AI Drives Market Surge Amid Software Stock Declines
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 23 2026
0mins
Should l Buy NVDA?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Market Performance: Over the past three years, the S&P 500 has surged 73% and the Nasdaq Composite has risen 99%, significantly outpacing the average annual stock return of 10%, highlighting AI's pivotal role in this market ascent.
- Nvidia's Earnings Outlook: Nvidia is forecasting fourth-quarter revenue of $65 billion for fiscal 2026, representing a 65% year-over-year increase, with adjusted EPS expected to be $1.45, a 63% rise, which could significantly impact its stock price and market sentiment.
- Salesforce's Challenges: Salesforce reported third-quarter revenue of $10.3 billion for fiscal 2026, a 9% year-over-year increase, but its stock has plummeted 30% since early 2026 due to fears of AI competition, raising investor concerns about future demand.
- Uncertain Industry Outlook: While advancements by AI startup Anthropic have triggered panic in software stocks, the upcoming earnings reports from Nvidia and Salesforce will provide crucial demand signals that could influence the overall SaaS market direction.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy NVDA?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on NVDA
Wall Street analysts forecast NVDA stock price to rise
41 Analyst Rating
39 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 175.750
Low
200.00
Averages
264.97
High
352.00
Current: 175.750
Low
200.00
Averages
264.97
High
352.00
About NVDA
NVIDIA Corporation is an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company. The Company is engaged in accelerated computing to help solve the challenging computational problems. Its segments include Compute & Networking and Graphics. The Compute & Networking segment includes its Data Center accelerated computing and networking platforms and AI solutions and software, and automotive platforms and autonomous and electric vehicle solutions, including software. The Graphics segment includes GeForce GPUs for gaming and personal computers (PCs), and Quadro/NVIDIA RTX GPUs for enterprise workstation graphics. Its technology stack includes the foundational NVIDIA CUDA development platform that runs on all NVIDIA GPUs, as well as hundreds of domain-specific software libraries, frameworks, algorithms, software development kits (SDKs), and application programming interfaces (APIs). Its platforms address four markets, which include Data Center, Gaming, Professional Visualization, and Automotive.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Nvidia's Future Outlook Remains Bullish
- Strong Earnings Report: Nvidia reported total revenue of $215.9 billion for fiscal year 2026, marking a 65% year-over-year increase, which underscores the company's robust growth potential in the AI chip market and solidifies its market leadership.
- Surging Order Forecast: CEO Jensen Huang indicated that Nvidia expects approximately $1 trillion in purchase orders for its Blackwell and Vera Rubin chips by 2027, doubling last year's forecast of $500 billion, signaling sustained strong demand for AI chips.
- Future Revenue Expectations: Nvidia anticipates first-quarter revenue of $78 billion for fiscal year 2027, representing an almost 77% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting strong growth potential in the Agentic AI applications sector, which will further drive demand for AI chips.
- High Market Valuation: Despite Nvidia's forward P/E ratio of 30, significantly above the average of 20.9 for the tech sector, investors believe the premium is justified given the company's outstanding financial results and its position in a rapidly growing market.
See More
Google Breakthrough Triggers Memory Stock Sell-off
- Significant Memory Demand Reduction: Google's TurboQuant algorithm reduces the memory required for generative AI by six times, leading to a nearly 20% drop in Micron's stock price and shaking confidence across the memory chip sector.
- Overreaction in the Market: Despite the potential for increased demand due to efficiency gains, the market's bearish reaction towards Micron seems excessive, especially as the company projects the high-bandwidth memory market to grow from $35 billion to $100 billion, indicating robust future demand.
- Impact of Jevons Paradox: As memory becomes more efficient, demand may actually rise, suggesting that Micron's market position might not be fundamentally threatened, potentially presenting a buying opportunity for investors.
- Cautious Investor Approach: While the TurboQuant breakthrough is significant, investors should monitor consumer memory prices to assess the risk of falling prices for Micron, remaining vigilant to avoid potential losses.
See More
Goldman Sachs Predicts Bitcoin Bottom Is Near
- Bitcoin Price Decline: Bitcoin has dropped over 45% in the past six months, falling from approximately $66,700 in October to current levels, reflecting a decline in market risk appetite and increased geopolitical tensions.
- Institutional Investor Re-entry: In March, $1.32 billion flowed into spot Bitcoin ETFs, indicating a resurgence of institutional investors in the market, which provides a positive signal for crypto recovery and could drive prices higher.
