Been thinking about that market pullback we saw earlier this year, and honestly some of the setups that came out of it were pretty interesting. February was rough with all the AI disruption fears hitting software stocks hard, then tariff concerns added more pressure. But you know what they say about pullbacks - sometimes the best opportunities show up when things get messy.

Let me run through a few blue chip plays that caught my attention during that volatility.

First up, Deere & Co. This one's been doing something most people don't really talk about. Yeah, it's an agricultural equipment company, but they're pivoting hard into AI in ways that actually make sense. Autonomous tractors, AI cameras for weed detection, predictive maintenance to cut downtime - they're not just slapping AI onto existing products. The thing that makes Deere different is they've got this massive moat with farmers. The tech comes bundled with the equipment, so it's not easy to replace. Stock was up 35% year-to-date at one point, but even with that run, it pulled back on tariff fears. P/E sitting around 34 seems high until you really think about their positioning in this cycle.

Then there's GE Vernova. AI infrastructure is going to need massive amounts of power, and that's where this one comes in. They build turbines across gas, nuclear, hydro, wind - basically every energy source data centers could want. Up 34% at that point, and interestingly it actually held up better when broader tech got hit. Being relatively new as a standalone (spun out from GE in 2024) might make some people hesitant, but the assets and track record are solid. Premium valuation at 50x P/E, but the demand tailwinds are real.

Microsoft's the one that really got hammered though. Down almost 30% from its peak at that time, which was wild to see. Software stocks took it on the chin over AI disruption fears, but here's the thing - Microsoft is way more than just software. Azure's growing fast, they've got Windows, gaming, LinkedIn, and then there's that 27% stake in OpenAI. When you look at it that way, the narrative about AI killing their business doesn't really hold up. P/E dropped to 24.5, actually cheaper than the S&P 500 at that point. That's when a blue chip like this starts looking pretty attractive.

Market pullbacks suck when you're holding, but they're basically giving you a chance to load up on quality names at better prices. These three showed up as the kind of plays worth paying attention to.