AI Divide Drives Monday Action

AI Optimism vs. Scepticism

The AI debate dominated headlines this morning. Elon Musk claimed AI agents will soon dwarf all human internet traffic combined. Michael Burry pushed back with a pointed question: who actually pays for AI agents to interact with each other? The split cuts across markets. NVDA drew heavy put buying despite its $5.4 trillion market cap. Options flow on MU and SNDK went bearish too. Memory stocks have rallied hard in 2026 — Micron up 207%, SanDisk up 411% — and traders are now hedging those gains aggressively.

Short Sellers Turn Aggressive

Bears piled into chips and speculative names last week. SoundHound AI has zero shares left to borrow. Short interest sits at 43.2% of free float. Lucid Group faces a 46% cost to borrow with almost no availability. AppLovin is down 49% year-to-date with RSI at 32 — options flow has turned deeply negative.

Earnings Week Begins

Cisco Systems reports Wednesday after the close. Investors want clarity on AI infrastructure demand. Simon Property Group drops Q2 results today. Barrick Mining reports before the open. It's a busy week for corporate results.

Europe: Offshore Wind Wins Big

Norwegian-listed Cadeler signed firm contracts worth €805 million for two new T-class offshore wind installation vessels with COSCO Shipping Offshore. It's one of Europe's largest offshore wind vessel orders of the year. The deal underlines continued capital commitment to the energy transition despite rising interest rates.

Insider Confidence

Boston Scientific CEO Michael Mahoney bought $9 million in company shares on August 3rd. Spanish construction CEO Florentino Perez Rodriguez purchased roughly $50.5 million of ACS stock across three consecutive days last month.