Nasdaq Tech Stocks Surge on AI Momentum Before Key Earnings

AI Trade Keeps Driving Nasdaq Higher

Technology stocks are once again leading the charge on Wall Street, with Nasdaq 100 futures rising 0.6% ahead of the opening bell as investors continued to pour capital into artificial intelligence-related names. The broader rally has pushed global equity benchmarks to fresh record highs, reinforcing the view that AI is not a short-term theme but a sustained structural shift in how markets are pricing technology companies.

This momentum is not happening in a vacuum. Two high-profile earnings reports — Salesforce and Marvell Technology — are scheduled to drop this week, and traders are watching both closely. Salesforce has been actively expanding its AI capabilities through its Agentforce platform, while Marvell has positioned itself as a key infrastructure supplier for AI data centers through its custom silicon and networking chips. Both companies sit at the intersection of enterprise software and hardware acceleration, making their results a potential catalyst for the broader sector.

Why These Earnings Matter Beyond the Individual Stocks

When bellwether names like Salesforce and Marvell report, their results tend to send ripple effects through related sectors. A strong print from Marvell, for example, could lift sentiment across semiconductor names like Broadcom, AMD, and even Nvidia. Similarly, a positive Salesforce report could boost enterprise SaaS stocks and validate the idea that companies are successfully monetizing AI features at scale.

Here are a few dynamics options traders should be aware of heading into these reports:

• Implied volatility typically spikes into earnings and collapses after the announcement — a phenomenon known as IV crush.
• The direction of the post-earnings move often depends less on whether the company beat estimates and more on forward guidance, particularly around AI revenue contributions.
• Sector sympathy moves can create short-term opportunities in adjacent names that are not reporting but benefit from positive sentiment spillover.

The Broader Market Backdrop

The fact that global equity benchmarks are hitting record highs simultaneously adds a layer of macro support to this rally. When international markets confirm domestic strength, it suggests the move is being driven by genuine risk appetite rather than isolated flows. For options traders, this kind of broad-based momentum tends to favor strategies that benefit from continued upside or at least reduced downside risk in the near term.

That said, elevated markets also mean elevated valuations, and with major earnings on deck, traders should be mindful of positioning size. A miss from either Salesforce or Marvell could quickly reverse intraday gains, particularly in names that have already run hard into the reports.

What This Means for Options Traders

The current environment presents a range of setups worth considering, depending on your risk tolerance and time horizon. If you are bullish on the AI trade continuing to play out over the next six to twelve months, deep out-of-the-money LEAPS calls on large-cap tech names can offer significant leverage at a fraction of the cost of owning shares outright.

Platforms like the StrikeEdge scanner are built specifically to surface these kinds of opportunities — scanning for deep OTM LEAPS calls priced between $0.01 and $0.08 on large-cap stocks so traders can identify low-cost, high-leverage setups without manually combing through options chains.

For those with a shorter time horizon, here are a few tactical approaches to consider around these earnings:

• Avoid buying single-leg calls directly into the print — IV crush can erase gains even if the stock moves in your favor.
• Consider post-earnings LEAPS entries on any dip after IV normalizes, particularly if the fundamental story remains intact.
• Watch sector ETFs like QQQ and SOXX for confirmation of broader trend strength before committing to individual names.

The AI trade has proven resilient, and with major players still reporting results that validate the theme, the medium-term case for tech remains compelling. Staying disciplined about entry timing and position sizing will be what separates profitable traders from those who chase momentum at the wrong moment.