{"id":79723,"date":"2026-07-10T15:40:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/?p=79723"},"modified":"2026-07-10T15:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:42:23","slug":"5-horsemen-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/2026\/07\/10\/5-horsemen-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Horsemen of the AI-pocalypse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What a week! We may have peace in the Middle East, SapceX is fighting for its life, and we have a new AI powerhouse trading in the US:<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Meet the 5th Horseman, SK Hynix<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I called these stocks the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/2026\/01\/30\/4-horsemen-ai\/\">4 Horsemen of the AI-pocalypse<\/a><\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SanDisk<\/strong> (SNDK)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Micron<\/strong> (MU)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Western<\/strong> <strong>Digital<\/strong> (WDC)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Seagate<\/strong> (STX)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AI has created unprecedented demand for storage and memory to the point that they comprise 4 of the 5 best S&P 500 stocks this year:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79731\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"551\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM.png 551w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-300x109.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-150x54.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-80x29.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-220x80.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-250x91.png 250w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-280x102.png 280w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-2.30.37-PM-510x185.png 510w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And now we may have a new horseman in the form of South Korean memory giant <strong>SK<\/strong> <strong>Hynix<\/strong> (SKHY), which had a blockbuster US market debut Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The $26.5 billion deal priced at $149 per share, and the stock was trading around $169 as of 2:33 pm ET.<\/p>\n<p>Pretty solid first day.<\/p>\n<p>And CEO Kwak Noh-jung is telling the right story.<\/p>\n<p>He told <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/sk-hynix-ceo-sees-worst-ever-memory-supply-shortage-2027-says-demand-outstrip-2026-07-10\/\">Reuters<\/a><\/strong> <em>&#8220;We forecast that next year \u2060will be the worst year in the \u200bindustry's history from the supply perspective.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>And he added that demand will exceed supply beyond 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing drives momentum like a massive supply-demand imbalance.<\/p>\n<p>So I'm making SK Hynix a probationary &#8220;5th Horseman of the AI-pocalypse.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Get David Prince's take on SK Hynix here:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"SK Hynix: Boom or Bust?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ojSoKFG2iqI?start=3&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, another high-profile IPO is fighting its own battle:<\/p>\n<h2><strong>SpaceX Fights for $150<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>We all know the bear case for <strong>SpaceX<\/strong> (SPCX).<\/p>\n<p>IPO lockup expirations will flood the market with shares.<\/p>\n<p>The valuation is outrageous.<\/p>\n<p>The Nasdaq 100 addition didn't help the stock.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, it is stubbornly holding the $150 area:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79729\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1020\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM.png 1020w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-150x93.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-768x476.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-80x50.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-220x136.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-161x100.png 161w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-242x150.png 242w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-384x238.png 384w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-670x415.png 670w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-786x487.png 786w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-1.49.53-PM-960x595.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>That looks like a major psychological line in the sand.<\/p>\n<p>And maybe this situation is as simple as a hard break above or below this level will dictate the next big move.<\/p>\n<p>For more on SpaceX, check out this video:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Is SpaceX Stock Going to the Moon?