dips

Investors have been very fortunate over the past couple of years. A tremendous run for technology stocks on artificial intelligence enthusiasm, investments, and rising long-term expectations has carried the broader stock market to impressive heights.

But it seems the market has begun to cool off over the past week or so, with some of the top-performing technology stocks dipping off their highs. As fun as soaring stock prices are, it’s crucial to remember that volatility is a regular part of long-term investing, and that it’s healthy when things take a bit of a breather after an extended run.

It can also be a good opportunity to buy your favorite stocks at lower prices. Three Fools got together to identify three winning tech stocks that still offer that right mix of long-term growth and present-day value. When it was all said and done, Nvidia (NVDA 1.65%), SoundHound AI (SOUN 2.70%), and Netflix (NFLX -0.20%) stood out from the crowd.

Here is what you need to know about each stock right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

This AI accelerator leader is not done rising

Will Healy (Nvidia): It seems nothing can hold back Nvidia’s stock price growth for long. The chip stock is up around 1,400% from its 2022 low as its research spearheaded the rapidly growing AI accelerator industry.

NVDA data by YCharts

That product has so fundamentally changed the company that its data center segment made up 89% of the company’s revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. This is a dramatic turnabout from three years ago, when the data center segment was not significantly larger than Nvidia’s long-established gaming business.

Also, Nvidia’s profits have risen so dramatically that even with its massive gains, its P/E ratio is only about 56. In comparison, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), whose stock has experienced much lower returns, trades at 94 times earnings.

Moreover, there are no meaningful signs of a slowdown. Grand View Research forecasts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29% for the AI chip market through 2030, and Nvidia has far exceeded that estimate.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, its revenue of $44 billion rose 69% from year-ago levels. Even though a company with a $4.2 trillion market cap is unlikely to sustain that growth rate, the aforementioned CAGR makes it likely to continue reporting robust revenue growth.

Additionally, competitive threats have not held it back. DeepSeek’s breakthrough on low-cost AI training earlier this year contributed to a temporary pullback of over 40% in the stock price, but Nvidia recovered quickly. Also, while AMD’s upcoming MI400 release next year could bring competition to Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform, the company still has time to respond to that threat.

Indeed, Nvidia’s massive stock gains and huge market cap might deter some investors from buying. Nonetheless, with its domination of the AI accelerator market and the company’s relatively low P/E ratio, Nvidia stock remains on track for further growth.

A recent pullback in SoundHound AI stock could present an opportunity for long-term investors

Jake Lerch (SoundHound AI): My choice is SoundHound AI. Here’s why.

First, let’s put the recent downturn in context. It’s no surprise that the artificial intelligence (AI) sector is getting hit hard by the recent volatility in the stock market. Many of the stocks in this sector are young companies that are developing cutting-edge technology. Therefore, when the growth trajectory of the industry is questioned, sell-offs can be steep and sudden. Yet, these big sell-offs present an opportunity for long-term investors.

Turning to SoundHound AI specifically, let’s recall that the company is a leader within the voice AI sector. They have solid penetration within the automotive and restaurant sectors.

In addition, one of their primary competitive advantages is their ability to deploy custom voice AI solutions. What this means is that SoundHound works with companies to tailor their specific AI solutions, which are then deployed under the customer’s brand name. This gives SoundHound a leg up on some of its big tech competitors by allowing clients to maintain brand management and data privacy.

Last, let’s recall that only a few weeks ago, SoundHound posted a fantastic quarterly report. The company generated an all-time high of $43 million in revenue, which was up an eye-popping 217% from a year earlier. Management highlighted new or expanded business partnerships across the restaurant, automotive, healthcare, finance, and retail sectors. What’s more, the company raised full-year guidance.

According to Yahoo Finance, sell-side analysts now expect SoundHound to generate $166 million in revenue in 2025 and $215 million in 2026, representing growth of 96% and 29%, respectively.

