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Palantir. Sounds like a Russian novel, doesn’t it? Except instead of angst and revolution, it’s data analysis. They started by helping governments spy on…well, everything. Now they’re trying to sell that same software to businesses. It’s like taking a tank to a tea party. Their commercial side is growing, though, faster than my Aunt Mildred’s bunions. But here’s the kicker: an analyst at RBC Capital thinks Palantir’s share price should be $50. Fifty dollars! That’s a 70% haircut for a stock currently trading at $171. It’s enough to make a grown man cry…or short the stock.

Last year, a shift. A murmur in the machine. Investors, perhaps weary of the obvious, turned a gaze toward AMD. A 77% rise, outstripping Nvidia’s 39%. A small rebellion, you might say. But is it a true turning, or merely a temporary eddy in the current?

I mean, Buffett always said stick to what you understand. Easy businesses. Value investing. And AI? AI is…complicated. And expensive. And frankly, a bit terrifying. My current understanding of AI extends to being repeatedly targeted by oddly specific ads for things I mentioned in passing to my sister. So, a foray into that world felt…uncharacteristic. Units of Cryptocurrency Lost: 12. Hours Spent Watching Charts: 9. Number of Panicked Texts to Friends: 24. All related to trying to understand what a “large language model” actually is.

One speaks, of course, of the semiconductor. These minuscule wafers, these slices of purified earth, are the very foundation upon which these digital minds are built. Without them, the algorithms remain but phantom thoughts, incapable of manifesting in the world. And those who control the flow of these essential components hold a sway that rivals kings of old. Investors, with a restlessness peculiar to their kind, flock to the familiar names – Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom – each a glittering beacon promising untold riches. But true discernment, it seems, lies in recognizing the less obvious forces at play.

I keep waiting for the inevitable correction, the moment everyone realizes that not every algorithm is going to solve world hunger. But the money keeps flowing. My colleague, Dave – a man who still prints out emails – is convinced we’re on the cusp of another dot-com boom. He’s started referring to server farms as “the new tulips.” I just nod and try to remember if I turned off the coffee maker.

And now, maybe, they’re making a move. A new website for Alexa+. It’s a gamble, alright. A direct shot across the bow of the OpenAI crowd. A chatbot war is brewing, and Amazon, predictably, has a lot of ammunition.

The five trillion mark was, indeed, breached. But like a half-remembered dream, the ascent proved fleeting. The valuation retreated, settling back into more…familiar territory. Still, one anticipates a return to those heights, perhaps in 2026. The market, after all, is a patient, if capricious, god.

Seaport Research Partners initiated a ‘Buy’ rating on Intel shares, accompanied by a price target of $65. This represents a potential increase of over 33% from current levels. The firm’s rationale centers on anticipated market share gains facilitated by Intel’s forthcoming Panther Lake processors, specifically within the corporate and consumer segments. Channel checks suggest a degree of optimism among PC manufacturers regarding the performance characteristics of these new products. However, the translation of manufacturer enthusiasm into sustained demand remains to be seen.

Julian Dumoulin-Smith of Jefferies, a gentleman whose pronouncements clearly carry weight – or, at least, a considerable number of decimal places – has revised his opinion of the stock. He now suggests selling, a recommendation delivered with the sort of decisive finality one usually reserves for bad poetry. One suspects he finds the stock lacking in… imagination.