A new wave of futuristic tech stocks tied to nuclear power, quantum computing, space, and AI has been cut roughly 60% from peak levels.
Investor Shay Boloor captured the moment bluntly in a recent X post, writing, “THE FUTURE IS ON SALE RIGHT NOW,” pointing to steep losses across multiple high-growth sectors.
The group includes Oklo (OKLO) in advanced nuclear, IonQ (IONQ) in quantum computing, Rocket Lab (RKLB) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) in space, and CoreWeave (CRWV) and SoundHound AI (SOUN) in AI infrastructure.
Across 21 selected stocks, the median name is sitting roughly 65% below its record high, representing significant but uneven damage throughout the group.
The damage is large enough to attract attention, but that alone does not make every name in the basket a genuine bargain worth buying today.
One of the biggest traps investors fall into is anchoring, which turns the old high into a false reference point that makes today’s price look artificially cheap.
Earlier valuations were often built on expectations that no longer hold, meaning a 65% decline can still leave a stock expensive relative to current business realities.
The math of recovery also works against buyers in ways that are easy to underestimate when scanning for discounted names.
A stock sitting 65% below its record high must rally 154% just to return to where it once traded, a bar that eliminates many companies before they even get close.
The pandemic-era darlings offer a sobering case study, with Peloton (PTON), Zoom (ZM), Roku (ROKU), DocuSign (DOCU), and Teladoc (TDOC) all suffering enormous declines from their highs.
Across a 20-stock sample of that generation, the median stock ultimately fell roughly 90% from peak, and after declining 50% the median name lost another 80% from that lower price.
As an old Wall Street line puts it, a stock down 99% can still fall another 100% from there, a reminder that prior highs say little about where a floor eventually forms.
That comparison does not put a 90% decline target on today’s group of nuclear, quantum, and space names, but it does highlight the limits of using the old high as a guide.
Investors looking to separate genuine opportunity from a falling knife should focus on revenue trends, backlog growth, customer adoption, improving margins, and free cash flow moving in the right direction.
Valuation context matters as well, with price-to-sales ratios offering a useful starting point for companies that have not yet reached profitability, though those figures say nothing about debt levels or financial strength.
Price action is the final filter, and looking for a stock to stop making new lows, build a base, or reclaim a key level like its 50-day moving average adds an important layer of confirmation.
An “on sale” sign is alluring, but improving fundamentals, a reset valuation, and stabilizing price action are what actually transform a markdown into a credible investment opportunity.
