Jim Cramer says Wall Street is 'fleeing' the AI trade to buy these stocks instead. Do you own any?

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Recently, shares in AI infrastructure companies have dropped as a result of a significant sell-off. According to Morgan Stanley (1), companies involved in AI infrastructure experienced an average drop of 7% in share prices over the last month, for the period ending on July 24.

As the market pulled back on AI stock prices, the receding tide exposed some vulnerabilities within AI investing circles.

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High-profile AI hedge fund Situational Awareness (2) was forced to sell its entire book of public investments to rival fund Citadel after leveraged bets on AI companies, like South Korean semiconductor company SK Hynix, didn’t pan out. The two-year-old hedge fund peaked at $45 billion earlier this month, but sold its shares for $10 billion in a deal that closed on the morning of July 30.

Situational Awareness is led by 25-year-old Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former OpenAI researcher nicknamed the “Nostradamus of A.I.” — in fairness, the original Nostradamus also got a fair few predictions wrong (3).

CNBC’s Jim Cramer, host of Mad Money, made a few prophecies of his own as other areas of the market saw gains in the wake of AI’s decline.

“Now, you can call it a broadening, or you can call it a fleeing,” he said on Mad Money (4).

Understanding the AI infrastructure stock drop

Though the Situational Awareness situation and the larger drop in AI infrastructure share prices seem to spell trouble for the industry, the market’s recent turmoil isn’t necessarily an indictment of the industry itself.

Even Aschenbrenner recently committed another $400 million to a privately held company just days after his hedge fund weathered serious financial trouble (5).

Hamiz Awan, a managing partner and co-founder of tech investment firm Plutus21, says any crowded investment that involves a significant amount of leveraging, the practice of borrowing money to buy an investment, will almost always end in a large reversal.

“These are probably the most crowded trades on Earth right now, and they are also probably the most levered trades on Earth — so, they were naturally going to move in the opposite direction, and move very aggressively,” Awan told Moneywise. “When you’re that levered-up, you’re just so sensitive to small moves that it just starts this cascading effect where something unrelated can still very much squeeze you out of your position.”

Cramer points to the shortages in memory and storage that acted as an industry bottleneck, granting pricing power to companies like Seagate, Western Digital, SanDisk and Micron.

“These companies historically have been very boom and very bust,” Cramer says, the bust occurring as investors determine the memory shortage, and the resulting elevated share prices, is temporary. “So, the data center stocks, once so prized, now seem dicey.”

How should retail investors react?

There’s no shortage of investing advice being circulated as a result of the AI stock pullback.

Cramer highlights other areas of the market that “are in the sunshine,” such as software companies like ServiceNow and Salesforce, which have jumped 10.87% and 15.35%, respectively, over the past month. He also mentions Walmart and Costco, whose shares have shot up in the past week.

Though the AI pullback hurt Nvidia and Intel’s stock prices, Cramer also remains bullish on these companies because, “their gains weren’t from shortages,” he says.

Similarly, Stephen Byrd, Morgan Stanley’s Global Head of Thematic and Sustainability Research, said in a blog post (1): “Since we are fundamentally bullish on the rate of improvement in AI capabilities, the benefits of AI adoption and associated capex — and given the recent market pullback affecting a range of AI Infrastructure stocks — this point in time represents an unusually attractive buying opportunity.”

Morgan Stanley stopped short of recommending specific stock picks, instead indicating areas that may see growth, like companies that alleviate bottlenecks in the AI industry, computing manufacturing, leading Chinese AI companies, energy supply and storage companies, and large tech companies that can scale AI adoption.

Through the myriad of opinions on how retail investors should approach the turbulent AI infrastructure stock market, Awan cautions against retail investors abandoning their investment strategies in an attempt to capture momentum.

“I, at least personally, have not seen a consistent track record of somebody timing perfect momentum trades,” Awan says. “So it’s hard for me to believe that retail investors, or even sophisticated hedge fund investors, can do that consistently over time.”

Access Wall Street’s top bets

For much of the past few years, investors were willing to reward virtually any company tied to artificial intelligence. But even as sentiment begins to shift, the industry’s underlying growth trajectory remains strong.

Demand for AI computing is still high, cloud businesses are expanding and hyperscalers have locked in hundreds of billions of dollars in long-term customer contracts that should provide a steady stream of future revenue. Moody’s Analytics expects AI investment to reach $785 billion next year, with spending approaching $1 trillion the following year (6).

