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Is the Risk-On Trade Breaking Down? | Macro Mondays: September 14, 2026

Real Vision: Finance & Investing

32m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode of Macro Mondays on Real Vision features hosts Michael Rosenwald and Andres Dano analyzing a tumultuous weekend marked by soaring oil prices, escalating Middle East tensions, and a surprising call from Anthropic CEO Dario Amade to slow down AI development. The hosts debate the motives behind Amade's warning—ranging from political hedging against Democrats to deflecting from competitive pressures and managing massive capital expenditure liabilities. They also discuss the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee meeting, where a rate hike is largely expected due to sticky core inflation, and examine how global markets are responding with unexpected resilience rather than outright panic.

  • Market participants should discount extreme predictions from AI executives because their stated timelines and promises have repeatedly failed to materialize. 4:18
  • Investors should watch for a potential Fed rate hike this week following core inflation prints above expectations. 15:54
  • The recent attack on the Yanpu pipeline in Saudi Arabia is driving up oil prices, with market impacts dependent on repair timelines. 18:54
  • The dollar has underperformed relative to traditional drivers like high bond yields and surging energy prices, indicating heavy speculative positioning. 26:06

Chapters

  1. 0:06
    Podcast Intro and Mood Setting

    Hosts greet listeners, describe a tense market mood and hint at upcoming topics.

  2. 0:37
    AI Executive Statements and Market Reaction

    Discussion of Dario Amade’s comments on AI timelines and how markets responded.

  3. 3:18
    Political and Economic Implications of AI Slowdown

    Exploring whether AI leaders are hedging political risk or reacting to capital constraints.

  4. 10:28
    Oil Market Dynamics and Pipeline Disruptions

    Examination of the Yanpu pipeline hit, its effect on oil prices, and broader geopolitical tensions.

  5. 11:07
    Hardware Trade Impact of Slower AI Frontier

    Analysis of how a deceleration in AI development could affect GPU demand and the broader hardware market.

  6. 22:31
    FOMC Meeting Outlook and Rate Hike Expectations

    Hosts predict the Fed’s actions, discuss forward guidance, and assess equity and currency impacts.

  7. 27:56
    Final Thoughts and Takeaways

    Hosts wrap up, advise listeners to focus on data, and promote Real Vision membership.

Highlights

  • 0:47

    Anthropic Warning Shocks Marketsstory

    Dario Amade of Anthropic wrote that the internet could end in six to twelve months, prompting software industry reactions and renewed calls to slow down AI development.

  • 3:18

    Vanilla Market Reactioninsight

    The market reaction to calls for slowing AI development was straightforward, offering temporary relief and ground recovery to beaten-down software-as-a-service names.

  • 4:18

    Failed AI Boss Predictionsinsight

    A review of AI leadership quotes since 2024 shows that tight deadlines and dramatic predictions, such as massive white-collar job losses, have consistently failed to come true.

  • 6:03

    Political Hedging Theoryinsight

    A primary theory suggests that AI executives are calling for regulation and slower pacing as a political hedge against potential Democratic administration policies.

  • 18:54

    Pipeline Damage Estimatesdata

    The Yanpu pipeline in Saudi Arabia was struck, causing supply disruptions and pushing oil prices higher as repairs are estimated to take several weeks.

  • 24:47

    Historical Hiking Season Impactdata

    Looking at historical Fed hiking seasons, equities experience manageable average drops of three to five percent rather than catastrophic collapses.

  • 26:06

    Dollar Underperformance Analysisinsight

    Despite high US bond yields and surging energy prices that usually strengthen the currency, the dollar has underperformed, suggesting crowded positioning.

Quotes

  • “I think the market reaction is pretty vanilla.”
    Unnamed speaker · 3:18
  • “Don't listen to a word of what these AI executives are telling you. They're all bullshitting, and they have so bad incentive structures that I'm almost puking.”
    Unnamed speaker · 29:55

About this episode

Andreas Steno and Mikkel Rosenvold are back to discuss several key macro signals that are potentially shifting all at once. They dig into the outlook for oil flows, whether a new hiking cycle is starting to emerge, and what it all means for the risk-on trade. Be sure to check out the Steno Nowcasting Dashboard for the latest signals on growth, inflation, and liquidity, only on Real Vision! 🔥 Get 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦 to Real Vision: https://rvtv.io/3YOZZUe Timestamps: 00:00 - Macro Mondays with Andreas Steno & Mikkel Rosenvold 00:07 - Are We F*cked? AI, Inflation, Oil, and Rate Hikes 02:25 - Dario Amodei’s AI Warning: Is the AI Boom About to Slow? 05:22 - Why AI CEOs May Be Hedging Political Risk Ahead of the IPOs 09:18 - Could the US Government End Up Backstopping the AI Buildout? 11:07 - Hardware vs Software: Who Loses If AI Development Slows? 15:23 - Fed Preview: Why a September Rate Hike Now Looks Likely 17:03 - Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Latest Oil Supply Shock 20:32 - Oil Above $100? Why Markets May Already Be Pricing the Worst 22:32 - What Kevin Warsh Could Signal After the Rate Hike 24:18 - What Usually Happens to Stocks After the Fed Starts Hiking? 25:39 - Why the Dollar Could Still Be the Trade to Fade 27:52 - Fed vs Global Central Banks: Why the US May Hike Less Than Everyone Else #macromondays #macro #mikkelrosenvold #andreassteno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
32:25

5,101 words · 3 speakers

Topics

  • Anthropic
  • FOMC
  • Europe
  • FOMC meeting
  • Nvidia
  • Iran war
  • Claude
  • China
  • OpenAI
  • Saudi Arabia

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