Good morning, investors ☀️
The market is near its highs. That usually feels comfortable. It rarely is.
The S&P 500 is pressing against the 6,900 area, only a few percentage points from record territory. Yet under the surface, the tone has shifted. Rate-cut expectations have been pushed further out. Bond funds are seeing steady inflows. Equity flows are more selective. And policy risk has crept back into the headlines.
Then comes Wednesday.
NVIDIA reports after the close. When the largest company in the index delivers results, it does not just move its own stock. It shapes sentiment across semiconductors, software, and often the entire S&P 500.
If guidance confirms durable AI demand, momentum could reassert itself quickly. If management introduces caution, crowded positioning in high-multiple names may unwind just as fast.
This week is less about trend and more about confirmation. Earnings, inflation data, and policy rhetoric all collide within five trading days. Markets near highs tend to demand proof.
We may get it.
The Fear and Greed Index
What’s your market mood right now?
20 Stocks to Watch This Week 💸
Stocks showing the strongest data signals.
Will Your Retirement Income Last?
A successful retirement can depend on having a clear plan. Fisher Investments’ The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income can help you calculate your future costs and structure your portfolio to meet your needs. Get the insights you need to help build a durable income strategy for the long term.
Dark Horse Tech Stocks for 2026: The AI Stocks Hiding in Plain Sight
AI in 2026 is no longer about demos. It’s about deployment.
When companies move from experimenting with models to running them at scale, the bottlenecks change.
The constraint is no longer just computing:
It’s power delivery.
Cooling density.
Network fabric.
Data movement.
Chip yields.
Security overload.
Edge inference.
That shift changes where value accrues.
The loudest stocks are still the platform names. But the more interesting risk-reward often sits in the plumbing: connectivity specialists, thermal and power infrastructure, fabrication enablers, networking fabric providers, edge AI silicon, and automation layers that quietly make the system work.
These are the “dark horses.” Not unknown. Just underappreciated relative to how essential they’ve become.
In this edition, we map the AI stack from interconnect to edge compute and highlight the companies sitting at critical choke points. The goal isn’t to chase hype. It’s to identify businesses where customer reliance, backlog, and operational momentum may be improving faster than the perception suggests.
In revolutions, the obvious winners get headlines. The indispensable ones get paid.
Let’s look at where those might be hiding.
How was today’s newsletter?
Portfolio Parrot is authored by Dharmesh — a 9-5 investor translating Wall Street noise into clear, practical insights for everyday investors.
If you enjoyed this post or know someone who might find it useful, please share it with them and encourage them to subscribe: Portfolio Parrot 💸
NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.
🔴 Risk Notice: This content summarizes publicly reported data. It is not advice. Consult a qualified advisor before investing.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. All investments carry risks. Past performance is not indicative of future results.