Leveraged Cat
Equity Swing Trader
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
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
Semiconductor stocks' easy-money phase is over as the sector shifts from hype to show-me-the-money. The SOX index is down over 15% from its June peak, chip funds saw $11B of outflows in one week, the largest this century, short interest is at a three-year high and earnings growth is projected to slow by 2027. Memory and logic chips remain commodity-like. This is cyclical cooling, not a death knell; the AI build-out continues, but expect more turbulence and favor companies with defensive moats. … Show more
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 are betting on AI labs whose spending commitments the stock market takes seriously, despite little visibility into what is happening at the labs. They selectively leaked good news for three years, but last week brought the opposite; Anthropic has also delayed an IPO originally slated for before Labor Day. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan warns that enterprise AI spending may yield little learning. x.com x.com 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
AI semiconductor stocks are falling because valuations priced in too much growth beyond 2026-27, not because fundamentals are worsening. With the sector ETF up more than 100% year to date at one point, Q2 earnings couldn't meet those expectations, and a crowded trade is deleveraging as everyone races for the same exit. Fundamentals are likely improving, so as positioning and valuation reset the trade can continue, but selectively. x.comÂ
The sharp rebound in semiconductor and memory stocks does not confirm a durable bottom; many may stall below prior highs and form lower highs, making this a reflexive bounce within a broader correction. Unlike IREN and CoreWeave, semis and memory have not reached compelling valuations, and the backdrop is poor, with the 30-year yield higher and GDP estimates below expectations. The broader AI infrastructure theme remains extremely bullish. x.comÂ
Semiconductor fundamentals have improved as SpaceX and Meta say spending will rise further, while rates have come down. Earlier caution rested on fears that megacaps could not sustain spending and rising rates would slow AI investment; neither worry has played out. Today's selling feels more like stops being hit and investors giving up. x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductors will struggle to rise, with any rally sold, because Meta's move to rent out compute, exiting the arms race like xAI, has the market pricing a broad capex slowdown. Meta's spending is top tier, so the selloff prices in who is next; Microsoft may also pull back and drag semis down. Even in a benign reading, Meta is responding to market aversion to heavy capex, a sentiment top signal. If OpenAI and Anthropic ARR growth slows in a price war, QQQ could fall back to the 600s. x.com … Show more
