The price of Bitcoin (^BTCUSD) fell by more than -3% to a 3-week low, ahead of the expiration of monthly options. More than $17 billion in notional open interest tied to Bitcoin is set to expire on Friday, according to derivatives exchange Deribit.Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid signaled the Fed may not need to lower interest rates again soon and said the current stance of Fed policy is “slightly restrictive, which I think is the right place to be as inflation remains too high while the labor market, ...

Market on close. The shares of IBM have hit two-month highs after the results of a trial with HSBC that showed quantum computing could boost bond trading efficiency by 34%. HSBC group's head of quantum technologies said quote, "We have great confidence we are on the cusp of a new frontier of computing in financial services." So, some big news for IBM today.That's made them the focus of our options corner. So, I'd like to welcome into the conversation Rick Dukat. Joining us here in studio, our lead market te ...

Core Viewpoint - The banking giant has demonstrated that its technology enhances the performance of its algorithmic bond trading [1] Group 1 - The company claims improvements in its algorithmic bond dealing due to technological advancements [1]

Core Insights - HSBC has achieved a significant breakthrough in quantum computing, reporting a 34% improvement in predicting bond trade prices using IBM's quantum processor [1] - The head of quantum technologies at HSBC describes this development as a potential "Sputnik moment" for the field of quantum computing [2] Research and Development Phase - Quantum computing is still largely in the research phase, with significant technological barriers to overcome before commercial deployment can occur [3][5] - The complexity and cost of quantum computing technology are substantial, requiring advanced setups and extremely low temperatures to operate effectively [4][5] Commercial Viability - The commercial deployment of quantum computing remains many years away, with current achievements needing to be proven as repeatable, scalable, and affordable [4][5] - The timeline for practical applications of quantum computing is uncertain, with predictions ranging from one to ten years being highly speculative [8] Geopolitical Context - The race for advancements in quantum computing is seen as a competition between the US and China, with both nations investing heavily in research [10][11] - Despite China's strategic focus on quantum computing, there are currently no deployable solutions in the market, indicating that the technology is still in the research phase globally [11][12]

Core Viewpoint - The current market shows signs of excessive speculation, particularly in stocks that lack profitability, prompting a reassessment of investment strategies [2][24][33] Group 1: Market Valuation and Speculative Stocks - Fed Chairman Jay Powell indicated that equity prices are "fairly highly valued," raising concerns about the sustainability of speculative stocks [3][24] - The S&P 500 is trading at approximately 25 times this year's earnings and 22 times next year's earnings, which is on the higher side but not excessively expensive given the expected earnings growth [5][6] - A significant number of speculative stocks have rallied dramatically, with only a small fraction being profitable; a recent screen identified 55 stocks that rose at least 50% in September, with only six being profitable [17][24] Group 2: Specific Stock Examples - Energy Fuels, a uranium company, has seen its stock rise over 215% this year despite ongoing losses, raising questions about its valuation [11][12] - Ollo, another nuclear stock, has surged 518% for the year, driven by positive headlines, but it lacks revenue, indicating speculative behavior [13][14] - AS Space Mobile, a satellite broadband company, is up 158% this year but continues to lose money, highlighting the risks associated with speculative investments [15][16] Group 3: Investment Strategy Adjustments - The company will adopt a more cautious approach towards speculative stocks, emphasizing the need for wise speculation and risk management [9][24] - The recommendation of holding one speculative stock per portfolio remains, but there will be a stronger emphasis on evaluating the risks associated with such investments [24][25] - The focus will shift towards identifying non-speculative stocks with solid fundamentals as potential investment opportunities [34]

Core Insights - HSBC, Europe's largest bank, has reported promising results from a trial use of quantum computers to assist in bond trading, marking a significant early benefit for a major financial institution in this technology [1] Company Summary - HSBC is exploring the application of quantum computing in financial services, specifically in bond trading, which could enhance trading efficiency and decision-making processes [1] Industry Summary - The use of quantum computing in finance is still in its early stages, but HSBC's positive trial results may indicate a shift towards integrating advanced technologies in trading practices within the financial industry [1]

