The semiconductor trade looks fragile because it now hinges on AI labs' growth. Semis sold off when Anthropic's month-over-month ARR growth decelerated, putting the market's fragility on full display, and that may be a sign of things to come. x.comÂ
Greg
Public Equities Commentary
Semiconductor equipment balances the compute market but is already largely priced for it, which makes KLA unattractive while ASML merits a small position. KLA still trades at mid-20s EV/EBITDA on 2028 numbers even as 2026 wafer fab equipment spending is upsized to $150B. Owning semicap requires believing WFE gets close to $300B; it might, but anything short of that likely disappoints. x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductors are set up for a violent, DRAM-style bust because demand again hinges on a few big customers and one theme, an AI training and benchmarking phase that will not last. NVIDIA is hurt badly if even one customer pulls back. Unlike Cisco's fungible parts, it funds custom TSMC lines, with $182 billion of purchase commitments exceeding its annual operating cash flow. Microsoft's receivables with NVIDIA jumped to about $12.2 billion, suggesting it pulled forward chips it is warehousing. … Show more
Semiconductors still look likely to lag on a risk-adjusted basis, even if Treasury intervention such as yield-curve control changes the broader picture. They should have been rallying hard this week and are not acting right for bulls, suggesting something is brewing, probably a capex disappointment. Hyperscalers may be closer to another leg up. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductors could capture scarce spot compute's value if its forward curve holds. Compute trades in deep contango, while chip stocks price in little of that value; near-term moves are unpredictable. That makes the sector very bullish. The earlier lab-funding risk looks less acute: Anthropic should hold nearly $200B cash after its IPO and is operating-cash-flow profitable. Even with 2029 capex cuts, chips look cheap if future buyers do not default. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Tech and semiconductor bounces are mainly driven by less urgent hedge-fund selling rather than fresh buying. Per Goldman Sachs, tech is still being sold amid very low activity; there is no sign risk has been added yet. The unwind may be nearing its end, especially as hyperscalers stick to capex plans and Q3 semiconductor earnings look likely to be positive. Less crowded positioning and more normal multiples leave a healthier base for a longer-term rebuild. x.comÂ
Semiconductors will need time to repair and build a base after the current correction stops. Price action deteriorated through June, with wide, loose moves, many gains made on gap-ups and overconfident traders, signs of an overcrowded group. New supply from the SK hynix ADR came at horrendous timing and hurt the group further. The correction is healthy for the market, and earnings from chipmakers and especially hyperscaler capex will offer clues on the group's health. x.comÂ
Semiconductors could stay undersupplied for a long time as more capable AI per dollar creates more uses and drives compute demand. Micron and NVIDIA trade at low forward P/Es because investors fear peak cyclical earnings, yet current earnings show no slowdown. Shortages may worsen as AI adoption spreads, though the industry could remain cyclical; a reversal of the forced rollover trade is hoped for, not assured. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductors look to be topping and should resolve lower into September, as the market prices in slowing capex in 2027. Strong earnings beats look in the rearview mirror; if Q2 was near peak, big beats are expected, and record backlogs are typical at peak demand and can be cut fast once spending slows. The semiconductor ETF has completed its upside correction and is losing steam, with new lows likely by September, which would weigh on a Nasdaq expected to slip toward its 200-day average. x.com … Show more
Slowing AI capital spending keeps the semiconductor growth scare in play. Meta's cash flow is negative and Lam Research's capex is slowing, further evidence as the sector faces a growth-to-value rotation and a Fed pause next week. x.comÂ
Semiconductors look relatively cheap against the S&P 500, while their earnings are growing much faster, barring an EPS reset. The selloff looks overdone, though that does not mean it reverses tomorrow. x.comÂ
Semiconductor sentiment is far too ebullient for a squeeze. Semi short interest is tiny and put-call ratios are about as bullish as they get, so the market shows no disbelief. x.comÂ