AI Stocks & Markets

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Chipmakers outshine Big Tech in AI rally

   Nvidia shares climbed almost 9% Thursday after strong earnings, doubling sales from a year ago. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 1.57% and the S&P 500 rose 0.72%. Chip stocks have accounted for 37% of the S&P 500's $7.6 trillion in market value gains this year, according to Mike O'Rourke at JonesTrading. Big Tech stocks like Meta have dropped as they pour billions into AI infrastructure.

   The market's reliance on chip stocks presents risks. James Reilly of Capital Economics said if semiconductor firms start to struggle, the stock market would be in big trouble.

2. 2

   AI growth could make these 2 S&P 500 stocks decade-long buys

   The article argues that if AI leads to unprecedented economic growth, Visa and Mastercard are once-in-a-decade buying opportunities, given their control over the payments layer and their work on agentic payments and stablecoins. In a bullish scenario where U.S. GDP grows at 6.7% annually instead of the past 10-year rate of 5.7%, the economy would be 91% bigger in a decade, driving more payment volume and fees for Visa and Mastercard. They processed $30 trillion in combined annualized total payment volume in their latest fiscal quarters.

   Visa's Intelligent Commerce Connect and Mastercard's Agent Pay are platform solutions for AI transactions, and both companies are integrating stablecoins into their infrastructures, positioning them to benefit if agentic payments take off.

3. 3

   Nebius, Vertiv, Palantir: 3 AI Stocks Already Earning

   The article profiles three stocks from a Profitable AI Stocks screener that already generate real revenue from AI: Nebius Group, Vertiv Holdings, and Palantir Technologies. It highlights Nebius's AI cloud revenue of about $1.31b and a reported backlog above $40b. These companies are contrasted with AI hype because they convert heavy AI spending into cash flow. Nebius recently raised about $5.75b in convertible notes to fund data centers and GPUs, but has modest current profit margins near 3.1%. Vertiv supplies cooling and power systems for AI data centers, with revenue of about $7.5b from the Americas.

   Nebius's Q2 2026 revenue was described as very large year on year. The full screener surfaced 71 more profitable AI stocks. Vertiv trades on a premium valuation and relies heavily on a small group of hyperscale customers.

4. 4

   Founder-Led AI Stocks: Meta, Oracle, AppLovin

   Simply Wall St highlights three founder-led companies — Meta Platforms, Oracle, and AppLovin — as AI investment opportunities. The full founder-led screener surfaced 346 more companies with similar leadership stories. Founder-led companies often treat every dollar like their own, which puts a premium on leadership in an environment where central banks stress inflation concerns. Each company carries distinct risks: Meta faces teen-safety settlements and regulatory pressure, Oracle carries heavy debt-funded data center spending, and AppLovin has insider selling and leverage.

   Meta's revenue is about US$226b from Family of Apps; Oracle generates about US$58.5b from cloud and software with a market cap around US$434.5b; AppLovin brings in about US$6.8b from Advertising with a market cap of roughly US$106.3b.

5. 5

   AT&T's AI-Fueled Rebound; Is It Time To Buy?

   Seeking Alpha published an analysis of AT&T's stock (NYSE:T) titled 'AT&T's AI-Fueled Rebound; Is It Time To Buy?' The article examines whether the company's AI-related efforts justify a buy recommendation. The analysis comes as AT&T's stock has been rebounding, with AI cited as a key driver. For business readers, this signals that telecom companies may be leveraging AI to improve performance and attract investor interest.

   The article's title poses a question about the right time to buy AT&T stock, suggesting investors should weigh the company's AI-fueled momentum against other factors before making a decision.

6. 6

   SoftBank's Son tops Japan shareholder list at ¥10tn

   SoftBank Group's Masayoshi Son ranked No. 1 on Japan's shareholder wealth ranking for 2026, with holdings worth ¥10 trillion. Disco President Kazumasa Sekiya fell from No. 9 to No. 3. The annual shareholder ranking now reflects AI-driven gains, with Son's wealth surpassing other major shareholders as AI benefits lift SoftBank's valuation. Sekiya's fall suggests changing fortunes among tech leaders.

   The same ranking report implies AI will continue reshaping shareholder wealth distribution in Japan. Further shifts may hinge on how AI-linked companies perform through 2026.