Portfolio thesis update: cyber security, rate-sensitive stocks, and data centers
A cautious-but-invested stance: hold most money in real estate and cash, with stock bets spread across cyber security, beaten-down rate-sensitive names, and data center hardware.
- Cyber security wins either way — if AI keeps getting smarter it needs more protection, and if AI stalls out and gets cheap, everything still needs protecting.
- Rate-sensitive stocks like Tesla, solar, and mortgage companies are the most hated corner of the market right now, which is exactly why they could pay off if bond yields have peaked.
- Government bond yields near 4.85% may be overpricing the idea that the Iran conflict and inflation last forever; Trump's talk of $5,000 stimulus checks pushed them higher again.
- Data center names like Broadcom and AMD look cheap and could run again on excitement around an OpenAI IPO — but the rally dies if Anthropic's numbers weaken.
- Avoid cheap consumer stocks with thin margins; a bailout-driven bounce in a company like Red Robin does not fix a broken balance sheet.
Outlook: Real estate looks close to a cycle low because a recession would drag rates toward zero, so the plan is to stay invested in stocks but keep position sizes small.