* U.S. PPI inflation, Nvidia earnings will be in focus in the week ahead.
* Nvidia is poised to deliver yet another landmark quarter.
* Intuit faces a storm of fundamental and technical headwinds as it prepares to report.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s tariffs. In response, Trump called the ruling a “disgrace” and announced that he would impose a new global tariff rate of 15% in a Truth Social post on Saturday, a day after setting a 10% duty.
Source: Investing.com
With Friday’s move, the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on around 0.3% on the week. The S&P 500 rose 1.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite snapped a five-week losing streak, jumping 1.5%. The small-cap Russell 2000 gained nearly 0.7%.
More volatility could be in store in the week ahead as investors assess the outlook for the economy, inflation, interest rates and corporate earnings amid renewed trade tensions.
In a data-light week, most of the focus will fall on Friday’s U.S. producer price inflation report for January. As of Sunday morning, traders see just over a 50% chance the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by its June policy meeting.
Source: Investing.com
Elsewhere, in earnings, Nvidia’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) results will be the key update of the week as the reporting season draws to a close. Besides Nvidia, investors will focus on several other tech-sector quarterly reports. These include key software companies that are under siege from concerns that AI will disrupt their businesses such as Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU), Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW), Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS), and Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM).
In addition, AI infrastructure players Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) and CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV) will deliver results in the coming week. Outside of tech, notable retailers like Home Depot (NYSE:HD), Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW), and TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) are also on the agenda.
Meanwhile, investors will assess President Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, while watching out for U.S.-Iran developments.
Regardless of which direction the market goes, below I highlight one stock likely to be in demand and another which could see fresh downside. Remember though, my timeframe is just for the week ahead, Monday, February 23 – Friday, Feb. 27.
Stock to Buy: Nvidia
Nvidia is heading into its earnings release with analysts calling for another “beat-and-raise” quarter, underpinned by surging demand for AI infrastructure. Results for the fourth quarter are due after the market closes on Wednesday at 4:20PM ET. A call with CEO Jensen Huang is set for 5:00PM ET.
Profit estimates have been revised upward 36 times in recent weeks, according to an InvestingPro survey, with just one downward revision, reflecting growing bullishness around Nvidia’s earnings potential. The expected post-earnings move for NVDA stock in the options market is +/-6% up or down.
Source: InvestingPro
Consensus calls for the AI juggernaut to report earnings of $1.52 per share, marking a 71% year-over-year increase. Revenue is projected to surge 67% to $65.6 billion, demonstrating the company’s continued dominance in the AI chip market.
Recent guidance from Citi sees Nvidia’s January-quarter revenue potentially topping $67 billion, with expectations for even stronger April-quarter numbers.
Another quarter of strong data‑center revenue, expanding margins, and robust free cash flow would reinforce the idea that Nvidia is still in the middle – not the end – of an AI supercycle.
Source: Investing.com
NVDA stock closed at $189.82 on Friday, reflecting recent consolidation after a strong run but with room to rally on positive catalysts: across every timeframe, from intraday to monthly, moving averages and indicators flash “strong buy.”
A beat-and-raise quarter could spark a sharp rally, especially if management highlights visibility into 2026/2027 growth from new architectures like Rubin.
Trade Setup:
* Entry: Around current levels (~$190)
* Exit Target: $210 (gain ~10%)
* Stop-Loss: $184 (risk ~3.5%)
Stock To Sell: Intuit
Intuit, the parent of TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp, enters earnings week under a dark cloud. Fears have intensified in early 2026 that generative AI tools could erode Intuit’s moat in tax preparation, accounting, and financial software by enabling free or low-cost alternatives, custom agents, or in-house solutions for small businesses and consumers.
This has contributed to a “SaaSpocalypse” sentiment, with the sector losing trillions in market value recently and INTU specifically hit hard (down sharply in recent months alongside peers like Salesforce and others).
Analysts have grown increasingly cautious on INTU ahead of the print, with 23 of the last 25 revisions being made to the downside.
Source: InvestingPro
Wall Street sees Intuit reporting EPS of $3.68 (up ~11% YoY) on revenue around $4.5 billion. However, the real risk lies in the narrative around AI disruption.
While Intuit has invested heavily in AI, the market appears to view these as defensive rather than transformative enough to offset broader threats. TD Cowen just slashed its price target, citing skepticism around Intuit’s AI strategy and mounting competition.
Any commentary on competitive pressures, slower growth in core segments, or cautious guidance could exacerbate the downside, especially in an oversold but fear-driven environment.
Source: Investing.com
INTU stock is down 42.5% over three months, now trading just above its 52-week low of $375.40. The technicals are a sea of red: on every timeframe from hourly to monthly, both moving averages and indicators scream “strong sell.”
With management’s guidance under scrutiny, any earnings disappointment to account for a more competitive, AI‑driven landscape could accelerate the rout.
Trade Setup:
* Entry: Around current levels (~$381)
* Exit Target: $355 (gain ~7%)
* Stop-Loss: $400 (risk ~5%)
Whether you’re a novice investor or a seasoned trader, leveraging InvestingPro can unlock a world of investment opportunities while minimizing risks amid the challenging market backdrop.
Disclosure: This is not financial advice. Always conduct your own research.
At the time of writing, I am long on the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq 100 via the SPDR® S&P 500 ETF, and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF. I am also long on the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF. I regularly rebalance my portfolio of individual stocks and ETFs based on ongoing risk assessment of both the macroeconomic environment and companies’ financials.
The views discussed in this article are solely the opinion of the author and should not be taken as investment advice.
Follow Jesse Cohen on X/Twitter @JesseCohenInv for more stock market analysis and insight.
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