In short, SoundHound remains a promising long-term investment within the AI sector, thanks to its solid growth trajectory. Growth-oriented investors might therefore want to consider it on this most recent pullback.

Netflix isn’t done delivering for shareholders

Justin Pope (Netflix): The streaming king has delivered in a big way for shareholders. Shares have risen over 70% over the past year, even after a recent 10% dip. While that’s not a very big drop, it’s still a dip long-term investors should consider buying.

One of the prettiest charts you’ll see is that of Netflix’s profit margins over time. As more people sign up for Netflix, the company becomes increasingly profitable because it can spread its content costs across more customers. Netflix stopped reporting subscriber numbers at the end of 2024, but paid subscriptions increased by 15.9% year over year in Q4 to 301.63 million, so new customer acquisition still had plenty of momentum at the end of last year.

NFLX Profit Margin data by YCharts

Additionally, Netflix is beginning to pull multiple growth levers. For instance, Netflix has raised its subscription prices over time and launched an ad-supported membership option a few years ago. It surpassed 70 million subscribers last November, and management expects ad revenue to double this year as some subscribers trade a little convenience for cost savings.

Meanwhile, the future looks bright. Netflix has waded increasingly deeper into live sports, a significant media category that could continue to help drive and sustain subscriptions. Analysts estimate Netflix will grow earnings by an average of almost 23% annually over the next three to five years. I wouldn’t say Netflix’s stock is a once-in-a-lifetime deal at 46 times 2025 earnings estimates, but the stock seems fairly valued for a business with such a strong growth outlook and increasingly fatter profit margins.

Investors who buy and hold Netflix will likely be very happy with their decision a few years from now.

‘Centuries ago people used to say, ‘In three days the Piešťany water will either heal you or kill you.’” My guide Igor Paulech is showing me around Spa Island – a hot-spring haven in the middle of the Váh River that runs through Piešťany, Slovakia’s most prestigious spa town. Just an hour north of Bratislava by train, the town and its spa-populated island are packed with grand art nouveau and art deco buildings.

There’s a faint aroma of sulphur in the air as Igor paces ahead, past peacocks and ponds full of lilies, imparting his home town’s history. The hot water that springs from beneath the island sandbank has created what we’re all here for: a blueish medicinal mud that’s rich in hydrogen sulphide and sulphur.

Slovakia is gaining an international reputation for its affordable and high-quality spa treatments. I’m here to visit three of its leading spa towns, travelling entirely by rail. The journey from London is straightforward and took less than 24 hours thanks to the new European Sleeper route that leaves Brussels for Prague three nights a week, and a direct train from Prague to Piešťany.

On checking in at the Thermia Palace, the history of this grand 113-year-old hotel and neighbouring Irma Health Spa is immediately apparent. Photographs of maharajas, politicians and singers who have visited are on display, and a painting donated by Alfonse Mucha, the Czech artist whose work defined the art nouveau style, hangs in the hotel’s dining room. His daughter came here regularly for the balneotherapy (mineral-water hydrotherapy), and there is a small museum on Spa Island dedicated to his work.

I’m assigned to Dr Alena Korenčíková, who immediately notices I have hypermobility and draws up a personalised programme that includes visits to the thermal bath, filled with sulphuric mineral water, and the hot-mud pool. I’m also prescribed daily CO2 injections. Known as carboxytherapy, this treatment is meant to help muscle recovery and tissue regeneration; my rock-hard shoulders feel noticeably looser afterwards. And finally, I’m prescribed a mud-pack treatment, which is recommended for reducing swelling and inflammation, and nourishing the joints. When I explain that I’m going to Trenčianske Teplice and hope to continue mud treatment there, Dr Alena says: “They have peat, it’s not the same as ours.” Time to fine-tune my mud knowledge.

