Michael Burry bets against Nvidia and Palantir; portfolio manager says 'valuations are ridiculous'

Core Viewpoint - Michael Bur, a hedge fund manager known for predicting the 2007 financial crisis, has expressed skepticism about the current AI market valuations, particularly for Nvidia and Palantir, by purchasing put options on their shares [1][2]. Company Insights - Michael Bur has made a significant bet by buying put options on 1 million shares of Nvidia, valued at approximately $187 million, and 5 million shares of Palantir, which equates to about $1 billion [2]. - Bur highlighted a concerning trend in cloud revenue growth for major tech companies like Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft, which saw returns of 36%, 45%, and 22% from 2018 to 2022, but have since experienced significantly lower growth [4][3]. - Palantir's recent performance has been strong, beating expectations for Q4, yet its shares fell over 8% in pre-market trading due to high valuations [8][9]. - The CEO of Palantir, Alex Karp, defended the company's valuation, arguing that its growth rate is unprecedented for a company of its size, despite analysts suggesting that its stock price is too high compared to larger tech competitors [10][11]. - Palantir has secured significant contracts with government entities, including the IRS and military, as well as commercial clients, leveraging its data integration capabilities to provide valuable insights [13][16]. Industry Commentary - Executives from major asset management firms, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have indicated that current market valuations are excessively high, suggesting a potential market correction of 10-15% could be healthy [7][8]. - The overall sentiment among analysts is cautious, with many suggesting that the recent market run-up has led to unsustainable valuations, particularly in the tech sector [8][9].