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Swing Trade Ideas – August 18, 2026

Date: August 18, 2026

Laurie’s Abbreviation Index:

** ‘div’ – dividend

** ‘m/m’ – month over month

** ‘y/y’ – year over year

** ‘Inven’ – inventories

** ‘mfg’ – manufacturing ** +/- – plus or minus, positive or negative

** Underlined text – higher volume premarket

** ‘d’ – day

** ‘Y’ – year

**govt – government

Color Key: Positive – Neutral – Negative

Global Markets:  USA, Europe, Japan, China, Hong Kong –neutral set-up

• Commodities:  Gold, Silver, Copper,  Palladium, Oil, natgas, AGGS,  Bitcoin
• Yields: 30Y Bond -0.31%  Currencies:  USA$+0.03% CAD +0.0% YEN -0.1%  BTC/USD+0.05%  Vix:15.80
• Events USA: Industrial production 915ET Building data
• Stock News HD+1.96% PONY+1.6%    BIDU-6.9% KLAR-15.2% HSAI-6.2%   EPS  
  Comments Global indices lower as the semi/ai sector which surged Monday retraces premarket. Korea is down sharply which is negative for the memory sector with MU, SNDK, Hynix lower. Optical, quantum, space, semis memes all lower after the Monday surge. MAGS are led by MSFT which closed below the weekly expected move on Monday with AAPL and NFLX also higher. NVDA 220 is a key level for the name and a bellwether for semi exuberance. Oil higher as SoH MOU has expired although Trump had cancelled. 10Y yield rising is generally a negative for bond proxies like utes and staples but they are being bid premarket as rotation into defensives with selling in AI/semis.  Software has a small bid as algos are still rotating and trashed software Monday to buy AI/Optical/Space. HD higher post earnings and with USA housing data today, worth watching for continuation/reversion. LOW which reports Wed will be moving with HD. BIDU lower on earnings with advertising revenue weaker and not offset by rising Ai revenue. BABA is higher again today with earnings this week and a stronger AI ecosystem. SPX 0DTE is indicating positive gamma above and below price which can keep the index stable with 7700 a pivot level and 7750, 7650 the rails.
  Stock MSFT HD NOW NFLX  MU NVDA COHR BIDU   Speculative  AMLX KLAR    
  Indices  XLE XLP UNG /CL XLV XLF IGV  DRAM SMH QTUM AIPO XLK SLV UFO ARKQ

S&P500 HD NOW NFLX   LITE MRVL COHR GLW SNDK MU INTC AMAT SMCI AMD ORCL NCLH NVDA HOOD
Other AMLX BABA GFI NBIS   KLAR AXTI BIDU HSAI ASX INFQ AAOI IONQ LUNR RCAT ARM RKLB CBRS CRWV

NVDA

NVDA pulling back with semis/AI after recent strength. 220 is a major option strike and can be used as a line in the sand. NVDA earning next week which should be supportive. Below 220 look for 217.5/215 and above look for 222.5/225.  NVDA is a bellwether for semis/AI.