Benzinga·2025-11-21 13:39Core Insights - For the first time in two decades, a majority of fund managers believe companies are overinvesting, with a net 20% indicating this sentiment in the Bank of America Global Fund Manager Survey [1][2] Investment Trends - The surge in belief of overinvestment is attributed to the AI spending boom, where companies are investing billions into data centers, GPUs, and AI infrastructure [2] - Fund managers managing $550 billion in assets are starting to view the current level of spending as excessive [2] Historical Context - Historically, post-financial crisis, fund managers expressed concerns about corporations being too conservative and hoarding cash [3] - The current survey indicates growing skepticism regarding the scale and financing of AI-driven capital expenditures, with concerns about excessive borrowing [3] Market Reactions - Despite the survey results, markets initially showed little reaction, but subsequent volatility was observed, with the Nasdaq down 2.2% and the S&P 500 down 1.6% [4][5] - The decline in tech stocks was driven by fears that the scale of AI investment may be unsustainable, rather than specific earnings reports [5] Future Projections - BCA Research strategist Peter Berezin warned that hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet could hold over $2.5 trillion in AI-related assets by 2030, leading to significant annual depreciation expenses [6] - With typical depreciation rates around 20%, this could result in $500 billion in annual depreciation, potentially exceeding the companies' projected profits for 2025 [6]