The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has added to volatility within the tech sector, coming hot on the heels of expectations that rates of interest are prone to remain high for a while. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed 0.45% higher on Monday. That is after sliding 1.76% on Friday following the closure of Silicon Valley Bank . Crypto-focused Signature Bank was also shut down. Meanwhile, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said last week that rates of interest are prone to remain “higher than previously anticipated” — often viewed as bad news for the tech sector. Earnings misses and a series of layoffs at tech giants, including a planned second round of redundancies at Meta , have further compounded nervousness within the sector. But some market pros see the volatility as a possibility to snap up growth stocks at bargain prices. “We predict that for medium- and long-term investors, the recent bout of volatility that you have seen represents a buying opportunity,” Anthony Doyle, head of investment strategy at Firetrail Investments, told CNBC on Monday. He said some tech firms’ valuations have been “absolutely hammered.” Meanwhile Phillip Wool, managing director of Rayliant Global Advisors, added: “The upshot is that we’re bearish on U.S. stocks generally, though this can give option to bargain hunting as lagged damage from Fed policy shows up and greed turns to fear.” Big Tech stock picks Speaking last week, before the sell-off, Sylvia Jablonski, chief investment officer at Defiance ETFs, urged investors to look at for pullbacks. “Through the last several many years, the highest days within the markets have occurred during some type of recession, crisis or pullback,” she said in emailed notes to CNBC. “When you’re an investor, and also you’re in it for beyond 2024, where we’ll have a bit more certainty at that time, we might think there’s a extremely high probability that you’ll be buying [at] lower levels today than you will likely be in that timeframe and definitely a decade from now,” she added. Meanwhile, Barbara Doran, CIO at BD8 Capital Partners, believes tech has “really been on a roll” and is “holding up,” despite concerns around higher rates of interest. She said she’s refocusing on big-cap tech names given the promise of artificial intelligence — the most popular tech theme this 12 months — and “historically attractive” valuations. She is bullish on Meta , giving the stock upside of between 15% to 35%. That is despite a gain of about 50% in its stock price this 12 months. Meta’s users and engagement have continued to extend across all platforms, in response to Doran, with the corporate also growing monetization of its Reels platform and increasing financial discipline. Apple is one other stock that she likes, citing its growing market share in high-end smartphones outside the U.S., in addition to its ability to take market share from major competitor Samsung . Defiance’s Jablonski highlighted that the highest stock picks from major Wall Street banks tie to AI and machine learning. “Taking a look at a basket of stocks starting from semiconductors, quantum computing, AI and machine learning, stocks within the lead on this space may repay in the long run,” she said. AI is predicted to grow at a compounded rate of 37% by 2026, Jablonski added, citing research by global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation. “That is not to this point off.” Jablonski identified Microsoft , Nvidia , Advanced Micro Devices , Alphabet and Amazon as likely leaders within the space and believes now’s a “great opportunity” so as to add exposure provided that they’re trading at “double digits from their 52-week highs.” Defiance ETFs manages The Next Generation Quantum Computing & Machine Learning ETF . The exchange-traded fund is up greater than 11% as of the top of February. Amy Kong, chief investment officer at CI Barrett Private Wealth, favors Microsoft, calling it a “stellar company” with an excellent business model. She added that the corporate is generating numerous free money flow, has “loads more growth engines” relative to Alphabet, and is predicted to grow its cloud computing business by about 30% over the following quarter. Firetrail Investments’ Anthony Doyle also identified Microsoft as a tech stock he’s bullish on , despite the volatility.
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