As I submerge myself in the warm cloudy water, my toes squish into the mineral mud that is pumped directly from the mud kitchen (where it’s treated) into the vast circular pool. The building is as thrilling as the bathing. The 19th-century dome above the pool is the spa’s stunning centrepiece, with stained glass art deco skylight windows sitting high up on the art nouveau walls decorated with tiles, floral motifs and cherubs. Piešťany is just as much about architecture as about bathing, it seems.

Local architect Eva Rohoňová cements this theory the following day, when she shows me around the extraordinary House of Arts, a colossal piece of 1970s brutalism that houses the town’s concert hall and cultural centre. “It’s far too big a capacity for just people from Piešťany,” she says. “The Czechoslovakian government built it here as the town was full of international visitors. It was to demonstrate the culture.” She has been giving tours of otherwise inaccessible interior spaces to locals over the years, but anyone can arrange one through the Visit Piešťany website.

After three mud-packed days, I take a train north to Trenčianske Teplice just outside Trenčín, one of next year’s European Capitals of Culture. I’m instantly taken by the picturesque spa town with its mix of baby pink and peachy orange 19th-century guesthouses and angular 1960s concrete hotels. Daniel Oriešek from the tourist board shows me around. I point out the steady stream of visitors carrying walking poles. “It’s not the Tatras, but people come here for hiking,” he says, alluding to Slovakia’s West Carpathian range which forms a scenic backdrop to the town.

They also come to bathe at the Sina hammam, an ornate Turkish bathhouse that looks as though it could have been teleported here from Istanbul. It was in fact built in 1888 and designed by František Schmoranz Jr, an Austrian architect of Czech origin who had spent several years living in Egypt and was a leading expert on Islamic architecture and decorative arts.

I’m ushered in and shown to the pool, where an unexpected delight greets me: a huge socialist-era mural that covers one entire wall. I soak in the water and copy the locals, who splash their faces with water from the source in the middle of the pool. Afterwards, my skin looks and feels fantastic and, with an entry price of just £12.50, I’m already plotting my next visit as I exit the building.

The next day I catch a train to Žilina, a city in the north of the country, where I disembark to hop on a bus for Rajecké Teplice. It’s a village compared with Piešťany and only has the one spa, Aphrodite, but that spa is truly unlike anywhere else I’ve been. Lovingly maximalist, with Roman-style columns, mosaics and gold decor that glimmers in the crisp spring sunshine, this is the Vegas of spa resorts. “When you are lying on a sunbed on a hot summer day and take a cold dip in the pool, it’s like you’re not in Slovakia,” says staff member Radka Capkova. “Everyone knows Slovakia has lots of spas, but it’s usually older people who want to go. But our spa is so famous that we get younger people here taking photos.”

It’s a huge complex of 11 saunas, three restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool and Nature Land, where bathing is naked after 5pm. I feel far too British for this, but wearing a bikini to a sauna is a firm no in central Europe, so I collect a sauna sheet and tuck it around myself like a sarong. Capkova encourages me to attend one of their “sauna ritual” events (or Aufguss) and get over the nudity: “No one stares or looks,” he says.

I go to the hottest ritual, where the sauna master swirls around like a figure skater, splashing orange, lemongrass and yuzu water over the hot coals as pop songs blast out and everyone claps along – the camaraderie is so infectious that I quickly forget everyone is naked.

“My great-great-grandmother, my great-aunt, my mother, everyone worked here at some point,” Capkova tells me. Rajecké Teplice is the smallest of the spa towns I’ve been to, but it has a big community impact. Spas are just in the blood in Slovakia. “But in the UK you don’t go to the spa?” It’s a question I get asked a lot throughout this week. “We’re working on it,” I always reply.

The trip was provided by Visit Piešťany, Trenčianske Teplice Regional Tourism, Spa Aphrodite and Byway Travel (byway.travel). A bespoke 10-day tour of Slovakia costs from £2,012pp, including transport and some accommodation

WASHINGTON — Just over a quarter of Republicans accept President Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, according to a new survey that underscores the instability of American democracy and the growing partisan divide over the legitimacy of elections.

