The tech trade lost some of its steam over the summer, and that could create opportunities for tactical trading in the fourth quarter, several investors told CNBC. The Nasdaq Composite rose 2.6% during the third quarter, lagging behind both the broader S & P 500 's gain of 5.5% and the small Russell 2000's jump of 8.9%. Still, many investors are cautious of abandoning the tech trade completely even after a few bumpy months. Even after the recent slump, those stocks still account for about 31% of the S & P 500, and even more in many funds focused on tech or growth. RSP 6M mountain This equal weight version of the S & P 500 outperformed the regular S & P 500, the Nasdaq Composite and the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the third quarter.

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Persons: Russell, James Ragan, DA Davidson, We're, Frank Tedesco, Ragan, Jason Browne, Alexis, We've, we've, Browne, LEXI Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Nvidia, Microsoft, DA, Astoria, RSP, Dow Jones, Quality, Alexis Investment Partners, Big Tech Locations: Astoria