Industry Investment Rating - The report highlights a significant pivot in venture funding from blockchain protocols to AI start-ups, with blockchain funding down 75% while AI funding has doubled from 2022 lows [6][7] Core Report Insights - Bitcoin's price is 6% below its 2021 high and 15% below its all-time high, yet venture funding for blockchain protocols has dropped by 75% [6] - AI start-up funding now constitutes over 40% of all venture/growth funding, indicating a strong shift in investor focus [8] - AI funding has a stronger correlation to Bitcoin prices than blockchain funding, a trend only seen once before in 2020 [8] Blockchain Industry Analysis - Blockchain faces challenges with product-market fit and user engagement, with venture-backed investments unlikely to return significant funds compared to previous cycles [2] - Institutional interest in blockchain, driven by ETFs and the recent halving, has supported prices but not on-chain activity levels [6] AI Industry Analysis - AI start-ups have seen better adoption statistics compared to blockchain, but exit challenges remain in the private market [7] - AI funding has surged, with deal flow dominating other verticals, including blockchain-focused companies [8] Crypto Mining to AI Data Center Conversion - There is a growing opportunity for Bitcoin miners to convert mining facilities into AI data centers, with potential valuations up to $10/watt for powered shell conversions [11] - The conversion of a 150 MW crypto facility to an AI data center could yield significant financial benefits, with an indicative enterprise value of $411 million [13] Venture Funding Trends - Venture funding for AI start-ups has doubled from 2022 lows, aligning with the stock performance of key listed AI companies [7] - AI funding now makes up over 40% of all venture/growth funding, significantly outpacing other sectors [8] Market Performance and Correlations - AI funding shows a stronger correlation to Bitcoin prices than blockchain funding, a trend not seen since 2020 [8] - The report includes detailed correlation data between Bitcoin prices and AI/ML capital invested from 2014 to 2024 [9] Largest Deals and Funding Rounds - The report lists significant VC and PE deals, including Grafana Labs' $328 million 6th round and Borealis Biosciences' $150 million 1st round [17][18] - Notable AI-related deals include Story Protocol's $83 million 3rd round and Slingshot AI's $30 million 2nd round [17]

Investment Rating - The report indicates a positive outlook for the U.S. economy, with expectations of a 50 basis point rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September, contingent on upcoming employment data [7][8]. Core Insights - The U.S. economy is showing signs of robust consumer spending, with real consumer spending increasing by 0.4% in July and an upward revision of 2Q GDP growth to 3.0% from 2.8% [3][4]. - Business spending remains cautious, with nominal shipments of nondefense capital goods declining for three consecutive months, indicating a potential slowdown in business investment [4][5]. - The core PCE price index, the Fed's preferred inflation measure, rose only 0.16% month-over-month in July, suggesting moderating inflation risks [2][9]. - The personal saving rate has dropped to 2.9%, nearing post-COVID lows, raising concerns about future consumer spending sustainability [9][11]. - The labor market shows signs of cooling, with payroll gains expected to be modest at 150,000 for August, maintaining the unemployment rate at 4.3% [6][41]. Economic Growth and Consumer Spending - The report revises the 3Q GDP growth estimate to 1.5%, up from 1.3%, reflecting stronger consumer spending forecasts [3]. - Consumer confidence has improved slightly, with the Conference Board index rising to 103.3 in August from 101.9 in July [11][50]. Business Investment and Employment - Equipment spending forecast for 3Q has been raised to 5.0% from 1.0%, driven by strong aircraft shipments and capital goods imports [5]. - Business sentiment remains cautious, as indicated by downbeat regional Fed surveys, suggesting potential challenges ahead for business investment [4][6]. Housing Market - Housing data remains weak, with pending home sales declining 5.5% month-over-month in July, reaching an all-time low [11][60]. - The report anticipates a significant drop in real residential investment for 3Q, revised down to -10% from -5% [12]. Labor Market Dynamics - The labor market differential from the consumer confidence survey has decreased, indicating a growing perception of job scarcity [45]. - Job openings in the JOLTS report are expected to remain stable, with a slight increase anticipated for August [26][28]. Inflation and Consumer Behavior - The core PCE inflation rate remains above the Fed's target at 2.6% year-over-year, but recent trends suggest a moderation in inflationary pressures [2][61]. - The report highlights a disconnect between consumption and income growth, with real disposable income growth slowing [9][61]. Trade and International Factors - The nominal goods and services trade balance widened to -$80.1 billion in July, reflecting a significant increase in the goods deficit [23]. - The report notes that service imports may receive a boost from payments related to the Paris Olympics, impacting the trade balance [23].

Global Quantative & Derivatives Strategy August 27, 2024 This material is neither intended to be distributed to Mainland China investors nor to provide securities investment consultancy services within the territory of Mainland China. This material or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of J.P. Morgan China Equity Flow Monitor Xipu HanAC +852 2800 1029 xipu.han@jpmorgan.com Haoshun Liu +852 2800 7736 haoshun.liu@jpmorgan.com Data as of August 23, 2024 T ...

ab 26 August 2024 Global Research and Evidence Lab US Equity Strategy Earnings Brief 2Q24: August 26 NVDA (6.6% of S&P 500 market cap) reports earnings on Wednesday. EPS is expected to grow 137% (vs. 462% in 1Q24, and expectations of 76% in 3Q24). Reported earnings have beaten estimates for the past 5 quarters. 90.2% of the S&P 500's market cap has reported. 2Q expectations are for revenues to grow 5.1% and EPS by 11.3%. Growth among groups varies significantly, as shown in the table below (a blend of conse ...

