The Chip Toll Booth Every Device Still Pays

This is one of those rare tech franchises that sits underneath the ecosystem instead of competing on the surface.

Even after a 13% slide over the past year, the core setup still looks intact: hardware follows the software, and software follows the installed base.

AI Acceleration (Sponsored)

America’s AI Buildout Is Entering a Faster Phase

A rapid acceleration in AI deployment across the U.S. is creating fresh opportunities for forward-looking investors.

A free breakdown uncovers 9 companies demonstrating measurable growth and deep alignment with this next wave of AI demand.

These aren’t speculative plays—they are firms with proven traction and expanding AI footprints.

Early movers may see the greatest advantage.

Download the Free Report

Never Miss a Stock Alert Again!

We now send our daily picks via SMS too — so you’ll get the same high-conviction ideas, even if you miss the email.

👉 Click here to get stock picks by text and stay in the loop, always.

Palantir | PLTR

Price: $194.17

Palantir has been one of the market’s biggest AI winners, and the run has been so extreme it changes how you have to think about the stock.

The bull case is that Palantir is not just riding buzz, it is selling a product that is getting pulled into real workflows across government and commercial customers.

The AIP layer matters because it turns the platform into something teams can actually deploy to automate decisions and operations without rebuilding their data stack from scratch.

The bear case is valuation and expectations. When a stock has already been re-rated this hard, it becomes hypersensitive to any sign of slowing, even if the underlying business is still healthy.

That is how great companies can post good quarters and still get punished.

Why it matters for you: PLTR can keep working if growth stays hot, but the downside risk is multiple compression if the pace cools.

Super Micro Computer | SMCI

Price: $30.55

SMCI is in the “trust rebuild” phase, and the near-term debate is pretty clean: did demand weaken, or did supply timing make the quarter look worse than reality?

Management has pointed to delayed revenue tied to component availability, which investors are increasingly treating as a temporary bottleneck rather than a structural demand problem.

The other support is positioning. SMCI sits in the AI infrastructure buildout, and optimism around turnkey systems tied to Nvidia’s latest cycles is helping because customers want speed. If you can shorten deployment timelines in an AI arms race, you stay relevant.

Margins are still a watch item because scaling liquid-cooling capacity costs money. The next proof point is execution, specifically whether deferred sales land on schedule.

Why it matters for you: SMCI is a show-me recovery. If deferred revenue converts and AI server demand stays firm, the stock can re-rate back toward fundamentals.

Smart Positioning (Sponsored)

How Smart Capital Is Quietly Preparing for Crypto’s Next Run

Growth-driven investors are using a disciplined method to position for the next crypto cycle, and this free resource breaks it down step-by-step. 

Inside, the framework highlights a core building block, satellite opportunities for strategic surges, and a bold long-term vehicle meant for major market swings.

Availability is extremely limited, with access expiring at midnight.

Others are already grabbing their copies and gaining the advantage.

Get your free download before the deadline hits.

Coinbase | COIN

Price: $239.73

Coinbase is leaning into the rails narrative with a push into custom stablecoins for businesses.

The pitch is companies can launch a branded stablecoin without building infrastructure, while Coinbase handles issuance plumbing, custody, and integration, with swaps and liquidity tied back to established networks like USDC.

The appeal is that stablecoins are increasingly the backbone of onchain settlement because they are fast, cheap, and always-on.

If enterprises want stablecoin capabilities, Coinbase wants to be the trusted counterparty and the toll booth.

The risk is adoption. Many businesses may decide they would rather just use existing stablecoins than create their own branded token.

Why it matters for you: COIN is trying to diversify beyond trading cycles. If stablecoins keep going mainstream, Coinbase can benefit even when retail volumes are not exciting.

Strategy | MSTR

Price: $158.71

MSTR is still the market’s most amplified Bitcoin proxy. The play is not subtle: keep buying Bitcoin and let long-term appreciation do the work, funded through capital markets tools that can create dilution concerns.

Supporters love the conviction. Critics hate the volatility and the structure.

Recent chatter suggests another Bitcoin purchase could be coming, based on the familiar hint-then-filing pattern.

Meanwhile the stock has had a rough year, and the debate keeps circling back to the same trade-off: you get torque to Bitcoin upside, but you also get sharper drawdowns when crypto sentiment turns risk-off.

Why it matters for you: This is not clean crypto exposure. It is leveraged behavior in equity form, so sizing and risk control matter more than the narrative.

Arm | ARM

Price: $111.55

ARM wins by being the architecture everyone builds on, then collecting the toll through licensing and royalties.

That creates a loop that is hard to break: manufacturers choose ARM because it already supports an enormous universe of apps and operating systems, and developers keep targeting ARM because their work instantly reaches a massive device base.

That is why ARM has been so durable in mobile. When your IP shows up across most smartphones, you become the default blueprint.

Defaults are sticky, especially when ecosystems like Android and iOS have been tuned around them for years.

The market’s hesitation is mostly about expectations.

At a premium valuation, investors want confidence that ARM can extend beyond phones into the next wave: laptops, edge AI, and broader low-power compute.

Competition exists, but switching costs are real, and the ecosystem gravity still favors the incumbent.

Why it matters for you: ARM is a platform bet. If efficient compute and edge AI keep expanding, ARM can win simply by staying embedded in the blueprint.

Stat of the Day: 2.7% inflation?

Headline CPI cooled to 2.7% year over year in November, with core at 2.6%, but economists are waving a big caution flag because the government shutdown distorted data collection.

Markets treated it calmly for a reason: one messy print is not a trend. The next clean inflation read is the one that will likely move expectations.