Also in Weekend Reads: Which streaming services are worth paying for, and advice from the Moneyist
After a difficult July that featured tremendous pullbacks for some of the strongest tech stocks of the first half of 2026, events this week may have underscored a bottoming for AI-hardware stocks.
July has been a rough month for some of the hottest stocks of 2026, with large declines for Sandisk, Micron, Marvell Technology and Intel. Then again, all four were still up by triple digits for the year and the bottom might be in for these plays on the artificial-intelligence-hardware build-out.
One reason for a renewed upswing for the AI hardware makers was Microsoft's upbeat earnings report and outlook for an increasing commitment to its infrastructure build-out.
Joseph Adinolfi dug into more reasons the AI-hardware makers may be on the upswing, based on stock trading activity and the Situational Awareness hedge fund's fire sale.
Mark Hulbert: A break below this critical stock-market threshold used to signal panic for investors. Not anymore.
A Big Tech victim of success and what's next for Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook said "the iPhone and the Mac are both doing remarkably better than we thought they would do" during the company's earnings call on July 30, according to a transcript provided by LSEG.
While Microsoft $(MSFT)$ delivered, in part, because of strong cloud-services revenue, and Amazon (AMZN) followed suit with its own set of strong quarterly results, there were also some difficult earnings-season developments in the world of Big Tech.
Apple's $(AAPL)$ stock was down 9.5% in afternoon trading on Friday, after CEO Tim Cook said during the company's earnings call that he had been surprised by the strong demand for iPhones and Mac PCs.
Emily Bary dug into the company's results and looked ahead at what investors can expect for Apple's profit margins in the coming quarters.
More tech coverage:
-- Meta's stock falls hard. Here's why the company is in Wall Street's doghouse.
-- These four software stocks could shine through the rest of the year
-- Space stocks are falling hard - but SpaceX doesn't deserve all of the blame
A bargain investment opportunity if you need income
Brett Arends spoke with Bob Elliott, a former hedge-fund manager at Bridgewater, who described Treasury inflation-protected securities as "a generational buying opportunity" in light of recent increases in bond yields and the TIPs' guarantee of yields 3% in excess of the U.S. inflation rate. You should at least learn about this asset class.
More bond-market coverage:
-- Bond market is calling Warsh's bluff on inflation fight as yields surge
-- Warsh's Wall Street cred takes a hit as investors doubt the Fed chair's inflation-fighting resolve
-- Mortgage rates jump to their highest level in a year and show few signs of falling
Managing your career and managing your employees
As the deployment of generative AI makes some work easier and underscores the need to adapt to changing roles, some people are taking courses to obtain AI certifications. Andrew Keshner surveyed the landscape to answer the critical question: Will an AI certification help your career?
In the Dollar Signs column, Aditi Shrikant helped a reader who was having difficulty managing a former colleague.
Which streaming services are worth paying for in August?
Selecting streaming services month-to-month can be a money-saving luxury. Mike Murphy surveyed the offerings of eight services to provide this August streaming spending guide.
A buyer's market could provide you with an unexpected opportunity
If you have ever imagined buying a vacation home, this might be an excellent time to do so. Aarthi Swaminathan shared lists of vacation areas in the U.S. where home sellers might be forced to set bargain prices.
A retirement mistake?
Beth Pinsker writes the Fix My Portfolio column, which encompasses investing, tax and retirement planning, healthcare expenses, estate planning and more. This week she helped a 75-year-old woman who had filled out the MarketWatch Retirement Questionnaire, asking how aggressive or conservative she should be with her money after a lifetime of saving and investing.
The Moneyist and the Windfall
Quentin Fottrell is the Moneyist.
This week Quentin Fottrell - the Moneyist - answered questions from a 71-year-old reader who just inherited money.
More from the Moneyist:
-- My friend and her husband own real estate. How can her children from a previous marriage get their fair share?
-- My financial adviser says I don't need a tax-efficient withdrawal plan for my $2.3 million portfolio. Is that madness?
-- My ex-husband's sister died - so why is Fidelity asking me for her death certificate?
Want more from MarketWatch? Sign up for this and other newsletters to get the latest news and advice on personal
-Philip van Doorn
Comments