Artificial Intelligence

U.S. AI stocks slid again as investors weighed AI-driven earnings against margins and deal quality, with Broadcom down over 11% and Nvidia, AMD, and Oracle also lower, dragging major indices. Despite near-term softness, the AI thesis remains intact for many, with potential for sustained earnings if hyperscaler demand holds. The week saw a Dow rise on financials while tech lagged, fueling questions about AI-cycle profitability amid higher costs. Other highlights: China’s decelerating growth, Berkshire’s leadership changes, Jimmy Lai guilty, and copper prices rally on supply and electrification demand.

The AI stock sell-off persisted as investors weigh whether AI-driven revenue can sustain profits amid price competition and deal-cycle uncertainty. Broadcom beat on revenue but signaled tighter margins, while Nvidia, AMD, and Oracle also fell. Analysts note a split between expanding AI opportunities and margin discipline, with some seeing 2026 profitability from data-center growth and others warning near-term sentiment remains fragile. News brief: Oracle denied OpenAI data-center delays; Coinbase plans in-house prediction markets powered by Kalshi. Berkshire’s leadership transition and upcoming European policy events add macro headwinds.

words.Broadcom’s AI chip backlog is huge, but lower margins and possible delays in OpenAI’s data‑center build‑out create downside risk, while competition with Marvell adds uncertainty; its forward P/E of ~42 leaves little margin for error, prompting a “hold” stance. Costco trades at a forward P/E of ~43, yet membership renewal rates are slipping and sales remain uneven, exposing the retailer to compression versus Walmart. Both companies face high valuations and emerging headwinds, so investors should proceed cautiously, monitoring margin stability for Broadcom and renewal trends for Costco.

OpenAI launched in 2015 as a nonprofit backed by Elon Musk and other tech leaders, but a decade later it operates as a massive for‑profit entity valued at about $500 billion, serving 800 million weekly ChatGPT users and planning a $1.4 trillion infrastructure spend. Musk, now heading rival xAI, sued OpenAI over its shift away from the original humanitarian mission. Competitors such as Anthropic, Google’s Gemini and Nvidia fuel a capital‑intensive AI boom. CEO Sam Altman forecasts $20 billion in revenue this year, has declared a “code red” to accelerate ChatGPT‑5.2, and secured a $1 billion content deal with Disney.

.ITHAX Acquisition Corp III priced its IPO at $10 per unit, raising $200 million from 20 million units. Each unit includes one Class A share and half a redeemable warrant (full warrant exercisable at $11.50). Trading begins on Nasdaq Global Market under ITHAU on Dec 12 2025. Sponsor Orestes Fintiklis, founder of Ithaca Capital Partners, will serve as CEO, CFO and chairman. The SPAC seeks a merger in asset management, leisure, hospitality, travel, entertainment, gaming or related sectors using AI and digital assets. Underwriters have a 45‑day option for up to 3 million extra units.

.Amazon announced a $35 billion investment in India’s cloud and AI ecosystem by 2030, building on nearly $40 billion already spent. The funding targets AI‑driven digitization, aims to create 1 million jobs, boost AI exports to $80 billion, and provide AI tools to 15 million SMEs. AWS, holding 38 % of the Indian cloud market, will expand hyperscale infrastructure, custom ASICs, high‑bandwidth networking, and edge clusters, while localizing SageMaker models for regional languages. The move leverages India’s talent pool, data‑localization mandates, and export potential, and follows similar mega‑investments from Microsoft and Google.

Oracle’s AI‑driven expansion has lifted its stock over 30% YTD, though October saw a 23% drop. New co‑CEOs Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia face pressure as the company prepares Q2 earnings and funds a $300 billion, five‑year OpenAI compute deal. Financing will require $20‑30 billion of debt annually, adding to $111.6 billion of existing obligations after an $18 billion bond sale. Credit investors warn of heightened risk, with CDS spreads at multi‑year highs. Analysts await proof of revenue growth—15% to $16.2 billion—and a stronger cash‑flow backbone to support the debt load.

A recent Just Capital survey reveals a stark gap in AI optimism: 93 % of corporate leaders and 80 % of investors see AI’s net societal benefit within five years, versus only 58 % of the public. While 94‑98 % of business respondents expect AI to raise productivity, just 47 % of Americans share that view, and nearly half fear job loss. All groups worry about safety, but the public adds concerns over algorithmic control and environmental impact. The study highlights market opportunities for robust governance, transparent audits, energy‑efficient hardware, and ESG‑aligned AI compliance.

Meta is pivoting from its open‑source Llama models to a proprietary next‑ AI system codenamed “Avocado,” now slated for Q1 2026 after testing delays. The shift follows a $14.3 billion hiring spree, including Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang as chief AI officer, to compete with OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. While ad revenue remains strong ($160 bn+ annually), the company is expanding data‑center capacity and adopting third‑party clouds to support AI workloads. Investors will watch Avocado’s performance, cost efficiencies, and its impact on Meta’s ad business.

House Democrats are launching the Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy to lead federal policy on artificial intelligence as firms ramp up lobbying and a $100 million AI‑backed super‑PAC targets the 2026 midterms. Led by Reps. Ted Lieu, Josh Gottheimer and Valerie Foushee, the commission will convene industry, stakeholders and committees to craft a unified legislative agenda, address state‑level regulatory conflicts, and focus on a federal risk‑assessment framework, data‑sharing sandbox, and secure AI‑hardware supply chains. The effort aims to provide clearer oversight, boost venture funding and protect national security.