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Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the market’s biggest investment theme, with strong earnings and seemingly reasonable valuations convincing many investors the rally still has further to run.

But beneath the surface, several warning signs suggest the picture may not be as strong as it appears.

Big claims, bigger questions

Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Total Addressable Market (TAM) in Enterprise AI is US$26.5 trillion. Outside estimates suggest $US50-$300 billion. This leaves the ‘buyers’ and the ‘sellers’ with some important questions. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Market Valuation.

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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.

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In this week’s video insight, I explore the growing debate around whether AI stocks are in a bubble by revisiting a strikingly familiar research note published during the DotCom era in 1999. At the time, investors were told there were “good reasons to pay through the nose” for leading technology stocks because their growth and disruptive potential made “this time different.” Drawing on my own experience working through the DotCom bubble, I reflect on how speculative excess can continue far longer than expected before eventually unwinding, often with devastating consequences for investors. While today’s artificial intelligence (AI) leaders may have strong fundamentals, history reminds us that every bubble comes with a compelling narrative that sounds convincing in the moment. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Investing Education, Market commentary, Video Insights.

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I joined ABC Weekend Breakfast to discuss the record-breaking SpaceX Initial Public Offering (IPO), which briefly pushed Elon Musk’s wealth beyond US$1 trillion and valued the company at more than US$2 trillion. We explored what drove the strong debut, why much of SpaceX’s revenue now comes from its AI and data centre businesses rather than its space operations, and how NASDAQ’s decision to fast-track the stock into its index could force ETFs and index funds to buy shares. We also discussed the potential impact of insider selling in the months ahead and what the IPO could mean for everyday investors. Continue…

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

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I recently read the musings on Substack of a British citizen who is watching “the country I was born in dissolve into a managed, bureaucratic, state-dependent puddle of its former self.” They say, “Britain is not failing. Britain has failed,” and they’ve assembled a comprehensive solution. I wonder to what extent their economic reforms should be applied to Australia. Do you think any of it makes sense for us? Are we failing as a nation? Do these ideas represent solutions? Some ideas would have labels attached to them, such as ‘regressive’ and ‘protectionist’, but forget the labels. You have to look at the whole, not the individual measures, which, of course, is how we got to the mess we are in. Perhaps we need a telescope not a microscope. Would it be better than what we have? Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Market commentary.

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According to the most bullish investors the current bull market bears little resemblance to the tech bubble of 1999/2000.

That late-90s tech bubble was fueled by a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), which was reflected in the very high price-to-earnings (P/E) multiples. Today’s bull market is accompanied by much more reasonable valuations suggesting that the rally is merely reflecting an equally steep increase in real earnings.

In early 2000, the tech sector’s forward P/E ratio stood at 55 times, and the broader S&P500 rose to 25 times forward earnings; today, the S&P500 sits on a forward P/E of 20.5 times and the tech sector on 23 times.

The bulls suggest an earnings-driven rally (as reflected in modest P/E ratios) is inherently more sustainable than one built on expanding hope and P/Es. Continue…

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

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In my latest Firstlinks article, I explore whether artificial intelligence (AI) is following the familiar path of past technology bubbles. As businesses shift from AI experimentation to demanding measurable returns, the question becomes whether the trillions spent on AI infrastructure will ultimately generate enough revenue to justify today’s lofty valuations.

You can read the article via Firstlinks here: Have AI’s four horseman arrived? Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, In the Press, Insightful Insights, Market commentary, Technology & Telecommunications.

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With stock markets recently retreating marginally from artificial intelligence (AI)-fuelled record highs, the question many thoughtful investors are asking is: Will the bull run resume, or is this the beginning of a broader correction?

Of course, we can’t be certain but what we can know is that as stock prices continue to soar, fears of an AI bubble will likewise increase.

Financial markets have performed spectacularly since late 2022, and equities have accelerated their gains this year just as structural stresses begin to appear and debates about sustainability begin to intensify. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Market commentary, Technology & Telecommunications.

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San Francisco and Lisbon-based KIÉR LIÓR provides institutional investors, family offices, and direct lenders with institutional-grade oversight, underwriting and portfolio management services for international private credit portfolios.

On the subject of Private Credit, their musings are well worth your time, remembering the comments are typically U.S. and Euro-centric, where conditions and legal frameworks may not favour lenders as much as they do in Australia.

Reflecting on a recent episode of the Credit Edge podcast featuring Goldman Sachs Chief Credit Strategist Amanda Lynam, KIÉR LIÓR Managing Director Aznaur Midov noted: Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Economics, Market commentary.

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I joined Kylie Morris on ABC Newcastle Mornings today to discuss the extraordinary rise of SpaceX following its record Initial Public Offering (IPO). We explored why the company’s valuation appears disconnected from traditional measures of value, how NASDAQ’s fast-tracked index inclusion could force ETFs and superannuation funds to buy shares, and why investors should be mindful of the risks that can emerge when market hype and scarcity drive prices higher.

Listen from 37:04: ABC Newcastle Mornings Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Global markets, Market Valuation, Radio.

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