David Fuller and Eoin Treacy's Comment of the Day
Category - General

    Morgan Stanley Sees Dojo Boosting Tesla's Value by $500 Billion

    Morgan Stanley Sees Dojo Boosting Tesla’s Value by $500 Billion 

    The supercomputer, designed to handle massive amounts of data in training driving systems, may put Tesla at “an asymmetric advantage” in a market potentially worth $10 trillion, said Jonas, and could make software and services the biggest value driver for Tesla from here onward. 

    The next version of Tesla’s full self-driving system, expected by year-end, and the company’s potential Artificial Intelligence Day in 2024 are worth watching, he added. Tesla has not formally announced an AI Day for next year. 

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    Lithium Americas Surges on Reports It Has Lithium-Rich Deposit

    This note may be of interest. Here is a section: 

    Lithium Americas shares rise more than 6%, one of the leading gains on the S&P/TSX Composite index, after research and media reports suggest that the company’s Thacker Pass project is located on a US lithium deposit that could be among the largest in the world.

    Lithium reserves in the McDermitt Caldera, located along the Nevada-Oregon border, could contain between 20 and 40 million metric tons of the metal, according to findings from Lithium Americas volcanologists and geologists in an Aug. 31 research report.

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    'Irrational Exuberance' Driving India Mid-Caps, Strategist Says

    This article from Bloomberg may be of interest. Here is a section: 

    Prasad said he is dropping his recommended mid-cap portfolio as he has “largely run out of options” in trying to pick stocks that offer further upside potential. His view echoes sentiment from JPMorgan Chase & Co., whose India strategist Sanjay Mookim told Bloomberg earlier this month that the outperformance of smaller companies is in “extreme territory”.

    In contrast, HSBC Securities Strategist Amit Sachdeva last week said that the rally in Indian mid-cap stocks had only progressed about half way, based on past cycles. And Goldman Sachs Group Inc. notes that mid-caps are becoming more popular with investors in Indian stocks, showing confidence in the market even despite concerns over high valuations.

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    Blackstone Says Private Credit Is Coming for Asset Based Debt

    This interview of Blackstone’s co-head of asset-based finance maybe of interest. Here is a section:

    As the cost of private capital is higher and there’s just less of it around, will consumers end up struggling?

    Something that deserves acknowledgment is how smooth this volatility has been for consumers. In 1994, when interest rates spiked, there was a lack of credit that made the Fed cut rates by July of ’95. This year, we’ve had both bank failures and rapid interest rate increases. And now we are seeing a symbiotic relationship between banks and private credit, where lending gaps are being filled instantaneously.

    From my perspective, it’s been remarkable that we haven’t had a larger contraction of credit at the consumer level. That’s probably one of the things encouraging a lot of people to change their calls to a soft landing – if credit was unavailable and with the consumer being two-thirds of the economy, we might have a different outcome. 

    The volatility of the asset backed securities markets this year and last year also contributed to more companies turning to private lenders. But is the trend here to stay?

    The public ABS market is a great option for originators to distribute risk and raise capital. But we are talking with companies and banks who use ABS about how to diversify their funding models. We’ve bought loans from these firms, be it consumer or other types of loans, when the securitization markets were active. 

    The volatility in the ABS market last year reinforced what we’ve supported for a long time: The importance of having a diversity of funding sources such as securitization, forward flow and balance sheet. Partnering with private credit managers that can provide capital from longer-dated insurance liabilities is a great way to achieve this, where there isn’t the dynamic of demand deposits that can disappear overnight. We believe that every originator should be thinking this way.

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    Huawei Debuts Even More Powerful Phone as Controversy Swirls

    This article may be of interest. Here is a section:

    The Pro+ similarly emerged without the typical marketing and fanfare surrounding a major product launch. A brief teaser video posted to Huawei’s Weibo account showcased a device very similar to its lesser cousin, with the same outsized back-camera array.

    The new devices have spurred an outpouring of nationalist sentiment on Chinese social media and were picked up by domestic news outlets that touted Huawei’s advances as a victory against sanctions.

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    Inditex's Momentum Makes It Sector Outperformer

    This note from the Dow Jones may be of interest.

    Inditex has entered the second quarter with momentum and strong execution, and that should have continued throughout the quarter, making it comfortably the most consistent outperformer of the sector over this period, analysts at UBS say in a note. The Spanish fashion retailer's business model inspires confidence, and there is further upside in the shares to be expected, according to the analysts. In this context, the second quarter should again show that the company stands out among peers, the analysts say. Its differentiated sourcing model and focus on full-price sales should ensure stable gross margins, they add.

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    China's Commodities Imports Surge as Coal Hits All-Time High

    This article may be of interest. Here is a section:

    “With inventories relatively low, the prospects of further stimulus measures triggered restocking across commodities, which should keep demand strong in the short term,” ANZ Group Holdings Ltd. said in a note after Chinese customs released its latest trade figures on Thursday.

    Still, the country’s recovery from the pandemic has fallen well short of expectations and confidence among households and businesses is fragile. Deflationary pressures in the economy and a weaker currency have added to the headwinds faced by importers, although fears that the yuan will slide further may have motivated some to front-load purchases.

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