MW How to make money in the stock market amid AI disruptions
By Philip van Doorn
Also in Weekend Reads: More fallout (and maybe an opportunity) from bitcoin's decline, and a Valentine's Day 'money date'
It seems that, every day, a different industry is hammered in the stock market over fears springing from the adoption of generative-artificial-intelligence technology.
On Thursday, the Dow Jones Transportation Average DJT declined 4%, and shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide $(CHRW)$ fell 14.5%. Claudia Assis broke down this latest industry reaction to AI.
William Gavin: AI fears slammed trucking stocks. Analysts see an obvious buying opportunity.
In light of the various industry-focused stock-market declines driven by AI adoption, some professional investors have been jumping onto downtrodden stocks. In the Need to Know column, Barbara Kollmeyer quoted strategists at Morgan Stanley who combed 3,600 stocks to name companies they see benefiting from AI adoption and stocks that have declined too much in the wake of AI fears. The strategists also shared three things that corporate leaders should do to assuage investors' concerns over AI.
The Need to Know column features opinions from professional investors or traders every morning. You can sign up here to have it waiting in your inbox.
Piling into stocks hit hard by AI
Jules Rimmer described what some investors perceived to be a specific AI threat to a financial-data provider and how one activist investor reacted by buying the stock. In the same article, he quoted analysts at Barclays who recommended this combined approach with loading up on stocks of AI winners, along with a select group of software companies.
A bounceback play from Michael Brush: Follow the smart money to the makers of these favorite snack foods and drinks
More: This stock-market strategy lets you play the energy boom while cutting your risk
Bitcoin's decline, consequences and an opportunity for believers
Two years of price movement for bitcoin.
Bitcoin (BTCUSD) was up 5.5% early Friday afternoon, but the above chart shows what a volatile ride holders of the pioneering virtual currency have been on over the past two years.
Coinbase Global (COIN) reported a fourth-quarter net loss on Thursday, but its stock rallied 9.5% Friday morning after Coinbase Chief Financial Officer Alesia Haas said investors were "buying the dip" and CEO Brian Armstrong said adoption of the virtual currency was continuing to expand.
Strategy (MSTR), led by Michael Saylor, has famously committed to bitcoin, raising billions of dollars as it has continued to add to its holdings of the virtual currency. As of Dec. 31, the company reported total assets of $61.6 billion, with digital assets making up 95% of that total.
Strategy reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $12.4 billion, which reflected $17.4 billion in unrealized net losses on digital assets, partially offset by $5 billion in income-tax benefits. Saylor said that he expected more volatility for bitcoin.
Saylor said the company has no plans to sell bitcoin and is well-positioned with enough cash to operate over the next 21/2 years.
Read: What if bitcoin prices fall to $8,000? Michael Saylor says Strategy still won't sell.
The following may be useful if you are among the investors who believe bitcoin will soar from here. This is a summary of how Strategy's stock has traded, relative to the value of the company's bitcoin, based on its disclosure of bitcoin holdings and price data provided by CoinDesk (bitcoin price quotes can vary a bit among data providers).
Date MSTR's premium or discount to its bitcoin holdings Bitcoin held by MSTR Bitcoin price MSTR bitcoin value ($mil) MSTR Market Cap ($mil)
12/31/2024 70% 447,470 $93,414 $41,800 $71,182
7/31/2025 55% 628,791 $116,778 $73,429 $113,949
12/31/2025 -19% 672,500 $87,549 $58,877 $47,418
2/12/2025 -16% 714,644 $65,342 $46,696 $39,124
Sources: Strategy Inc. for bitcoins held, LSEG for market cap, CoinDesk for price quotes
The chart shows that at the end of 2024, the market capitalization of Strategy's stock was 70% higher than the value of the company's bitcoin holdings. Strategy most recently reported holding 714,644 bitcoin as of Feb. 8. Based on that number and bitcoin's price of $65,342 on Feb. 12, Strategy's stock was trading at a 16% discount to the value of its bitcoin.
Obviously, bitcoin is a risky asset for investors. But many believe that with its limited supply, the virtual currency will bounce back. For those investors, Strategy represents a discounted opportunity to play a potential rebound.
Read: Robinhood's stock is now trading almost exactly like bitcoin - but it really shouldn't be
Mark Hulbert: Why bitcoin needs to fall another 20% before it's even worth a look
Don't short yourself when booking a flight
Don't Short Yourself - MarketWatch's new weekly newsletter - offers smart tips to help you earn, stack and grow your money.
In this week's Don't Short Yourself newsletter, Jenna Contino shared a $200 lesson she learned after buying an airline ticket.
Bull-market jitters
Here is team coverage of this week's stock-market volatility and what may lie ahead:
-- Stocks are swinging like crazy while the S&P 500 goes nowhere in 2026. Investors might not like what comes next.
-- These 32 favorite stocks signal the bull market is running on fumes
-- Stocks have turned volatile despite strong January jobs report. Here's why investors aren't happy.
-- The S&P 500 just accomplished a first-time feat - and it suggests more wild swings ahead
Tech companies
Here is a selection of this week's extensive coverage of the information-technology sector:
-- Alphabet's $20 billion bond deal may be followed by something highly unusual
-- Senior AI staffers keep quitting - and are issuing warnings about what's going on at their companies
-- Rivian's stock jumps 20% as investors cheer 2026 growth potential
-- AMD is falling behind, warns this analyst who says other chip stocks are better bets
-- Arista succeeds where Cisco came up short - to the benefit of its stock
-- Microsoft and Oracle may be bargain stocks, according to this analysis
For Valentine's Day
A "money date" can help couples make plans, especially if only one of them tends to manage their combined finances.
Beth Pinsker writes the Fix My Portfolio column, covering all sorts of financial planning and investing topics. For Valentine's Day, she suggests a money date for couples.
More from Beth Pinsker: Escape the 'gay tax' while planning for retirement with these three mindset shifts
And more about Valentine's Day: 'At first I laughed.' More couples are gifting practical things like vacuum cleaners this Valentine's Day.
What if you sign a contract to buy a home, but then change your mind?
Aarthi Swaminathan helped a reader who is under contract to buy a home, but is getting cold feet as she faces a high level of combined expenses relative to her income. How complicated would it be for her to walk away from the home purchase contract?
More residential real estate coverage from Aarthi Swaminathan:
-- More than one million homeowners are underwater on their mortgage - a seven-year high. Here's what experts advise them to do.
-- The great 'shrinkflation' of housing in America: What $500,000 buys today vs. what it bought in 2019
The Moneyist takes on estate-planning nastiness
Quentin Fottrell is the Moneyist.
Quentin Fottrell - the Moneyist - helps MarketWatch readers with all sorts of questions about financial matters. And sometimes readers ask for advice about brutal conflicts over estate planning or settlement. Here are examples from this week:
-- 'My mom was very upset': My stepsister changed the address on our mother's bank account. Can she be trusted as executor?
-- I'm trying to fix my relationship with my stepdaughter. Should my husband and I tell her how we have divided our assets?
-- 'Hell of a story, isn't it?': My brother stole $500K from my ailing father. Can we get justice?
-- I want rights of survivorship in our marital home. My wife prefers tenants in common. Now what?
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-Philip van Doorn
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February 13, 2026 13:28 ET (18:28 GMT)
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