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

 ## TODAY'S GRADE: A Strong broad-market gains led by tech and small caps, with notable AI-related rallies and solid earnings beats driving a positive day for day traders. ## HOW INDEXES TRADED **SPY:** +0.73% - trending higher with steady momentum **QQQ:** +1.09% - strong tech-led rally, clear bullish character **IWM:** +1.05% - robust small-cap strength, confirming risk appetite ## BIGGEST MOVERS ### Winners **$AXON** +20.29% - Q4 earnings beat and AI growth outlook **$IIPR** +10.70% - strong earnings and dividend appeal **$AMD** +9.19% - multiyear AI chip supply deal with Meta **$AENT** +8.69% - solid physical movie revenue growth **$BEAM** +14.55% - strong Q4 earnings and AI-related optimism **$CLVT** +39.27% - massive rally on earnings beat and outlook **$RCKY** +29.69% - strong Q4 results and positive outlook **$VIR** +23.15% - surged on prostate cancer data and Astellas deal **$KEYS** +23.05% - strong orders and AI demand boost ### Losers **$BOOM** -32.38% - earnings miss and revenue shortfall **$SHLS** -30.10% - weak Q4 earnings and margin concerns **$CTEV** -41.58% - sharp drop after earnings miss **$ACVA** -16.37% - earnings disappointment **$BLZE** -14.19% - earnings miss and valuation concerns **$AHCO** -13.95% - margin pressure and earnings miss **$ZD** -12.76% - earnings miss and revenue shortfall **$ADUS** -10.57% - earnings miss and margin worries **$SKWD** -9.87% - earnings miss and revenue decline **$PLNT** -8.97% - earnings miss and guidance cut ## WHAT WORKED Patterns or setups that worked today: - **AI-related tech breakouts** - Stocks like **$AMD**, **$KEYS**, and **$AXON** surged on AI partnership news and strong earnings, rewarding momentum plays. - **Post-earnings gap ups** - Several names like **$CLVT**, **$BEAM**, and **$RCKY** showed strong follow-through after beating estimates, ideal for earnings momentum trades. - **Small-cap strength** - The Russell 2000’s +1.05% gain supported breakout plays in smaller names such as **$AENT** and **$IIPR**. ## WHAT FAILED Setups that didn't work: - **Speculative biotech and software shorts** - Names like **$SHLS**, **$ACVA**, and **$BLZE** gapped down sharply post-earnings, but some failed to find intraday support, making short squeezes risky. - **Solar and clean energy longs** - **$FSLR** (-11.98%) and **$FWRG** (-19.74%) sold off heavily despite sector rotation, showing the challenge of trading energy transition names amid tariff and cost concerns. - **High multiple software stocks** - Despite AI optimism, some software names like **$WDAY** (-8.30%) and **$CRWD** (-0.16%) failed to sustain gains, reflecting profit-taking and cautious sentiment. ## AFTER-HOURS WATCH Earnings or news to monitor tonight: - **$NVDA** - Key AI chip bellwether with earnings due; market expects confirmation of AI growth but wary of spending outlook. - **$CRM** - Following a +3.28% day, watch for commentary on AI integration and enterprise demand. - **$PYPL** - After +7.04% surge on takeover interest and high volume, any updates on acquisition talks will be critical. - **$MSFT** - Despite +1.17% gain, upcoming earnings will be closely watched for AI strategy and competitive positioning. - **$META** - Slight gain today; earnings will be scrutinized for AI chip deployment and ad revenue trends. ## TOMORROW PREVIEW **Early Watch:** **$NVDA**, **$PYPL**, **$MSFT**, **$META**, **$CRM**, **$CLVT**, **$BEAM** **Catalyst:** Nvidia earnings report, ongoing tariff developments, Trump’s State of the Union speech, AI sector updates **Bias:** Bullish into tomorrow, driven by strong tech and AI momentum, but cautious around high volatility names and tariff uncertainty --- Day traders capitalized on broad market strength led by AI-related tech and small caps, with clear winners in semiconductor and AI infrastructure stocks. Earnings beats fueled momentum plays, while speculative biotech and solar names remained volatile and risky. Nvidia’s upcoming report will be the key event to watch, likely setting the tone for the next leg of the tech rally.