The Fed Is A Sideshow While The AI Trade Implodes | Weekly Roundup
The Fed Is A Sideshow While The AI Trade Implodes | Weekly Roundup
Podcast59 min 21 sec
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights
  • Consider early-2027 oil futures for a supply-disruption thesis; oil could reach $150, but that is a possibility, not a firm target, and the trade carries geopolitical risk.
  • Stay cautious on MSFT and GOOGL: capital-spending forecasts came in below estimates, raising questions about the returns on costly AI infrastructure.
  • Avoid buying the semiconductor downturn—including INTC—until demand and capital spending show signs of stabilizing; the speakers saw no near-term buy signal.
  • Wait for gold to reclaim its summer lows and establish an uptrend before considering an entry; near-term selling pressure may persist.
Detailed Analysis

AI Infrastructure and Hyperscaler Stocks (MSFT, GOOGL)

  • The speakers described signs that the AI infrastructure build-out may be slowing, including lower-than-expected capital-spending guidance:
    • Microsoft (MSFT) projected $38 billion in capital spending versus estimates of $45 billion.
    • Google (GOOGL) projected $51 billion versus estimates of $55 billion.
  • They argued that AI-related investment has been an important contributor to economic growth, so a slowdown in spending could affect the broader economy.
  • Google also faced pressure from declining search revenue, which the speakers attributed partly to AI and changing consumer behavior.
  • They were bullish on AI’s usefulness and potential consumer benefits, but cautious about whether today’s costly infrastructure build-out will generate adequate returns for the companies financing it. They compared the situation with past infrastructure booms in which builders did not necessarily capture the eventual gains.

Takeaways

  • The discussion points to a distinction between optimism about AI technology and caution about AI-related investments. Investors may want to assess companies’ spending plans, financing needs, and ability to earn returns—not just the technology’s potential.
  • The speakers saw slowing capital-spending guidance as a possible warning sign for the AI investment cycle, but did not provide stock-specific price targets.

Semiconductor Stocks (including Intel, INTC)

  • The speakers characterized semiconductors as cyclical and warned that excess investment can take time to work through the industry.
  • They said Intel (INTC) was down 28% that day, using it as an example of the sharp losses in the sector.
  • They suggested that a future opportunity could emerge after the downturn, but said they were not yet at the buying point. One speaker joked that they might have something bullish to say about semiconductors in 2027.

Takeaways

  • The speakers’ near-term tone was bearish and cautious, emphasizing that a fundamental slowdown in spending may be more serious than a temporary washout of leverage.
  • The discussion suggests watching for evidence that demand and capital spending have stabilized before treating lower prices as an opportunity. The mention of 2027 was an outlook, not a specific price target or firm recommendation.

AI Companies and Models (Anthropic, OpenAI, Grok)

  • The speakers discussed the improving economics of Anthropic, while noting that the company still reported a net loss after accounting for convertible notes.
  • They described risks to AI providers’ profitability: models may need frequent, costly upgrades to remain at the frontier, while open-weight models could make AI services more commoditized.
  • One speaker said their own use of Grok had increased substantially, illustrating perceived gains in usefulness. They also referred to OpenAI in discussing the competitive landscape.
  • They warned that if compute and AI become commodities, competition could erode margins and pricing power, even if usage and consumer benefits continue to grow.

Takeaways

  • The conversation was bullish on AI’s utility but cautious about provider economics. For investors evaluating AI businesses, the key question raised was whether companies can preserve differentiated offerings and sustainable margins as competition expands.
  • Anthropic, OpenAI, and Grok were discussed as companies or products, not as publicly traded stocks with stated price targets.

Gold (XAU)

  • Gold was trading below $3,900 during the discussion and had fallen below its summer lows.
  • The speakers said gold may be fundamentally attractive over the longer term, but warned that near-term selling pressure could persist as countries seek liquidity and defend their currencies during an energy shock.
  • One speaker’s stated approach was to wait for gold to recover its summer lows and show signs of a positive trend before becoming more interested. They emphasized that the timing of any recovery was uncertain.

Takeaways

  • The speakers were longer-term constructive but tactically cautious on gold.
  • Their discussion favored patience and a trading plan over assuming that gold’s longer-term appeal would prevent further short-term declines. No specific recovery target or timeline was given.

Silver

  • Silver was mentioned alongside gold and other assets that had experienced prior rallies and could face a prolonged period of weakness as excesses and leverage unwind.
  • The speakers did not provide a specific price, forecast, or separate investment recommendation for silver.

Takeaways

  • The tone was cautious, with silver grouped into the broader discussion of volatile, cyclical assets.
  • The transcript offers limited silver-specific guidance; it does not establish a price target or timing for a potential recovery.

Oil

  • The speakers described a significant oil-supply disruption and argued that it would need to be addressed, rather than simply assuming prices would quickly return to lower levels.
  • One speaker said oil prices might reach $150 and argued that the U.S. would need to act to resolve the supply problem. The speaker also said they had advocated exposure to early-2027 oil futures.
  • The discussion linked possible further price increases to geopolitical developments and the end of a period of relative restraint around the U.S. midterms. These were the speaker’s views, not confirmed outcomes.

