MARKET INSIGHTS

Weekly market commentary

01-Dec-2025
  • BlackRock Investment Institute

Micro is macro in mega AI buildout

BlackRock Bottom Line

Wei Li

BlackRock Chief Investment Strategist

The world’s economies and markets are being transformed by mega forces, especially artificial intelligence. As we track this transformation into 2026, the three investment themes in our 2026 outlook are: one, Micro is macro; two, Leveraging up; and three, Diversification mirage.

First: Micro is macro. Companies’ capital spending ambitions tied to the AI buildout are huge - big enough to have a macroeconomic impact. The overall revenues that AI eventually generates could justify the spend at a macro level, but it’s unclear how much tech companies will capture. We think they’ll adjust plans as visibility on potential revenues and energy constraints improve.

Second: Leveraging up. AI spending comes first, benefits and revenues are likely to only come later. That creates a need for long-term financing – making greater leverage inevitable. We expect companies to keep tapping public and private credit markets, creating opportunities for investors.

Third: Diversification mirage. In markets driven by just a few forces, allocations made under the guise of diversification may now in fact be big active bets. Investors should be ready to pivot quickly. We think traditional diversifiers like long-term Treasuries will no longer be the reliable buffer they once were. We prefer exposures with their own sources of returns, such as private markets and hedge funds.

The bottom line is: we stay pro-risk and think the AI theme will remain a key driver of equity returns. We see an environment ripe for active investing.

AI at the helm

We remain pro-risk and see the AI theme still the main driver of US equities. Identifying the winners as AI revenues spread is an active investment story.

Market backdrop

US stocks rose. PCE inflation data reinforced our view that the Federal Reserve is on track to cut interest rates this week. US bond yields climbed.

Week ahead

We eye the Fed’s economic and interest rate projections given market pricing of more rate cuts next year. We also eye delayed US labor and wage data.

Mega forces are transforming the global economy and markets, especially AI. Technology is becoming capital-intensive, and the AI buildout could be unprecedented in both speed and scale. These investment ambitions are pushing limits – the title of our 2026 Global Outlook – on multiple fronts and trumping the macro. With a few mega forces driving markets, it is hard to avoid making a big call on their direction. We stay pro-risk and overweight US stocks on the AI theme.

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Never broken out

US GDP per capita and long-term trend, 1870-2024

The chart shows the US' long-term 2% growth trend that encompasses all major innovations of the past 150 years.

Source: BlackRock Investment Institute and Macrohistory Database, December 2025. Note: Historical data compiled by Òscar Jordà, Moritz Schularick, and Alan M. Taylor. 2017. Macrofinancial History and the New Business Cycle Facts. in NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2016, volume 31, edited by Martin Eichenbaum and Jonathan A. Parker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

The AI buildout means the micro is macro – our first theme – and its scale has sparked talk of a bubble forming. We don’t see that as a practical lens for investing. Market bubbles grow for some time and only become obvious after they burst. And framing it as a bubble focuses only on the unprecedented spend – but AI could be unprecedented both in terms of investment and potential corporate revenues. We think it is more relevant to see if and how these unprecedented dimensions can be reconciled. We find that justifying the loftiest ambitions would require a US growth breakout from its long-term 2% trend that generates new pools of revenue. That’s hard to make happen. All major innovations of the past 150 years – steam, electricity and the digital revolution – were enough to keep US growth at its 2% trend, not break it. See the chart. Something more is needed, and AI could deliver it.

AI makes such an unprecedented breakout conceivable because it has the potential to innovate the process of innovation itself, generating and improving new concepts on its own. This self-reinforcing loop is key to achieving the growth breakout and expanding the overall revenues. But we don’t know if this will happen – and even if all these revenues are generated, it’s unclear who will capture them. Entirely new AI-created revenue streams could develop and spread across sectors and the economy. It’s also unclear who the winners will be within tech: the capex may pay off overall, but not for individual companies. That’s why we think the AI theme will become an active investing story. The current AI builders have room to grow their share of the revenue as they eat into parts of the tech ecosystem, like software. But we should not expect these companies to be on autopilot. Their investment ambitions are not yet reality, and they could adjust as more clarity on revenues emerges and stark physical constraints bite. Yet we see opportunities where these constraints are most acute, especially energy.

