AI Spending Concerns, Retail Earnings on Deck, Autonomous AI Boating 8/17/26

The major averages are moving lower to start the trading week as investors weigh the growing tensions in the Middle East. Kelly Evans and Robert Frank are joined on set by Pence Capital Management’s Dryden Pence and Fundstrat’s Tom Lee to discuss their takes on the state of the markets and whether hyperscalers should cut back their AI spending ambitions. Later on, retail consultant and former executive, Jan Kniffen, joins the show to give a read on the retail sector as a number of key companies are slated to report quarterly results in the coming days. Meanwhile, CNBC’s Contessa Brewer sits down with Brunswick CEO, David Foulkes, for an exclusive interview on his company’s latest high-tech boat models that can dock themselves with a push of a button.