Fortune (January 4)
“As the artificial intelligence trade continues to push the stock market to new highs, investors are increasingly asking if we’re living through another financial bubble that’s destined to burst. The answer isn’t so simple” and the increased scrutiny AI is coming under may actually help prevent a crash.
Tags: Artificial intelligence, Crash, Financial bubble, Highs, Investors, Scrutiny, Stock market, Trade
New York Times (January 3)
“Researchers at M.I.T. concluded last summer that while organizations had invested from $30 billion to $40 billion into A.I., they had basically nothing to show for it. Ninety-five percent of organizations were getting zero return.” 2026 may be the year that “more disruptive uses of A.I. will make it out of the R&D stage. And we may get a better understanding of what this sort of advancement means across professions and industries.”
Tags: $40 billion, 2026, A.I., Advancement, Disruptive uses, Industries, Invested, M.I.T., Organizations, Professions, R&D stage, Researchers, Understanding, Zero return
Barron’s (January 2)
“If last year was full of fireworks that ultimately resulted in another big gain for the stock market, 2026 appears set to be a dud. Looking back at 2025, the fact that the S&P 500 index gained 16% feels like a small miracle. The Donald Trump experience has led to wild swings—who can forget the near bear-market in April after the president announced the first iteration of tariffs?” Looking ahead, “we’d expect a relatively flat year, with the S&P 500 finishing down about 2%.”
Tags: 16%, 2%, 2025, 2026, April, Bear market, Big gain, Dud, Fireworks, Flat, S&P 500, Stock market, Tariffs, Trump
Nikkei Asia (January 2)
“Since Western markets hesitated to join the rapid EV shift, sales of Chinese EVs are likely to keep surging, especially in Asia. However, the crowded sector has given way to excessive competition, and this year may clearly separate winners from losers.”
Tags: Asia, Chinese EVs, Crowded, EV shift, Excessive competition, Hesitated, Losers, Rapid, Sales, Sector, Surging, Western markets, Winners
Washington Post (December 30)
ESG investing has become a political hot potato in the U.S. New York is considering a motion to shift from BlackRock, which “oversees $42.3 billion in index funds for city pensions” to other asset managers with a more proactive stance on ESG. Ironically, “BlackRock and its leader Larry Fink leaned into ESG during a different political moment. But that changed after Texas passed a law blacklisting BlackRock for its fossil fuel ‘boycott.’”
Tags: $42.3 billion, Asset managers, Blacklisting, BlackRock, Boycott, City pensions, ESG investing, Fink, Fossil fuel, Hot potato, Index funds, New York, Political, Texas, U.S.
