JPMorgan Has Historic Q2 & New York Temporarily Bans Data Centers

0:01Are you sucking wind from trying to keep up with AI and its impact? Take a breather and tune in to The Intelligence Shift, Morning Brew's new podcast with PwC. It bridges the gap between big picture AI concepts and what it actually means in practice. Host Dan Priest is joined by expert guests to discuss AI's role in sports, music, HR, and more. Listen to The Intelligence Shift wherever you get your podcasts. Good Morning Brew Daily Show. I'm Raymond Liu. And I'm Kyle Hagee. Today, it's a big bank earnings bonanza. And we'll talk about the new status symbol for the ultra-rich. It's Wednesday, July 15th.

0:39Let's ride.

0:49Good morning. Here's something that might inspire you today. In a report by the New York Times, a 91-year-old man is attempting to become the oldest person to hike and complete the 2 ,190-mile trek through the Appalachian Trail. Dale Sanders, aka Graybeard, has been chipping away at it since September and has so far completed roughly 70 % of his journey. The Appalachian Trail is a beast. It runs from Georgia all the way up to Maine with the most difficult part where you have to scramble through the White Mountains in New Hampshire and battle severe weather patterns. Graybeard has actually already completed the trail before where he set the record in 2017 at the age of 82.

1:27no small feat. But that record was broken in 2021 by an 83-year-old hiker named MJ Eberhardt, aka Nimble Will Nomad, these nicknames are great, who happens to be a very close friend of his. Kyle, if you ever needed to set a goal in your 90s, maybe put down the triple crown of through hiking. I guess, I mean, look, Greybeard versus Nimble Will is like the MJ LeBron debate of 90-year-old hikers. We got to interview Greybeer. That's an incredible feat. When I'm 90, definitely not doing this. I want to do like city guide stuff. Like I'm not going to any mountains or trails. I'm staying close to hospitals.

2:06I mean, it's an amazing feat. I've done some backpacking in my time. It's definitely arduous. It's all of a mental game where you're out there and at first it's kind of fine. You're enjoying nature. You're like, oh, this is nice to see. But then like day two, day three, you're like, oh my God, I've been out here for so long and you kind of have to like relinquish all the conveniences that you have in life. I think by like minute 16, I would have that feeling. But shout out to Graybeard. All best of luck to him to complete the record. And now a word from our sponsor, Ultra Running. Hey, Kyle, do you know about the Ultra Fit?

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3:12That's A-L-T-R-A running.com slash morningbrew. Big bank take little bank. That's got to be the rallying cry across Wall Street this week as five out of the six largest U.S. banks reported their quarterly earnings for Q2. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, signing like an all-star team, collectively nabbed$49 billion in revenue, a 39 % jump from a year ago. JP Morgan, the point guard of the bunch, scored its biggest quarterly profit ever with$21.2 billion by spreading the ball around$4.6 billion from its stake in Visa,$6 billion from equities training, and then a behind-the-back pass with investment banking fees that scored them$3.28 billion.

3:58but the other four put up some numbers too Goldman Sachs who dominated the paint with$6.6 billion from its equities business the wing player Bank of America going 3 for 3 from beyond the arc bringing in$9 billion in profits and then you have the hustle players the banks who do the dirty work Citigroup and Wells Fargo bringing in roughly$6 billion each Kyle, it's got to be all smiles over at Wall Street Right, incredible basketball analogy I will have to say maybe LeBron will take his talents to JP Morgan Yeah, I think the big banks have found this sweet spot with everything you've mentioned spreading the ball around a sweet spot between Wall Street and Main Street.

4:34On Wall Street, you have these massive IPOs, SpaceX being the most popular one this year, where banks are generating a ton of cash from IPO fees. They're also generating cash from selling access to shares to hedge funds. And then whenever you have an IPO, you have this new cohort of millionaires and billionaires that these banks have a chance to manage their money for. If you look at mergers, we're on track for a record year there. So investment banking divisions are doing quite well. If you shift your attention to Main Street, revenue from trading equities and fixed income is approaching or might even exceed record set earlier this year.