But now that billions of dollars have already been committed, investors are becoming increasingly skeptical about whether these enormous capital outlays will ultimately pay off.

“Investors will increasingly focus on these companies’ ability to realize an adequate return on investment,” Moody’s Analytics wrote in a research note (6).

After all, trillions of dollars in investment demand trillions in profit as well.

In an environment where hype can move stocks just as much as earnings, separating genuine long-term winners from companies simply riding the AI wave isn’t easy. Digging through earnings reports, industry trends and financial statements takes time and expertise that many retail investors don’t have.

That’s where research platforms like Moby can help.

Rather than chasing social media buzz or flashy headlines, Moby can help identify fundamentally strong companies with long-term growth potential, helping investors uncover opportunities they might otherwise miss.

Their team of former hedge fund analysts and experts spend hundreds of hours each week sifting through financial news and data to provide you with breaking stock recommendations.

Moby’s success speaks for itself. The platform’s stock picks have outperformed the S&P 500 index by about 11.9% over the past four years.

Even better, Moby offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can see if the service is right for you. And if you sign up for Moby Premium you get one free top stock to get you off to a good start.

Build better financial habits

As investors rotate away from some of the market’s hottest AI names, it can be tempting to constantly adjust your portfolio. But trying to time every market shift can often do more harm than good.

Instead of trying to predict which AI company will come out on top, you could consider investing in the broad market index funds that provide exposure to hundreds of companies across multiple industries. This way, your financial future isn’t tied to the success — or failure — of a handful of AI stocks.

The S&P 500, for example, includes 500 of America’s largest companies spanning technology, healthcare, financial services, energy, consumer goods and utilities. That diversification can help smooth out returns when one sector is experiencing a downturn.

And you don’t need thousands of dollars to get started. Platforms like Acorns let you invest spare change from everyday purchases into a diversified portfolio of ETFs automatically, helping you steadily build wealth without having to think about every market move.

All you have to do is link your cards, and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio of ETFs managed by experts at leading investment firms like Vanguard and BlackRock.

With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 — and, if you sign up today and set up a recurring investment, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey.

Think beyond stocks

The recent rotation away from some AI stocks highlights a timeless investing lesson — relying too heavily on any single asset class can increase risk.

That’s why many experts recommend expanding beyond equities to reduce overall portfolio risk.

Gold has historically served as a hedge during turbulent markets, often attracting investors when inflation rises or geopolitical uncertainty clouds the economic outlook. That defensive reputation has helped push gold prices to multiple record highs in the past five years and outpacing the S&P 500 over this period.

One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.

This way, you can hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, which combines the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold.

If you opt for Priority Gold’s platinum package, you can get free account setup and insured shipping and storage for up to five years. Plus, you can also rollover your existing IRA or 401(k) into a precious metals IRA with Priority Gold — tax and penalty free.

And when you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in precious metals for free. Just keep in mind that gold is often best used as one part of a well-diversified portfolio.

Find an expert for free

Successful investing isn’t about chasing the hottest stocks — although you can do this if you really want to. For most investors, it’s more about building a portfolio that fits your own financial goals.

That’s where working with a financial advisor can make a meaningful difference. Rather than focusing on one sector, an advisor can help balance your investments with your financial priorities — from taxes and retirement planning to homeownership and emergency savings.

Professional advice may also improve long-term confidence in your finances. Americans working with financial advisors expect to retire roughly two years sooner than those managing their finances alone, according to Northwestern Mutual’s Planning & Progress Study (7).

You can connect with a vetted FINRA/SEC-registered advisor near you for free through Advisor.com.

Here’s how it works: Simply enter a few details about your finances and goals, and Advisor.com will comb through its roster and connect you with a qualified expert best-suited for your needs based on your unique financial goals and preferences.

The platform does the heavy lifting for you, vetting advisors based on track record, client ratios, and regulatory background. Plus, their network comprises fiduciaries, who are legally required to act in your best interests.

Finding the right advisor isn’t always easy — there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why Advisor.com lets you set up a free initial consultation, with no obligation to hire, to see if they’re the right fit for you.

— With files from Paul Kim

Jim Cramer says Wall Street is ‘fleeing’ the AI trade to buy these stocks instead. Do you own any?

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