- Decrease in Liquidations: The number of liquidations in Bitcoin trading decreased in March, suggesting a reduction in leveraged investments, which alleviates the pressure of forced sales on prices and creates a more favorable environment for potential price increases.
- Optimistic Long-term Outlook: While Bitcoin's price may continue to fluctuate in the short term, its nearly 60% market cap share and the U.S. government's strategic reserve of almost 200,000 Bitcoins indicate its long-term investment value, attracting more investor interest.
See More
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Achieves 15.5% Annual Returns
- Return on Investment: The State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF has delivered an average annual return of 15.5% over the past decade, significantly outperforming the long-term average of 10% for the S&P 500, indicating strong performance amidst market fluctuations and suitability for long-term investors.
- Cost Advantage: With an expense ratio of only 0.02%, the fund allows investors to gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of 500 large-cap U.S. stocks at a minimal cost, thereby enhancing net returns and increasing its attractiveness to investors.
- Wealth Growth Potential: Investing $10,000 in SPYM today could grow to $80,768 after 20 years at an 11.01% annual return, reaching $386,966 after 35 years, and potentially exceeding $1 million after 45 years, showcasing its substantial long-term investment potential.
- Core Investment Choice: As a low-fee stock index fund, SPYM is well-suited as a core asset for building a long-term investment portfolio, although analysts note that there are currently 10 other stocks that may offer higher returns, prompting investors to choose wisely.
See More
Google Unveils TurboQuant Algorithm, Significantly Enhancing AI Efficiency
- Algorithm Efficiency Boost: Google's TurboQuant algorithm reduces memory usage by at least 6x and delivers up to 8x speedup with zero accuracy loss, potentially decreasing memory demand by 83%, thereby redefining AI efficiency.
- Market Reaction: Following this announcement, shares of memory chipmakers Micron Technology and Sandisk fell by 10% and 14%, respectively, as investors feared a significant drop in demand, reflecting market panic over Google's AI breakthrough.
- Historical Insight: The Jevons Paradox suggests that increased efficiency in resource use can lower costs and subsequently increase demand; historical examples, such as improved fuel efficiency in cars leading to higher fuel consumption, indicate that current market fears may be overstated.
- Analyst Perspective: Mizuho analyst reiterated outperform ratings on Micron and Sandisk, positing that TurboQuant's performance improvements will drive further AI adoption and strengthen demand for memory chips, despite potential short-term price pressures.
See More
Impact of Ocean Closures on Global Trade
- Surge in Ocean Monitoring Demand: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global oil and petroleum supply chains, prompting the U.S. and allies to invest in modern defense technologies to ensure free ocean passage, thereby stabilizing global trade.
- Kraken Robotics Order Growth: Kraken Robotics achieved a 60% year-over-year revenue growth in Q3 2025, reaching CAD 31 million, bolstered by its leading position in the underwater drone battery market, with a $24 million battery order in March further driving rapid revenue growth.
- Acquisition Expands Market Share: Kraken Robotics announced the acquisition of Colvya Group for $615 million, enhancing its capabilities in underwater navigation systems, with combined revenues projected to reach $365 million in 2025, solidifying its market position.
- Shareholder Dilution and Future Growth: Although Kraken Robotics raised hundreds of millions for the acquisition, leading to shareholder dilution, it still has significant growth potential in the rapidly expanding underwater defense market, expected to see substantial growth over the next decade.
See More
Nvidia's Future Outlook Remains Bullish
- Strong Earnings Report: Nvidia reported total revenue of $215.9 billion for fiscal year 2026, marking a 65% year-over-year increase, which underscores the company's robust growth potential in the AI chip market and solidifies its market leadership.
- Surging Order Forecast: CEO Jensen Huang indicated that Nvidia expects approximately $1 trillion in purchase orders for its Blackwell and Vera Rubin chips by 2027, doubling last year's forecast of $500 billion, signaling sustained strong demand for AI chips.
- Future Revenue Expectations: Nvidia anticipates first-quarter revenue of $78 billion for fiscal year 2027, representing an almost 77% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting strong growth potential in the Agentic AI applications sector, which will further drive demand for AI chips.
- High Market Valuation: Despite Nvidia's forward P/E ratio of 30, significantly above the average of 20.9 for the tech sector, investors believe the premium is justified given the company's outstanding financial results and its position in a rapidly growing market.
See More
Google Breakthrough Triggers Memory Stock Sell-off
- Significant Memory Demand Reduction: Google's TurboQuant algorithm reduces the memory required for generative AI by six times, leading to a nearly 20% drop in Micron's stock price and shaking confidence across the memory chip sector.
