10 Hot Stocks to Watch — Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Arm Holdings rocketed 17% to $322.90 after CEO Rene Haas signaled "off the charts" chip demand and confidence in beating a $2B AGI CPU revenue target. Meta's Muse AI agent sparked a fresh wave of CPU bullishness across Intel, AMD, and Arm. Options traders are heavily long: call-to-put ratio sits at 5.75, with 7,593 contracts in the $300 call expiring September 25 already in-the-money. Watch the $350 strike for conviction—4,600+ contracts now trading across October expiries signal traders see room to run.

Moderna rocketed 12.27% to $172.94, nearing its 52-week peak of $176.66, after Phase 3 data for its personalized cancer vaccine intismeran showed promise alongside Merck's Keytruda in high-risk melanoma. The biotech will present expanded results at ESMO Congress this week, with pancreatic and lung cancer trials also in focus. Options markets are screaming conviction: a 5.10 call-to-put ratio and nearly 8,000 contracts in $200 calls expiring September 2026 signal investors are betting on sustained momentum toward $180–$200 over the next 24 months.

Intel rallied 12.14% to $121.78 after Meta's Muse AI agent sparked fresh demand for CPUs, with the chipmaker flagging just 50% fulfillment of customer orders. Geopolitical tailwinds—U.S.-China trade talks and falling yields—amplified semiconductor strength across the sector. Options traders are aggressively long, with a 2.76 call-to-put ratio and heavy volume in $120 and $128 strikes expiring late September. Watch $125 as near-term resistance; a close above opens $128–$135 territory.

Meta stock exploded 11.34% to $741.25 Monday on Wells Fargo's upgraded price target, riding momentum from its Muse AI agent's early app-store success and tight semiconductor supply across the industry. The options market shows cautious hedging—heavy put volume at the $705 strike suggests traders are locking in gains, while call spreads above $740 reflect conviction in near-term upside through late September. Watch the $790.80 52-week high: a breach would signal institutional accumulation ahead of broader agentic AI adoption.

MARA Holdings rocketed 11% today, tracking Bitcoin's break above $86,000—its strongest level in seven months—as a short squeeze and falling oil prices reignited crypto-linked equities. The real opportunity lies in MARA's pivot toward power and data center leasing, with management targeting 4.8 gigawatts of capacity once pending deals close. Options traders are aggressively betting on further upside: call volume topped 53,000 contracts across the $14–$15 strike zone (September 2026 expiry), signaling conviction that deal closures could drive the stock meaningfully higher. Watch for clarity on lease execution timelines before year-end.

Advanced Micro Devices surged 9.95% to $615.52 today, joining the exclusive trillion-dollar valuation club as Meta's Muse AI announcement reignited chipmaker optimism and eased U.S.-China trade tensions bolstered risk appetite. Options flow shows mixed signals with a 1.07 call-to-put ratio, though notable put volume at $120 and $130 strikes expiring September 2026 suggests some hedging against downside beyond near-term gains. Watch the $610 call strike (ITM, high volume) and the $600 put level as key technical anchors; a break below $600 would test conviction in this AI-driven momentum.

Cloudflare soared 8.7% today as Treasury yield declines and easing U.S.-China tensions lifted software valuations across the board, with the edge-security category rallying even as peers made no announcements. The options market is pricing aggressive upside, with nearly 8,000 contracts stacked at the $400 call expiring October 2026—a 13.7% move from current levels. Yet insiders dumped $44M into the recent rally, and the stock trades at 35.2x NTM EV/Revenue, just shy of its all-time peak, raising questions about whether sentiment has outpaced fundamentals.

Rocket Lab jumped 8.24% to $69.89 after Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating with a $122 price target, positioning the company as the only listed alternative to challenge SpaceX at scale. The aerospace firm's pending $8.1 billion Iridium acquisition—voting Sept. 24, closing mid-2027—anchors the bull thesis, though execution risk remains material. Options markets are decisively long: a 7.11 call-to-put ratio with 12,162 contracts stacked at the $75 strike (Sept. 2026) signals conviction above current levels, though the $122 target implies 75% upside from here.

Datadog surged past $245 today, riding a broad software rally sparked by easing Treasury yields and improved risk sentiment. Enterprise customer expansion in AI-driven observability is the underlying strength, though recent gains have lifted the stock near its 52-week high of $293. Options markets show balanced conviction—call volume clusters at $255 and $267.50 strikes (Oct expiry), while put interest anchors at $205 and $217.50, suggesting traders expect consolidation above $240 but are hedging downside. Watch the $255 level for near-term resistance.

General Motors fell 5.1% to $82.20 today, reversing yesterday's 2.13% gain, despite expanding defense partnerships with Lockheed Martin on Patriot missile components. UBS recently upgraded the stock citing OnStar and Super Cruise software as undervalued growth engines. Options traders are placing heavy bets on a rebound: call-to-put ratio stands at 2.23, with 1,782 contracts chasing the $85 strike through September 2026, suggesting conviction that GM can recapture ground toward $85–$86.