Top Pros' Top Picks 7/24/26

Author

Mike Larson
July 24, 2026

Mike Larson | Editor-in-Chief

Stocks are trying to steady after a broad-based rout on Thursday. Gold and silver are bouncing, while oil is retreating. Treasuries and the dollar are flat.

Oil prices surged yesterday, before giving back some ground today, after the Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would target ships transporting petroleum through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. That chokepoint connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It has served as a way to get Saudi Arabian oil to global markets after Iran announced its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

USO, GOOGL (YTD % Change)

Data by YCharts

The Houthis fired on two ships already to underscore the threat. Shippers can still get Saudi crude to buyers in Asia, but they have to sail around the tip of Africa to do so – adding a month to the journey. Meanwhile, the US-Iran war continues to drag on. US WTI futures have risen more than $20 a barrel from their early July low. But at $90, they still remain below their April high of $113.

The Trump Administration is instituting tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from roughly 60 countries, replacing earlier duties that were invalidated by the Supreme Court. The tariffs are based on forced-labor laws, and may have a better chance at standing up to challenges. But several countries have negotiated deals with the US already, while exemptions for products like fuel and food will water down the impact of the overall push.

Finally, leading AI names got hammered yesterday after Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) raised its capital expenditures spending estimate for 2026. The search and cloud services company said it would spend $195 billion to $205 billion this year, up $15 billion from a prior estimate. The firm also blew away second-quarter earnings estimates, while reporting an 82% year-over-year increase in cloud revenue. Alphabet stock lost 7.1% on Thursday, reducing its year-to-date gain to just 1.6%.

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MARKET OVERVIEW

S&P 500

7,408.30 (-1.21%) ↓

VIX

18.92 (+1.18%) ↑

Dow Jones Industrial Average

51,711.65 (-0.97%) ↓

Gold

$4,051.60 per ounce (+0.01%) ↑

Nasdaq Composite

25,137.69 (-2.15%) ↓

Oil

$89.78 per barrel (-2.61%) ↓

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TOP INVESTING IDEA

In this keynote presentation from the just-completed 2026 MoneyShow Masters Symposium Las Vegas, renowned economist and investment strategist Ed Yardeni explains why he believes the “Roaring 2020s” could extend into the 2030s — and why the future of the US economy and stock market may be brighter than many investors expect.

The President of Yardeni Research explores how retiring Baby Boomers, labor shortages, AI, automation, and other technological advances are creating the conditions for a powerful productivity boom. He explains how stronger productivity could support faster economic growth, lower inflation, rising real wages, and historically high corporate profit margins.

Plus, he reveals why the American consumer has remained so resilient – highlighting the enormous wealth accumulated by Booms and the Silent Generation. Then, Yardeni shares his latest stock market outlook, including his projections for S&P 500 earnings and why he thinks the index will finish 2026 around 8,250. 

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FEATURED PICKS FROM MONEYSHOW EXPERTS

  • AI Stocks: Watch the Threat Coming from China
    👉️ TICKERS: AIQ, FXI, QQQ
    My friend Louis Gave likes to say, “When China walks into the room, profits walk out the door.” The country continues to raise its game when it comes to AI models and to remind again, CXMT just went public in Shanghai, notes Peter Boockvar, editor of The Boock Report.

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