The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Taiwan Semiconductor, NVIDIA, Vertiv, Albemarle and Axsome Therapeutics

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – February 23, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Taiwan Semiconductor TSM, NVIDIA NVDA, Vertiv Holdings VRT, Albemarle ALB and Axsome Therapeutics AXSM.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

AI, Clean Energy & Health: Big Winners in a Multipolar 2026

According to the United Nations' January 2026 forecast, global GDP growth is expected at 2.7–2.8%, below pre-COVID averages. However, growth is uneven. Advanced economies are expanding modestly, while Asia-Pacific remains comparatively resilient, with India projected near 6.6% and parts of East Asia around 4.4%, creating a "two-speed" global economy.

IMF's January 2026 projections also reflect this pattern. Advanced economies are expected to grow at around 1.8%, while emerging market and developing economies are projected to grow above 4% in 2026. This widening gap is translating into a multidimensional market split between sectors benefiting from capital concentration and those experiencing earnings compression.

Equity markets are showing clear signs of polarization, with a handful of megatrends, particularly AI investment, clean energy and healthcare, capturing major capital flows.

Drivers of Polarization

Artificial intelligence investment is the core driver of market polarization in 2026, with hyperscalers and chip makers pushing record capital spending and production growth.

Going by a recent Bloomberg report and multiple other sources on hyperscaler capex plan, major technology companies, including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta, are projected to spend roughly $650 billion on AI-related infrastructure this year, up about 67% from 2025 levels, with vast sums allocated to data centers and compute capacity.

Semiconductor foundries are expanding accordingly. Taiwan Semiconductor, a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, has raised its 2026 capex target to $52-$56 billion, significantly above 2025, reflecting strong AI demand. Global semiconductor revenues are forecast to exceed $1 trillion in 2026, driven by memory and logic ICs for AI workloads (February 2026 Semiconductor Industry Association report).

3 Sectors Poised for Maximum Gains and Winning Stocks

AI & Technology Infrastructure: Companies that build the core tools behind AI, spanning advanced semiconductors, data-center systems, networking and cloud platforms, remain directly leveraged to the AI capital-expenditure cycle. NVIDIA, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, continues to dominate AI accelerators powering hyperscale data centers, while Vertiv Holdings, a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, benefits from rising demand for cooling and power systems essential for high-density AI workloads. NVDA is projected to report earnings growth of 57.7% in fiscal 2027 (ending January 2027). VRT is expected to report earnings growth of 46.9% in 2026.

Renewable Energy & Battery Materials: Energy transition spending is accelerating globally, driven by electrification, grid upgrades and storage deployment. Albemarle, a Zacks Rank #1 stock, is positioned to gain from lithium demand tied to EVs and stationary storage. Structural decarbonization mandates and rising power consumption from AI data centers strengthen long-term growth visibility across renewables and battery supply chains. ALB is expected to report earnings growth of 855.7% in 2026.

Healthcare & Biotech: Demographic tailwinds and technology-enabled innovation support durable healthcare growth. Axsome Therapeutics, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, represents high-growth biotech exposure in CNS therapies. Advances in AI-assisted drug discovery and digital clinical workflows are enhancing productivity and supporting earnings resilience across select pharma and biotech segments. The stock is projected to report 109% earnings growth in 2026.

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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