AI Stock Picks Today: NVDA, PLTR, DDOG - August 10, 2026

Today's AI stock trade ideas: August 10, 2026

The Nasdaq closed up 1.3 pct Friday at 26,690, with SOXX adding 2 pct on the day and 7 pct over five sessions. The S&P 500 sits 2.1 pct above last week's lows. The semi index is still 6.6 pct below its 30-day mark, which is where some of the cleanest setups live. Three AI earnings prints hit this week: SMCI tonight, CoreWeave on Tuesday after the close, and Applied Materials on Thursday. Below are eight trade ideas for Monday, ranked by conviction.

How to read the scores: Conviction (1-10) measures setup quality. Risk (1-10) goes up with volatility, earnings binary exposure, and how extended the price is. The 1-week and 1-month figures are probability estimates, not guarantees. A Risk score of 9 or above means size very small and treat it as speculative.

1. NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA): LONG

NVIDIA is the top idea because the setup is the most durable in the group: 36 of 37 analyst ratings are Buy, per Yahoo Finance, and the stock carries a firm catalyst in Q2 FY2027 earnings on August 26. Consensus calls for 81 pct revenue growth. The Rubin GPU platform begins ramping in the second half of 2026, adding a product cycle tailwind on top of ongoing hyperscaler AI spending. At $223.96, the stock sits 8.7 pct above its 50-day average with a consensus price target near $304, roughly 36 pct of upside. Entry: $218-226. A close below $208 would break both moving averages and invalidate the trade. First target: $260.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) - Daily Chart

2. Palantir (NYSE: PLTR): LONG

Palantir jumped 10.3 pct Friday and is up 36.9 pct over five sessions after a blowout Q2 report. Revenue came in at $1.94 billion versus the $1.80 billion consensus, up 93 pct year over year, per CNBC. U.S. commercial revenue surged 149 pct. Bank of America raised its price target to $255 on August 7, per Motley Fool. The name is stretched: 27 pct above its 20-day average. The trade is to wait for a pullback into $165-173 on profit-taking, then ride post-earnings momentum. A close below $155 ends the thesis.

Palantir (NYSE: PLTR) - Daily Chart

3. Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG): SHORT

Datadog fell roughly 19 pct on August 6 despite beating revenue estimates and raising full-year guidance. The problem: its largest customer, a nine-figure AI account across 17 products, disclosed it is cutting usage starting in Q3 2026. Benzinga reported the customer is widely believed to be OpenAI. The stock was at all-time highs before the print and now trades below both its 20-day average ($259) and 50-day average ($249). Customer concentration risk is now public and structural. Entry: $230-238. Cover if DDOG closes above $248. Target: $210.

Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) - Daily Chart

4. ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW): LONG

ServiceNow added 6.4 pct Friday after announcing six new AI-native cybersecurity products under its Autonomous Security initiative, per the company. Products covering vulnerability detection, identity security, incident response, and compliance are available now, with more coming by December 2026. Subscription revenue has been accelerating throughout 2026. A consensus of 49 analysts rates NOW a Strong Buy with a 12-month average target of $140.25, per Marketbeat. At $124.88, the stock has room to run. Entry: $121-126. Stop: $115. Target: $140.

5. CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV): $95 calls expiring August 14

CoreWeave reports Q2 earnings on Tuesday, August 11 after the close. Wall Street expects revenue of roughly $2.56 billion, up 110.7 pct year over year, per Seeking Alpha. The stock has very high realized volatility and gained 6.3 pct Friday ahead of the print. The options play: buy $95 calls expiring August 14 to position for a pop if CoreWeave beats on hyperscaler contract growth and raises guidance. This is a pure earnings binary with very high risk. Size very small. If the stock closes below $80 before earnings, exit the position.

More on the radar

• MDB $398.80 - LONG: Citi named MongoDB a top-three software pick for 2026, per Yahoo Finance. The SaaS re-rating is real: enterprise database companies are being re-rated higher as fears of AI disruption fade. Entry: $390-402, stop: $375, target: $440. Conviction 6, Risk 5.
• AMAT $539.14 - LONG: Applied Materials reports Thursday, August 13. Semiconductor equipment demand is recovering on the AI capex cycle. Entry: $530-542, stop: $515, target: $580. Conviction 6, Risk 6.
• SNOW $330.49 - LONG: Snowflake is up 26.4 pct over 30 days on the SaaS re-rating and AI data platform narrative. Citi named it a top pick alongside MDB. Entry: $325-333, stop: $315, target: $360. Conviction 6, Risk 5.

How we score these

Conviction (1-10) measures setup quality: technical momentum, a named catalyst, and analyst support all feed into it. A score of 7 or above is a solid setup; 6 is worth watching. Risk (1-10) reflects realized volatility, earnings binary exposure, and how extended the stock is. A score of 9 or 10 means use a very small position. The 1-week and 1-month probabilities are rough estimates based on setup strength relative to similar historical conditions, not guarantees of any return.

These are short-term trade ideas for informational purposes only, not investment advice. Trading stocks and options carries substantial risk of loss, including the total loss of capital. Probabilities and scores are estimates, not guarantees. Do your own research and size positions to your own risk tolerance.