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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A five-week review of CNBC Investing Club’s 32-stock portfolio shows a sharp split between artificial-intelligence and value exposures. CrowdStrike rose 19.4%, Meta Platforms gained 14.4% and TJX Companies climbed 13%. On the losing side, Bank of New York fell 15.4%, Goldman Sachs dropped 13.8%, FedEx Freight declined 12.4% and Boeing lost 9.8%.
The comparison runs from the Club’s Sept. 10, 2026, monthly meeting to the review’s comparison close. These are portfolio results, not a ranking of all U.S. stocks, and the percentages describe that window rather than a forecast.
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Why technology and defensive stocks split
From Sept. 10 to the comparison close, the Nasdaq rose 2.3% while the Dow fell nearly 1%. The shorter-term move was more volatile: in the week through Wednesday’s close, the Nasdaq dropped 2.5% while the less technology-heavy Dow was flat.
A hot inflation report increased expectations that the Federal Reserve could deliver at least one more rate hike before year-end. At the same time, investors questioned how much borrowing will be required to build artificial-intelligence infrastructure. Those concerns widened the gap between companies tied to AI spending and businesses more exposed to rates, fuel or traditional economic activity.
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| Market measure | Move in the review | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|
| Nasdaq | Up 2.3% since Sept. 10; down 2.5% in the week through Wednesday’s close | AI and technology leadership, but with sharp near-term swings |
| Dow | Down nearly 1% since Sept. 10; flat in the week through Wednesday’s close | More resilience in less technology-exposed and defensive shares |
The three biggest winners
| Portfolio holding | Five-week change | Primary market lens |
|---|---|---|
| CrowdStrike | +19.4% | AI-related cybersecurity demand |
| Meta Platforms | +14.4% | New AI products and potential revenue streams |
| TJX Companies | +13.0% | Value retail and off-price inventory advantages |
CrowdStrike: cybersecurity became an AI-risk trade
CrowdStrike was the portfolio’s strongest listed gainer, up 19.4%. The catalyst was growing concern that increasingly capable AI models could create new risks for corporate networks and data, increasing the perceived need for cybersecurity protection.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call for frontier AI laboratories to slow model development reinforced that concern. The move also came after CrowdStrike had more than doubled during the year, which makes valuation and the risk of chasing momentum important considerations even when the underlying security thesis strengthens.
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Meta Platforms: Muse broadened the AI monetization story
Meta Platforms rose 14.4% after its Sept. 8 launch of the Muse personal AI agent and the releases of Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full. The products gave investors a possible path to revenue beyond advertising, including paid subscriptions and coding-tool income.
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TJX Companies: value retail recovered from an earnings shock
TJX Companies advanced 13% after rebounding from an August earnings sell-off. Investors had been worried about slowing comparable sales at Marmaxx, its largest division, while a Morgan Stanley survey suggested consumers were pulling back spending more broadly.
The longer-term case rests on TJX’s off-price model. Value-conscious shoppers can trade down when budgets tighten, and the company can buy excess merchandise from suppliers that need to clear inventory. That combination supported the recovery even as the consumer outlook remained uncertain.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The biggest losing groups
The review describes three losing slots but names four stocks: Bank of New York and Goldman Sachs are presented together as a financial-services pair, followed by FedEx Freight and Boeing.
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| Holding or group | Five-week change | Main pressure |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of New York | -15.4% | Rate-sensitive funding, lending and capital-markets concerns |
| Goldman Sachs | -13.8% | Higher-rate risk to deal activity and funding |
| FedEx Freight | -12.4% | Diesel costs and uncertain shipping demand |
| Boeing | -9.8% | Fuel costs, aerospace concerns and a 737 Max software issue |
Bank of New York and Goldman Sachs: rates overwhelmed quarterly evidence
The Federal Reserve’s September rate hike intensified fears that higher rates would raise funding costs, reduce loan demand and slow mergers, acquisitions and initial public offerings. Those risks pushed both financial stocks lower.
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The share-price response did not simply mirror the latest earnings reports. Goldman reported solid earnings, while Bank of New York delivered better-than-expected fee growth. Investors instead appeared to price the possibility that a prolonged high-rate environment would weaken future activity.
FedEx Freight: diesel and freight demand moved together
FedEx Freight fell 12.4% as diesel prices rose in connection with the ongoing Iran war. Higher fuel costs directly pressure transportation margins, while weaker shipping demand makes it harder to pass those costs on to customers.
The broader transport signal was negative: the iShares Transportation ETF declined 3% from the prior meeting and J.B. Hunt fell 13%. The key operating questions are whether shipment volumes hold up and whether management can offset fuel inflation through pricing, network efficiency and other cost controls.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesBoeing: fuel economics compounded an aircraft-specific issue
Boeing dropped 9.8% amid higher fuel prices, broader aerospace-industry concerns and a software problem affecting certain 737 Max aircraft. Airlines facing higher fuel bills may defer purchases or reduce growth plans if profitability deteriorates, putting pressure on aircraft demand.
There was one regulatory improvement. On Oct. 2, the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the software issue did not pose a flight-safety concern, removing a potential certification obstacle. That decision reduced one immediate overhang, but it did not eliminate the effect of fuel costs on airline economics.
Quick Recap
What the five-week split says about the portfolio
| Comparison axis | Stocks helped | Stocks hurt | Investor question |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI exposure versus defensive or value exposure | CrowdStrike and Meta; TJX benefited from value positioning | Traditional financial and transportation names | Is the move supported by durable demand or only enthusiasm? |
| Interest-rate sensitivity | Businesses with less dependence on cheap funding | Bank of New York and Goldman Sachs | What happens to funding, lending and deal volumes if rates stay high? |
| Fuel and operating costs | Companies with less direct fuel exposure | FedEx Freight and airline customers of Boeing | Can prices or productivity offset higher energy costs? |
| Company-specific execution and regulatory risk | Meta’s product launches and CrowdStrike’s security relevance | Boeing’s software issue, even after the FAA finding | Has a specific problem been resolved, or merely moved out of the headlines? |
| Momentum versus valuation risk | CrowdStrike’s 19.4% gain | Any investor buying after a rapid run-up | Does the expected future growth justify paying up today? |
How to interpret the results
- Use the dates correctly: the baseline is the Sept. 10 monthly meeting, and the figures cover roughly five weeks to the review’s comparison close.
- Do not generalize the ranking: the sample contains 32 portfolio holdings, so it cannot establish which stocks won or lost across the entire U.S. market.
- Separate earnings from expectations: Goldman’s solid quarter and Bank of New York’s stronger fee growth did not prevent declines because investors were focused on future rates and activity.
- Watch the operating drivers: AI adoption, subscription conversion, comparable retail sales, shipping volumes, diesel prices, airline profitability and certification milestones matter more than the headline percentage alone.
- Treat the returns as descriptive: the review provides no independent forward-return forecast, and the moves are not investment advice.
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