“There was a hope there would see growing acceptance of Biden’s victory over time, as people moved away from the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement after Jan. 6. Instead, we saw the numbers stay in place,” said Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth political scientist and one of the founders of Bright Line Watch, an organization that monitors the health of U.S. democracy.

Sinking confidence in election outcomes appears to have been fueled by former President Trump’s “Big Lie” — his continued claims of voter fraud in key states, even though such allegations were repeatedly discredited in numerous lawsuits and audits. The fallout of such lies was especially evident on Jan. 6, when thousands of Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in a brazen attempt to halt lawmakers’ certification of Biden’s victory.

Since then, many Republican officeholders and some of the biggest voices in conservative media have clung to the notion that the election was stolen from Trump.

Bright Line Watch’s November survey, released Thursday morning, shows that only 27% of Republicans accept Biden as the rightful winner — the exact same figure as in the group’s February poll — compared with 94% of Democrats who do.

The survey also shows that the 2020 election and its aftermath have hardened partisan attitudes about future elections, leaving Republicans less confident that their votes will be counted accurately in 2022.

Even amid Trump’s constant rhetoric during the 2020 campaign about a potentially rigged outcome, Democrats and Republicans had roughly equal confidence in October 2020 that the coming election would be decided fairly, with 59% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans believing that would be the case.

But the new survey reveals that a partisan gap has opened up in response to that question. Now, 80% of Democrats believe next year’s midterm election will be fair, with just 42% of Republicans saying the same.

“That’s a really scary fact for our democracy right now, that so many Republican voters don’t have confidence in the election,” said Susan Stokes, another founder of Bright Line Watch and a political scientist at the University of Chicago.

As Trump and so many Republicans have sowed mistrust in last year’s election results, they have used their misinformation campaign to justify new laws in several GOP-controlled states to restrict ballot access and, in some cases, allow partisan lawmakers to overrule election officials in determining outcomes.

That could lead to a scenario in which Democratic voters, even those who understand their party is facing stiff political headwinds next year, lose confidence in the legitimacy of the 2022 electoral results.

“This is an asymmetric moment. Republicans are leading the assault on our democracy,” Nyhan said. “At same time, you can imagine a world where an election is decided because of genuinely dubious election administration practices, and Democrats would become quite distrustful of such an election in the aftermath, and rightfully so.

“You can see a situation where neither side trusts the election results,” he continued. “The potential for a spiral of illegitimacy is real, and that’s not sustainable for our democracy in the long term.”

At the federal level, Democrats have been unable to agree on a legislative response that would protect voting rights, largely because they have the most slender of Senate majorities. Two centrists in the caucus, Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), oppose changing Senate rules to enable Democrats to pass a voting rights law with just 50 votes. And they continue to call for a bipartisan agreement even though few Republicans have been willing to compromise in what has become a zero-sum policy battleground.

The November survey, which questioned 2,750 individuals, also found that partisans tend to overestimate the antidemocratic leanings of the other side, like a reflection of the increasingly partisan nature of cable news and the proliferation of incendiary politically oriented posts and memes across social media platforms.

Compared to past Bright Line Watch surveys, fewer respondents expressed support for political violence. Only 9% condoned making threats, 8% were OK with verbal harassment, and just 4% said they accepted the kind of mob violence that occurred on Jan. 6.

But researchers worry those numbers may not reflect how many partisans might be led to take or support extreme actions that they claim to oppose, with the justification that they need to overcome alleged extremism by the opposing side.

“It’s still millions of Americans condoning violence, and that makes for a very explosive environment and is quite dangerous,” Stokes said. “What people are saying to themselves is: ‘Whatever my side is doing, it’s worth it, because the other side is so terrible.’

