A Thought Exercise in Financial History, from the FuturePrefaceWhat if our AI bullishness continues to be right...and what if that’s actually bearish?What follows is a scenario, not a prediction.This isn’t bear porn or AI doomer fan-fiction. The sole intent of this piece is modeling a scenario that’s been relatively underexplored. Our friend Alap Shah posed the question, and together we brainstormed the answer. We wrote this part, and he’s written two others you can find here.Hopefully, reading this leaves you more prepared for potential left tail risks as AI makes the economy increasingly weird.This is the CitriniResearch Macro Memo from June 2028, detailing the progression and fallout of the Global Intelligence Crisis.Macro MemoThe Consequences of Abundant Intelligence CitriniR
I. Investment Review In September, our portfolio exposure increased slightly and remained at a medium-to-high level overall. Our core investment directions remain unchanged—Internet, semiconductors, cloud computing, consumer, and financial technology. Among these, AI continues to be our primary focus, spanning Internet, semiconductors, and cloud computing, with investments concentrated in AI applications, cloud infrastructure, and leading chip manufacturers. II. Market Outlook and Investment Strategy MacroEnvironment: No Fundamental Shift Since September, the macro environment has largely continued along the same trajectory, without fundamental changes. Although the Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 basis points, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield did not fall significantly, instead rebounding
Market Review In October, U.S. risk-free interest rates increased, while risk premiums declined, reflecting the market's view that recession risks are diminishing. At the same time, the upcoming election and potential policy adjustments add uncertainty, which in turn can increase risk premiums. On one hand, concerns over a recession are easing, while on the other, election-related uncertainties loom. Overall, these factors combined have led to a reduction in market-traded risk premiums, with current levels among the lowest since 2002-2022 (in the top 25% range). Although the market has likely priced in both positive and negative factors, the extent of this pricing is uncertain, so we are adopting a wait-and-see approach. Q3 earnings reports have started to roll in, and here are some of our