Day Trade Cheat Sheet - February 24, 2026 (Morning)

 ## MARKET MOOD: MIXED Overnight markets showed cautious optimism as the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Russell 2000 all advanced, led by tech and small caps. However, tariff uncertainty following the Supreme Court ruling and AI sector jitters are creating uneven sentiment, with some sectors rallying while others lag. ## TOP 5 HEADLINES 1. Trump’s New 10% Global Tariffs Take Effect → Impact: Adds fresh uncertainty to trade, pressuring importers and supply chains. 2. AMD and Meta Announce $100B AI Chip Deal → Impact: Major validation for AMD, fueling strong stock rally and AI sector enthusiasm. 3. Home Depot Beats Q4 Sales Estimates → Impact: Signals resilience in consumer discretionary, supporting retail stocks. 4. Shoals Technologies Reports Earnings Miss Despite Revenue Beat → Impact: Highlights tariff-related cost pressures, weighing on industrials. 5. Vir Biotechnology Surges on Prostate Cancer Data and Astellas Deal → Impact: Biotech sector gets a boost from promising clinical and partnership news. ## PRE-MARKET MOVERS ### Longs (Bullish Catalysts) **$AMD** - Secured multi-year $100B AI chip deal with Meta, shares up 8.97% **$AAPL** - Strong product launch anticipation and tariff ruling relief, shares up 2.39% **$HD** - Q4 earnings beat with margin expansion, shares up 2.29% **$SNPS** - AI partnership announcements easing fears, shares up 4.72% **$BCC** - Q4 earnings beat, strong industrial demand, shares up 7.36% **$IIPR** - Q4 beat and dividend optimism, shares up 10.31% ### Shorts (Bearish Catalysts) **$ACVA** - Earnings miss and 15.93% drop reflects operational concerns **$ADUS** - 10.95% decline post earnings on margin worries **$AESI** - 6.18% drop after Q4 results disappoint **$BLZE** - 13.84% decline amid cloud storage concerns **$CECO** - Shares down 21.61% on margin pressures and acquisition news **$TNC** - 24.55% plunge on weak Q4 results and outlook ## INDEX BIAS **SPY:** BULLISH - Up 0.71%, supported by strong tech and retail earnings, but tariff concerns cap upside. **QQQ:** BULLISH - Led by AI chip deals and tech rebounds, up 1.03%, signaling tech leadership. **IWM:** BULLISH - Small caps rally 1.17%, reflecting risk appetite and industrial strength despite tariff noise. ## SECTORS **Favor:** Technology - Strong AI-related deals (AMD, Keysight, Synopsys) and earnings beats driving momentum. **Avoid:** Energy - Oil and energy ETFs down amid supply concerns and mixed earnings; XLE down 0.38%. ## CATALYST WATCH - 10:00 AM ET: U.S. Durable Goods Orders (Jan) - Could influence industrials and manufacturing stocks. - 2:00 PM ET: Fed Chair Powell Testimony - Watch for comments on inflation and monetary policy affecting market direction. ## BOTTOM LINE **Today's Play:** Selective Markets show a risk-on tilt led by AI chipmakers and resilient consumer discretionary names, but tariff uncertainty and mixed earnings in industrials and biotech warrant caution. Best opportunities lie in technology stocks with strong AI partnerships (**$AMD**, **$SNPS**, **$KEYS**) and retail/industrial names beating estimates (**$HD**, **$BCC**). Watch for tariff-related volatility and earnings misses in smaller industrials and biotech. Defensive positioning in energy and cautious exposure to names facing margin pressure is advised.