Applied Materials IncApplied Materials set to open lower despite beating estimates as investors question AI spending returns.
Robinhood Markets CIO Stephanie Guild says the artificial intelligence boom may keep driving stocks to fresh records, but its enormous appetite for capital is creating a new threat to the rally: a 10-year Treasury yield above 5%. Speaking to Bloomberg on Friday, Guild said the largest technology companies are funding an expansion of intelligence that is accelerating the market while competing with Washington for increasingly expensive capital. She argued that investors still aren't fully buying into the AI spending boom, noting earnings growth expectations for 2026 have doubled while the S&P 500's valuation multiple has fallen and expectations for 2027 have barely moved. Guild pointed to Applied Materials as an example, saying the chip-equipment maker was set to open lower Friday despite beating Wall Street estimates as investors continued to question whether enormous AI capital spending will generate sufficient returns. She said that skepticism allows the market to continue to rip, but warned that competition for capital is one reason Treasury yields are rising, with Thursday's 30-year auction clearing at the highest yield since 2001 despite solid demand. Guild said one of the big risks is that you could see the 10-year going beyond 5%, which may keep valuations lower and slow how quickly the AI buildout can happen. She compared the recent Situational Awareness blowup to Long-Term Capital Management in 1998, describing that episode as a market-clearing washout rather than an omen of worse to come, and noted stocks climbed another 35% after LTCM before the dot-com bust arrived. Guild expects the modern cycle to move much faster, with parabolic moves and speed crashes, and said everyday investors may need to get more used to higher volatility.
Applied Materials IncApplied Materials set to open lower despite beating estimates as investors question AI spending returns.
Robinhood Markets IncRising Treasury yields are highlighted as a key risk, implying upward pressure on yields.