Takeaways

  • The speakers were bullish on oil, especially if supply problems persist, and explicitly mentioned a long position in early-2027 futures.
  • The thesis depends on supply and geopolitical developments, so it carries substantial uncertainty. $150 was presented as a possibility, not a firm target.

Bitcoin (BTC) and Cryptocurrency

  • The speakers said the macroeconomic backdrop remained difficult and discussed a reported $6 billion Binance hack, while noting that stablecoin issuers had frozen some funds and Binance had said it would cover the remaining shortfall.
  • They said the incident could damage confidence and deter newer participants, even if experienced crypto users were less affected.
  • One speaker’s base case was that conditions for renewed crypto strength might not become favorable until sometime next year, potentially between Q1 and Q3. They also said Bitcoin could be vulnerable while gold remained weak.
  • The speakers described crypto as still working through a leverage-driven and psychological “capitulation” period, with sharp reversals after attempted rallies.

Takeaways

  • The discussion was cautious and patient, rather than a call to buy immediately. The speakers saw the hack, macro uncertainty, and lingering leverage as reasons that a recovery could take time.
  • They viewed the incident as a threat to sentiment, while noting that some losses might be recovered and Binance had said it would cover the rest. The transcript did not provide a Bitcoin price target.

U.S. Dollar (USD) and Central-Bank Policy

  • The Federal Reserve held rates steady, as markets had broadly expected. The speakers described the meeting as having limited immediate market impact.
  • One speaker expected the Fed may be finished hiking and said the dollar could eventually peak and weaken if slowing growth leads to more accommodative policy. They cautioned that this could take months.
  • The discussion also noted that the Bank of Canada hiked rates despite weak employment reports and flatlining growth, while the speakers criticized expected European rate hikes amid weak economic conditions.

Takeaways

  • The speakers suggested the dollar could remain strong in the near term but potentially weaken later if growth deteriorates and policy becomes more accommodative.
  • This was a conditional macro view, not a specific currency trade recommendation or exchange-rate target.

Corporate Credit and AI Financing

  • The speakers said AI infrastructure companies and hyperscalers had become more reliant on debt and equity issuance as they directed cash toward capital spending.
  • They described rising real rates and widening credit spreads as making financing more expensive, and said issuing corporate bonds could be difficult for some newer cloud-computing companies.
  • They warned that equity issuance can dilute existing shareholders, while deteriorating credit conditions could put pressure on heavily financed businesses.
  • They also argued that overinvestment may prolong a supply glut: companies with large fixed costs and debt may continue producing or spending to generate cash, even as demand slows.

Takeaways

  • The discussion was bearish on highly leveraged AI infrastructure exposure, particularly where future returns depend on continued access to affordable financing.
  • Investors may want to distinguish companies with strong cash flows and manageable debt from those that depend on ongoing borrowing or equity issuance to fund expansion.
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Episode Description
The AI trade is cracking and the Fed is too boxed in to help. This week, Felix and Quinn weigh what a fracturing AI story and stalled monetary policy mean for markets heading into year end. We explore gold breaking to new lows, implied correlations spiking, Lagarde's exit and Europe's hike pricing, Big Tech capex cuts, and why oil is ripping into the midterms. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Brewers Win the World Series 02:39 Fed Holds With Two Hawkish Dissents 08:46 Lagarde Exits as Central Banks Hike 12:46 Fidelity / DAS London 13:58 Gold Slides Below $3,900 19:16 Is the AI Trade Fracturing? 29:29 Fidelity / DAS London 30:46 What Oil Teaches Us About AI 39:46 Midterms, War and Oil Supply 44:32 Inflation, Populism and Unrest 51:05 Polymarket Missed Brazil's Election 53:43 Inside the $6.36B Binance Hack 57:37 Gold, Bitcoin and DAS London FOLLOW THE SHOW › Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance › Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc › Quinn – https://x.com/qthomp › Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks SPONSORS › Fidelity Crypto was built in-house with over a dozen years of crypto experience. So you can trade crypto and stocks in one place at Fidelity, backed by industry-leading security. Fidelity Crypto. We're here to help you feel good about investing in crypto. Crypto is offered by Fidelity Digital Assets, NA, is not insured by FDIC or SIPC and includes risk of significant loss. Securities offered by Fidelity Brokerage Services,LLC. Member NYSE, SIPC. http://fidelity.com/crypto RESOURCES › Weekly Roundup Charts – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AkjPKMl-PBMxKBU96-LUgBw0N8DBr4nn/view?usp=sharing › Learn more about Blockworks Agentic Detection: https://blockworks.com/insights/introducing-agentic-detection-asset-monitoring-built-for-the-ai-era › Start building with the Blockworks Unified API https://blockworks.com/insights/introducing-the-blockworks-unified-api EVENTS › Join us at Digital Asset Summit London Nov 10-11 https://blockworks.com/events DISCLAIMER Nothing said on Forward Guidance is a. recommendation tobuy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
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