Schwab Network

Drew Pettit of Roundhill Investments remain bullish on the AI trade due to its lasting growth runway. He remains constructive on the Mag 7 and argues that not all seven stocks have to work together at the same time to lift the market. Small caps is one pocket of Wall Street he sees gaining risk due to the heightening interest rate environment. On general market movers, Drew believes investors are sharing bearish sentiment but actually acting bullish. He talks about Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) and why companies like Micron (MU), SanDisk (SNDK), Western Digital (WDC) and other AI memory stocks will see years of upside.

Peter Andersen believes the AI trade offers headwinds, but also opportunities for companies across Wall Street. One corner of the market he sees with the biggest upside: cybersecurity. He names Palo Alto Networks (PANW) in particular as a leader in the space. When it comes to adding guardrails to AI, Peter does not believe AI is at the level of human thinking, disregarding immediate attention. However, he warns of necessity down the road. Outside of Palo Alto, Peter names United Rentals (URI) and Infleqtion (INFQ). 

Crude oil has pulled back slightly ahead of Friday's trading session, but Treasury yields remain elevated near multi-decade highs. Kevin Green takes investors through the macro pressures creating lingering volatility for commodities and yields, along with the impacts they will have on equities as the S&P 500 (SPX) to hold a breakout from a bull flag pattern. KG then touches on the Trump-Xi summit and deals the U.S. and China are building to help tie international relations. Also on the docket: AL movers in Akamai (AKAM) and Anthropic's new $11.6 billion deal, along with price target hikes for Everpure (P).

The energy trade continues to face lingering pressures, and it's not just crude oil seeing the climb in prices. In the AI trade, an OpenAI data breach in Australia keeps digital safety concerns elevated. Sam Vadas and Marley Kayden talk about their top takeaways on Thursday's trading day.

Kenneth Wong of xETFs explains how his firm is keeping an eye on AI bottlenecks, especially in memory, pointing to South Korean companies SK Hynix and Samsung as the "heart" of the trade. That said, Kenneth says AI memory "is not a two-company story." He talks about how products from xETFs aim to give investors exposure to wide range of international "picks and shovels" companies powering the AI trade.

Akash Palkhiwala, CFO and COO of Qualcomm (QCOM), talks about the company's Snapdragon Summit and ways new technology is changing the AI trade. New tech Qualcomm is unveiling includes the Snapdragon 8 and Elite Gen 6 smartphone chips just as the company renews its global patent license with Apple (AAPL). Agentic AI will drive a lot of Qualcomm's new tech, with Akash outlining how AI will execute tasks beyond phone screens.

A "Force Majeure" citation by Oracle (ORCL) over its New Mexico data center, which will primarily be used by OpenAI, sent shares of the company sliding on Thursday's session. Cory Johnson says he was initially worried about the headline, noting that it adds pressure on the lenders behind the contract. That said, he makes the case this will be an unsung advantage for Oracle. Cory explains how it gives the company a wider runway to stretch spending. What can't be ignored: who is going to be left with the deb?

Yelena Shulyatyeva says the goal between the U.S. and Iran is clear: neither side wants to escalate the war between both countries further. It's also a key point of discussion between President Trump and China President Xi Jinping during their summit. Another key talking point between the two: the future of AI, which Yelena attributes as the biggest factor driving the U.S. economy. She talks about how the U.S. is balancing all these headlines and pressures affecting them, along with her timeline expectations on when those pressures will wane.

The crypto market is back at $3 trillion in combined total investments of assets, says Adam Lynch of Charles Schwab, who highlights the stunning rally in Bitcoin and Ethereum driving the new bull run. The legislative process behind the Clarity Act may also still be alive in 2026, as Adam points to headlines suggesting a resurgence in discussions. Bitcoin's price action making a "golden cross" adds technical muscle to the crypto rally as well.

Cole Pearson, president of OneAscent, discusses the company's "values-based" approach to creating ETFs for clients. When talking with clients, Cole says most consider themselves long-term owners, adding an emphasis to OneAscent's value-centric approach. Cole outlines ETFs the company has made that takes a wide range of stocks in consideration, from U.S. large caps to international firms.