“It’s not at all hard to imagine a lot of people in the public going along with a real stealing of the election next time because they have come to believe the other side stole it — or even if they don’t, it’s so important to keep the other side out, it doesn’t matter how you do it.”

One of the oldest movie studios in Los Angeles is up for sale, perhaps to the newest generation of content creators.

The potential sale of Occidental Studios comes amid a drop in filming in Los Angeles as the local entertainment industry faces such headwinds as rising competition from studios in other cities and countries, as well as the aftermath of filming slowdowns during the pandemic and industry strikes of 2023.

Occidental Studios, which dates back to 1913, was once used by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to make silent films. It is a small version of a traditional Hollywood studio with soundstages, offices and writers’ bungalows in a 3-acre gated campus near Echo Park in Historic Filipinotown.

Kermit the Frog above the Jim Henson Company studio lot in Hollywood.

(AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

The seller hopes its boutique reputation will garner $45 million, which would rank it one of the most valuable studios in Southern California at $651 per square foot. A legendary Hollywood studio founded by Charlie Chaplin in 1917 sold last year for $489 per foot, according to real estate data provider CoStar.

The Chaplin studio known until recently as the Jim Henson Company Lot was purchased by singer-songwriter John Mayer and movie director McG from the family of famed Muppets creator Jim Henson.

Occidental Studios may sell to one of today’s modern content creators in search of a flagship location, said real estate broker Nicole Mihalka of CBRE, who represents the seller.

She declined to name potential buyers but said she is showing the property to new-media businesses who don’t present themselves through traditional channels such as television shows and instead rely on social media and the internet to reach younger audiences.

Occidental Studios, which dates back to 1913, was once used by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to make silent films.

(CBRE)

New media entrepreneurs may not often need soundstages, “but they like the idea of having the history, the legacy” of a studio linked to the early days of cinema, she said. It might lend credibility to a brand and become a destination for promotional activities as well as being a place to create content, she said. Mihalka envisions the space being used for events for partners, sponsors and advertisers as well as press junkets for new product launches.

Entertainment businesses located nearby include filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s Array Now, independent film and production company Blumhouse Productions and film and production company Rideback Ranch.

Neighborhoods east of Hollywood such as Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Highland Park have become home to many people in the entertainment industry, which Mihalka hopes will elevate the appeal of Occidental Studios.

“We’ve been seeing film and TV talent heading this way for a while,” she said, including executives who also live in those neighborhoods.

The owner of of Occidental Studios said it’s gotten harder for smaller studios to operate in the current economic climate that includes competition from major independent studio operators that have emerged in recent decades.

“Once upon a time, you did not have multibillion-dollar global portfolio companies swimming in the waters of Hollywood,” said Craig Darian, chief executive of Occidental Entertainment Group Holdings Inc., citing Hudson Pacific Properties, Hackman Capital Partners and CIM Group. “They are not content producers, but have a long history of providing services for multiple television shows and features.”

Competition now includes overseas studios in such countries as Canada, Ireland and Australia, he said. “When production was really robust and domiciled in Los Angeles, it was much easier to remain very competitive.”

Another factor threatening the bottom line for conventional studios is rapidly changing technology used to create entertainment including tools as simple as lighting.

“You used to know that equipment would last for decades,” Darian said. “The new tools for production are becoming obsolete in far shorter order.”

Writers’ bungalows at Occidental Studios.

(CBRE)

Nevertheless, Darian said, the potential sale “is not motivated by distress or urgency. Nothing is driving the decision other than the timing of whether or not this remains to be a relevant asset to keep within our portfolio. If we get an offer at or above the asking price, then we’re a seller.”

Darian said he may also seek a long-term tenant to take over the studio.

Occidental Studios at 201 N. Occidental Blvd. comprises over 69,000 square feet of buildings including four soundstages and support space such as offices and dressing rooms.

It’s among the oldest continually operating studios in Hollywood, used by pioneering filmmakers Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith and Pickford, who worked there as an actress and filmmaker in its early years. Pickford reportedly kept an apartment on the lot for years.

