That’s prompted investors to pay up for protection against a selloff in Alphabet and Microsoft — two of the handful of heavyweights responsible for all of the S&P 500 Index’s advance this year. Investors are banking on them to deliver earnings growth big enough to push the stocks higher — or at least enough to justify this year’s gains.
Stock bulls who rode megacap tech shares to double-digit gains this year have had little reason to stick around lately. Now they’re counting on earnings from Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. after markets close Tuesday to help restart the rally.
Rising rates have made already stretched tech valuations look increasingly expensive just as China and the US step up tit-for-tat regulatory restrictions. Israel’s war against Hamas has made risk assets a more dangerous bet. And the Federal Reserve’s next moves hang over it all. Still, with virtually nowhere else to turn in the equity market, Big Tech remains the most-crowded trade among fund managers, according to Bank of America Corp.
