As the artificial intelligence (AI) investing conversation shifts from enablers to adopters, there's considerable focus on adoption in the private sector. With that comes concerns about how much capital publicly traded companies are willing to deploy on AI.
QQQ is closing in on its July 2024 highs, driven by AI growth themes, despite lagging behind the S&P 500 due to value stock resurgence. Nvidia is a key holding driving bullish sentiments in QQQ. It's unlikely to slow down anytime soon. QQQ affords investors growth prospects beyond the tech sector, with stocks such as Google, Meta, and Tesla among its top holdings.
Since my last writing, QQQ's risk premium has increased materially due to a drastically different interest rate outlook. This change has led me to change my rating from Buy to Hold. Finally, buy-and-hold investors could consider QQQM, which offers lower fees.
The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and the Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM) are often viewed as technology sector proxies. That assessment is accurate because the funds allocate more than half their weights to that sector.
QQQ is trading at a bubble-like valuation, with PE above 40, and the recent price gains have been due to the PS multiple expansion. The concentration in a few key stocks like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia, which account for 25% of the Nasdaq 100, heightens bubble risk. The Gen AI hype is fading and most AI projects fail.
After several months of chop, the Nasdaq is showing signs that it might be prepared to move towards highs, although the recent move lacks power. Small caps lack leadership, with money flowing into mega caps; I remain focused on bigger names for now. Gold is in a strong uptrend, but I'm holding off on adding more until it consolidates further.
The Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) is higher by 2.51% over the past month. Clearly, growth stocks benefited from the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates for the first time in four years.
Why the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF and Invesco QQQ ETF are two top buys this month.
Nvidia (NVDA) is just one example, but the company and its high-flying stock prove an important, simple point: semiconductors are the foundation on which the AI revolution resides. There are, of course, plenty of related investment implications.
The ProShares Ultra QQQ ETF has outperformed the S&P 500 by over 10% YTD. Given the upcoming Q3 earnings season and the U.S. presidential election, selling a covered call can provide significant premium and downside protection. QLD's strong performance relative to SPY and QQQ makes it a prime candidate for locking in profits.
With all the talk about companies enabling and adopting artificial intelligence, often lost in the conversation are foundational pieces of the puzzle. Those include data.
247 Wall St. Key Insights QQQ offers higher growth potential but comes with greater risk due to its reliance on tech stocks.