DHUnplugged #696: Bloom Fade

All of a sudden - mood swing

The bloom is off the Rate-Cut-Rose

Leaking Data - Another breach

More AI - lots of $$ committed to this...

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Warm Up

- All of a sudden - mood swing

- Bloom is off the Rate Cut Rose

- Leaking Data - Another breach

- More AI - lots of $$ committed to this...

Market Update

- Oil prices moving through key resistance

- Apple back to Oct 2023 support -watch out below?

- Gold/Silver Soaring - into higher rates and higher USD???

- Oil on the rise

CTP for Rumble Update

- Marcus G - In the top spot right now....

- - Thatch House dude

HCD: Donations - Need a new Shirt Prize and Design - Plus Contracted Devs prices inflation.

 Analyzing Apple's Chart

- Key levels of support

- Down-trend

Apple Chart

Powell on Good Friday

- PCE report (on day the markets are closed for Good Friday)

-- Showed 2.8% YoY and 0.3% MoM

- Powell tried to talk down market expectations for rate cuts like several other recent speakers

- - Market still hoping for MAYBE 3 - but it looks like June is off the table.

Stronger Economy than Thought

- ISM comes in above 50 for the first time in nearly 18 months

- Economic strength + good employment + Inflation = Rate CUT?????

- Market is finally getting the hint

--- 10-Yr rate spiked to 4.38% today

ISM Chart

Global Economic Trends

- China finally saw its manufacturing number gain some traction last month

--- China's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in 13 months in March, with business confidence hitting an 11-month high, driven by growing new orders from customers at home and abroad, a private survey showed on Monday.

- South Korea - Sticky inflation (Consumer prices advanced 3.1% in March from a year earlier)

USA Strong

Commodities on the rise

- Cocoa futures for May delivery were up 3.9% at $10,030 per metric ton, marking the first time the commodity breaks above the $10,000 mark. Cocoa has been on a tear this year, soaring nearly 39%.

- Ivory Coast, the biggest coca producer in the world, is facing hotter-than-normal temperatures — which have led to dryer-than-usual conditions and crop yields.

TSLA

- Q1 deliveries declined by 8.5% yr/yr to 433,000, representing TSLA's first yr/yr decline since the pandemic-impacted year of 2020. Importantly, that decrease is partly due to extraordinary events that were out of TSLA's control.

-- Berlin fire factory shutdown, Red Sea passage issues etch.

- Competition in China is really heating up and cost of EVs from many Chinese manufacturers are much lower.

M&A - Amazon

- Amazon.com Inc. says it’s investing an additional $2.75 billion into Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup.

- The infusion brings Amazon’s total investment in the company, a well-regarded builder of so-called generative AI tools able to generate text and analysis, to $4 billion, following an earlier investment announced in September.

-  As part of that deal, Amazon had the right to contribute the additional funds in the form of a convertible note, provided it did so before the end of March.

AI NEWS

- Microsoft and OpenAI are in discussions regarding Stargate, a new AI super-computer data center project to be headquartered in the U.S. may cost over $115 billion and is planned for launch in 2028.

- $$$$$$115 BILLION

- That is like 115,000 $1,000,000 homes....

- Stargate’s power requirements, estimated to be several gigawatts (5) may require Microsoft and OpenAI to explore alternative power sources, like nuclear power. Enough to power 3,750,000 for a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

----- Hoover Dam X2

Meanwhile

- Microsoft will sell its chat and video app Teams s...