Tech Bubble Bursting, 1920s Edition

Happened then, ready now...?

IN THE 1920s Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was the hottest stock in the world, writes Jim Rickards at The Daily Reckoning.



Radio was cutting-edge tech, and RCA was dominant in the sector. The company was the largest manufacturer of radio sets and operated the largest broadcasting company, NBC. They owned key patents and had attracted many of the country's best engineers.



In 1921 RCA shares traded as low as $1.50 (split-adjusted). By 1929 RCA rose to a peak of $549. A 352x return.



At its highs in 1929 RCA was trading at a P/E of 72x. Speculation had driven the price far beyond rational levels.



The bubble popped in 1929, and by 1932 RCA shares were trading at $15. That's still a 10x return over 11 years, but the majority of investors had bought in at much higher prices. The use of margin borrowing was commonplace, and added fuel to the fire (sound familiar?).



Of course, we also saw a similar mania during the dot-com bubble. Cisco, Intel, and a few other tech leaders soared to unimaginable heights, then crashed back down to Earth.



You could say RCA was the Cisco of the Roaring '20s. And possibly the Nvidia of its time.



Is DeepSeek the pin today?



China's new AI model DeepSeek R1 has the potential to be the pin that pricks the AI bubble. But it hasn't happened yet.



On Monday, Jan. 27, Nvidia shares fell 17% after the market had digested China's AI developments. Shares then rebounded by almost 9% before losing half that rally on Wednesday.



I don't know if this Chinese AI model will be the catalyst that ends the AI mania. But the bubble will inevitably end.



The market is poised for a crash, it only requires the right catalyst. Something frightening. A bank run, financial crisis, war, or even an AI breakthrough from our primary competitor.



Whether this latest Chinese AI model is that catalyst remains to be seen. But the 17% one-day drop in Nvidia shares does demonstrate that this market is easily spooked.



The rise of AI in America has severely concentrated market risk. Even before the AI boom, markets were already heavily tilted towards big tech.



Today it's far more pronounced. Anyone investing in the S&P 500 has more money in the Mag 7 stocks than they do in the bottom 400 companies put together. These 7 big tech firms make up about 34% of the entire S&P 500.



This is what happens during bubbles. A handful of companies dominate the market.



Make no mistake, these periods are driven by real advances. But they inevitably get out of control. It has happened with every major technological development. Railroads, internet, crypto, and now AI.



Anyone who has studied manias can clearly recognize the signs. Problem is, it's difficult to know exactly when it will end. But judging by the market's recent action, we're getting closer.



If you own almost any American stock market index, you likely have plenty of exposure to Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and the rest of the Magnificent 7.



Now is not a time to jump into these names as the tech sector remains vulnerable. I much prefer to buy areas the rest of the market is ignoring. Gold, silver, miners, oil and gas, residential real estate. Hard assets.



Despite all the hype around this tech cycle, we are still entering a hazardous monetary period. The US and much of the world have entered into debt spiral territory. Once debt/GDP broaches 120%, as it did recently in the US, it almost always leads to a debt or monetary crisis. Even in a best case it leads to a prolonged period of slow growth, which is also poison for stocks.



AI is powerful, but it cannot save us from mathematics. So if you don't have any, go buy some hard assets. The easiest place to start is gold and silver. I suggest that everyone should have 10% of their portfolio in these assets. They remain the ultimate diversifiers.