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.
| # | Ticker / Play | Type | Entry | Stop | Target | Conviction | Risk | 1wk | 1mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVDA long | Stock | $218-226 | $208 | $260 | 8/10 | 5/10 | 60 pct | 72 pct |
| 2 | PLTR long | Stock | $165-173 | $155 | $200 | 7/10 | 7/10 | 52 pct | 62 pct |
| 3 | DDOG short | Stock | $230-238 | $248 | $210 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 55 pct | 62 pct |
| 4 | NOW long | Stock | $121-126 | $115 | $140 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 60 pct | 68 pct |
| 5 | MDB long | Stock | $390-402 | $375 | $440 | 6/10 | 5/10 | 55 pct | 63 pct |
| 6 | CRWV $95 calls (Aug 14) | Options | stock $88-92 | $80 | $110 | 6/10 | 9/10 | 40 pct | 52 pct |
| 7 | AMAT long | Stock | $530-542 | $515 | $580 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 52 pct | 60 pct |
| 8 | SNOW long | Stock | $325-333 | $315 | $360 | 6/10 | 5/10 | 50 pct | 62 pct |
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.