Key Takeaways
- Anthropic's revised S-1 reports $33.2B in nine-month revenue, up 1,206% year over year, alongside a $104B net loss driven largely by non-cash accounting charges.
- US equities showed resilience in October: the S&P 500 fell less than 1% despite weak tech, and the index sat 3.1% below its October 6 record close.
- US bond market drawdown has lasted 75 months, the longest on record, while core PCE has stayed above the 2% target for 67 straight months.
- October manufacturing signals were mixed: ISM rose to 55.5, while the S&P Global PMI final reading slipped to 54.9 from a 56.0 flash estimate.
- BTCPay Server operators were warned that hot wallets are being drained by unauthorized attackers and advised to shut instances down pending investigation.
- AI adoption claims from Jason put annual token and subscription spending below $40K against more than $2M in value, with at least seven full-time roles automated.
- Raoul Pal's "economic singularity" thesis argues existing economic tools assume scarce intelligence, a premise he says no longer holds.
1. AI, Markets and the Cost of Intelligence
- Anthropic's revised S-1 disclosed $33.2B in revenue for the first nine months of 2026, a 1,206% year-over-year increase, against $34.5B in operating expenses, up 344%. The net loss reached $104B versus $25B a year earlier, mainly from non-cash accounting charges tied to convertible notes and financing agreements, while adjusted net income was $5.6B compared with -$2.9B. Cash and equivalents stood at $95.6B with $36.3B in short-term investments. — via 1
- Jason said annual token and subscription spending across Anthropic, Loveable, Grok Bot and 11labs is under $40K, which he credits with more than $2M in value for Launch and Twistartups, at least seven automated full-time roles and an average 100% speed-up on tasks; he argued the past 90 days changed more than the prior two years. He estimated Grok Bot's average equivalent at a $30-per-hour employee and called the current state "the worst it will ever be." — via 1 2
- Raoul Pal introduced an "economic singularity" concept, arguing that GDP, wages and debt were built for an era of scarce intelligence and that the economy will accelerate beyond what existing models can explain, which he expects in roughly four years as the third stage of the path described in The Everything Code. — via 1
2. Equities, Rates and the Bond Drawdown
- October equity performance was resilient on the surface: the S&P 500 fell less than 1% even as tech stocks weakened, and the index ended 3.1% below its October 6 record close. Large tech stocks dragged the index down 3.0 percentage points, more than the entire monthly decline, while the other constituents added 2.1 points, meaning the median stock performed noticeably better than the index. — via 1 2
- Damodaran put the equity risk premium at 3.79% with the 10-year rate at 4.94%, implying an 8.73% expected return for US equities at the start of November. Bilello noted the US bond market has been in drawdown for 75 months, the longest on record, and that core PCE has run above the 2% target for 67 consecutive months, which he read as still-loose policy and a case for more hikes. — via 1 2 3 4 5
- Earnings and breadth: Bilello cited S&P 500 profit growth of 35% this year and 15% in 2027, a 55% two-year total, and stressed that the stock market is not the economy, noting 12 bear markets since 1929 without a recession, including 2018, 2022 and 2025 declines of more than 20%. Sonders noted only tech and communication services beat the index over the four-year bull market and were the only sectors to fall in October, while profitable Russell 2000 companies have consistently outperformed unprofitable ones and the index itself year to date. — via 1 2 3 4 5 6
3. Macro Data and Sector Signals
- October manufacturing was mixed: the ISM PMI rose to 55.5 from 54.5, above the 54.5 consensus, with new orders at 55.5, prices paid down to 75.2 from 77.9 and employment at 52.4 from 52.7. The S&P Global US manufacturing PMI final reading was 54.9, below the 56.0 flash estimate and the 55.9 September reading, which had been a 52-month high. — via 1 2
- September construction spending fell 1.9% month over month against expectations of a 0.3% gain, the largest drop since April 2020, after the prior reading was revised up to 2.0%; private residential construction fell 5.5% while private nonresidential rose 1.1%. — via 1
- Apple was the only Mag 7 stock to beat the S&P 500 this year, which Bilello attributed to higher free cash flow than its peers and its relative avoidance of the AI spending wave weighing on hyperscalers. Across assets, drawdowns from record highs ranged from -2% for Apple and -3% for the S&P 500 to -39% for bitcoin, -55% for ether and -90% for dogecoin, with several meme coins down 95% to 99%. — via 1 2 3 4
4. Security, Policy and Other Signals
- BTCPay Server operators were told that hot wallets on the platform are being swept by unauthorized attackers and advised to run ./btcpay-down.sh to shut down running instances until the investigation is complete. — via 1
- Political prediction markets: Polymarket put the probability of a Democratic sweep, retaking both chambers, in the midterms at 71%, its highest so far, which Bilello attributed to inflation. Separately, Bilello quoted Trump's October 27, 2026 rally remark, "When does the Iran war end? I say when," and remarked ironically that this is "as the founders intended." — via 1 2 3 4
- AI-assisted creation: Marc Andreessen shared that a work titled "ALLOW ALWAYS" held its global premiere, created by a filmmaker with ALS using a brain implant and multiple AI assistants. — via 1
- Aviation safety: Jason argued private jet operations are less conservative than commercial flights and could be up to 10 times safer under equivalent standards, calling the "rush mentality" the leading cause of fatal private aviation accidents. — via 1