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The report highlights significant changes in futures positions among various market participants, indicating a shift towards flattener positions in the back end and steepener positions in the front end [5][22][19] - There were notable inflows in equities, particularly from private investors, with Japan and the Caribbean being the top Treasury buyers in June [1] - Large commercial banks saw an increase in deposits and cash assets, while their holdings in UST/Agency and MBS also rose [42] Summary by Sections CFTC Non-Commercial Futures Positions - Non-commercials removed $20.6 billion in the front end and added $5.6 billion in the back end, resulting in a total of $26.2 billion of a flattener position [5][9] - The breakdown of front-end positions included SOFR (-$2.4 billion), TU (-$2.1 billion), and FV (-$2.1 billion) [9] Traders in Financial Futures - Asset managers put on $8.8 billion of a steepener position, increasing their net longs in FV contracts to the highest level in six months [2][16] - Leveraged funds added $9.0 billion of a steepener position, increasing their net shorts in TY contracts to the highest level in six months [2][19] Primary Dealer Positions - Dealers added $2.7 billion in the front end and $22.3 billion in the back end, resulting in a total of $19.6 billion of a flattener position [22][26] - Dealers decreased their net shorts in TY contracts to the lowest level in six months [26] Large Commercial Bank Positions - Deposits increased by $45.7 billion, and cash assets rose by $6.3 billion, with UST/Agency holdings increasing by $18.0 billion and MBS holdings by $16.4 billion [42] Foreign Central Bank Positions - Foreign Central Bank UST holdings decreased by $16.9 billion, while Agency/MBS holdings decreased by $0.4 billion [47]

ab 30 August 2024 Global Research and Evidence Lab APAC Economic Perspectives Asia by the Numbers (August 2024) Downgrading China's GDP growth forecast to 4.6% in '24 and 4.0% in '25 Despite new easing measures in July, China's property downturn has persisted. Given lingering inventory pressures, we downgraded our property market forecasts, and expect sales, new starts, and investments to continue falling in 2025, albeit at a slower rate. The weakness in property activities and prices has further weighed on ...

M Update Payments and Processing | North America August 26, 2024 12:39 PM GMT Stock Performance Review: V/ MA, PYPL, AFRM Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC James E Faucette Equity Analyst James.Faucette@morganstanley.com +1 212 296-5771 Shefali Tamaskar Research Associate Shefali.Tamaskar@morganstanley.com +1 212 761-4948 Meryl R Thomas, CFA Research Associate Meryl.Thomas@morganstanley.com +1 212 761-0774 Michael N Infante Equity Analyst Michael.Infante@morganstanley.com +1 212 761-4631 Antonio Jaramillo Research A ...

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Policy Research Working Paper 10900 Long-Term Growth Prospects in Peru Leveraging the Global Green Transition and the Reforms Needed to Become a High-Income Country Daniel Barco Bledi Celiku Paulo Chávez Arthur Mendes Steven Pennings Elena Resk Development Research Group & Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice September 2024 Public Disclosure Authorized Policy Research Working Paper 10900 Abstract This pape ...

\ WORLD BANK GROUP BHUTAN COUNTRY ECONOMIC MEMORANDUM Maximizing Bhutan's Potential for Economic Diversification and Structural Transformation Bhutan Country Economic Memorandum © 2024 The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The Wor ...

Investment Rating - The report does not provide a specific investment rating for the industry analyzed Core Insights - The study reveals that higher conflict exposure does not significantly impact firm profits, as it leads to reductions in both sales and total costs, indicating a decrease in overall economic activity despite stable profits [3][29] - The analysis utilizes longitudinal firm-level data from 91 countries between 2006 and 2019, focusing on the effects of conflict exposure on various firm outcomes [3][7] - The findings suggest that firms in countries with low-quality bureaucracy experience more pronounced negative effects from conflict exposure compared to those in countries with high-quality bureaucracy [9][29] Summary by Sections Introduction - The report highlights the prevalence of conflict and political violence affecting over 1.7 billion people globally, with significant economic activity continuing under such conditions [7] - It emphasizes the shift from macroeconomic to microeconomic analyses of conflict's effects on firms [7] Data - The primary data source is the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES), which includes information from approximately 180,000 firms across 148 countries, focusing on privately owned firms in the formal sector [12] - The study constructs a firm-specific measure of conflict exposure based on the number of political violence events within a 20 km radius of each firm's location [15] Empirical Strategy - The report employs a fixed-effects model to estimate the impact of conflict exposure on firm outcomes, including sales, total costs, and profits [20] - The identification strategy assumes that conflict events near a firm's location are uncorrelated with any latent determinants of its economic performance [20] Results - Increased conflict exposure leads to a significant reduction in median sales by 2.8% for a one-standard-deviation increase in conflict events [21] - Conflict exposure results in a significant reduction in total production costs, primarily due to diminished availability of inputs rather than lower input prices [22] - The null effect on profits indicates that firms adjust their production costs in response to reduced sales [23] Mechanisms - Conflict exposure reduces a firm's access to raw materials and intermediate inputs, particularly imported ones, leading to decreased output [31] - The analysis shows that conflict exposure results in a shift towards employing more unskilled workers, thereby reducing total labor costs [32]