Rockefeller's Ruchir Sharma: AI spending is driving U.S. markets and economy

AI's Impact on US Economy - AI spending alone accounts for 40% of US GDP growth this year, with second and third-order effects further boosting the economy [1] - 80% of the gains in the US stock market this year are attributed to AI plays [2] - The US bond market implicitly bets on a significant productivity miracle driven by AI, justifying current debt and deficit levels [4] Consumer Spending & Wealth Distribution - The top 10% of US households own nearly 90% of US stocks and drive the majority of consumer spending [2] - The top 10% of consumers have an unprecedented share of overall consumer spending in the US this year [2] Capital Flows & Dollar Weakness - The American stock market attracted nearly $300 billion in flows even in a tough second quarter [7] - Dollar weakness is attributed to hedging by foreign investors bringing capital into America, correcting for an overvalued dollar at the beginning of the year [6][7] Productivity & Future Expectations - US market implicitly bets on a 05%-1% increase in productivity due to increased AI adoption [11][12] - Productivity growth began picking up after the pandemic, with increased focus on cost efficiencies [11] Global Market Performance - Outside of the top seven stocks, European stocks have outperformed American stocks this decade [8] - The bet on AI needs to pay off for America, as the rest of the world has been outperforming [9]