Group 1 - AI companies will require $2 trillion in combined annual revenue by 2030 to fund necessary computing power, but are projected to fall $800 billion short [2] - The demand for computing capacity and energy is increasing rapidly due to the popularity of AI services like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, but revenue generation is lagging behind [3] - Major tech firms, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, are expected to increase their combined annual AI spending to over $500 billion by the early next decade [5] Group 2 - Global incremental AI computing requirements could reach 200 gigawatts by 2030, with the US expected to account for half of that demand [6] - Leading AI companies are investing significantly in product development, with up to 10% of tech spending allocated to building core AI capabilities over the next three to five years [7] - Bain anticipates growth in quantum computing, predicting it could unlock $250 billion in market value across various industries [8] Group 3 - Humanoid robots are gaining investment and becoming more common, but their deployment is still in early stages and relies heavily on human supervision [9] - The commercial success of humanoid robots will depend on the readiness of the ecosystem, with early adopters likely to lead the industry [9]

Market Performance - All four major indices posted solid gains, with the Nasdaq Composite leading at almost 2.25% increase [2] - Small cap stocks also performed well, as the Russell 2000 added just under 2.2% [2] - The S&P 500 gained nearly 1.25%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up just over 1% [2] Economic Outlook - Markets are anticipating two more rate cuts from the Fed this year, one in October and another in December [3] - The upcoming economic data will be closely scrutinized, particularly the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, which is the Fed's preferred inflation gauge [4][3] IPO Market - The IPO market is showing strength, with many companies being oversubscribed, indicating strong investor interest [5] - There is currently $7.7 trillion in money market funds, suggesting significant capital remains on the sidelines, which could benefit upcoming IPOs [5] Company News - Pfizer is in talks to acquire Metsera for $4.9 billion, focusing on weight loss products [6] - Saks is negotiating to sell a 49% stake to Bergdorf Goodman for $1 billion [6] - Oracle will participate in the consortium purchasing TikTok, responsible for security post-acquisition [6] - Micron Technology is set to report earnings soon, with Costco also scheduled to release earnings later in the week [6] - FactSet estimates earnings growth of nearly 8% for the third quarter, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of growth [6] Commodity Market - Gold has reached a record high, with futures up over 1% to $3747 per ounce, driven by bond market volatility [8] - Investors are turning to gold and silver amid uncertainty in the bond market [8] Emerging Trends - Crypto assets, particularly Bitcoin and Ethereum, experienced significant selloffs but have recovered in premarket trading [9] - Quantum computing and nuclear power stocks have seen massive gains, attributed to growth in Artificial Intelligence [9]

Core Insights - Krown Technologies and Quantum eMotion have successfully developed the Qastle Quantum-Safe Hot Wallet, marking a significant advancement in securing cryptocurrencies against current cyber threats and future quantum computing risks [1][3]. Group 1: Product Development - The Qastle Wallet integrates QeM's patented ultrafast Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) technology with Krown's blockchain security architecture, ensuring the generation of strong cryptographic keys resistant to both classical and quantum attacks [2]. - The wallet employs post-quantum encryption protocols, providing enhanced protection for digital assets during real-time transactions [2]. Group 2: Market Context - The global crypto wallet market was valued at USD 3.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 33.6 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 30% [5]. - Hot wallets represent over half of this market, with revenues expected to grow from USD 1.5 billion in 2024 to over USD 5 billion by 2033, highlighting a significant opportunity for secure, quantum-safe solutions [5][6]. Group 3: Industry Challenges - Current blockchain networks rely on public key cryptography, which is vulnerable to quantum computing threats, necessitating a shift to quantum-safe encryption and true entropy generation to protect digital assets [4]. - Analysts warn of potential "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, where encrypted data is captured today for future decryption when quantum computers become powerful enough [4].

Group 1 - Quantum computing and frontier computing technologies have gained significant attention from investors recently [1] - The author has not made direct investments in quantum computing due to a lack of personal investment [1] Group 2 - The article expresses personal opinions and does not provide any investment recommendations or advice [2] - The views presented may not reflect those of the broader platform, Seeking Alpha [2]