Markets & Investing

The AI Spending Boom Faces a Reality Check

As Big Tech's AI spending soars, John Petrides joins Zaid to unpack investor concerns over payoff timing, rising oil prices, potential Fed rate hikes, overlooked geopolitical risks, and why the U.S. consumer may be the biggest story of the second half of the year.

John Petrides Portfolio Manager · Sep 2026 · 1 min read

Big Tech is spending more on AI than ever before, but investors are starting to question when that investment will actually pay off. John Petrides of Tocqueville Asset Management joins Zaid to break down why soaring AI capital spending is becoming a growing concern. They also discuss rising oil prices, the possibility of Fed rate hikes, whether markets are underestimating geopolitical risks, and why the health of the U.S. consumer could become the biggest story of the second half of the year.

Watch the interview here: The Rundown

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