5:10So when you have Wall Street and Main Street humming together, big banks do very well. Then you also just look at the AI boom where these banks are competing sometimes with private credit lenders to finance all of this AI spend. And so there's also this kind of new area of growth for them to tap into. So as you said, it looks like big banks are back. Such a feel-good story. That should put a smile on your face. These guys just never catch a break. Yeah, well, although these big banks are kind of patting themselves on the back, almost every CEO added an asterisk to their celebrations. Jamie Dimon, the head honcho over at J.P.

5:46Morgan, noted, quote, several risks are shifting below the surface like tectonic plates, including geopolitical tensions and wars, sticky inflation, large global fiscal deficits, and elevated asset prices. B of A's CEO Brian Moynihan said inflation and tight monetary policy remain a key risk. David Solomon from Goldman Sachs acknowledged that the AI hype that you just mentioned kind of has its ups and downs. And then, of course, you have the Iran war, which we can say at this point is kind of a wild card. So, yes, banks are celebrating, but they don't want to celebrate too much. That's right. There's a lot under the surface that could change this entire projection of rosiness.

6:28I think the CEOs are being smart to call that out. We've talked about inflation. Well, let's move on to the Federal Reserve where they're talking a lot about that inflation issue. And look, it's Kevin Warsh's Federal Reserve and we're just living in it. The new head of the Fed chaired his first meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee last month and yesterday set another first, his first appearance in front of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services. And if that doesn't get you fired up, well, you're probably normal. But Warsh did continue to lay out more of his vision for a focused Fed.

7:02He restated the intention of his five task forces, Fed communications, Fed balance sheet, data sources, technology's effect on the economy, and different frameworks for fighting inflation. He called a shot on ending that inflation and driving it down to the Fed's 2 % target, saying, quote, if we get this policy right, and we will, the inflation surge of the last five years will be a thing of the past. and Warsh made it clear that the Fed remains committed to both of its congressionally assigned mandates, price stability and maximum employment. While there's been a lot said about the differences between Kevin Warsh and his predecessor, Jerome Powell, one thing they have in common is a belief in an independent federal reserve.

7:45Warsh, when asked whether he would make decisions based on economic data, even if President Trump publicly criticizes him, said, quote, I will. We'll get another look at Warsh's Fed coming up at the next FOMC meeting scheduled for July 28th through 29th, where experts believe the Fed will hold interest rates steady after a relatively benign June CPI report. Ray, the Fed's in its Warsh era. How do you think he's going so far? Well, it looks like a pretty good start for him with this June report showing that inflation is cooling, but Warsh isn't letting it get to his head. As you said, he's vowed for a major shakeup at the central bank and that's been his number one objective that he said and it seemed like and i saw a little bit of this testimony in front of congress it seemed like every question that he got uh that they had for him was how can the how can the fed operate without political influence how can they make sure that there isn't any kind of influence that trump has and is Kevin Walsh, what's the level of, will he bend over backwards?

8:50Will he actually follow the data? Those were the top of mind questions for a lot of the questions that he got. So it seems, we shall see. I think we'll ultimately see in the months coming forward to see how he will do when it comes to, inevitably probably, when Trump will have pressure when he wants to lower inflation rates. Something Jerome Powell, as you said, knows a lot about. That's right. Right. And similar to the CEOs of these big banks who are focused on the AI boom and making sure that it is ends up being sustainable. Kevin Warsh and the Fed are also focused on that. He said, we don't know the extent to which the economy is going to benefit from this AI build out.

9:30And we have to take measure with the new economic opportunities that offers with the potential downside. So the Fed is really focused on, again, technology's effects on the economy. The other thing that was said to be different between Kevin Warsh and Jerome Powell is all about their communication style. Jerome Powell could be at times lengthy. He liked to explain all of the reasons the Fed was doing everything that it was doing. Kevin Warsh has said we're going to be a style of much more brevity, keep things very tight. And so, again, we'll continue to monitor the situation and see if Kevin is a little more focused on brevity than Jerome Powell.

