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 $$ committed to this... PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm Up - All of a sudden - mood swing - Bloom is off the Rate Cut Rose - Leaking Data - Another breach - More AI - lots of $$ 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...