Software stocks went from apocalypse to market leaders in six months, but the speed of that reversal raises a harder question than most investors are asking before the next earnings season.
Investors yanked $700 million from the top software ETF in a single session, and within hours a major earnings report threatened to make that timing look catastrophic.
Earlier this year, a fear psychosis had gripped investors that advances in AI would replace software firms, and the sector was all but written off. Anthropic's launch of new plugins for its Claude Cowork system in February sparked a global selloff in software firms, with the US markets alone losing $300 billion in market value in a day.
Software has outperformed the S&P 500 and semiconductors, rebounding sharply from April lows and showing resilience amid market volatility. CrowdStrike and Salesforce earnings are pivotal this week; CRWD must deliver strong beats and guidance, while CRM must counter the 'AI Eating SaaS' narrative. CRWD faces downside risk of 10–15% given high valuation and recent executive departure, but a positive surprise could lift cybersecurity and IGV broadly.
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) was launched on July 10, 2001, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Technology - Software segment of the equity market.
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (NASDAQ:IGV) closed Friday at $88.20, down 16.5% year to date and 18.9% over the past year, despite the broader AI trade still drawing capital.
Launched on July 10, 2001, the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Technology - Software segment of the equity market.
I am rating IGV (iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF) a 'buy' to balance risk from individual stock picking in software and capture potential sector rerating amid ongoing volatility. Palantir's exceptionally strong Q1 FY26 and ServiceNow's ambitious FY30 targets demonstrate that “AI Eating SaaS” may have run its course. Plus, earnings reports from Atlassian, Twilio and Zeta also came in much better than expected, leading to a considerable rerating higher in these names.
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Looking for broad exposure to the Technology - Software segment of the equity market? You should consider the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on July 10, 2001.
Panelists at the Semafor World Economy conference said artificial intelligence can supplement the work that's already done, improving its quantity and quality.
Software stocks are trading at historically low valuations due to AI-driven fears, creating a compelling contrarian buying opportunity. AI models like Anthropic's Claude Mythos have heightened concerns about disruption, but the market may be overestimating risks to incumbents. Despite seat displacement risks, high gross margins (75%-90%) and strong net cash positions suggest software companies can benefit from AI-driven margin expansion.