Buy QQQ for semi/memory-driven outperformance.
The Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) is up 15% year-to-date, outperforming the Magnificent Seven stocks, because the index has growing weight in memory and semiconductor names like Micron, AMD, and Intel that are doing well; passive investors who simply bought the index have done very well, while active growth managers lacking those exposures are underperforming.
Avoid META and MSFT on poor AI execution.
Microsoft and Meta are not executing on their AI strategies, pivoting daily (e.g., Copilot moving from OpenAI to Anthropic to Deep Sea), and their heavy capex lacks clear returns; Meta is burning money on AI instead of focusing on its strong core platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) and glasses. Until they execute with a clear vision, these stocks are unattractive.