10:06I do want to quickly mention what does this mean for gas? because some experts are saying because June's CPI doesn't necessarily reflect the recent rise in energy prices driven by the conflict over in the Middle East. We talked about it yesterday. Brent crude prices shot up to a one-month high of$86 a barrel. And I just checked this morning before the show, it currently sits at$81 a barrel. So although the national average of gas sat at $3.86 on Tuesday down from its peak of$4.50 in May, we could see it tick back up again in July's report. But let's move on. New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, just sent a message out to data center builders, not in my backyard, at least for just one year.

10:51In a first-of-its-kind statewide ban, New York just announced a one-year moratorium yesterday on all data centers using 50 megawatts or more. Now, you might be saying New York isn't exactly a hotspot for data centers compared to states like Virginia or Texas, but it actually has a long list of projects waiting to be approved to connect to the state's energy grid, according to Reuters. Even with just those requests, many communities gathered together to protest potential plans of development. And with this ban, Hockel seems to be taking a firmer stance against big projects that concern New Yorkers.

11:24Now, the ban isn't just an all-out hard anti-AI ban. It allows the state time to figure out rules to protect the electrical grid, the environment, and local communities. So if a data center project is approved, everybody is happy, mostly. But analysts are saying New York's ban could provide a blueprint for other states, while others warn it could mean they miss out on the incentives tech companies like to use to get their data centers approved. Kyle, this data center battle is being fought across multiple levels, local, state, and federal. And now it's spreading across the country. Yeah, I think this is a really, really big deal.

12:01And as you mentioned, no other state has enacted at the state level a similar freeze. Maine almost did. It got to the governor's desk, but Janet Mills, the governor there, also a Democrat, vetoed that bill. There have been cities and counties across the U.S. who have halted data center builds. And right when you're dealing with building anything across the U.S. You have all these different levels, the state, the county, the city. It's a patchwork of regulations and obstacles you have to overcome. But this is the first time a state has made such a firm commitment to not building out data centers.

12:35And I think it'll be interesting to see what other states may follow suit. It is, we should note, this is banning large data centers with a capacity of at least 50 megawatts. The ban doesn't extend to hospitals, universities, other facilities that often have smaller data centers. And again, it is a one-year plan for the freeze to figure out how to best proceed forward. I think this is a combination of two things. One is NIMBY, not in my backyard. People don't want data centers around them for whatever reason. And then also AI. It just has such a bad brand. Like when you hear the AI companies saying AI could take every job away and then you're like, oh, data centers, data centers help power AI.

13:21AI takes my job. Why would I want data centers? Like the brand is just so toxic that I think this is why a lot of these bands have public support. Well, this is kind of like the sticking point that Kathy Hochul has to juggle for the state of New York, right? Because as I mentioned, it's not an all out, we just don't want data centers. It's kind of like, well, if we do, if we want data centers built in our backyard, we want to do it right because there are incentives that they could potentially miss out on. Because on the other side, you have states like Louisiana who are willing to work with companies like Meta, who's been building this project that just reported this week that started off, first of all, at$27 billion and has jumped to$50 billion.

14:01Even still, Meta has said that they're taking care of the cost of energy and water, and it's all part of this 20-year sales tax exemption that the governor of Louisiana signed into law. And since then, Meta has pledged$1 billion to work on local roads, water, and wastewater infrastructure. More than$1.6 billion flowed through local businesses, and of course, that's according to the company. And then over at Salem Township, Pennsylvania, according to the Wall Street Journal, a group of 96 families sold about 1 ,700 acres of land to data center developers, which totaled up to$586 million. So you have these rural communities, rural families who probably lived a pretty humble life sitting on acres of farmland.

