According to The Wall Street Journal, investors and technology executives are increasingly seeking protection against a possible downturn in the AI market, as concerns grow over the sustainability of trillions of dollars in AI-related investment. Demand for hedging tools such as put options and credit-default swaps (CDS) has accelerated after sharp declines in tech stocks; the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.9% on Friday, its worst monthly performance since March 2025. CoreWeave has drawn particularly strong demand for downside protection, with trading volumes for put options tied to the company hitting record levels in October, according to Cboe Global Markets. The risk has also spread to corporate debt, as the cost of insuring against defaults by Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Oracle has risen to its highest level since 2021, with Oracle's CDS spreads widening by more than one percentage point. Jump Trading has launched a computing-power trading desk offering derivatives to protect data center operators against falling chip rental prices, as Nvidia B300 rental rates have risen about 56% this year.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on Yahoo Finance ↗
Keywords
AI investmentNasdaqCoreWeavedata centersdefault risk
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related tickers and likely impact
NVDA
▼ Likely negativeNvidia
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Information Technology |
| Industry | Semiconductors |
| Market cap | $5.1T |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 204.81 |
| Change that session | -4.14% |
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 690.49 |
| Change that session | -3.47% |
AAPL
▼ Likely negativeApple Inc.
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Information Technology |
| Industry | Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals |
| Market cap | $5.1T |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 344.79 |
| Change that session | -1.18% |
AMZN
▼ Likely negativeAmazon
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Consumer Discretionary |
| Industry | Broadline Retail |
| Market cap | $2.7T |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 240.47 |
| Change that session | -1.36% |
GOOGL
▼ Likely negativeAlphabet Inc. (Class A)
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $4.0T |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 279.76 |
| Change that session | -1.43% |
META
▼ Likely negativeMeta Platforms
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $1.7T |
| Close on 10/30/2026 | 614.98 |
| Change that session | -1.53% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- Crusoe CEO defends CoreWeave amid selloff
At the Bloomberg Invest conference in Dallas on Tuesday, Crusoe CEO Chase Lochmiller said concerns about neocloud providers are overblown and an overreaction. He said CoreWeave has made some very good deals and is in a pretty good position. CoreWeave has become the focal point of worries about AI infrastructure financing, with its bonds dropping to distressed levels this month and its shares falling more than 30%. Crusoe, founded in 2018, develops data center projects and sells AI cloud computing capacity, working with Meta, Oracle and Google.
- More pain may be coming for the AI trade. Why I’m not giving up on it
The author argues the AI trade is collapsing, using Meta as an example: a large earlier rally has largely faded after the company announced a huge prospective capital raise to fund infrastructure it had expected to self-fund. He asks whether Microsoft, Alphabet or Amazon could face similar pressure, and names consumer staples such as Kimberly-Clark, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble as alternatives. The article also cites local opposition to data centers over water use and electricity rates, and Nvidia's support for neoclouds such as CoreWeave, Nebius and Iren, which buy its chips. CoreWeave's stock fell sharply over its high-yield debt, and its ability to service that debt was questioned as funding from the prospective IPOs of Anthropic and OpenAI remained unclear. The author maintains that AI is not going away.
- CoreWeave Dropped 20% Last Week. Is It Time to Panic or Buy?
CoreWeave shares fell more than 20% as of Oct. 16, driven mainly by concerns over debt and spending. The company carries about $35 billion in total debt against $5.5 billion in cash, with net interest payments reaching $640 million in the second quarter alone, unsecured bond yields approaching 15%, and an S&P rating of B+. Capital expenditure was just over $16 billion in the first half of 2026 and could reach $39 billion for the year, roughly triple its $12.4 to $13.2 billion revenue guidance. States are also weighing restrictions on data centers. On the positive side, second-quarter revenue rose 112% year over year and the backlog exceeded $104 billion. The author has reservations and sees the drop as an opportunity only for the most risk-tolerant investors, who might build a position slowly, while the company needs to prove it can convert its backlog efficiently and manage debt.
- AI credit worries send default insurance costs to record highs
The cost of insuring against tech company defaults hit record highs on October 15 as investors grew worried about the debt financing the AI boom. Heavily indebted data center operators were hit hardest, as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation and expected rate hikes raised doubts about whether AI investments can earn enough to service borrowing costs. CoreWeave, a loss-making company owing nearly US$50 billion, saw its five-year CDS spreads top 1,100 basis points and its 2031 bond yield reach 16 percent before easing to about 14 percent, while its shares lost nearly a fifth of their value in two days. Oracle's CDS approached 300 basis points, while Amazon, Alphabet and Meta hit record highs but rose more slowly. Anthropic's third-quarter revenue rose 45 percent to $16.8 billion, according to an investor, but did little to ease concerns.
- AI Debt Warning Signs Are Piling Up : Why Bond Markets Are Getting Nervous About AI Infrastructure Spending
The cost to insure CoreWeave debt against default, measured by five-year CDS, hit a record of about 1,195 basis points, meaning $119,500 a year to insure $1 million of debt, while its October 2031 bond yield reached 16% and some bonds traded near 80% of face value. Oracle's five-year CDS neared 300 basis points, also a record, after S&P Global cut its rating to just one notch above junk. Bonds tied to Meta's Hyperion data-center project fell to around 91 cents on the dollar, and SoftBank's five-year CDS rose 24 basis points to 424. The pressure reflects a harsher macro backdrop, with oil prices climbing, inflation fears rising, and the 10-year Treasury yielding roughly 5%, while AI projects still face uncertainty over whether their revenue will cover heavy spending.
- Why are credit default swaps unnerving AI investors?
