Why Wall Street Is Buying Insurance Against an AI Crash

<p>Is the AI boom starting to unravel? While investors remain focused on soaring AI valuations and the likes of Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta, the credit markets are sending a very different warning signal.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, Anthony Cheung and Piers Curran explore the growing risks behind the AI investment boom, with AI-linked corporate debt issuance reaching $466 billion and trading volumes in credit default swaps (CDS) surging to more than $9 billion a week. We explain how CDS markets work, why borrowing costs are rising and what bond traders might be seeing that stock market investors are missing.</p><p><br></p><p>We take a closer look at CoreWeave, one of the biggest players in AI cloud infrastructure, where soaring debt costs have raised questions about the sustainability of its business model. Could rising borrowing costs trigger a wider crisis across the AI ecosystem, even as demand for computing power continues to accelerate?</p><p><br></p><p>Finally, we examine whether today&#39;s AI boom is following the same path as the dot-com bubble, why upcoming earnings from the technology giants could prove critical and what investors should watch for as the AI investment cycle enters its next phase.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Is the AI Bubble About to Burst?</p><p>01:23 Why AI Debt Is Raising Alarm Bells</p><p>04:11 The $466 Billion AI Debt Boom</p><p>06:54 Credit Default Swaps Explained</p><p>11:57 How Traders Hedge Against AI Risk</p><p>15:11 The AI Risk Pyramid</p><p>16:44 Big Tech&#39;s Growing Debt Problem</p><p>21:32 Why CoreWeave Is Under Pressure</p><p>25:07 How CoreWeave&#39;s Business Model Works</p><p>29:13 Could Rising Debt Costs Trigger a Crisis?</p><p>31:22 Is This Another Dot-Com Bubble?</p><p>36:07 What Happens Next for the AI Boom?</p>