14:51Then they get a knock on the door from these data center developers and say, hey, you know what? Your land is worth$20 million. why not sell it to us and then you become a multimillionaire? I mean, imagine getting that call. Look, I mean, I got a 500-square-foot apartment. If Meta wants to call me and maybe that gives me a million, email me, kyle at morningbrew.com. Let's chat. I think the other pressure or public perception of going against data centers is this idea that a data center will increase the cost of energy for the community around it. I think the economics of that are very, very nuanced.

15:26There's certainly been cases where that's been true. There's also been cases where data centers have led to decreased cost of energy based on the slack in the system and if there's enough energy in the grid to go around and have this big customer. So it's just a very nuanced conversation dependent on a lot of factors. All right. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we're going to talk about dinosaurs. When demand slowed for HydroJug, Amazon Ads rising star Hayden Wadsworth pivoted. When our bank account hit near zero, my brother Jake and I had one last shot to save HydroJug.

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17:15So you don't have to compromise on anything. Meals heat up within minutes and there's no prep or cleanup required. Get 50 % off by going to forkfulmeals.com slash discount slash MB50. That's forkfulmeals.com slash discount slash MB50. The new status symbol for the billionaire class just dropped. And it's not a new Rolex or the latest Porsche. Instead, it's something millions of years old, covered in dirt, and completely dead. Tyrannosaurus rex fossils. That's right. If you don't own bones, then you're not really rich rich anymore. And yesterday, an anonymous buyer purchased a 67-million-year-old T-Rex named Gus for just north of$50 million at Sotheby's auction in New York, the most ever paid for a dino.

18:04The name Gus is an homage to the farmer who owned the land in the South Dakota Badlands where the excavation took place. In 2023, the dig was complete, but it took three years for the team to document and reconstruct the T-Rex back in the lab. Now, the first time a dinosaur was on auction at Sotheby's was back in 1997, where Sue, the T-Rex, made history and sold for$8 million to the Field Museum in Chicago. Fast forward almost three decades and it's not museums but multi-millionaires who are now first in line to purchase. For example, Ken Griffin, the billionaire CEO of Citadel, famously bought Apex, the Stegosaurus, for$44.6 million in 2024 and subsequently loaned the specimen to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC for a four-year public display.

18:56While the buyer of Gus remains anonymous, debate about the private ownership of historic fossils is in full view with a tension between the scientific community and private purchasers. Ray, are you willing to admit you're the anonymous buyer of Gus? I think you did it. Yeah, I had a hard time carrying the skull up to my one-bedroom apartment. Look, on one hand, you have these marvelous discoveries. I mean, to be able to find these fossils, these ancient relics of a time that we can't even imagine, is kind of incredible on its own. I mean, this is one of the most complete and largest T. rex skeletons discovered to Dake.

19:33And it took three years of, I imagine, a very detailed process. In the end, 183 bones, which accounts for 61 % of the total bone count. But on the other hand, you have the science community who's really worried that the trend of these massive price tags for dinosaur bones keep going up because the prices are kind of getting out of reach for museums or a university or any kind of public agency who just don't have that cash to kind of bid for these fossils. So it essentially leaves it up to the super rich as viable buyers. Dr. Thomas Carr, a vertebrate paleontologist, said a private collection has no guarantee that a fossil will stay in a collection for all time, whereas a public trust mission is to maintain, conserve, and curate its collection indefinitely.

20:24So if the future of a fossil market is moving towards being a playground for the super rich, it could be at the detriment for the science community. Yeah, and I think the argument on the other side is that these excavations are very dangerous to your point. Some people do actually die from these excavations. They're very intense. There's no guarantee of success. And so in order to incentivize people to try to find these, there has to be a payout for them at the end, and they're going to want the most money possible. And in the US, if you find something in your private property, it's yours for the most part.

21:01In other countries, that is sometimes different. Other countries, if you find a fossil, it just automatically belongs to the state or only museums or universities could actually purchase it. But in the U.S., it's a little different. But there definitely is this tension. One thing scientists really want to do is be able to go back and restudy the fossils. And if they're owned privately, there's not a guarantee they could do that. Yeah, and as you mentioned, there's cases where the private owners can loan out the fossil over to museums. And during that time, the museums have time to research it.

