billion, a 57% year-over-year increase, driven by AI memory demand, contributing to a 40% rise in its stock year-to-date [1] Company Performance - NVIDIA reported Q3 FY2026 revenue of $57.01 billion, a 62% increase year-over-year, with Data Center revenue at $51.2 billion [1] - Analyst price targets for NVIDIA average $253.88, indicating strong bullish sentiment on Wall Street [1] - Astera Labs reported Q4 2025 revenue of $270.58 million, exceeding estimates, but faced margin concerns leading to a stock selloff [1] Strategic Adjustments - Baker sold down his position in GitLab, which has seen a 58% decline over the past year, indicating concerns over competition from AI coding assistants [1] - The fund has also added to positions in other software companies, including Unity Software and Wix.com, as part of a broader strategy to diversify its portfolio [1]

As we are headed into the last and most important earnings of the season, coming on February 25th , the market gets excited and worried at the same time. I can relate to theI write about stocks I’m personally interested in adding to my portfolio. I’m not a professional advisor, but I study business and economics and analyze markets full-time. My writing is meant for both complete beginners — I avoid unnecessary complexity — and advanced readers, as I always aim to offer a distinct and well-reasoned perspect ...

Core Viewpoint - Nvidia (NVDA) shows potential for significant upside, with a mean price target of $255.55 indicating a 38.2% increase from its current price of $184.97 [1] Price Targets and Estimates - The mean estimate consists of 47 short-term price targets, with a standard deviation of $42.12, indicating variability among analysts [2] - The lowest estimate is $140.00, suggesting a 24.3% decline, while the highest estimate is $352.00, indicating a potential increase of 90.3% [2] - A low standard deviation signifies strong agreement among analysts regarding price movement direction [9] Analyst Sentiment and Earnings Estimates - Analysts exhibit growing optimism about Nvidia's earnings, as indicated by upward revisions in EPS estimates, which correlate with potential stock price increases [11] - Over the past 30 days, one estimate has increased, leading to a 0.1% rise in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year [12] - Nvidia holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimate factors [13] Caution on Price Targets - While price targets are commonly referenced, they can mislead investors, as empirical research shows they rarely predict actual stock price movements [7] - Analysts may set overly optimistic targets due to business incentives, which can inflate expectations [8] - Investors should approach price targets with skepticism and not rely solely on them for investment decisions [10]