Introducing Hazel: The AI Tool That Triggered a Stock Market Decline
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 18 2026
0mins
Source: Barron's
Market Reaction: Financial advisor Douglas Boneparth noted a significant selloff in wealth management stocks due to concerns over tax planning updates related to Altruist's AI tool.
AI Transformation: Boneparth highlighted that the wealth management industry is undergoing a transformation as AI technology, particularly through Altruist’s Hazel platform, begins to take hold.
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Analyst Views on SCHW
Wall Street analysts forecast SCHW stock price to rise
16 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 88.770
Low
91.00
Averages
116.64
High
148.00
Current: 88.770
Low
91.00
Averages
116.64
High
148.00
About SCHW
The Charles Schwab Corporation is a savings and loan holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The Company provides financial services to individuals and institutional clients through two segments: Investor Services, and Advisor Services. The Investor Services segment provides retail brokerage, investment advisory, and banking and trust services to individual investors, and retirement plan and business services, as well as other corporate brokerage services, to businesses and their employees. The Advisor Services segment provides custodial, trading, banking and trust, and support services to independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), independent retirement advisors, and recordkeepers. Its products and services include brokerage, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), managed investing solutions, alternative investments, banking, and trust.
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.
- IPO Underwriting Approval: Robinhood Markets has received regulatory approval to underwrite IPOs, a move that will enable it to expand its offerings and play a larger role in the IPO market, thereby enhancing its competitive position.
- Surge in Trading Volume: The company saw trading volume reach 41.3 million shares, exceeding the three-month average by 41%, indicating strong investor interest in its stock, which could further drive price increases.
- Stock Price Uptrend: Robinhood's stock rose 3.09% on Wednesday, closing at $86.36, and has gained 12% over the past month, reflecting market optimism regarding its future growth potential.
- Ongoing Innovation Strategy: Alongside the IPO underwriting approval, Robinhood launched an AI trading tool last month, demonstrating its commitment to continuous innovation to attract more customers and increase platform assets, which will be crucial drivers for future revenue growth.
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- Stock Price Surge: Robinhood's stock closed at $86.36 on Wednesday, up 3.09%, indicating market confidence in its newly acquired IPO underwriting capabilities, which could further drive revenue growth.
- Trading Volume Spike: The trading volume reached 41.3 million shares, about 41% above its three-month average, reflecting strong investor interest in Robinhood, potentially enhancing its market position.
- Favorable Market Conditions: With the IPO market currently booming, Robinhood's timing in securing underwriting approval is particularly advantageous, especially ahead of the highly anticipated SpaceX IPO, which will help broaden its offerings.
- Innovation-Driven Growth: Following the launch of its AI trading tool, Robinhood continues to see growth in its customer base and platform assets, and while regulatory risks loom, its innovative strategies appear to be paying off, potentially laying the groundwork for future revenue increases.
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- Energy Cost Impact: The rise in inflation is largely attributed to surging energy costs due to the Iran war, with last year's inflation rate at just 2.4%, highlighting the severity of the current economic environment.
- Core Price Increase: Core prices, excluding food and energy, are projected to post a 2.9% annual increase after a 0.3% rise in May, suggesting that inflation issues extend beyond just energy, affecting the broader economy.
- Market Reaction Concerns: Investor anxiety over inflation is intensifying, with analysts noting that despite the Trump administration's belief that inflation will quickly decrease with a resolution in the Middle East, production disruptions may prevent oil prices from returning to previous lows.
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- IPO Pricing Strategy: SpaceX has set its IPO price at $135, targeting a staggering market valuation of $1.77 trillion, indicating strong investor confidence in its future growth potential.
- Revenue and Loss Context: Despite generating $18.7 billion in revenue last year, SpaceX reported an operating loss of $4.2 billion, a financial profile that stands out among the nine public trillion-dollar companies, highlighting its high-risk, high-reward business model.
- Retail Investor Allocation: The company plans to allocate approximately 30% of shares, amounting to $22.5 billion, to retail investors, significantly higher than the typical 5% to 10% range, aiming to enhance ordinary investor engagement and market activity.
- Innovative Allocation Process: With the price set in advance, SpaceX can expedite the share allocation process, facilitating a quicker IPO timeline and ensuring all shares are distributed before market opening, thereby improving market efficiency.
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- IPO Pricing Strategy: SpaceX has set its IPO price at $135, utilizing a take-it-or-leave-it approach rather than a traditional price range, aiming to streamline the allocation process and instill investor confidence in its anticipated $1.77 trillion market cap.
- Retail Investor Allocation: The company plans to allocate 30% of shares to retail investors, amounting to approximately $22.5 billion, significantly higher than the typical 5% to 10%, indicating SpaceX's commitment to engaging ordinary investors and potentially enhancing market participation.
- Market Reaction Expectations: SpaceX's IPO is expected to be the largest in history, and despite reporting $18.7 billion in revenue and a $4.2 billion operating loss last year, its unique pricing strategy may attract investor interest and drive stock price appreciation.
- Allocation Process Optimization: By deciding to stop taking orders a day early, SpaceX allows itself and its underwriters more time for share allocation, ensuring a smooth distribution process before trading begins on Friday, which could enhance market liquidity.
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- Record IPO Size: SpaceX plans to issue 555,555,555 shares at $135 each, aiming to raise $75 billion, which would set a record for the largest IPO ever, surpassing Saudi Aramco's $26.5 billion in 2019.
- Retail Investor Allocation: The company is allocating up to 30% of shares to retail investors through platforms like Robinhood and SoFi, aiming to tap into Elon Musk's devoted following to boost demand and enhance IPO success.
- High Volatility Expectations: Despite the high IPO price of $135 and ongoing net losses, the significant retail investor participation could lead to substantial price volatility on the first trading day, as historically similar IPOs have seen rapid declines post-launch.
- Market Confidence Boost: SpaceX's IPO is viewed as a factor that could enhance market confidence, particularly in the context of an AI-driven bull market, potentially lifting the sentiment for other stocks as well.
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