Topic: Junk Bonds

Tech markets are reacting to news that AI infrastructure provider Core Weave's debt has reached distressed levels, with bond yields exceeding 15%. The company, which leases GPUs to giants like Microsoft and Meta, is struggling with high leverage in a volatile credit market. Analysts warn that if the "AI trade" falters, "neocloud" companies like Core Weave will be the first to collapse under their massive debt loads.

Netflix reportedly spent $190 million on the production of The Irishman, with a significant portion of the budget allocated to de-aging CGI. The company's financial strategy is examined, noting a total debt of $14 billion and a projected 2020 content budget of $15 billion funded through junk bonds.

Italy has formed a new coalition government led by the Five Star Movement and right-wing parties, creating the first "Trump-like" populist administration in a major European economy. Financial markets remain wary of the new government's plans for a flat tax and pension reform, which could lead to a downgrade of Italian debt to "junk" status.

Nick Leeson, the trader who collapsed Barings Bank, is compared to modern financiers who avoid jail time despite causing much larger losses. Michael Milken's history with junk bonds and his unusual 1993 partnership with Michael Jackson to form an educational television network is recalled. The discussion questions who will ultimately pay for the massive debt the U.S. owes the rest of the world.