Never broken out

The front-loaded investment in the AI buildout and back-loaded revenues creates a financing hump – and that makes greater leverage inevitable, as seen from big tech corporate bond sales. That’s why our second Outlook theme is leveraging up. The good news: the starting point for private sector leverage is healthy, particularly listed tech. But along with highly indebted governments, this leverage creates a financial system vulnerable to shocks – including bond yield spikes tied to policy tensions between inflation and debt sustainability. We think infrastructure and both public and private markets will support this financing. We favor short- and medium-term US Treasuries and renew our underweight to long-term bonds.

A diversification mirage, our third theme, has emerged with a few mega forces driving markets. Attempts to diversify away from the US or AI amount to larger active calls than before. And traditional diversifiers like long-term bonds do not offer the portfolio ballast they once did. We think investors should focus less on spreading risk and more on owning it deliberately. Strategies like private markets and hedge funds pair diversification with strong return potential, in our view.

Our bottom line

AI’s self-reinforcing innovation loop could break the US out of its 2% growth trend and reconcile big AI buildout spend with potential revenues. We stay overweight US stocks and favor a more active approach as AI gains spread.

Market backdrop

US stocks advanced after a tame inflation report buoyed expectations for the Fed to cut policy rates again this week. The S&P 500’s mild rise brought its 2025 gain to 17%. Delayed US PCE inflation data for September was in line with expectations, reinforcing our view that the Fed is on track to cut. Bitcoin came under renewed pressure and was down about 30% from its record high. US Treasury yields climbed back near the top of their rough 4.00-4.20% range.

All eyes are on the Federal Reserve, with markets widely expecting a third straight rate cut as the labor market cools – and we agree with those expectations. Also key is what the Fed signals about policy rates next year given market pricing of at least two more cuts and officials becoming more divided on how much more to cut rates. China’s CPI and PPI reports should shed light on whether Beijing’s efforts to combat deflation are taking effect.

Week ahead

The US has never broken out of its long-term 2% GDP growth trend over the past 150 years.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results. Indexes are unmanaged and do not account for fees. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Sources: BlackRock Investment Institute, with data from LSEG Datastream as of December 4, 2025. Notes: The two ends of the bars show the lowest and highest returns at any point year to date, and the dots represent current year-to-date returns. Emerging market (EM), high yield and global corporate investment grade (IG) returns are denominated in US dollars, and the rest in local currencies. Indexes or prices used are: spot Brent crude, ICE US Dollar Index (DXY), spot gold, spot bitcoin, MSCI Emerging Markets Index, MSCI Europe Index, LSEG Datastream 10-year benchmark government bond index (US, Germany and Italy), Bloomberg Global High Yield Index, J.P. Morgan EMBI Index, Bloomberg Global Corporate Index and MSCI USA Index.

Dec. 8

China trade

Dec. 9

US job openings

Dec. 10

Fed policy decision; China CPI;
Q3 US Employment Cost Index

Dec. 12

UK GDP

Read our past weekly commentaries here.

Big calls

Our highest conviction views on six- to 12-month (tactical) and over five-year (strategic) horizons, December 2025

Note: Views are from a US dollar perspective, December 2025. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding any particular funds, strategy or security.

Tactical granular views

Six- to 12-month tactical views on selected assets vs. broad global asset classes by level of conviction, December 2025

Legend Granular

We have lengthened our tactical investment horizon back to six to 12 months. The table below reflects this and, importantly, leaves aside the opportunity for alpha, or the potential to generate above-benchmark returns – especially at a time of heightened volatility.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Note: Views are from a US dollar perspective. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast or guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon as investment advice regarding any particular fund, strategy or security.

Euro-denominated tactical granular views

Six to 12-month tactical views on selected assets vs. broad global asset classes by level of conviction, December 2025

Legend Granular

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Note: Views are from a euro perspective, December 2025. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast or guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon as investment advice regarding any particular fund, strategy or security.

Meet the authors

Jean Boivin
Head – BlackRock Investment Institute
Wei Li
Global Chief Investment Strategist – BlackRock Investment Institute
Glenn Purves
Global Head of Macro – BlackRock Investment Institute
Vivek Paul
Global Head of Portfolio Research – BlackRock Investment Institute

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