Options markets are pricing significant implied moves between 15.92% and 21.71% across 10 stocks reporting this week, spanning AI infrastructure suppliers, nuclear power, cybersecurity, and consumer staples. The largest moves are expected for Netskope (21.71%), Brown-Forman (20.51%), and Planet Labs (18.95%), with major mega-cap companies like Broadcom, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks also reporting amid continued AI infrastructure demand.

U.S. stock futures rose on Monday as the market ended May at record highs. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 futures all gained modestly. The U.S. conducted 'self-defense' strikes against Iran over the weekend in response to aggressive Iranian actions. Key stocks in focus include Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Nvidia, and Uber, with tech stocks leading gains. The Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady in June, with markets pricing in a 99.4% probability.

U.S. stock markets opened June at record highs with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posting strong May performances. However, geopolitical tensions from the Iran-U.S. conflict, rising inflation concerns, and upcoming labor market data present significant challenges ahead. Asian markets rallied on AI optimism while oil prices climbed on Middle East tensions. Key earnings from tech and retail companies this week will provide crucial economic signals before Friday's jobs report.

The Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF is outperforming the S&P 500 with an 18% year-to-date gain, driven by domestic-focused small-cap companies benefiting from U.S. government policies and AI infrastructure demand. However, rising inflation and anticipated interest rate hikes pose a significant risk, as 32% of Russell 2000 companies carry floating-rate debt that will become more expensive, potentially hampering their growth and earnings.

The Russell 2000 index is reaching record highs driven by AI-related stocks rather than regional banks, which historically led small-cap rallies. Technology and industrial stocks account for over 70% of the index's year-to-date gains, with semiconductor, optical equipment, and data-center infrastructure companies surging. The AI trade has moved downstream to suppliers and builders supporting data-center buildout.

As AI infrastructure spending expands beyond chip manufacturing toward data connectivity, three companies are positioned for significant growth: Astera Labs designs high-speed connectivity chips with 93% YoY revenue growth; Marvell Technology offers custom AI chips and optical networking with projected 30-40% revenue growth; and Credo Technology provides connectivity solutions with 201% YoY revenue growth. All three are capitalizing on the emerging bottleneck of efficient data movement in AI systems.

The article argues that AI growth stocks focused on infrastructure rather than headline names offer compelling opportunities. Credo Technology Group dominates the Active Electrical Cables market with 202% YoY revenue growth, while UiPath has repositioned itself as an enterprise agentic AI execution layer and achieved GAAP profitability for the first time. Both companies benefit from hyperscaler AI infrastructure spending but face execution risks from customer concentration and competitive pressure from larger vendors.

Jim Cramer discussed stocks his CNBC Investing Club missed or exited too early on 'Mad Money'. SanDisk topped the list, having surged 300% year-to-date. Cramer acknowledged his disciplined approach to trimming positions during parabolic moves cost him significant gains. Other notable misses included memory/storage stocks (Micron, Western Digital, Seagate), AI semiconductors (AMD, Marvell, Astera Labs, Credo), optical interconnect players (Ciena, Lumentum), and infrastructure plays (CoreWeave, Vertiv, Dell, Bloom Energy).

A wave of momentum swept through large-cap stocks during the week of April 13-17, 2026, with ten standout performers. Notable gainers include Avis Budget Group (71.48% jump driven by short squeeze), IonQ (62.86% surge following DARPA contract award), Oklo (33.35% rise on nuclear power narrative), Robinhood (33.22% gain from bullish analyst outlook and crypto rebound), and Strategy Inc (31.86% increase). Other top performers include Tempus AI, Credo Technology, Affirm Holdings, and Summit Therapeutics, with gains ranging from 28-31%.

Jose Najarro discusses recent OpenAI updates and their implications for AI stocks, particularly focusing on how these developments affect Nvidia and other companies in the competitive AI market. The article examines the broader impact of OpenAI's strategic moves on semiconductor and AI-related investments.

Three AI-linked companies—Broadcom, Palantir, and Credo Technology—are positioned to report 50%+ growth in earnings and revenue as earnings season approaches. Broadcom expects 62.5% revenue growth and 50.6% EPS jump driven by AI accelerator demand. Palantir forecasts 74%+ Q1 revenue growth and 114% EPS growth, with strong commercial segment expansion. Credo Technology projects 55% revenue growth and 240% EPS improvement, benefiting from AI data center connectivity demand.

Credo Technology Group announced the acquisition of DustPhotonics, a silicon photonics microchip developer, for $750 million in cash and stock plus potential milestone payments. The deal expands Credo's AI connectivity solutions into optical technology, with management projecting over $500 million in optical revenue by fiscal 2027. Credo shares surged 18.73% on the news.