The cost of insuring against U.S. tech defaults has hit record levels, a sign of growing credit stress in the AI trade, especially for data centre operators such as CoreWeave. Although AI stocks are still among the year's biggest gainers, many have fallen sharply in recent weeks as investors reassess the cost of capital amid rising interest rates and inflation, and some question when, or whether, data centre and infrastructure spending will pay off. Demand for AI-linked credit default swaps (CDS) has soared, even for Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, while CoreWeave's CDS topped 1,100 bps for the first time, implying roughly a 63% chance of default over five years according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, up from about 30% a year ago. Oracle's CDS trade near 300 bps, Meta's around 105 bps and Nvidia's around 90 bps, versus about 62 bps for an investment-grade CDS index, though none of these companies has defaulted or signalled that it may. Rising CDS costs can prompt bond sales and raise borrowing costs for issuers.
Related markets
Latest news
- Arctic Giant: What the West “Doesn’t Want to Reveal” About Russia’s Northern Border Region
An RT article argues that Russia, which holds about 53% of the Arctic coastline, sees major economic, commercial and military potential in the region amid competition with the West. As ice melts, Moscow aims to turn the Northern Sea Route into a profitable trade link between Europe and Asia, while the Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the region on October 20 as the “frontline of global power competition” and accused Moscow of militarizing it, while Russia denies threatening anyone and says NATO is escalating tensions. Estimates of undiscovered but recoverable resources put the Arctic at about 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and Russia was the first country to formally submit an extended continental shelf claim to the UN in 2001.
- Weekly review: VN-Index 'gives back' points as cash flow retreats to defensive stocks
The VN-Index lost 32.53 points (1.83%) to close the 26–30 October week at 1,741.62, reversing the roughly 4% (over 68 points) gain of the prior week, with red dominating 4 of 5 sessions. HOSE trading volume fell 9.9% week-on-week, while foreign investors net sold VND 2,692 billion, led by FPT at VND 782 billion. PNJ slid 3.43% to VND 15,500 after reporting a Q3 after-tax loss of VND 258 billion, and MBS announced a margin-related sale of 2.17 million PNJ shares held by the daughter of the chairwoman. BSC sees 1,735 points as a key support level, while SHS says investment opportunities remain limited and prioritises risk control over expanding positions. Dominic Scriven of Dragon Capital says upgrading the market's status is key to attracting international capital as large inflows shift toward technology and AI.
- Rising domestic capital needs push Vietnamese banks to seek funding from international markets
Credit growth is outpacing deposit mobilisation, prompting Vietnamese banks to expand syndicated loans, bilateral loans and planned international bond issuance to raise medium- and long-term funds. Nguyễn Thanh Tùng, chairman of Vietcombank, said reaching GDP growth of 10% or more would require an investment rate of about 40% of GDP, while domestic savings average only 36.5%. As of end-September 2026, system deposits reached VND 19.5 quadrillion (up 10.7%) and credit reached over VND 20.7 quadrillion (up 11.7%). Infrastructure financing needs for 2026–2030 are estimated at about USD 450 billion, versus roughly USD 3.9 billion mobilised through bonds and equity in 2021–2025. HDBank's USD 721 million syndicated loan, about 60% above its initial USD 450 million target, is one example of banks tapping international funding.
- Company linked to Kosy Group chairman sees over 2 million KOS shares margin-sold
Kosy Real Estate Investment Co., a company linked to Kosy Group Chairman Nguyễn Việt Cường, had nearly 2.3 million KOS shares margin-sold by a securities firm between 27 and 30 October 2026, cutting its stake from 4.05% to 3%. Earlier, from 16 to 22 October, it had 445,500 shares sold under the same process. The chairman's younger brother, Nguyễn Trung Kiên, had 311,400 shares margin-sold between 20 and 26 October, while the chairman still holds over 71.6 million shares (33.09%). KOS hit its daily ceiling price on 30 October, ending a 29-session floor streak that began on 21 September 2026, and closed at VND 4,060 with about 75.7 million shares matched, nearly 200 times the 20-session average volume.
- Interest rates in early November 2026: Savings deposit rates cool across the board, certificate of deposit rates adjust slightly
Early-November 2026 rate tables show many banks cut savings deposit rates for at least one term or channel, following State Bank of Vietnam guidance to stabilize interest rate levels. The typical cut is 0.5 percentage points a year, concentrated in terms of 6 months and longer, while rates for terms under 6 months at most banks were kept unchanged due to the 4.75% per year ceiling. NCB cut more sharply by 0.6 percentage points and brought its highest rate down to 6.2% a year, while BAC A BANK's highest rate is 6.6% a year for 12 months. After the adjustments, the highest listed rate is 6.6% a year for 1–6 month terms and 7% a year for terms of 12 months and above, and most banks list 12-month rates below 7% a year. For certificates of deposit, MB and Techcombank made small cuts on October 30, while VPBank still lists a top rate of 9% a year for certificates from VND 100 million in the 184–389 day range.
- Micron's Chinese Rival CXMT Just Grew Its Sales More Than Sevenfold. I'd Buy Micron Stock Now.
CXMT, China's largest DRAM maker, reported third-quarter revenue up 613% year over year to about 118.7 billion yuan (roughly $18 billion), driven mainly by a global DRAM shortage that lifted both volumes and prices. Its gross margin of about 89.5% suggests memory prices remain high across the industry, though quarter-on-quarter revenue growth slowed to around 19%. CXMT is still roughly a third the size of Micron, and its global DRAM revenue share was 9.5% versus Micron's 23.3%, per TrendForce. The author sees Micron still benefiting from the shortage, but notes the risk that CXMT's large cash pile could fund capacity expansion, which Micron has warned could lead to oversupply. Micron trades at about 12 times fiscal 2026 earnings, and the author still favors the stock at current prices while suggesting building a position gradually, since memory prices can turn quickly.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.