21:31But let's say if they're in the middle of a study and the private collector. Ken Griffin's like, bring that dino back. Yeah, he brings it back and he's just like, you know, I want to, you know, upsell it and sell it to someone else. So it kind of leaves the bones kind of in limbo status, which museums makes it really hard to manage. Peter Larson, though, a commercial paleontologist, actually who was part of the team that excavated Stan in the early 90s, actually defended the high price tag, saying that many people don't realize it takes years to prepare a fossil for sale. And auctioneers would argue, shouldn't these fossil hunters be rewarded for their hard work versus giving it up to the public?

22:09Okay, let's sprint to the finish with some final headlines. Tough time for Taco Bell. Federal and state health officials are investigating Taco Bell to see if it played a role in one of the largest U.S. outbreaks of a parasitic intestinal illness called, wait, I have the scientific name here, explosive diarrhea. Oh, I'm sorry, that's not it. It's cyclosporiasis. The CDC is looking into four states that have multiple overlapping clusters, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky, but there's reports of cases that have spread across at least 34 states. Now, as a precaution, Taco Bell voluntarily removed unspecified ingredients at select restaurants, but reports say there were some Detroit area restaurants posting signs that they said were unable to sell lettuce, cilantro, onions, pico de gallo, and guac.

22:58Now, health officials have said leafy lettuce is the leading suspect based on interviews with more than 1 ,000 patients. Kyle, I have something to confess. I had Taco Bell just last weekend. But I can report I'm feeling fine for now, but we shall see. I have no further questions for you, Ray. Look, I just got to say it. If you go to Taco Bell and you don't expect diarrhea, something's wrong. That's always on the table. So I don't think anything has changed. I'm still eating my Crunchwrap Supreme. I don't care. That thing is so good. So I feel like you kind of know what you're getting when you go to Taco Bell.

23:32Ray, a new rom-com idea just dropped, and I'm calling it Love at First Flight. Picture this. You're sitting in the window seat. You go to reach for your water at the middle seat tray table. But the person sitting in the aisle seat goes to reach for their water on the middle seat tray table as well. Your hands touch and you know they're the one end scene. Now, this scene will be possible on select flights on United, who announced Tuesday that select rows on their Airbus A321XLRs will have an empty middle seat with a tray table for the aisle and window seat customers to share. Those seats would be more expensive to purchase.

24:08In addition, United said in March, it plans to launch a set of three economy seats that can be converted into a bed, aka the relax row. This follows a long history of airlines doing everything in their power to upsell customers at every single point. Ray, unfortunately, this empty middle seat idea by United does little to solve the aisle versus window seat debate. But do you like this idea by United? I don't hate it. Okay. Tell you what, I can see United taking your rom-com idea and then playing it before each flight. Liz, I would like to experience this myself. My fear is that once I get a taste of it, though, I'm not going to be able to go back because...

24:49They get you hooked. But here's the thing. I'm actually kind of bummed about this because you know what this does? This takes away the excitement of getting an empty middle seat by chance. There's nothing like the thrill of looking down the aisle and realizing no one else is coming and then you see the flight attendant shut the door and then you look at the person next to you and you're just like, middle seat? Yeah, it's the best. So what this does is basically take that away. But you know what? If you got a little extra cash, pay for that nice empty middle seat and maybe romance will happen. That's right.

25:21I have another idea for United. Massage chairs. I would pay extra for that. 10-hour flight? Let me get the massage going. Something there. Call me United. Last headline, in an homage to the 1808-1814 Peninsular War. Spain upset France in the World Cup yesterday, defeating the Mbappe-led team 2-2-0. And today, England is set to face off against Argentina. The winner of that game will face Spain in the World Cup finale this weekend. Ray, what is your prediction for the game? This is going to be a good one. I'd like to thank Messi pulling out one last time. I think that may happen just to kind of see the greats do the great things.