Popular Articles

I joined Juliette Saly on Ausbiz to discuss the next phase of the artificial intelligence (AI) investment cycle and the growing divergence between the companies building AI infrastructure and the hyperscalers funding it. We explored the risks posed by mounting AI capital expenditure (capex), weakening cash flows, the emergence of lower-cost Chinese AI models and what could happen if hyperscalers begin slowing investment. We also discussed why investors may benefit from looking beyond momentum-driven technology stocks towards high-quality, value-oriented businesses and other defensive assets.

Watch the full episode on Ausbiz here: Who really wins from the AI boom? Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Global markets, Investing Education, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications, TV Appearances.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Economics, Global markets, Investing Education, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications, TV Appearances.

Many years ago, I was asked by an AFR journalist whether I would revise my valuation of ABC Learning Centres, which was a tiny fraction of the traded price at the time, given the Singaporean Sovereign Wealth Fund (Temasek) had just invested in the company’s then-latest capital raise at a much higher market valuation.

Full of youthful confidence, I responded: “stupid people live in all different countries.”

A familiar pattern of fundraising and deployment was playing out at ABC Learning. It was one I had seen before and one which often resulted in pear-shaped returns for equity investors. That was certainly the case at ABC, which subsequently blew up spectacularly. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Global markets, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Popular, Technology & Telecommunications.

• 2 Comments
• save this article
• 2
• POSTED IN Economics, Global markets, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Popular, Technology & Telecommunications.

I wonder whether there’s a more fundamental reason for SpaceX crashing 16 per cent overnight and 30 per cent since its June 16 high of US$225.64, beyond the headlines.

SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) shares plunged roughly 16 per cent overnight after disclosing a massive US$20 billion bond offering to fund its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions, amid growing dilution concerns stemming from a US$60 billion stock acquisition of the AI coding platform Cursor.

SpaceX has disclosed plans to sell US$20 billion in investment-grade senior unsecured bonds to repay bridge financing and fund its aggressive artificial intelligence ambitions.

Meanwhile, the company’s agreement to acquire Anysphere (the developer of the Cursor AI coding platform) for US$60 billion in stock will dilute existing stakes. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Market commentary, Market Valuation.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Companies, Market commentary, Market Valuation.

On the surface, markets appear remarkably resilient, so if you’ve felt a sense of calm looking at your portfolio performance lately, you aren’t alone.

But look beneath the surface and the structural fragility you’ll see in valuations, government debt, and global trade makes holding a narrow, concentrated equity portfolio (including any portfolio largely invested in index ETFs) one of the more dangerous bets an investor can make right now. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Editor's Pick, Global markets, Insightful Insights, Intrinsic Value, Investing Education, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Popular, Technology & Telecommunications.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Economics, Editor's Pick, Global markets, Insightful Insights, Intrinsic Value, Investing Education, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Popular, Technology & Telecommunications.

How much do the artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers’ businesses need to make from selling their AI tools in order to generate a decent return?

The debate surrounding the Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) for big tech’s massive AI infrastructure expansion revolves around a core question: How much end-user revenue is required to cover hardware depreciation, energy costs, and capital costs?

With hyperscaler capital expenditure (capex) on track to surpass US$600 billion- $800 billion annually, several prominent analysts, venture capital firms, and investment banks have published frameworks and scenarios to quantify the revenue needed for a reasonable return.

Here are a handful. You can decide whether the targets are likely to be met. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Investing Education, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Economics, Investing Education, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications.

If you’ve been following our blogs and Montgomery Minutes about noted short seller Michael Burry, you’ll know he’s been making headlines this year for shorting the artificial intelligence (AI) bubble. Late last week, he reported he has again increased those short bets.

If you haven’t been following our posts on the subject, Michael Burry is the former chief of the now-closed hedge fund manager Scion Asset Management and was immortalised by Michael Lewis in his 2010 book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, which reported on Burry’s large asymmetric bets against the 2008 U.S. housing bubble. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Editor's Pick, Insightful Insights, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Economics, Editor's Pick, Insightful Insights, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications.

The latest property data confirm that Australian national aggregate home prices declined by 0.3 per cent to 0.4 per cent in June 2026 – marking the third consecutive month of declines and pushing values roughly 0.9 per cent below their autumn peak.

The downturn is being felt most acutely by the major capital cities; over the June quarter, Sydney and Melbourne slumped by 2.9 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively, while Adelaide and Brisbane have completely flattened out.

And it’s not just prices plunging. The price correction is mirrored by a dramatic collapse in auction clearance rates, which plummeted to a six-year low in late June, hovering below the 50 per cent threshold at a weighted national average of roughly 47 per cent to 48 per cent –levels not seen since the initial economic shocks of the pandemic in April 2020. Labor’s impact on property is as significant as a global pandemic. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary, Property.

• 4 Comments
• save this article
• 4
• POSTED IN Market commentary, Property.

How to respond

Across my articles and media commentaries, I have emphasised that preparing for an artificial intelligence (AI) re-pricing is not about timing a top or shorting tech, but rather about protecting capital through discipline, factor balance, and liquidity.

There are five primary strategies to insulate an investment portfolio from an AI re-rating:

1. Diversify away from equity index heavyweights

Broad, passive equity indices (such as the S&P 500 or Nasdaq) are historically concentrated. Passive flows into index funds mean a significant portion of an investor’s exposure is tied to six or seven AI-driven mega-caps.

Rebalance away from broad index funds that leave up to 60 per cent of equity risk tied to the AI trade. Investors might also consider locking in recent gains and diversifying equity exposure across unsung, non-AI themes. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Economics, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Aura Group, Economics, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Technology & Telecommunications.

If you want to know where the stock market might be headed, you have to look at the economic gravity being exerted by the bond market. Right now, U.S. stocks and bonds appear to be on a dangerous collision course.

Think of it in terms of a feedback loop: soaring stock prices have made U.S. households feel incredibly wealthy – with equity holdings sitting at a record 250 per cent of disposable income – which keeps consumer spending hot and inflation sticky. At the same time, tech giants are pouring billions into data centres, further heating up the economy.

As the new U.S. Federal Reserve Bank Chair, Kevin Warsh, just hinted, inflation won’t come down. So bond yields won’t drop until the stock market takes a meaningful breather to cool things off. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Global markets, Market commentary.

• 3 Comments
• save this article
• 3
• POSTED IN Economics, Global markets, Market commentary.

Proposed changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax (CGT) and new Australian Taxation Office (ATO) rules for holiday homes could significantly alter the economics of property investing in Australia. By reducing the tax advantages associated with property ownership, the changes may weaken demand across several investor groups and influence property prices over time.

Drawing on supply and demand principles, this whitepaper paper examines how investors, rentvesters, property flippers, holiday homeowners and discretionary trusts could be affected. It also explores the potential impact on borrowing capacity, resale demand and the attractiveness of established residential property compared with new builds. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Economics, Editor's Pick, Market commentary, Popular, Property, Whitepapers.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Aura Group, Economics, Editor's Pick, Market commentary, Popular, Property, Whitepapers.