Geopolitics, oil price swings, and mixed signals from the Federal Reserve have pushed volatility back to the forefront, and that can quickly reshape trading activity across exchanges, options markets, and volatility linked products. Instead of trying to forecast the next headline, it can help to look at which stocks are directly exposed to this surge in hedging and trading demand linked to the latest war escalation between the United States and Iran, the spike in crude oil, and the strength in AI related tech. This article breaks down three stocks from our Volatility Driven Trading and Hedging Instruments screener that appear positively exposed to these developments.

MarketWise (MKTW)

Overview: MarketWise is a Baltimore based platform that sells subscription research, education, software, and tools to self directed investors, covering strategies from value and income investing to options, trading, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and AI related themes across multiple well known brands like Stansberry Research, Chaikin Analytics, InvestorPlace, and TradeSmith.

Operations: MarketWise generates about US$321.6 million in revenue from internet information provider activities, primarily through its online research and tools platform for investors.

Market Cap: US$296 million

MarketWise gives investors direct exposure to surges in retail trading interest when volatility spikes, because its business is built around selling research and tools for options, derivatives, and macro themes that tend to see more attention during geopolitical shocks like the recent U.S. Iran escalation and oil price jump. The stock screens as inexpensive on a P/E of about 12.1x versus much higher industry multiples. However, that value sits alongside risks such as thin net margins near 1.3% and liabilities that exceed assets. Recent revenue of US$77.03 million came with a small net loss, and there is fresh capital return activity through dividends and a new US$50 million buyback plan. All of this makes MarketWise a complex but potentially rewarding volatility play that deserves a closer look.

MarketWise looks like a volatility geared platform hiding in plain sight, with a low P/E and fresh capital returns. Now the real question is whether the balance sheet and margins in the 3 key rewards and 1 important major warning sign tell a very different story.

DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN)

Overview: DigitalOcean Holdings runs a cloud platform that helps smaller and fast growing companies build, run, and scale websites, apps, and AI tools using ready made compute, storage, networking, and managed services.

Operations: DigitalOcean generates about US$948.6 million in revenue from internet software and services across regions including Asia, Europe, the United States, and the rest of North America and the world.

Market Cap: US$14.3b

DigitalOcean Holdings may be worth a close look if you think more trading and AI activity is here to stay, because its cloud platform sits behind many fintech, trading technology, and AI native workloads that need to scale quickly when markets get busy. The company is leaning into this with AI inference products, nine figure annual customer commitments, and remaining performance obligations above US$800 million, while reporting 25% net margins and providing revenue growth guidance into 2027. At the same time, a high P/E multiple, use of debt, insider selling, and rapid expansion in data center capacity mean that execution missteps or a slowdown in AI demand could affect returns. Investors need to decide whether the growth story justifies those risks.

DigitalOcean’s accelerating AI push, nine figure commitments, and high P/E all point to a bigger story that many investors might be missing, and the real tension between growth and risk only shows up in the analyst forecasts for DigitalOcean Holdings

CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings (CCC)

Overview: CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings runs a cloud based SaaS platform that helps insurers, repair shops, automakers, parts suppliers, and other partners handle property and casualty insurance claims using AI enabled workflows and data driven tools across the United States and China.

Operations: CCC Intelligent Solutions generates about US$1,086.7 million in revenue, with roughly US$1,079.9 million from its core domestic segment and US$6.8 million classified as other.

Market Cap: US$3.3b

CCC Intelligent Solutions stands out because it sits at the center of auto insurance and repair workflows, using AI and real time data to help customers process more complex claims while keeping costs under control. This has supported recurring SaaS revenue, improving profit margins, and high retention with large insurers and repair networks. Earnings growth has been very strong, the business has been raising full year guidance, and buybacks have retired nearly 10% of shares, yet the stock still trades below some fair value estimates even on a high P/E. The trade off is meaningful, with reliance on external borrowing, relatively low current ROE, and heavy investment needs. That balance between quality, growth, and funding risk is where the core investment debate in CCC Intelligent Solutions begins.

CCC Intelligent Solutions’ strong SaaS engine, rising margins, and buybacks retiring nearly 10% of shares suggest that the story is still being re rated, but the real twist sits inside the 3 key rewards and 1 important major warning sign

The three stocks covered here are just the starting point, and the full Volatility Driven Trading and Hedging Instruments screener surfaced 12 more companies with equally compelling volatility linked narratives that do not fit into a single article. If you want to identify and analyze the exact catalysts, hedging angles, and trading exposure that matter most to you, it is worth running your own filters through the Volatility-Driven Trading and Hedging Instruments screener.

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Seeking Fresh Alternatives Before Others Catch On

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.