Leverage Turned A Winning Thesis Into A Stupid Bet
Leopold Aschenbrenner’s Situational Awareness Fund turned $225 million into as much as $45 billion. Not bad for a 24-year-old with little experience. In June alone, his fund was up 439% year-to-date. Despite the rapid wild success, last Thursday the fund […]
Long Bonds Are Weary Of Warsh’s Inflation Resolve
At Wednesday’s FOMC press conference, Chair Warsh made it clear that the Fed’s number one goal is returning inflation to its 2% target. The reaction in the long end of the bond market was one of disbelief. The 2-year yield […]
A September Rate Hike Is On The Table
Despite the market assigning a moderate 35% chance of a rate hike at yesterday’s FOMC meeting, the Fed left rates unchanged. However, three dissenting voters (Hammack, Kashkari, and Logan) wanted a rate hike. The Fed Funds futures market is now […]
Will High Oil Prices Force The Fed’s Hand
The FOMC meeting concludes today with the rate decision at 2:00 PM ET, followed by Warsh’s press conference at 2:30 PM. Heading into today’s announcement, the market is placing 62% odds the Fed holds rates at the current 3.50% to […]
Chip Momentum Is Fading Despite Strong Earnings
Last week, chip maker Intel delivered its seventh consecutive quarterly earnings beat with revenue growing 25% year over year, its fastest growth since 2011. Its non-GAAP EPS of $0.42 doubled the $0.21 consensus. Data Center and AI revenue surged 59%, […]
Small Caps Are Quietly Winning While Mega Caps Wobble
Thursday’s selloff, led by Alphabet down 7% and Tesla down nearly 15%, was a great example of a story that has been unfolding throughout most of the year. While the largest stocks led the market lower last Thursday, many other […]
Are Oil Prices Driving The Iran Conflict?
In physics, kinetic equilibrium describes a system in which forces are balanced, and motion continues at a steady, unchanging rate. Felix Vezina-Poirier of BCA Research argues that we can apply kinetic equilibrium to the Iran conflict. Unlike most analysts, he […]
Prediction Markets: A New Sentiment Gauge For Traders
Prediction markets leader Polymarket has a daily contract that bets on whether the S&P 500 opens higher the next trading day. Yesterday’s contract, as shown below, implied just a 30% probability of an up open, despite the index gaining nearly […]
Alphabet And Intel: Q2 AI Earnings Kick Off
Alphabet reports earnings after today’s close, and Intel follows tomorrow. Together, they provide a first clue as to whether AI-related spending and investment continue at the brisk pace of the prior quarters. Alphabet represents the demand side for AI models. […]