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nGrKCz1zy8k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And since we're on the topic of IPOs and AI&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Bank Earnings Should Be HUGE This Year<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This coming week, we get earnings from the big banks like <strong>JP Morgan<\/strong> (JPM), <strong>Goldman<\/strong> <strong>Sachs<\/strong> (GS), <strong>Bank<\/strong> of <strong>America<\/strong> (BAC), and <strong>Morgan<\/strong> <strong>Stanley<\/strong> (MS).<\/p>\n<p>And now that I think about it, maybe the banks are a stealth AI play.<\/p>\n<p>Especially the capital markets focused names like Goldman and Morgan Stanley, which are up nicely in 2026:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79734\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"784\" height=\"626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM.png 784w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-150x120.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-768x613.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-80x64.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-220x176.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-125x100.png 125w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-188x150.png 188w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-298x238.png 298w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-520x415.png 520w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-610x487.png 610w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-10-at-3.24.41-PM-745x595.png 745w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Aside from the massive SpaceX IPO and the prospective OpenAI and Anthropic deals, there's been a ton of capital markets activity related to AI, like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Alphabet<\/strong> (GOOGL) raising $85 billion in equity<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oracle<\/strong> (ORCL) raising $40 billion to help fund its AI buildout<\/li>\n<li><strong>Super Micro <\/strong>(SMCI) raising $7 billion to buy components to fill new $39 billion in AI server orders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.crunchbase.com\/venture\/global-startup-exits-ipo-ma-soar-ai-q2-h1-2026\/\">Crunchbase<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, global venture funding hit $510 billion in the first half of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>That compares to $440 billion for all of last year.<\/p>\n<p>Crunchbase also said that this is the strongest exit market since 2021.<\/p>\n<p>All this capital markets activity should mean fat fees for Wall Street banks.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Earnings Season Is About to Go BOOM<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">Q1 earnings season was huge, thanks to massive beats in tech, particularly in the semiconductor industry. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">As noted above, this coming week, Q2 results kick off with the likes of <strong>JP Morgan<\/strong> (JPM), <strong>Netflix<\/strong> (NFLX), and <strong>ASML<\/strong> (ASML).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I'd argue ASML is the biggest report of the week since it sells into the AI\/Semi giants like <b>Samsung<\/b>, <strong>AMD<\/strong> (AMD), <strong>SK Hynix <\/strong>(SKHY), <strong>Micron<\/strong> (MU), <strong>Intel<\/strong> (INTC), and <strong>Taiwan Semi<\/strong> (TSM).<\/p>\n<p>Note: Taiwan Semi also reports next week.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-175oi2r r-xoduu5\">There's a whole lotta optimism out there.<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insight.factset.com\/record-high-number-of-sp-500-technology-companies-issuing-positive-eps-guidance-for-q2\">FactSet<\/a><\/strong><\/span> data shows that 111 S&P 500 companies issued guidance. 57% issued positive guidance, well above the long-term average of 41%. This is the highest percentage of companies issuing positive guidance since Q3 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/insight.factset.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/1)Insight\/2026\/07.2026\/07.08.2026_Earnings%20Insight\/01-sp500-positive-eps-guidance-5-year.png?width=672&height=384&name=01-sp500-positive-eps-guidance-5-year.png\" alt=\"01-sp500-positive-eps-guidance-5-year\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And tech guidance is at a record high.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">Analysts are also pumped. They are now estimating 23.3% growth, up from 18.8% on March 31. And looking forward, Q3 growth is forecast at 26.8%, and Q4 is 24.1%. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">This is bad. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">Because the bar is very high.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">Plus, if results come in as expected or better, we are going to be facing some tough year-over-year comparisons next year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But even as companies and analysts are positive, investors and traders show no signs of joy:<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Sentiment Remains Neutral<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 36.3% of investors are bullish.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HM4F6XgXwAA-EcT?format=png&name=900x900\" alt=\"Image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This keeps sentiment in neutral territory.