6Pages Market Shifts

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, rocket companies are going mobile. Rocket Lab’s $8B deal for Iridium turns a launch company into a global satellite telecom operator, with spectrum, subscribers, government contracts, and real recurring revenue. This could be a “defining moment for the space industry” but not necessarily in the way that Rocket Lab...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, US banks will soon have a lot more free capital, as regulators loosen capital requirements. This could unlock $88B-104B in additional excess capital, which might be deployed for M&A, business lending, AI spending, buybacks, and dividends. Next, everyone is suddenly talking about KV cache – AI’s running memory a...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, AI app development is getting a little magical. Agentic coding is readily available in Google’s Android Studio and Apple’s Xcode environments, and Google AI Studio can now turn prompts into native Android apps in minutes. This new phase of app development isn’t just faster – it’s actually producing better apps. Nex...

Hi everyone – we’re back! Welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, peptides are having a moment – fueled by influencer hype, GLP-1 success, and a friendlier stance from the Trump administration. While 100+ peptides are FDA-approved, many popular peptides used by fitness and wellness influencers are not. The Trump administration – with HHS Secretary RFK Jr as frontman –...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, the DOJ just reclassified medical marijuana as a Schedule III drug. A hearing is also scheduled to address the full rescheduling of all marijuana to Schedule III. It doesn’t change everything for the industry – recreational marijuana remains illegal – but it could change a lot. Next, Amazon Leo and Blue Origin are...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Anthropic’s new Mythos frontier model – rumored to be in the 10T-parameter class – may be cybersecurity teams’ best tool and worst nightmare. It’s being tightly controlled under Project Glasswing for now, but expect malicious actors to be wielding Mythos-level capabilities in maybe 6-24 months. Next, advanced chip...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, compressed 1-bit models like PrismML’s Bonsai are showing it’s possible to be competitive in performance while being 14x smaller, 8x faster, and 4-5x more energy-efficient. These models can run locally on edge devices (e.g. phones, laptops, wearables) for inference. Next, data centers are facing a broad backlash th...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Google’s TurboQuant algorithm is promising to “[reduce] LLM key-value cache memory by at least 6x and delivers up to 8x speedup, all with zero accuracy loss.” That’s a big deal when memory has been the bottleneck for scaling AI. Next, there’s been a noticeable shift in opinion regarding social media’s use by minors...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, US retail leasing by services businesses has edged out goods-based tenants for the first time on record. The proliferation of gyms, medspas, salons, and experiential concepts isn’t just a change in real estate – it’s also a signal of a broader shift in the economy. Next, Amazon is renewing its push for ultra-fast d...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, in the AI chip race, inference is where the real volume game sits – and unfortunately Nvidia’s general-purpose GPUs aren’t ideal for inference. Deal-making around inference chips is happening now at a rapid-fire pace, as players aim to make inference faster and cheaper.  Next, OpenAI and Anthropic are tying up with...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, consumers hunting for yield are discovering stablecoin rewards. While returns on stablecoin can be significantly higher, the catch is that these aren’t FDIC-insured accounts, which means holders can be wiped out. Next, Google is making sweeping changes to its app store as its long antitrust battle with Epic Games c...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Claude Cowork is becoming a major gateway for non-developers looking to make things using AI. Its plugins – most recently, for HR, design, investment banking, equity research, and more – can effectively turn Claude into long-running specialized agents for an array of functions and roles. Next, signals are indicatin...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, India has emerged as one of the most attractive markets for AI. After this week’s AI Impact Summit and a parade of sizable commitments by US and Indian companies, India looks set to exceed its $200B+ target for AI infrastructure investment by 2028. Next, licensing content for AI has begun to look more appealing sin...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, the rising chatter about AI fatigue – what started as excitement over Claude Opus 4.5 and vibe-coding is settling into a more complicated reality. The productivity gains are real, but so are the coordination costs, cognitive load, and burnout. Next, instead of waiting a decade for a new reactor, Alva Energy wants t...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, SpaceX’s merger with xAI is set to supercharge Elon Musk’s orbital data center dreams. With SpaceX’s recent application to the FCC for up to 1M satellites and Musk pressing for an accelerated Jun 2026 IPO, the dots are starting to connect. Next, direct-to-patient drugs is becoming pharma’s new normal. The recent la...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, open-source AI agent OpenClaw – otherwise known as “Claude with hands” – has become the latest viral sensation. It’s open-source, runs locally, controlled through chat, and has shell access, which means it can do just about anything – including bad things. Next, AI seems to be making real progress in new formulatio...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, vibe-coding is hitting an inflection point – and it’s a major threat to software companies. What’s changing is how capable the tools have become and the pace of adoption by non-technical users. Next, Chinese EVs are starting to take over, making headway in Europe, Latin America, and other markets. BYD, Geely, and o...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Apple has landed on Google’s Gemini for Siri – putting a capstone on a key decision that’s set to shape how consumers will use AI in their everyday lives. If you have an iPhone, you can finally let yourself wonder: “What if Siri was actually really good?” Next, the current hot set of AI use cases seems to be orient...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. Our last edition before the holidays looked at the coming surge in IPOs, with a backlog that Barclays said going into 2026 was the “largest we've seen in over four years – and growing.” Now, just a little over a week into 2026, the IPO filings have begun. Next, there’s a wave of stablecoin-based neobanks emerging fro...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, President Trump just signed an executive order to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. The move will change the game for medical access, research, and cannabis-business tax deductions, although it stops well short of full legalization. Next, IPOs are surging, with 2025’s $75B haul blowing past last...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Trump just signed an executive order that sets a course for a national AI policy framework (vs. the growing patchwork of state AI laws). Until federal laws are passed that preempt state laws, however, state-level fragmentation will be discouraged using DOJ litigation and federal funding. Next, Australia is now the...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, China’s AI progress is being deployed in manufacturing systems, with some dramatic cost reductions being reported. Chinese open models’ share of downloads has overtaken US open models, and industry watchers are calling China’s models “palpably close to the frontier.” Next, Netflix’s $83B deal to buy WBD’s libraries...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Gemini 3 marks a real turning point for Google, which is clearly the AI player to beat right now. The new flagship model is strongly topping leaderboards for Text, Vision, and WebDev, rolling out on Day 1 in the Gemini app and Search (at least for subscribers). Next, AI is going industrial – and Jeff Bezos is back...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, Visa and Mastercard have proposed a sweeping settlement that could upend credit-card rewards as we know them. The $38B deal would let merchants refuse premium rewards cards and allow them to tack on card-specific surcharges. Next, OpenAI dropped a faster and more conversational GPT-5.1, with adaptive reasoning that...

Hi everyone – welcome to your 3 Shifts Edition [AI-generated audio version]. First, prediction markets are heating up fast, with trading volumes now topping $2B weekly and a dizzying web of brokerages, exchanges, and crypto and sports-betting players jumping in. Kalshi and Polymarket are leading in a race that’s set to reshape more than one market. Next, big brokerages are pulling open the door to...