Contrary to popular belief, the US already underwent a recession in early 2024, particularly for the average consumer ("Main Street"). This was masked by the AI sector boom and soaring asset prices. Revised labor data supports this view, and the economy is now in a reacceleration phase.

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While aggregate gross investment numbers look strong due to the AI boom, this hides weakness in classic cyclical sectors like residential investment, construction, and industrial equipment. This divergence creates opportunities for trades like long tech/short energy, which capitalizes on the two-speed economy.

The AI boom's economic impact extends beyond direct investment. With AI plays driving 80% of stock market gains, a powerful 'wealth effect' is created. This disproportionately benefits the top 10% of earners, who in turn drive the majority of US consumer spending, fueling the broader economy.

The US economy is not broadly strong; its perceived strength is almost entirely driven by a massive, concentrated bet on AI. This singular focus props up markets and growth metrics, but it conceals widespread weakness in other sectors, creating a high-stakes, fragile economic situation.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stated that after accounting for statistical anomalies, "job creation is pretty close to zero." He directly attributes this to CEOs confirming that AI allows them to operate with fewer people, marking a major official acknowledgment of AI's deflationary effect on the labor market.

Recent events, including the Fed's interest rate cuts citing unemployment uncertainty and AI-driven corporate restructuring, show AI's economic impact is no longer theoretical. Top economists are now demanding the U.S. Labor Department track AI's effect on jobs in real-time.

Large-cap tech earnings are hitting record highs, driving stock indices up. Simultaneously, core economic indicators for small businesses and high-yield borrowers show they have been in a recession-like state for over a year, creating a stark divergence.

While large-cap tech props up the market, ADP employment data shows the small business sector has experienced negative job growth in six of the last seven months. This deep divergence highlights a "K-shaped" economy where monetary policy benefits large corporations at the expense of Main Street.

The current administration's singular focus on AI has exacerbated a K-shaped recovery, hurting the average voter. To win re-election, politicians will be forced to stimulate other sectors of the economy to lift "Main Street" out of recession, making the concentrated AI/Meg7 trade less attractive moving forward.

The AI market won't just pop; it will unwind in a specific sequence. Traditional companies will first scale back AI investment, which reveals OpenAI's inability to fund massive chip purchases. This craters NVIDIA's stock, triggering a multi-trillion-dollar market destruction and leading to a broader economic recession.

Pundits predicting a recession based on dwindling consumer savings are missing the bigger picture: a $178 trillion household net worth. This massive wealth cushion, 6x the size of the US economy, allows for sustained spending even with low income growth, explaining why recent recession calls have failed.