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.

All four major central banks held their policy rates steady last week, but all of them also had a hawkish bias. Earnings continued to be supportive of higher stock prices, with five of the Mag 7 companies all beating on the top and bottom lines. Yields were higher as bonds got hammered, thanks to ongoing concerns regarding higher oil-induced inflation. There is no end in sight to the Iran-U.S. conflict.

Stocks and precious metals bounce around as more earnings come and go, the Fed holds rates steady as expected, and a new Fed chairman is nominated by Mr Trump.

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.