HTSC·2025-12-24 07:01Report Industry Investment Rating The provided content does not mention the report industry investment rating Core Viewpoints of the Report - Concerns about local AI bubbles still occasionally disrupt the market, with the core contradiction lying in the investment side. The report examines the sustainability of AI investment from three perspectives: default risk, return on investment, and the macro - environment. Overall, the AI investment in the industry is accelerating, and the AI technology narrative is strengthening, but there may be fluctuations in expectations and valuations due to uncertainties in the supply and demand sides [2] - From the perspective of default risk, the credit risk concerns of AI are only present in a few new cloud providers, and the probability of actual default is low. Leading technology companies are operating stably [2] - In terms of return on investment, in the current environment of short - supply of computing power, the return on investment of a single data center is relatively high, but the core pain point lies in whether the application side can generate revenues several times the capital expenditure to ensure investment sustainability [2] - Regarding the macro - environment, the leverage ratio of the US private sector is healthy, the liquidity is generally loose, and the credit environment is gradually improving, lacking the macro - foundation to burst the bubble [2] Summary by Relevant Catalogs 1. Market Condition Assessment - Domestic: High - frequency data shows that external demand remains resilient, prices are generally falling, domestic demand needs to be restored, and the production side is showing a differentiated trend. Consumption, real estate, and production indicators all have their own characteristics. For example, real - estate transaction heat has slightly recovered, but overall, new and second - hand housing is weak [50] - Overseas: Last week, US employment data was mixed, inflation was lower than expected. The Bank of Japan raised interest rates dovishly as expected, the Bank of England cut interest rates, and the European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged [4][51] 2. Three Perspectives on US AI Investment Default Risk - New Cloud Providers: New cloud providers such as Oracle and CoreWeave have large negative free cash flows, rely heavily on external financing, and face challenges in covering large - scale capital expenditures with existing revenues. However, the probability of actual default is relatively low. For example, Oracle's free cash flow in the second fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2026 was - $10 billion, and its capital expenditure was $12 billion [8][10] - Super Cloud Providers: Super cloud providers have relatively limited credit risks, with most of their capital expenditure to operating cash flow ratios below 1. They mainly rely on their own cash flows for investment, and AI technology applications can improve their existing businesses [16] Return on Investment - Micro - level: A fully - loaded AI data center has a relatively high return on investment, and the pay - back period is estimated to be about 2 - 4 years. For example, an 8 - card H100 chip server can generate an annual income of about $300,000, and the pay - back period is about 2 years [25] - Macro - level: To ensure the sustainability of the $5 trillion in total AI capital expenditure from 2025 - 2030, the application side may need to generate incremental revenues of over $10 trillion, which means the AI technological revolution may need to have a greater economic impact than previous technological revolutions [28] Macro and Credit Environment - The US is in the early stage of a credit expansion cycle. The corporate leverage ratio is at a low level, monetary easing is being transmitted, and the overall credit environment is improving. However, attention should be paid to vulnerable points such as the private credit market [31][40] 3. Allocation Recommendations - Large - scale Assets: With the resolution of external uncertainties, the market risk appetite is gradually recovering. Overseas markets expect a Christmas rally, and domestic investors' sentiment is slightly warming. It is recommended to deploy for the spring market on dips [5] - Domestic Bond Market: Interest rates at the short - end are stable, there are opportunities in the medium - term, and the long - end is cautious but with an upper limit. It is advisable to focus on certificates of deposit, short - duration credit bonds, and interest - rate bonds within 5 - 7 years [46] - Domestic Stock Market: The view on the spring market is still positive, but expectations for the rhythm and space are weakened. It is recommended to deploy on dips and pay attention to sectors such as the deepening of the AI chain, export - oriented stocks, precious metals, and resource products [48] - US Treasury Bonds: In the short - term, US Treasury bonds maintain a certain probability of success, showing a narrow - range oscillation pattern. In the long - term, the yield curve may continue to steepen. It is recommended to conduct band operations [48] - US Stocks: AI investment continues to accelerate, and the demand side remains strong. Upstream industrial commodities, energy and power, and hardware are the most directly beneficial areas. However, there are risks of supply falling short of expectations and potential valuation corrections [49] - Commodities: Gold's short - term upward momentum is strong, and it is recommended to follow the trend while setting stop - loss levels. The long - term upward trend of copper prices remains unchanged, and it is recommended to deploy during adjustments. The upward space of oil prices is limited, and attention should be paid to incremental policies for black - series commodities [49] 4. Follow - up Concerns - Domestic: The 4th regular press conference of the Ministry of Commerce in December, China's official manufacturing PMI for December, and China's RatingDog manufacturing PMI for December [67] - Overseas: US initial jobless claims for the week ending December 20, Japan's unemployment rate in November, US pending home sales index monthly rate in November, US Dallas Fed business activity index in December, US FHFA house price index monthly rate in October, US Chicago PMI in December, and US initial jobless claims for the week ending December 27 [67]