This past week saw significant turbulence in financial markets, with major indexes losing momentum and breaking key moving averages. The overall downturn was attributed to two main factors: a resurgence of conflict in the Middle East and a profound re-evaluation within the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector.
**Broader Economy and Fed Speak**
Despite the market's struggles, underlying economic data from major banks presented a relatively stable picture. Banks like Bank of America reported healthy consumer spending, up five percent year-over-year, and stable credit quality with no notable increase in charge-offs or loan loss reserves. JPMorgan Chase echoed this sentiment, stating they observed no evidence of a "K-shaped economy" where high earners thrive while others struggle, suggesting broad economic stability. Investment banking divisions, notably Goldman Sachs' equities segment, saw spectacular performance, benefiting from increased IPO activity, frantic trading, and leveraged positions—a sign of exuberance in financial markets.
Federal Reserve communication initially maintained a hawkish tone, with Chairman Powell re-emphasizing price stability. More significantly, Governor Waller expressed openness to a July interest rate hike, contingent on a hot core inflation print. However, the release of core CPI data, which showed a surprisingly cold zero percent month-over-month increase, effectively eliminated the probability of a July hike. While the market still anticipates one more hike this year, likely by December, its timing will be data-dependent and potentially influenced by political considerations, such as avoiding a September hike before midterm elections.
**Two Punches to the Market**
1. **Resurgence of Middle Eastern Conflict:**
Geopolitical tensions escalated dramatically with the unexpected resurgence of conflict in the Middle East, specifically involving the US and Iran. This full-scale assault, following a previous ceasefire, raised concerns about global oil supply, especially given the US's depleted Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and ongoing refinery issues in Europe impacting refined products like diesel and jet fuel. Rising spot oil prices immediately reflected these fears. Experts even suggested US actions indicated preparations for a potential ground invasion, signaling a major escalation that could severely impact global markets and the economy.
2. **New Deep Seek Moment (AI Trade Tumble):**
The second, and arguably more impactful, market punch came from a significant tumble in the AI trade. After months of driving market gains, particularly visible in South Korea's Kospi index, the sector saw a sharp correction. This occurred despite broadly positive news from key players like SK Hynix, ASML, and TSMC regarding strong AI demand, suggesting that investors who wanted to buy had already done so, often with leverage. Reports indicated over a million Korean trading accounts might have faced margin calls.
The catalyst for this downturn was a "new deep seek moment": the announcement of Kimmy, an open-weight AI model from Chinese company Moonshot. Kimmy is reported to be comparable in performance to leading frontier models like Cloud and ChatGPT. This open-weight model directly challenges the business models and valuations of closed AI systems, which rely on subscription fees and proprietary control. Its availability allows companies to run advanced AI on their own hardware, addressing crucial concerns about data privacy, security, and potential geopolitical vulnerabilities associated with relying on American AI providers. While fundamentally bullish for global productivity by commoditizing advanced AI and flattening technological access worldwide, this development could reduce the "moat" of US tech leadership and potentially decrease demand for US-made AI chips from now less-profitable closed models.
Looking ahead, the market faces continued geopolitical uncertainties and less support from options-related activity, prompting a call for caution in the coming week.