The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights MAGS, QQQ, VGT, XLK, SMH and FTEC

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – April 10, 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. ETFs recently featured in the blog include: Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF MAGS, Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ, Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT, State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF XLK, VanEck Semiconductor ETF SMH and Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF FTEC.

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Tech ETFs to Soar on "Fragile" Truce Hopes in Iran War

President Donald Trump said on April 7, 2026 that he would suspend planned attacks on Iranian infrastructure for two weeks, stepping back from the earlier threats of imminent large-scale strikes on Iran's "whole civilization," as quoted on CNBC.

The decision was "based on conversations with prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan," Trump wrote, as mentioned in CNBC. Talks between the United States and Iran are set to take place in Islamabad over the next two weeks.

Iran Signals Conditional Cooperation

Trump said the pause is dependent on Iran agreeing to the "complete, immediate, and safe" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said vessels would be allowed safe passage through the strait during the two-week period, subject to coordination with Iran's armed forces. Iran also has a list of proposals.

Is It a Fragile Truce?

The truce looked increasingly fragile, as Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency reported that tanker traffic had been "halted" amid Israel's ongoing strikes in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal said Iran had informed mediators it would restrict ship crossings to roughly a dozen per day -- a sharp drop from the more than 130 vessels that transited daily before the conflict, as quoted on Yahoo Finance.

Iran War Was Detrimental to Global Tech Industry: Here's Why

Risks to Data Centers in the Middle East

The Iran war posed severe risks to chip supply chains and data centers based in the Middle East. Amazon's AWS data centers in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were damaged in Iran's drone strikes last month, as quoted on CNBC.

Major tech companies like NVIDIA, Oracle, Microsoft and OpenAI have announced projects in the Middle East in recent times, per CNBC. A prolonged Iran war could put those efforts in trouble.

Threat to the Chip Industry

A long-standing conflict could have affected the semiconductor sector's access to crucial materials like helium and bromine, analysts told CNBC. Higher energy costs due to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz were detrimental to the demand of energy-hungry AI data centers.

Per CNBC, Helium is used to transfer heat when chips are made and is important to the lithography process. Qatar produces over a third of the world's helium supply, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, per the CNBC article. More than 25% of the world's helium supply could have been blocked by a prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the same source revealed.

Iranian hacking campaigns were targeting equipment used across several U.S. critical infrastructure sectors in response ‌to hostilities, according to U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, per Reuters, as quoted on the Hindu. Hackers in some cases altered display data and extracted project data from systems, the advisory said.

Chances of Higher Rates

Such energy disruptions had the potential to stoke inflationary fears globally. This, in turn, may boost Treasury yields in the United States and other economies. A high-rate environment is not beneficial for growth sectors like technology.

Hit to Mag-7 Stocks During War

Microsoft has been hit hardest by the war-led crash. Its shares closed the worst quarter on Wall Street since 2008, per CNBC. Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF has lost 5.6% over the past month (as of April 7, 2026).

Good Time Ahead for Tech ETFs?

The above-mentioned scenario explains why a prolonged war could be disastrous for the U.S. tech industry. Thus, a two-week apparent stoppage in the attack and the possibility of a full-blown ceasefire after that should be a winning criterion for the tech ETFs.

The tech-heavy ETF Invesco QQQ Trust advanced about 3% on April 8, 2026, although the fund slipped 0.3% after hours as concerns grew over the fragility of the truce.

Meanwhile, the Fed also hinted that U.S. inflation is under control, which gives cues of less-hawkish Fed actions ahead. Investors can thus bet on tech ETFs like Vanguard Information Technology ETF, State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF, VanEck Semiconductor ETF and Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF.

Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF Insights

Zacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.

Don't miss out on this valuable resource. It's free!

Get it now >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com

https://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock

This under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.

With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.

See This Stock Now for Free >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK): ETF Research Reports

VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH): ETF Research Reports

Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT): ETF Research Reports

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research