(This is a wrap-up of the key money moving discussions on CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” exclusive for PRO subscribers. Worldwide Exchange airs at 5 a.m. ET each day.) Investors on Thursday are looking at alternative asset manager names as potential rebound plays, along with small-cap stocks. Another investor is looking at how to play the quantum computing space. Worldwide Exchange picks: Apollo Global and Blackstone Storm Uru of LionTrust Asset Management sees upside in alternative asset managers Apollo Global and Blackstone that are both more than 30% off their 52-week high. “The long term structural case for these companies is really exceptional,” Uru said. “We need long term structural build out both in compute and the data center.” “We know over the next 10 years a significant amount of capital is needed to build out these assets. Apollo and Blackstone are going to be the companies that enable this build out. There has been a pull back over the last 3 months from a stock price perspective that gives us the ability to make investments in these particular companies,” Uru said. Worldwide Exchange pick: small caps Greg Tuorto of Goldman Sachs sees continued upside for the Russell 2000 , which has been higher for eight of the past nine weeks but is still underperforming the S & P 500 in 2025. “It’s been a sum of all fears for everything, the economy, tariffs, everything that you worry about have really found a home in small caps,” said Tuorto. However he added, that trend is changing. “We are starting to see money flow back in… and technicians are calling for a more sustained move from here.” Tuorto’s top picks in the space include: Ollie’s Bargain Outlet , Shake Shack and Piper Sandler . Robert Smith on Quantum Computing Vista Equity Partners CEO Robert Smith said quantum computing will become increasingly important as software become more agentic. “When you create agents, one user now goes to multiple agents … you have now increased the surface area of attack as a user we have to protect you from cyber attack,” Smith said. “With agents you have a multiplicity of surface area for attack vectors. Quantum encryption will become … a very unique way in which we can protect our agents.” “In some cases in an environment in a virtual machine, in other cases it’s going to protect specific and individual agents in the environment in which they operate. Those are the two phases we are already working on today with very specific partners. How to use quantum computing as a protecting agent for our agents,” he added.
