ARK Kicks Off 2026 with Big Biotech Bet
Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has pivoted toward early-stage biotech, ramping up exposure to gene editing and genomics. Ark made aggressive buys in Beam Therapeutics [BEAM], Intellia Therapeutics [NTLA], Pacific Biosciences [PACB], Twist Bioscience [TWST] and Personalis [PSNL], reflecting what seems to be a mounting conviction that precision medicine, CRISPR and advanced sequencing are long-term growth drivers, Seeking Alpha outlined.
BofA’s Chip Choices for 2026
Elsewhere in stock-picking, Bank of America remains bullish on semiconductors, naming Nvidia [NVDA], Broadcom [AVGO] and Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] as top picks. Roughly $600bn is expected in artificial intelligence-related (AI) spending this year. Strong free cash flow at hyperscalers such as Amazon [AMZN], Alphabet [GOOGL] and Microsoft [MSFT] offers some buffer, but scrutiny is increasing.
What Should Tech Investors Be Excited About in 2026?
As 2026 begins, technology investing is shifting from broad participation to selective exposure. AI will remain a clear priority for investors in 2026, notwithstanding mounting concerns around valuations and crowding. As JPMorgan noted in its 2026 outlook, “the biggest risk is not having exposure to this transformational technology.” OPTO dives into AI and four other tech sectors with clear structural demand and policy support going into the new year.
AMD Steps Up NVDA Challenge
Earlier this week, Advanced Micro Devices unveiled new data center and edge AI chips as it steps up competition with Nvidia. The new MI440X accelerator targets smaller enterprise data centers seeking on-premise AI infrastructure, while Ryzen AI Embedded processors expand AMD’s edge portfolio. The P100 and X100 Series are designed for automotive, industrial and robotics use cases.
NVDA Steps Up TSLA Challenge
Nvidia, meanwhile, has announced Alpamayo, its “reasoning” platform for autonomous vehicles. The chipmaker has begun producing cars that use the technology with Mercedes-Benz [MBGAF], with rollout in the US scheduled for the coming months. “Our vision is that someday, every single car, every single truck, will be autonomous,” CEO Jensen Huang said. The move puts the chipmaker in competition with firms like Tesla [TSLA].
Copper’s Red-Hot Rally
Continuing a run that began in October, copper prices breached $13,000 per ton on Tuesday. Shortage fears are being stoked by supply disruptions at major mines, including Capstone Copper’s [CSCCF] Mantoverde mine in Chile and Freeport-McMoRan’s [FCX] Grasberg complex in Indonesia. Worries the Trump administration will impose additional tariffs on the metal are also fueling demand.
Foresight in Hindsight: 2025 Review
Throughout 2025, Foresight from OPTO published analyses and long-form deep dives into some of the stocks at the bleeding edge of the AI infrastructure build-out, as well as drugmaking, financial services and other critical industries. Each stock was chosen based on our analysis of its fundamentals and potential growth expectations. With 2025 in the rear-view mirror, we take a look at how the stocks we covered over the past year have fared.
Disclaimer Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
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