Silver Market Insights - The CEO of Quaazar Markets indicated a strategic shift in silver investments, initially shorting silver before recognizing a buying opportunity when prices fell to around $19-$20 per ounce, leading to a 15% gain on calls [2][3][5] - The narrative driving silver demand includes its essential role in technology products, particularly in batteries and electronics, as highlighted by major companies [3][4] - After a significant price surge to over $100 due to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), the CEO noted a correction back to around $65, prompting a re-entry into the silver market [4][5] AI Investment Trends - Major companies like Amazon, Palantir, and Nvidia are significantly increasing capital expenditures (capex) on AI, indicating a strong future focus on this technology [7][15] - Amazon's capex is reported at $200 billion, with other tech giants like Meta and Google also investing heavily, showcasing confidence in AI's potential [15][16] - The CEO emphasized the importance of understanding where these companies are allocating their AI investments, particularly in data centers and energy, which are critical for future growth [8][17] Company-Specific Strategies - Palantir is recognized for its government contracts and expansion into healthcare, positioning it as a key player in the AI space [12][13] - Nvidia is highlighted as a crucial provider of computing power for AI infrastructure, reinforcing its role as a "pickaxe" company in the AI boom [20] - Amazon's strategy includes leveraging its cloud services (AWS) to assist enterprises in navigating AI implementation, further solidifying its market position [17][19]

Big Tech is on a spending spree, forecast to drop a staggering $650 billion on artificial intelligence (AI) in 2026 alone—and that’s just for Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon. The companies are ramping up their investment in an increasingly competitive, high-stakes arms race, pouring hundreds of billions into massive data centers and semiconductors, in hopes of establishing a long-term strategic advantage in their quest to dominate the future of technology. Most Read from Fast Company With all four ...

Group 1: Microsoft - Microsoft's free cash flow (FCF) remains the most resilient among the Big 5 hyperscalers, projected at approximately 22%, while peers trend toward negative territory with FCF margins around 5% or lower [1][2] - The Big 5 hyperscalers are expected to spend nearly $700 billion in capital expenditures (capex) this year, reflecting a 65% year-over-year increase [1] - Despite strong FCF, Azure growth is stagnating in the high-30% range, with 365 Commercial Cloud growth at about 14%, while competitors are gaining market share [3] Group 2: Amazon - Amazon's fourth-quarter 2025 results were solid, with $213.4 billion in revenue and $24.98 billion in operating income, slightly above expectations, but the stock dropped about 11% due to lower-than-expected operating income guidance and increased capex for 2026 [4][5] - The backlog for Amazon Web Services (AWS) rose 22% sequentially to $244 billion, indicating strong demand, alongside continued retail momentum and robust advertising performance [5] - Amazon's guidance for first-quarter operating income of $16.5 billion–$21.5 billion is about 15% below consensus at the midpoint, influenced by higher costs related to Amazon Leo and international investments [6]

Core Viewpoint - Amazon's stock experienced a nearly 10% drop following a slight profit miss and higher-than-expected capital expenditures guidance, despite a positive Q4 earnings report [1]. Group 1: Financial Performance - Amazon plans to spend approximately $200 billion in 2023, primarily on AI infrastructure, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations of around $146 billion [1]. - Amazon Web Services (AWS) generated $35.58 billion in revenue for Q4, surpassing estimates and indicating that the company's investments are yielding returns [4]. - The company's advertising business reported $21.32 billion in revenue for Q4, contributing to its overall financial strength [6]. Group 2: Market Position and Valuation - Amazon's stock is currently down nearly 20% from its year-to-date high, with its relative strength index (RSI) indicating deeply oversold conditions [2]. - Despite a 40% year-on-year increase in AWS backlog to $244 billion, Amazon shares are trading at less than 30 times forward earnings, making them relatively inexpensive compared to other major tech companies [7]. - Analysts suggest that Amazon has the potential to expand its cloud capacity more than its competitors in the next two years, enhancing its attractiveness as a long-term investment [5]. Group 3: Investor Sentiment - Wall Street remains bullish on Amazon shares following the Q4 earnings report, indicating continued confidence in the company's future performance [8].

