Fed Rate-Hike Bets Fuel Equities Rally | The Close 6/18/2026

Summary

After a hawkish Fed meeting, equities rallied sharply on Thursday, led by semiconductor stocks and a drop in oil prices. Guests argued that the rotation from mega-cap tech into small caps, mid-caps, and international markets has further to run. Real assets like uranium, gold and energy stocks were touted as inflation hedges, while SpaceX was pitched as an inevitable AI infrastructure layer. Intel's foundry turnaround, Take-Two's GTA VI catalyst, and a rebalancing into fixed income and international equities were also highlighted as actionable ideas. The show also covered Fox's $22 billion Roku acquisition and AI's impact on the workforce, but those segments offered fewer direct trade calls.

• Equities bounced back after the Fed's hawkish hold, with chipmakers surging 6.5% and oil falling below $80.
• Mimi Duff (GenTrust) sees the rotation from Magnificent Seven into small caps, mid-caps, foreign equities and equal-weight S&P 500 as having further legs.
• Duff also favors real assets (uranium, gold, energy stocks) as an inflation hedge and AI power-demand play.
• Songyee Yoon (Principal Venture Partners) calls SpaceX an inevitable AI infrastructure layer, with data-center deals set to double revenue.
• Alicia Reese (Wedbush) is bullish on Take-Two Interactive, citing GTA VI preorders and strong recurring revenue as catalysts.
• Mandee Singh (Bloomberg Intelligence) sees Intel's US foundry capability as a turnaround story benefiting from AI chip diversification.
• George Gatch (JP Morgan AM) recommends rebalancing into fixed income for yield protection and into international equities for earnings growth and diversification.
• Kevin Mayer weighed in on Fox's Roku acquisition, but no direct trade call was made; other segments covered sports wealth management and restaurant tech.