More recently it has been used for television production for such shows as “Tales of the City,” “New Girl” and HBO’s thriller “Sharp Objects.”

Local television production area declined by 30.5% in the first quarter compared with the previous year, according to he nonprofit organization FilmLA, which tracks shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles region. All categories of TV production were down, including dramas (-38.9%), comedies (-29.9%), reality shows -(26.4%) and pilots (-80.3%).

Feature film production decreased by 28.9%, while commercials were down by 2.1%, FilmLA said.

Pepe has dipped 3% today and 20% this week. Things aren’t looking great for the frog-themed meme coin, but a new alternative called Snorter ($SNORT) is gaining real traction.

Unlike Pepe, Snorter is built on real utility. It offers a multichain trading bot that helps users identify promising trading opportunities on autopilot. The chains it supports are Solana, Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and BSC.

The project is undergoing a presale and has raised over $1 million in its opening three weeks, showing considerable demand among investors.

Currently, traders can buy $SNORT at a discounted price of $0.0955, but this will increase as the presale advances. The next uptick will occur in just one day.

Pepe folds to market-wide bearish momentum

Down 20% this week, Pepe is now teetering on a crucial support level of $0.00001. If it falls below this level, things could get ugly.

Pepe’s bearish momentum is due to a broader market selloff, with Bitcoin down 4.1%, and Ethereum down 8.5% this week.

This is due to rising tensions in the Middle East, with escalations in the Iran-Israel conflict and U.S. President Donald Trump insinuated that the U.S. may increase its involvement.

But despite all that, BlackRock continues to buy Bitcoin via its IBIT Bitcoin ETF – a clear sign that smart money anticipates a crypto market recovery.

It made an additional $412 million buy on Tuesday, marking the sixth consecutive day of capital inflows.

But while most cryptos are down this week, Snorter is experiencing a notable surge in buys. Its presale raise has surged around $400K in the past week, going from $600K to over $1 million.

Its strength at a time when the broader market is struggling suggests that it could see huge gains once things start to recover.

But why is Snorter performing so well?

Snorter is the new bot that can find 1,000x opportunities

Snorter isn’t just a meme coin; it’s a next generation trading bot that will help users find opportunities in the fast piece meme coin sector.

Thousands of new cryptocurrencies launch every day, so finding ones with the most potential is far from easy. In fact, without insider knowledge or advanced tooling, it’s almost impossible.

Snorter offers a range of innovative features that make monitoring the market and making trades much easier.

It has an automated sniping feature which allows users to input trading parameters and then the bot automatically executes on said criteria.

Another important feature is copy trading, enabling users to mimic the moves of the most profitable on-chain wallets.

But Snorter isn’t just about catching opportunities; it’s about protecting against losses.

The Snorter app has a rug pull detection feature that has caught 85% of scam tokens in its beta testing phase. And it also has a dynamic stop loss feature so users can automatically close positions if they don’t go their way, minimizing damage.

It’s a setup that could help users find the next 1,000x trade while executing proper risk management.

As a result, expectations are high about how far Snorter could go. For example, the Cryptonews YouTube channel said $SNORT could give 100x gains.

Investors could potentially earn even more from the project thanks to its staking mechanism which is live in the presale and offering a 283% APY. However, this will decrease as the staking pool grows.

Just 1 day until $SNORT presale price increases

With presale price increases taking place throughout the campaign, those seeking to buy $SNORT shouldn’t wait to get involved.

Pepe and many other cryptocurrencies are down this week, but BlackRock’s continued Bitcoin interest suggests a swift recovery may be on the horizon. The fact that Snorter has pushed forth unfazed by external conditions indicates that it could be among the biggest winners as prices regain strength.

Follow the project on X or Instagram to catch the latest updates. Alternatively, visit its website to buy tokens.

Visit Snorter Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.