- Overreaction in the Market: Despite the potential for increased demand due to efficiency gains, the market's bearish reaction towards Micron seems excessive, especially as the company projects the high-bandwidth memory market to grow from $35 billion to $100 billion, indicating robust future demand.
- Impact of Jevons Paradox: As memory becomes more efficient, demand may actually rise, suggesting that Micron's market position might not be fundamentally threatened, potentially presenting a buying opportunity for investors.
- Cautious Investor Approach: While the TurboQuant breakthrough is significant, investors should monitor consumer memory prices to assess the risk of falling prices for Micron, remaining vigilant to avoid potential losses.
See More
Goldman Sachs Predicts Bitcoin Bottom Is Near
- Bitcoin Price Decline: Bitcoin has dropped over 45% in the past six months, falling from approximately $66,700 in October to current levels, reflecting a decline in market risk appetite and increased geopolitical tensions.
- Institutional Investor Re-entry: In March, $1.32 billion flowed into spot Bitcoin ETFs, indicating a resurgence of institutional investors in the market, which provides a positive signal for crypto recovery and could drive prices higher.
- Decrease in Liquidations: The number of liquidations in Bitcoin trading decreased in March, suggesting a reduction in leveraged investments, which alleviates the pressure of forced sales on prices and creates a more favorable environment for potential price increases.
- Optimistic Long-term Outlook: While Bitcoin's price may continue to fluctuate in the short term, its nearly 60% market cap share and the U.S. government's strategic reserve of almost 200,000 Bitcoins indicate its long-term investment value, attracting more investor interest.
See More
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Achieves 15.5% Annual Returns
- Return on Investment: The State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF has delivered an average annual return of 15.5% over the past decade, significantly outperforming the long-term average of 10% for the S&P 500, indicating strong performance amidst market fluctuations and suitability for long-term investors.
- Cost Advantage: With an expense ratio of only 0.02%, the fund allows investors to gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of 500 large-cap U.S. stocks at a minimal cost, thereby enhancing net returns and increasing its attractiveness to investors.
- Wealth Growth Potential: Investing $10,000 in SPYM today could grow to $80,768 after 20 years at an 11.01% annual return, reaching $386,966 after 35 years, and potentially exceeding $1 million after 45 years, showcasing its substantial long-term investment potential.
- Core Investment Choice: As a low-fee stock index fund, SPYM is well-suited as a core asset for building a long-term investment portfolio, although analysts note that there are currently 10 other stocks that may offer higher returns, prompting investors to choose wisely.
See More
Google Unveils TurboQuant Algorithm, Significantly Enhancing AI Efficiency
- Algorithm Efficiency Boost: Google's TurboQuant algorithm reduces memory usage by at least 6x and delivers up to 8x speedup with zero accuracy loss, potentially decreasing memory demand by 83%, thereby redefining AI efficiency.
- Market Reaction: Following this announcement, shares of memory chipmakers Micron Technology and Sandisk fell by 10% and 14%, respectively, as investors feared a significant drop in demand, reflecting market panic over Google's AI breakthrough.
- Historical Insight: The Jevons Paradox suggests that increased efficiency in resource use can lower costs and subsequently increase demand; historical examples, such as improved fuel efficiency in cars leading to higher fuel consumption, indicate that current market fears may be overstated.
- Analyst Perspective: Mizuho analyst reiterated outperform ratings on Micron and Sandisk, positing that TurboQuant's performance improvements will drive further AI adoption and strengthen demand for memory chips, despite potential short-term price pressures.
See More
Impact of Ocean Closures on Global Trade
- Surge in Ocean Monitoring Demand: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global oil and petroleum supply chains, prompting the U.S. and allies to invest in modern defense technologies to ensure free ocean passage, thereby stabilizing global trade.
- Kraken Robotics Order Growth: Kraken Robotics achieved a 60% year-over-year revenue growth in Q3 2025, reaching CAD 31 million, bolstered by its leading position in the underwater drone battery market, with a $24 million battery order in March further driving rapid revenue growth.
- Acquisition Expands Market Share: Kraken Robotics announced the acquisition of Colvya Group for $615 million, enhancing its capabilities in underwater navigation systems, with combined revenues projected to reach $365 million in 2025, solidifying its market position.
- Shareholder Dilution and Future Growth: Although Kraken Robotics raised hundreds of millions for the acquisition, leading to shareholder dilution, it still has significant growth potential in the rapidly expanding underwater defense market, expected to see substantial growth over the next decade.
See More
