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U.S. Farm Bankruptcies Surge +46% as Fertilizer Costs Squeeze Farmers
The American Farm Bureau Federation reported 315 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings in 2025, up from 216 in 2024 and the third consecutive annual increase. The Midwest got hit hardest with 121 filings, a +70% jump. The Southeast followed with 105, up +69%. Together, those two regions accounted for more than two-thirds of every farm bankruptcy in the country. Fertilizer prices are pouring gasoline on the fire. Urea, the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer on the planet, has ripped +87% year-to-date and trades near $720 a tonne. For corn growers who depend on nitrogen, this is a dire situation. Many farmers are reporting they will cut the amount of fertilizer they use, shift from corn toward less nitrogen-dependent soybeans, or just take the yield loss. Farms are under pressure. Source: Hedgeye
WTI crude hits session highs, pushing 10Y yields to dangerous territory: 4.35% any second
Source: zerohedge
Chegg $CHGG is now down 99% from its peak because AI has killed its business entirely.
Chegg was a $14.7 billion edtech company that charged students $20 a month for homework answers from a database of 79 million solutions built over a decade. Then ChatGPT launched in November 2022. Five months later Chegg's CEO admitted it was destroying their business. The stock dropped 48% in a single day. Revenue dropped 49% by Q4 2025. Subscribers collapsed from 5 million to under 3 million. The company fired 67% of its staff in two rounds last year and shut down all US and Canada offices. AI does the same thing instantly for free and explains the concept behind it. It went From $14.7 billion marketcap to $114 million in 39 months. The first company to be officially killed by AI. Source: Bull Theory
SOX vs. Silver: mind the gap!
AI demand for silver is still small, likely only a low single-digit % of total demand. But it’s the fastest-growing piece, with AI servers using significantly more silver than traditional hardware. And importantly, cost isn’t a constraint. Silver is a tiny part of system spend, making AI a strong marginal buyer. As shown on the hashtag#chart below, the SOX vs silver gap is huge. Is chasing silver upside convexity instead of SOX at 60x P/E a more attractive bet? Source: TME
Hawkish Hold from the BOJ Amid Rising Inflation Risks
The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.75% in a split 6–3 decision, with three members pushing for a hike to 1% as Middle East tensions raise upside inflation risks. The bank sharply revised its 2026 core CPI forecast to 2.8% (from 1.9%) while cutting growth expectations to 0.5% (from 1%). Markets are now pricing in 15bps of tightening by June, the yen is strengthening toward 159, and the Nikkei 225 is down around 1%, as higher oil prices threaten profits and household incomes. Source: Joumanna Nasr Bercetche (@JoumannaTV)
OPENAI MISSED '25 REV TARGET FOR CHATGPT: WSJ
Wow. OpenAI not only missed their 2025 revenue target, but they also missed their goal of reaching 1B weekly active users according to WSJ CFO Sarah Friar also reportedly told company leaders that she’s worried the company won’t be able to meet their spending commitments if revenue doesn’t grow faster. “OpenAI missed an internal goal of reaching one billion weekly active users for ChatGPT by the end of last year, according to people familiar with the goals. The company still hasn't announced that milestone, unnerving some investors. It also missed its yearly revenue target for ChatGPT as well after Google's Gemini saw massive growth late last year and ate into OpenAI's market share, the people said. The company has also struggled with defection rates among subscribers, according to people familiar with those figures.” Source: Bloomberg, Negligible Capital, WSJ, B,oomberg
S&P 500 $SPX now trading at the very top of its 8-year trend line
Source: Barchart
China just took the lead for the first time in modern history.
The AI race isn't being won in headlines. It's being won in research budgets. Source: Rand Group
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