Zacks strategists see AI infrastructure stocks as recession hedge

Macro

โดย Zacks Investment Research·

Summary · why it matters

Zacks strategists Tracey Ryniec and John Blank discussed whether a U.S. recession could arrive in 2026, noting a weakening job market after July saw a loss of 23,000 jobs and downward revisions to the prior two months. They highlighted that despite a trillion dollars in AI spending and robust federal government spending, the economy is not booming, while the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at its July meeting and next meets September 15-16, 2026. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 are hitting new all-time highs, and AI spending is trickling down to old economy infrastructure companies involved in the data center buildout. The strategists identified three Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buy stocks: Arrow Electronics, which reported second quarter 2026 sales up 32% to $9.9 billion and has a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.3; MKS Inc., which saw revenue above guidance and earnings expected to jump 64.5% in 2026 with a forward P/E of 23.7; and SOLV Energy, which reported record revenue, a backlog up 44% year-over-year to a record $8.9 billion, and raised full year 2026 revenue guidance.