Piper Sandler's data shows S&P 500 stocks with the largest share of analyst Buy ratings have trailed those with the smallest share for most of 2026, a year-over-year gap that is the third-worst in its data back to 1995, behind only 2001–02 and 2010. This week Alphabet had its worst month in history, Intel its worst day since 1974, and the Nasdaq its biggest daily drop since June, as Big Tech results revived worries about AI spending. Six of Piper's nine favored names are down this year, the exceptions being Nvidia, Arista Networks and Comfort Systems, while nearly all of the least-loved stocks are up. Because most investors own these favorites through index funds or 401(k)s, the slump affects many portfolios, and the article adds that when analyst enthusiasm is already priced in, disappointments sting more. Piper's favorites had been up nearly 18% on average in spring before the AI trade began to unwind.
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Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related tickers and likely impact
GOOGL
▼ Likely negativeAlphabet Inc. (Class A)
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $4.0T |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 279.76 |
| Change that session | -1.43% |
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 690.49 |
| Change that session | -3.47% |
SPY
▼ Likely negativeSPDR S&P 500 ETF
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 755.71 |
| Change that session | -1.77% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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