<\/p>\n<p>And while we've had a few positive or negative readings here and there, there hasn't been a true extreme reading (in either direction) since early 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the CNN Fear & Greed Index is at 47, smack in the middle at neutral. On balance, this is all bullish because it shows little euphoria on the part of market participants.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HM4GxDtWYAA4QhX?format=png&name=small\" alt=\"Image\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What a week! We may have peace in the Middle East, SapceX is fighting for its life, and we have a new AI powerhouse trading in the US: Meet the 5th Horseman, SK Hynix I called these stocks the 4 Horsemen of the AI-pocalypse: SanDisk (SNDK) Micron (MU) Western Digital (WDC) Seagate (STX) AI has created unprecedented demand for storage and memory to the point that they comprise 4 of the 5 best S&#038;P 500 stocks this year: And now we may have a new horseman in the form of South Korean memory giant SK Hynix (SKHY), which had a blockbuster US market debut Friday. The $26.5 billion deal priced at $149 per share, and the stock was trading around $169 as of 2:33 pm ET. Pretty solid first day. And CEO Kwak Noh-jung is telling the right story. He told Reuters &#8220;We forecast that next year \u2060will be the worst year in the \u200bindustry&#8217;s history from the supply perspective.&#8221; And he added that demand will exceed supply beyond 2030. Nothing drives momentum like a massive supply-demand imbalance. So I&#8217;m making SK Hynix a probationary &#8220;5th Horseman of the AI-pocalypse.&#8221; Get David Prince&#8217;s take on SK Hynix here: Meanwhile, another high-profile IPO is fighting its own battle: SpaceX Fights for $150 We all know the bear case for SpaceX (SPCX). IPO lockup expirations will flood the market with shares. The valuation is outrageous. The Nasdaq 100 addition didn&#8217;t help the stock. At the same time, it is stubbornly holding the $150 area: That looks like a major psychological line in the sand. And maybe this situation is as simple as a hard break above or below this level will dictate the next big move. For more on SpaceX, check out this video: And since we&#8217;re on the topic of IPOs and AI&#8230; Bank Earnings Should Be HUGE This Year This coming week, we get earnings from the big banks like JP Morgan (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), Bank of America (BAC), and Morgan Stanley (MS). And now that I think about it, maybe the banks are a stealth AI play. Especially the capital markets focused names like Goldman and Morgan Stanley, which are up nicely in 2026: Aside from the massive SpaceX IPO and the prospective OpenAI and Anthropic deals, there&#8217;s been a ton of capital markets activity related to AI, like: Alphabet (GOOGL) raising $85 billion in equity Oracle (ORCL) raising $40 billion to help fund its AI buildout Super Micro (SMCI) raising $7 billion to buy components to fill new $39 billion in AI server orders According to Crunchbase, global venture funding hit $510 billion in the first half of 2026. That compares to $440 billion for all of last year. Crunchbase also said that this is the strongest exit market since 2021. All this capital markets activity should mean fat fees for Wall Street banks. Earnings Season Is About to Go BOOM Q1 earnings season was huge, thanks to massive beats in tech, particularly in the semiconductor industry. As noted above, this coming week, Q2 results kick off with the likes of JP Morgan (JPM), Netflix (NFLX), and ASML (ASML). I&#8217;d argue ASML is the biggest report of the week since it sells into the AI\/Semi giants like Samsung, AMD (AMD), SK Hynix (SKHY), Micron (MU), Intel (INTC), and Taiwan Semi (TSM). Note: Taiwan Semi also reports next week. There&#8217;s a whole lotta optimism out there. FactSet data shows that 111 S&#038;P 500 companies issued guidance. 57% issued positive guidance, well above the long-term average of 41%. This is the highest percentage of companies issuing positive guidance since Q3 2021. And tech guidance is at a record high. Analysts are also pumped. They are now estimating 23.3% growth, up from 18.8% on March 31. And looking forward, Q3 growth is forecast at 26.8%, and Q4 is 24.1%. This is bad. Because the bar is very high. Plus, if results come in as expected or better, we are going to be facing some tough year-over-year comparisons next year. But even as companies and analysts are positive, investors and traders show no signs of joy: Sentiment Remains Neutral The AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 36.3% of investors are bullish. This keeps sentiment in neutral territory. And while we&#8217;ve had a few positive or negative readings here and there, there hasn&#8217;t been a true extreme reading (in either direction) since early 2025. Meanwhile, the CNN Fear &#038; Greed Index is at 47, smack in the middle at neutral. On balance, this is all bullish because it shows little euphoria on the part of market participants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79723"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79739,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79723\/revisions\/79739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}