
Straight talk: Investors don't realize where we stand in the stock market – the big check // BRIEFING
In this briefing, Mario Lochner analyzes the current stock market environment with a big check of all relevant parameters, presenting both bull and bear arguments.
🔥 The Bears Warn:
- AI bubble about to burst: The failed IPO of FM and a report about allegedly lower OpenAI revenues (corrected: 70B instead of 50B USD) weigh on sentiment.
- Rising bond yields (10-year US Treasuries at 5.4%) and oil prices (backwardation) increase pressure.
- Historical parallel to the dot-com bubble burst: the semiconductor index shows similar patterns.
- Hedge fund legends like Ray Dalio warn the bubble is about to pop.
💪 The Bulls Counter:
- Michael Burry & Co. have often been wrong – AI stocks remain stable.
- The market almost fully prices out a rate hike in October (probability <20%).
- Strong bond auction (bid-to-cover at 2.77) and falling inflation expectations suggest the yield spike may be over.
- Economic growth stays robust: retail sales strong, GDP nowcast at 3.8%.
🟢 Traffic Light System for Key Categories:
| Category | Rating | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Sentiment | 🟢 Green | Sentiment balanced, many stocks already crashed – a contra-indicator. |
| Valuation | 🟢 Green | Earnings revisions rising, multiples falling: price gains come from earnings growth. |
| Interest Rates | 🟡 Yellow | Yield rise driven by growth and fiscal debt, not inflation. Oil remains a risk. A bear steepener suggests rates may not go much higher. |
| AI Demand | 🟢 Green | Chip prices still rising (H100/B200), Samsung cuts smartphone output due to memory shortage – demand is huge. |
| Credit Spreads | 🟡 Yellow | Spreads widen for low-rated bonds, but broadly still moderate. Hyperscaler spreads have cooled. |
| Seasonality | 🟢 Green | Q4 is statistically the best quarter, US midterms historically followed by positive annual returns. |
💡 Conclusion and Outlook:
- No panic – the crash has already happened for many stocks (e.g., Nike -49%, Intel -57%, Lululemon -60%).
- Key events next week: inflation data and start of earnings season.
- Strategy: Stay invested, but keep ~15% cash for potential dips.
- Stocks with analyst upside: Energy Recovery, Oracle, small-cap winners – but be cautious with Netflix (market share loss to YouTube).
"The crash is already there – for many stocks. But the AI bubble? Far from popping yet."
Disclaimer: Not investment advice. Investing involves risks.






