CITIC Securities: Computing Power Sector Has Not Yet Reached Medium-Term Major Shift Criteria, Mainly Due to Short-Term Rebalancing Demand
The recent rollercoaster ride in the computing power sector is more thrilling than a Hollywood blockbuster. The analysts at China Securities Co. finally got one thing right: the core contradiction lies in the sector's absolute fundamental strength crashing into an absolutely overcrowded trading structure. But take what these brokerages say with a grain of salt — they themselves are often part of the crowded trade.
Analysis
Let's start with the facts. Computing power, especially AI computing power, is indeed the engine of the future world. Without it, large language models, autonomous driving, and smart manufacturing are all castles in the air. Absolute fundamental strength? I wholeheartedly agree. But the problem is that the entire market has seen this clearly, and what happened? Capital rushed in like sharks smelling blood, sending stock prices sky-high and packing the trading structure tighter than a subway car during morning rush hour. At that point, any little breeze — a regulatory document, U.S. tech stocks catching a cold, or even a major investor quietly taking profits — can trigger a wave of panic selling. This isn't investing; it's collective hysteria.
Tighter regulation? It's about time. Hot money in the market is frantically chasing concepts, inflating bubbles faster than balloons. If no one hits the brakes, it's always the late-to-the-game retail investors who get hurt. Profit-taking? Perfectly normal — you'd be a fool not to take profits when you've made enough. Adjustments in the U.S. and South Korea's AI supply chains? That only exposes our vulnerability: how many so-called "domestic computing power" companies still have their core technology and supply chains in someone else's hands? The moment there's external turbulence, their legs turn to jelly. So those who wail and doubt the trend at the first sign of short-term volatility have no idea about the underlying logic of the game. The trend hasn't disappeared — the market is catching its breath and shaking out the weak hands.
China Securities Co. says it's not yet time for a major mid-term rotation. I'm half-skeptical. Short-term rebalancing needs? In plain terms, it means things rose too fast and need to pull back to digest valuations. But what's the standard for a "major rotation"? They define it as a slowdown in computing power's own growth rate, or a significant recovery in other sectors' fundamentals. Is the former anywhere close? Look at the momentum of the global AI arms race — a slowdown in growth? Maybe in the next life. The latter is even more amusing. Other sectors like coal and industrial metals are just the last gasp of the old economy — how can they compare to the future that computing power represents? Shifting money from computing power to those sectors would be like abandoning electric vehicles to invest in horse-drawn carriage repair shops. What a brilliant thought process.
The most laughable is that "tech falls, defensives rise" rotation narrative. This is purely an excuse for short-term speculators. Real investors focus on the long arc of industrial revolution, not on staring at intraday charts doing Brownian motion. Today tech stocks plunge, so you sell and chase defensives; tomorrow tech rebounds, so you jump back in? All that churning, and transaction fees alone will eat away most of your capital. Market sentiment is like a pendulum, always swinging between excessive optimism and excessive pessimism, and most people make their worst decisions precisely when the pendulum reaches its extremes.
Wait for overseas tech stocks to stabilize before positioning in computing power? This is another typical brokerage talking point — it sounds like advice but is really just passing the buck. "Overseas stabilization" is a vague concept; by the time you've figured it out, the ship will have long sailed. The right time to position yourself is often when everyone is most fearful and the trade is most crowded — not when some clear signal appears. Those who keep saying "I'll buy on the pullback" often end up watching prices rise without them. As for watching coal and industrial metals as "other sources of economic vitality" — I nearly laughed out loud. That's as absurd as advising you in 2023 to stock up on pagers. Under the megatrends of energy transition and digitalization, the so-called "vitality" of traditional cyclical industries is nothing more than ripples from short-term supply-demand mismatches — how can that compare to the tidal wave of productivity revolution that computing power represents?
At the end of the day, the volatility in the computing power sector amplifies every market pathology: herding behavior, excessive trading, and short-sighted speculation. The fundamental strength is an open card, but the crowded trade is the real danger. Of those elbowing their way in, how many truly understand GPU architectures and the evolution of AI algorithms? Most are probably just mindlessly following the upward curve of stock prices. In such an atmosphere, it would be strange if volatility didn't intensify. Regulatory intervention, in a sense, is protecting the market from self-destruction.
Looking at it independently, I believe the current correction is not a bad thing. It makes prices more rational, cools down frenzied capital, and gives companies with genuine technological moats a chance to prove themselves. Once the foam is squeezed out, real gold will shine. But the process will be painful, especially for those using leverage or trading on tips. The market always rewards patience and insight, while punishing greed and ignorance.
So don't be fooled by China Securities Co.'s "inflection point signals." All that talk about shifts in valuation baselines and fundamental convergence is just after-the-fact rationalization — Monday morning quarterbacking. What you need to do is recognize that computing power is a high-conviction track for the next decade, then tune out the short-term noise, dig deep into the supply chain, and find the great companies that can emerge from the crowded field. As for which sector capital rotates into today or which concept surges tomorrow — let it go. Investing is not a 100-meter dash; it's a marathon. On a crowded track, the winners are those who survive and keep running to the finish line. The future of computing power is bright, but the road to that future is full of bumps and pitfalls. Buckle your seatbelt, grip the steering wheel, and don't get thrown off the ride.
Disclaimer: The above content is generated by AI and is for reference only.