Trading Insights 2/18/26

Chart of the Day 📈 2/18/26: How Much AI Capex is TOO Much?

Mike Larson | Editor-in-Chief

How much is TOO much when it comes to AI capex? That’s a question everyone on Wall Street has been asking. New survey data suggests worries are growing – big time!

Take a look at my MoneyShow Chart of the Day, which shows data from the latest Bank of America Global Fund Manager Survey. The bank polls investment managers about various topics on a rolling basis. Those managers control enormous pools of capital – around $440 billion in assets under management (AUM) in the latest February survey.

You can see that a whopping 35% of respondents said companies are over-investing now. That’s the highest reading in two decades of data-keeping! Roughly one in four managers also cited an “AI Bubble” as the biggest tail risk for equity markets.

Considering the amount of money being borrowed and spent on data centers, tech hardware, power grid infrastructure, and other equipment, the nervousness is understandable. Just five companies – Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), Meta Platforms Inc. (META), and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) – plan to spend as much as $690 billion on capex in 2026, according to The Futurum Group. That’s almost double the level of 2025.

If you’re a tech stock investor or trader, you have to keep your eye on this. Tech stocks have been taking on water all year long, while other sectors have been picking up the performance torch. If you want to stay ahead of the markets, you may need to freshen up your own portfolio!

eToro’s McCormick: What to Keep in Mind Amid Crypto Trading Volatility

Crypto has gotten volatile again, and the forces driving it are more complicated than just what shows up in price charts. In this episode of the MoneyShow MoneyMasters Podcast, Andrew McCormick, Head of eToro US, breaks down what shaped the explosive start to 2025, why the recent pullback has not shaken long-term conviction, and how crypto ETFs, regulation shifts, and changing investor behavior are transforming the digital asset landscape. 

• SPX: How to Trade this "Rolling Correction" Market
  👉️ TICKER: SPX

  The AI-blamed selloff started with the software industry, triggering renewed fears that AI companies will adversely affect their businesses. Then the sector version of Whac-a-Mole kicked in, initiating “rolling corrections,” notes Sam Stovall, editor of CFRA Research.

• VIG: Your Dividend-Paying Port in this Market Storm

  👉️ TICKERS: VIG

  If the recent market action has you worried, I understand. But I also have a solution…one that I know works from decades of personal experience. I’m talking about some of the oldest, most boring stocks on the planet — dividend-paying firms from the consumer staples, healthcare, and utility sectors, observes Nilus Mattive, editor of Safe Money Report.

🎰 📈 Prime your portfolio for maximum profit in 2026—at the MoneyShow/TradersEXPO Las Vegas! Click HERE to join 100+ experts for three days of education and fun, Feb. 23-25, 2026, at the Paris Las Vegas!

🖥️ 💲 Investors haven't bought into Amazon's $200 billion bet on AI. The ambitious infrastructure spending plan led to the stock's worst stretch in decades. (Opening Bell Daily)