The AI Bubble’s Most Terrifying Bull Is Gearing Up

When it comes to AI, it’s a strong echo to the dotcom boom.

Nvidia, the poster child for the necessary hardware behind AI systems, is akin to that of router manufacturer Cisco.

Cisco shares soared thousands of percentage points in the 1990s, only to collapse once everyone had a PC connected to the internet.

Where exactly are we today in terms of a similar move? In a way, 2025 has looked much like 1998 – early into the bubble, but not quite at the blow-off top.

Financial markets, particularly the Nasdaq, are eerily lining up:

Turn Your Images On

The Nasdaq is following the dotcom rally of the 1990s to a T since the launch of ChatGPT (Source: Barchart)

Looking at how the Nasdaq is soaring since the launch of ChatGPT and overlaying it with the performance following the release of Netscape, the first commercial web browser, it’s another sign that AI is just an updated version of the dotcom boom.

Don’t be surprised if this time it ends the same way – a blow-off top ahead, playing into our Most Terrifying Bull Market thesis – before it all comes down.

For now, there’s still some money to be made. By the time everyone’s looking to ignore the fact that it’s a bubble and marginal buyers are all-in, it won’t take much to reverse course.

~ Addison

P.S.: While today’s chart suggests we’re closer to 1997 than 2000, remember, there were some steep pullbacks along the way during the dotcom boom:

The collapse of the “Asian Tiger” economies, the collapse of LTCM, rising concerns over Y2K…

Don’t chase this rally. Use healthy pullbacks to buy strong, industry-leading companies. Keep stacking gold and bitcoin. When worse comes to worst, you’ll come out just fine.

If you have any questions for us about the market, send them our way now to: feedback@greyswanfraternity.com.

When it comes to AI, it’s a strong echo to the dotcom boom.

Nvidia, the poster child for the necessary hardware behind AI systems, is akin to that of router manufacturer Cisco.

Cisco shares soared thousands of percentage points in the 1990s, only to collapse once everyone had a PC connected to the internet.

Where exactly are we today in terms of a similar move? In a way, 2025 has looked much like 1998 – early into the bubble, but not quite at the blow-off top.

Financial markets, particularly the Nasdaq, are eerily lining up:

Turn Your Images On

The Nasdaq is following the dotcom rally of the 1990s to a T since the launch of ChatGPT (Source: Barchart)

Don’t be surprised if this time it ends the same way – a blow-off top ahead, playing into our Most Terrifying Bull Market thesis – before it all comes down.

For now, there’s still some money to be made. By the time everyone’s looking to ignore the fact that it’s a bubble and marginal buyers are all-in, it won’t take much to reverse course.

~ Addison

P.S.: While today’s chart suggests we’re closer to 1997 than 2000, remember, there were some steep pullbacks along the way during the dotcom boom:

The collapse of the “Asian Tiger” economies, the collapse of LTCM, rising concerns over Y2K…

Don’t chase this rally. Use healthy pullbacks to buy strong, industry-leading companies. Keep stacking gold and bitcoin. When worse comes to worst, you’ll come out just fine.

If you have any questions for us about the market, send them our way now to: feedback@greyswanfraternity.com.

Sunday night, Powell addressed the probe head-on in a video post — a rarity. He accused the White House of using cost overruns in the Fed’s HQ renovation as a pretext for political interference.

The White House denied involvement. But few in Washington believed it.

What followed was bipartisan condemnation of the investigation. Greenspan, Bernanke, and Yellen co-signed a blistering rebuke, warning the U.S. was starting to resemble “emerging markets with weak institutions.”

Estimates now indicate that the average consumer will default on a minimum payment at about a 15% rate – the highest level since a spike during the pandemic lockdown of the economy.

President Trump’s proposal over the weekend to cap credit card interest at 10% for a year won’t arrive in time to help consumers who are already missing minimum payments.

Not to fret, the other 85% of borrowers continue to spend on borrowed time. Total U.S. household debt, including mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards, reached record highs in late 2025, exceeding $18.5 trillion. This surge was driven partly by rising credit card balances, which neared their own all-time peaks due to inflation and higher interest rates.

There’s an old Wall Street maxim: “Don’t fight the Fed.”

This year, you could add a Trump corollary.

A wise capital allocator doesn’t fight that storm. He doesn’t argue with it. He respects it the way sailors respect the sea: with preparation, with humility, and with a sharp eye for what breaks first.

In 2026, the things that break first are the stories. The narratives. The comfortable assumptions.

Total municipal, state and federal debt service costs soared to nearly $1.5 trillion in the third quarter of 2025. Debt’s easy to accumulate when rates are low. Trouble is, you are obligated to refinance them even after rates go up.

It’s also a key reason why the Trump administration is demanding lower interest rates – even if it means reigniting inflation.