Schwab Network

As the AI infrastructure story presents new investment opportunities, Neena Mishra of Zacks Investment Research points to photonics companies as one of the largest. The space includes everything from photonics-centric stocks like Lumentum (LITE) and Coherent (COHR) to chipmakers with less exposure like Nvidia (NVDA) and Broadcom (AVGO). Neena highlights photonic ETF opportunities she sees.

Brian Jacobsen says markets got a "sigh of relief" that PCE didn't come in higher than headline numbers showed, so long as core PCE doesn't leak into greater inflation woes.When it comes to the path ahead for interest rates, Ben Ayers doesn't think the print is enough for the Fed to raise yet. Both guests offer their takes on what July's PCE print means for the greater inflation picture.

"AI starts and ends with Nvidia (NVDA)," says R. "Ray" Wang, pointing to an anticipated earnings beat and tentative upside surprise in data center revenue to back his claim. He adds that the Mag 7 giant's Blackwell and Vera Rubin roadmaps remain strong as the company expands its reach. As CEO Jensen Huang makes a push to turn AI chips into an asset class, Ray discusses how the financial move adds to Nvidia's "six-layer cake" of an AI ecosystem.

Ran Grushkowsky, CEO of Masspay, discusses the outlook he sees for stablecoins as the Clarity Act sluggishly moves through Congress. As companies like Mastercard (MA) and Visa (V) expand their reach into the crypto space, he takes a closer look at how the fintech space is adapting to the blockchain.

Jeffrey Small sees an elevated risk of a correction in the coming weeks, as he outlines risks on both the macro and micro fronts. As for Nvidia (NVDA) earnings, he expects the company to beat and raise. While the Mag 7 giant has traditionally sold off after the report, Jeffrey sees a rally happening this time around. He offers his bull cases in Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL) due to AI anchoring future growth prospects.

There's more opportunities in South Korea, says Ryan Myers, who points out AI memory having lots of room to run. His firm remains overweight in companies like Samsung and SK Hynix (SKHY). Among other industries Ryan likes in the years ahead for emerging and established markets: South Korean financials and Chinese construction. He later explains what makes Alibaba (BABA), PDD Holdings (PDD), and BYD Co. (BYDDY) stocks to watch as the AI buildout continues.

Lisa Martin offers more insight into Nvidia's (NVDA) beat and raise quarter by discussing the astronomical expectations into the report and whether the numbers were enough. She talks about the company benefitting from the "hundreds of billions" of dollars dedicated toward AI infrastructure as one that extends the Mag 7 company's runway. Collaborations and securing supplies amid shortages are another factor Lisa believes will be critical in maintaining margins.

"Astronomical" numbers in Nvidia (NVDA) earnings won't be enough to impress investors focused on the future, says Hatem Dhiab. He expects earnings and guidance to be impressive, though Hatem tells investors to look beyond several quarters and instead watch what Nvidia has in store "several years" from now. Nvidia's diversification in the tech space and companies it partners with will be what Hatem considers the true driver in the "Ai economy."

Steven Nigro says investors are becoming more selective in the stock market even as earnings show plenty of strength. He explains how he's helping his clients navigate the sudden changes to the greater market mindset as uncertainty circulates around interest rates. Another monetary landmine to keep in mind: volatility in the bond market.

"Tech is key to this market" and will be for some time, argues Michael Reinking, though keep the recent rotation in mind as investors offload some tech stocks. He adds that pressure coming from the Strait of Hormuz is squeezing price action in oil, contributing to weakness in the stock market.