WSJ What’s News
WSJ What’s News

Oct 30, 2026 · 16 min

AI spending fears spread from markets to national security

The AI Trade Gets Spooky

The episode connects the AI selloff to questions about infrastructure costs, espionage risks and broader confidence in technology markets.

3 key takeaways
  1. 1AI stocks face pressure as disappointing earnings meet doubts about infrastructure spending and memory-market demand.
  2. 2A potential $6.3 billion Binance heist highlights how sophisticated cyberattacks continue to expose crypto exchanges.
  3. 3Cocoa shortages are raising Halloween candy prices while producers explore lab-grown cocoa and cheaper substitutes.

Don't miss

Alexander Osipovich details how a suspected North Korean operation may have taken $6.3 billion from Binance and why crypto exchanges remain vulnerable.

The brief

The technology selloff is no longer just an earnings story: investors are weighing weak memory expectations, enormous AI infrastructure bills and allegations of espionage tied to a data-center executive.

Binance says it may have suffered the largest cyber heist in history, with suspected North Korean links; frozen funds offer limited comfort as attacks on exchanges grow more sophisticated.

Alexander Osipovich explains the crypto theft, while the broader market discussion covers Amazon’s AI spending, Rivian’s delivery outlook and uncertainty around Grand Theft Auto VI.

Ken Thomas reports on Democrats recruiting military veterans for competitive House races, including the Lady Hellcats, as affordability messaging meets tensions between party factions.

Halloween chocolate is getting pricier after extreme weather and damaged cocoa crops worsened shortages, pushing the industry toward lab-grown cocoa and substitutes that may not taste the same.

Weekly email

State of the Pod, every Monday

The week's most-discussed names and stories from podcasts, with the moments behind them. Free, five minutes, unsubscribe in one click.

Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.