
Investors should consider a high-conviction long position in Micron (MU) ahead of its Wednesday earnings, as its partnership with Anthropic positions it as a primary beneficiary of the AI memory build-out. IBM offers a short-term bullish opportunity following its OpenAI partnership and leadership in the U.S. government’s push for quantum computing dominance. For a recovery play, AMC Entertainment (AMC) is a "very long" conviction trade driven by record-breaking box office performance and a cultural shift toward real-world social experiences. Traders looking for the next technical bottleneck in AI hardware should monitor Astera Labs (ALAB) and Marvell (MRVL), which are key players in the emerging Compute Express Link (CXL) sector. Conversely, exercise caution with Google (GOOGL) due to AI talent drain and SpaceX private shares due to potential dilution and supply unlocks.
• The analyst is currently long on Micron, citing high conviction ahead of their upcoming earnings report. • Anthropic Partnership: Mentioned a recent agreement between Micron and AI startup Anthropic, which served as a catalyst for a leveraged entry. • Market Sentiment: Referred to the stock as "the next NVIDIA," noting it has ripped significantly since being "full-ported" by prominent traders earlier in the year. • Timeline: Earnings are scheduled in two days (Wednesday), which is expected to be a major volatility event for the semiconductor sector.
• Earnings Play: Monitor the stock closely on Wednesday; the analyst suggests the market is "ripping it into earnings," indicating high expectations. • Memory Sector Strength: Micron is being positioned as a primary beneficiary of the AI infrastructure build-out, specifically in high-bandwidth memory.
• The analyst entered a "daily scalp trade" (long) at $256 following news of a partnership with OpenAI for enterprise cyber defense. • Quantum Leadership: Highlighted the IBM CEO’s appearance at the White House alongside President Trump, discussing quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography. • Sentiment: Bullish in the short term due to government contracts and AI integration news.
• Government Tailwinds: IBM is being positioned as a "winner" in the U.S. government’s push for quantum dominance. • Enterprise AI: The OpenAI partnership provides a fresh narrative for a legacy tech giant that has been stagnant for years.
• The analyst is "very long" on AMC, driven by a "movies are back" thesis. • Box Office Strength: Cited Toy Story 5's record-breaking opening weekend ($160M domestic) and high attendance/concessions revenue at AMC theaters. • Cultural Shift: Argues that "IRL" (In Real Life) activities are replacing digital "doom-scrolling," benefiting physical entertainment venues.
• Consumer Trend: Look for continued momentum through July with major releases like Minions and Moana. • Recovery Play: The trade is based on a fundamental shift in youth culture toward sober, social, real-world experiences.
• The analyst recently closed a position at break-even after a significant "round trip" (up 100% then back down). • Risk Factors: Expressed concern over "pending unlocks" (dilution). Specifically, 10% of the supply may unlock if the price stays above $175 for a specific period. • Valuation: Mentioned a $60 billion valuation target and potential dilution to meet specific contract requirements.
• Caution Advised: The analyst is currently flat, waiting for a new catalyst. The "dilution overhang" makes the stock a difficult trade in the immediate term. • Index Inclusion: Watch for potential Russell Index flows around June 29th.
• Investment Theme: "Open Source Chinese AI" is seen as a hedge/alternative to U.S. models (Anthropic/OpenAI) that are facing export controls. • Zipu (Zhipu AI): Noted as a top performer following the launch of its GLM 5.2 model, which some claim rivals U.S. frontier models. • Minimax: Another Chinese AI play mentioned as a "substitute" for investors who cannot get direct exposure to private U.S. labs.
• High Risk/High Reward: These stocks trade at extreme multiples (e.g., 1,280x sales for Zipu). • Geopolitical Play: These assets are highly sensitive to U.S. export control news and "jailbreak" reports of U.S. models.
• Theme: The White House is "spamming" quantum initiatives, including a $2–$3 billion fund. • Tickers to Watch: IONQ, D-Wave (QBTS), IBM, and Quantinuum. • Insight: The U.S. government is prioritizing "Quantum Dominance" by 2028, creating a potential long-term secular bull market for these specialized firms.
• Theme: LVMH and other designer brands are struggling (16 consecutive quarters of decelerating growth). • Insight: Status symbols are shifting from logos (Louis Vuitton, Chrome Hearts) to "Health Status." • Actionable Proxies: Companies in the fitness/wellness space (Whoop, Oura, Peloton, Lululemon) and "IRL" event platforms.
• Theme: A new technical bottleneck in AI hardware related to shared memory. • Tickers to Watch: Astera Labs (ALAB), Marvell (MRVL), Penguin Solutions (PENG), and Credo (CRDO). • Insight: As AI models grow, the ability to share memory across chips (CXL) is becoming the "new bottleneck trade," similar to how networking/optics were in 2023.
• Trading Addiction: The analyst warned that "keeping money is harder than making it," citing recent "dark" stories of crypto traders losing everything due to over-trading. • StubHub (Potential Short/Exit): Mentioned widespread reports of scams and lawsuits regarding World Cup tickets, leading to a bearish outlook on the company's reputation and stock. • Google (GOOGL): Bearish sentiment due to "talent drain" (top AI researchers leaving for OpenAI/Anthropic) and perceived loss of leadership in the AI race.

By @notthreadguy
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