Core Viewpoint - Amazon's investment in Anthropic has significantly increased in value, indicating a potentially lucrative strategic technology investment for the company [1][2]. Investment Details - Amazon holds $45.8 billion in convertible notes and $14.8 billion in nonvoting preferred stock in Anthropic, totaling a stake worth $60.6 billion [1][8]. - The company has invested $8 billion in Anthropic since late 2023, resulting in a seven-fold increase in value [2]. - Anthropic's recent funding rounds have raised its valuation from $61.5 billion in March to $183 billion in September, with discussions for a new round potentially pushing it to $350 billion [3]. Financial Impact - Amazon's convertible notes convert to preferred stock as Anthropic raises additional capital, allowing Amazon to gain valuable stock with each funding round [7]. - In 2025, conversions generated approximately $5.6 billion in recognized gains for Amazon, with an additional $7.2 billion upward adjustment to "other income" in Q3 due to Anthropic's valuation increase [7]. - The value of Amazon's Anthropic stake rose from $38.5 billion in Q3 to $60.6 billion in Q4, with expectations of a further $15 billion gain in Q1 as some notes convert to nonvoting preferred stock [8]. Valuation Methodology - Amazon's valuations of its Anthropic stake are based on "significant judgment" and classified as "Level 3" assets, relying on unobservable inputs rather than market prices [9]. - This classification is typical for startup investments, which lack regularly traded securities on liquid public markets [9].

Group 1 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 50,000 points for the first time, gaining over 1,000 points in a single day, which is an increase of more than 2.2% [1] Group 2 - Chip stocks experienced a surge due to expectations of increased spending on AI data centers by Amazon and Alphabet, with shares of Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom rising by more than 7% [2] - Amazon's stock fell nearly 7% after announcing a plan to increase capital expenditures by over 50% this year in response to the AI race, following a similar announcement from Alphabet [2]

US stocks rebounded on Friday from a weeklong tech bruising as Wall Street reassessed worries about the impact of AI disruption and the risks of hefty Big Tech spending. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) led the way higher, surging by about 2.5%, or more than 1,200 points, to climb ahead of the 50,000 level for the first time. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 2% in its best session since May of last year. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) added about 2.1%, as the indexes bounced back from Thursday's sharp closi ...

Amazon's (AMZN) stock came under pressure after the company released its fourth-quarter earnings, sliding more than 11% in pre-market trading. While Amazon’s Q4 results were mixed, they were not disastrous. The real reason for the selloff was Amazon’s announcement that capital expenditures (capex) will rise sharply in 2026. Management revealed that Amazon expects to invest roughly $200 billion in capex through 2026, with the bulk of that spending directed toward Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud compu ...

Core Insights - The four hyperCAPEX companies spent $128 billion on CAPEX in Q4, marking a 12% increase from Q3 and a 65% increase year-over-year [1] - Corporate CAPEX in Q4 reached $40.47 billion, up 12% from Q3 and 61% from the previous year, with total CAPEX for 2025 at $134.74 billion [4] - AWS CAPEX for Q4 was $31.7 billion, representing 78% of Amazon's overall CAPEX, and increased by 12% from Q3 and 55% year-over-year [4] - AWS's total CAPEX for 2025 was $96.5 billion, accounting for 68% of Amazon's overall CAPEX spend [4] - Amazon plans to invest approximately $200 billion in capital expenditures, primarily in AWS, due to high demand [5] - In 2025, AWS added more data center capacity than any other company globally [5] - Over the last twelve months, AWS added 3.99 gigawatts of power, which is double the capacity added in 2022 [7] - AWS expects to double its power capacity again by 2027, having added 1.2 gigawatts in Q4 alone [7] - The operating cash flow for 2025 is projected at $139.5 billion, with a CAPEX forecast of $200 billion for 2026 [8]

Amazon sales surged 14% during the fourth quarter, helped by strong holiday spending and a better-than-expected growth in its prominent cloud computing unit.But shares fell 11% in after hours trading ... ...