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Feb 12, 2026
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SHORT
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"Fees are going to come down... If you're in a services business and fees are associated with the moat that you've built, AI is going to chip away at that... Tax planning, wealth management, now real estate services." AI acts as a deflationary force for white-collar services. Companies that rely on human capital to perform tax (Intuit) or real estate (CBRE/JLL) tasks will face intense price competition from automated AI agents, destroying their "fee-based moats." Short service-heavy sectors susceptible to AI automation. These incumbents successfully integrate AI to reduce their own headcount costs, maintaining margins. |
CNBC
Panel weighs AI disruption, margin pressure a...
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Feb 12, 2026
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LONG
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"Investors are now beginning to separate out the builders of the infrastructure of this AI from the potential applications... One's likely to do much better than the other." In a gold rush, sell shovels. The "Builders" (Infrastructure) have tangible demand right now. The "Applications" (Software) face uncertain monetization and margin compression. The safe trade is the infrastructure layer. Long the builders of the physical and digital AI backbone. Overbuilding of infrastructure leads to a capacity glut (similar to fiber in 2000). |
CNBC
Panel weighs AI disruption, margin pressure a...
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Feb 09, 2026
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SHORT
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The dollar saw its worst performance since the early 70s in the first half of the previous year. The US economy is over-indexed in global markets (60% market cap vs 25% GDP). As capital flows out of the US to chase cheaper valuations abroad, selling pressure on the dollar continues. Foreigners are hedging dollar exposure at rates not seen before. A global crisis usually triggers a "flight to safety" into the US Dollar. |
CNBC
Dollar weakness was a major catalyst for glob...
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Feb 09, 2026
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NEUTRAL
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The trade is "sputtering out." While stocks like Google are up, the group is no longer moving in unison as a guaranteed win. The intense competition for AI dominance is expensive and taking a toll on these companies. Furthermore, foreign investors are increasingly hedging their dollar exposure when buying these stocks, signaling caution on the currency side. The Mag-7 became a "global reserve asset," leading to overcrowding, but momentum is fading as investors look for cheaper alternatives globally. Continued AI breakthroughs could reignite momentum in the sector. |
CNBC
Dollar weakness was a major catalyst for glob...
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Feb 09, 2026
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LONG
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The US market became historically expensive relative to its GDP contribution. Investors are now realizing "seven stocks are not all of our choices" and are diversifying into the other 96% of the world's population. A weaker US Dollar makes international assets instantly more valuable in dollar terms. Additionally, trade wars and reduced reliance on the US have forced these countries to deregulate, cut red tape, and form their own trade relationships, improving their internal fundamentals. Korea doubled in a year driven by memory chips; roughly one-third of international returns were driven purely by currency translation (weaker dollar). A sudden resurgence in US Dollar strength would dampen returns for US-based investors. |
CNBC
Dollar weakness was a major catalyst for glob...
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Feb 09, 2026
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LONG
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Markets that were written off as "uninvestable" or suffering from "self-immolation" (like Germany's energy policy or China's regulatory environment) reached rock-bottom valuations. This is a pure valuation play. When a market trades at 8x earnings, it does not need a booming economy to generate returns; it only needs conditions to get "less bad." Moving from a P/E of 8x to 12x results in a 50% profit, even without massive innovation. Germany boomed despite poor energy policies because it started at 8x earnings. Hong Kong went from "uninvestable" to a top performer because prices were too low. Structural economic issues in these regions could worsen, preventing the valuation reset ("value trap"). |
CNBC
Dollar weakness was a major catalyst for glob...
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Feb 09, 2026
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LONG
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While Big Tech creates the tools, the rest of the US market (Value stocks) are the customers. For the tech sector to succeed, they must sell their products to traditional industries. As traditional companies integrate new technology, they become more efficient and profitable, boosting their earnings and stock prices. The rotation is moving away from pure tech creation toward tech adoption in the broader economy. Failure of traditional companies to effectively integrate new technologies. |
CNBC
Dollar weakness was a major catalyst for glob...
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