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A 20-year veteran fund manager tells us why he's staying away from top tech stocks

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A 20-year veteran fund manager tells us why he's staying away from top tech stocks

The AI-driven rally that propelled markets through 2025 now looks fragile, with Catalyst Funds CIO David Miller warning top tech names may be overextended and a correction likely if economic data softens or rates remain higher; the Nasdaq has recently weakened and leaders such as Palantir, Tesla and Nvidia stumbled. Miller points to falling consumer sentiment, rising job losses and tariff risks—despite stable GDP—as evidence demand is softening and that much market optimism depends on continued AI-related revenue and margin gains that could be tested. He prefers reallocating into slowdown- and inflation-resilient assets such as gold and precious metals (on central-bank buying and geopolitical risk), utilities, energy and select real estate, while remaining selective in growth names—he's bullish on Uber (up 52% YTD) and Mercado Libre (up 20%)—and urges balancing AI exposure with cash-generating defensive sectors.

Analysis

The article reports that the AI-led market rally driving 2025 gains now looks fragile, with Catalyst Funds CIO David Miller warning that top tech names may be overextended and a correction is likely if economic data softens or rates remain higher. The Nasdaq has weakened over the past week amid selling pressure tied to valuation concerns and a cloudier rate-cut outlook, and leaders such as Palantir, Tesla and Nvidia “stumbled,” supporting the view that momentum could unwind quickly. Miller cites falling consumer sentiment, rising job losses and tariff risks as evidence demand is softening despite stable GDP, and warns that much market optimism depends on continued AI-related revenue acceleration and margin expansion that could be tested if corporate budgets tighten. He explicitly frames the risk as a function of elevated tech valuations combined with the possibility of higher-for-longer rates undermining earnings momentum. In response, Miller is reallocating toward assets that perform better in slower growth or persistent inflation scenarios: gold and precious metals (citing central-bank buying, geopolitical risk and potential for lower real rates), cash-generating sectors such as utilities and energy, and select real estate investments. He remains selectively bullish on Uber (up 52% in 2025) and Mercado Libre (up 20%), and emphasizes balancing AI exposure with steady cash-flow assets rather than indiscriminate exposure to megacaps.