Stocks mixed, with Japanese and emerging markets stocks chalking up gains, while European stocks lost ground. US stocks were mixed. Yields were higher at the belly and long end of the UST curve, with inflationary expectations remaining elevated. Gold and oil were higher, the Yen and Bitcoin weaker.

A volatile month draws to a close, with global bond yields higher as inflation expectations remain elevated. With no sign of the end of the Middle East conflict, investors very much remain on edge. Ongoing concerns regarding A.I. spending are also weighing on sentiment.

This article provides an early-week update on the highly volatile and under-pressure semi-conductor sector, as well as the Mag 7 stocks with AAPL, AMZN, META and MSFT reporting earnings this week. It also looks at SpaceX (SPCX), which is well below its IPO price and falling like a stone.

U.S. stocks and bonds lost ground last week, with global stock markets all gaining ground. GOOG disappointed, which is hard to digest given their performance and outlook. Investors remained very concerned about A.I. investment needs, especially amongst the hyper-scalers. There are important central bank meetings and earnings this coming week.

Markets bounced around a lot last week, but focus was mostly on the SpaceX IPO, the largest IPO ever which successfully priced on Thursday evening. The war between the US and Iran continues, oil and gold were lower, and bonds improved.

I started penning this update with my recurring rant about the antics of the Trump Administration. The daily “war is over” rhetoric coming from the leader of the free world is super-annoying, especially since Iran and the U.S. remain more or less deadlocked, with the Strait of Hormuz closed and no oil flowing through it. But does this really matter anymore, at least to investors? Yes, higher oil prices are hurting consumers (see “Consumer confidence” below) and will rev

I am not expert in artificial intelligence, although I do have a basic grasp of its expected benefits balanced by the possible social implications. However, this article focuses on A.I. from an investor's perspective, since the stocks of companies that can attach themselves even loosely to the A.I. narrative have taken off like a rocket.

Tech companies drove the 7% return of the S&P 500 in the 1Q23. Without the "magnificent seven", the index would have been flattish.

The five mega-tech FAMAG names start reporting their quarterly earnings ended Dec 30th, 2022, this week. I also included TSLA.