Plenty of folks worry about AI eating their business... And software companies have already found out just how painful that is.

Software's $2-for-$1 Problem By Joe Austin, senior analyst, Chaikin Analytics Plenty of folks worry about AI eating their business... And software companies have already found out just how painful that is. The S&P North American Technology Software Index fell 15% in January. That marked its worst monthly performance since 2008. And the Power Gauge saw this coming... In our system, we measure the software space with the State Street SPDR S&P Software & Services Fund (XSW). The Power Gauge first turned "bearish" on XSW back in mid-November. And the fund has collapsed in recent months. Take a look... However, growth prospects for the software industry itself still look pretty good... Late last year, IT consulting and research firm Gartner projected that global software spending would grow by more than 15% this year. Industry forecasts project software sales will grow from around $900 billion in 2025 to about $2.9 trillion by 2035. That's a compound annual growth rate of more than 12%. So is the current panic in the space creating opportunity... or are investors right to worry? The fear makes sense. AI will surely disrupt many parts of the software industry. But to gauge the real risk, you need to understand the economics of how software companies make money. And it all comes down to one important point many investors overlook... There's often a big gap between when software companies book revenue and when they actually make money... Recommended Links: Until Tomorrow: Potential to 6X the Stock Market Two world-class analysts from our corporate affiliate Altimetry say it's the single best opportunity they've seen in decades – a chance to 6X nearly every stock in the markets... with the risk profile of buying U.S. Treasurys. But it will disappear quickly. See the details here, by tomorrow. The No. 1 Move to Prepare for $10,000 Gold Gold's recent run-up has already been nothing short of historic... But it's far from over. In fact, gold could hit $10,000 an ounce sooner than most expect – and even that might be too low an estimate. One expert has even issued a $20,000 price target. But however high gold ultimately goes, it's critical you know how to take advantage of its next big move... by checking out the BEST possible gold stock you should buy immediately. Why the SaaS Model Is Breaking Down I started covering software stocks in the 1980s. Back then, software was a product that you bought. I even remember when it came in a box, with CDs you had to install. But today, companies sell most software via subscriptions. Customers rent rather than buy. This is what the industry calls "SaaS" – or "Software as a Service." Today, SaaS is the way the industry does business. It's expected that SaaS accounted for 85% of all software sales last year. It's easy to see why SaaS is popular. There's no massive upfront capital expenditure. Customers pay monthly or annually instead. That shifts the cost of the software from a capital expense (hard to approve) to an operating expense (easy to approve). But for software companies, this model comes with two unique risks... The first is customer acquisition cost ("CAC"). That's how much money a company spends to acquire a new customer. The second is the payback period on that investment. That's how long it takes for those monthly subscription payments to cover the CAC. This model works as long as growth continues. New customer revenue keeps flowing in. That covers ongoing expenses. And it creates what looks like healthy cash flow. The software company uses new customer money to fund operations while waiting for older customers to pay back those acquisition costs. But when growth stops, the results are brutal. Let's say a company needs 18 months to recover what it spent on a customer. If people start canceling after 12 months, the company is stuck. It poured millions into customers with no payback. And CACs for software companies have soared in recent years. They're up more than 200% since 2017. For top-quartile software companies (the most efficient of the group), the average payback period is now 15.9 months. That's up about 30% from 12.3 months, the average payback period in 2020. Today, software companies spend about $2 for every dollar of recurring revenue they acquire. That's a two-year breakeven timeline before factoring in ongoing service costs. The payoff is still positive for most companies. But margins are shrinking fast. The gap between what companies spend and what they earn back keeps narrowing. The SaaS model works well so long as customers stick around. But AI threatens to break that assumption – by either offering cheaper alternatives or letting companies build solutions in-house. And that's exactly what has been sending investors running for the exits... To keep an eye on this, I'm monitoring XSW. But for now, the Power Gauge says to stay on the sidelines... XSW gets a "very bearish" rating in our system right now. Looking at its individual holdings, 56 companies are "bearish" or worse... and 71 are in "neutral" territory. Meanwhile, only 10 are "bullish" or better. Everyone worries about AI eating their business. But software companies might have the most to lose, because their entire model depends on customers sticking around for years. It's a problem that won't resolve itself quickly. Until we see how AI reshapes customer-retention patterns, software stocks remain higher-risk. I'm not saying that every company in the space is doomed. But right now, the Power Gauge sees much better opportunities elsewhere. Good investing, Joe Austin Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 +2.48% 9 19 2 S&P 500 +1.92% 125 282 90 Nasdaq +2.11% 24 50 26 Small Caps +3.59% 661 930 296 Bonds +0.07% Information Technology +4.06% 20 36 12 — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks and Large Cap stocks are Bullish. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Consumer Staples +5.3% Industrials +4.68% Materials +4.55% Energy +4.31% Health Care +1.92% Financial +1.53% Real Estate +1.35% Utilities +0.23% Information Technology -1.91% Consumer Discretionary -2.62% Communication -3.6% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Regional Banking Services 123 22 0 Over the past 6 months, the Regional Banking subsector (KRE) has outperformed the S&P 500 by +14.88%. Its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Very Strong, with more Bullish than Bearish stocks. It is currently ranked #1 of 21 subsectors. Top Stocks ZION Zions Bancorporation AMAL Amalgamated Financia AMTB Amerant Bancorp Inc. *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers HOOD +13.95% COIN +13.0% SMCI +11.44% TER +10.69% UAL +9.26% Losers MOH -25.51% VRSN -7.6% NWSA -7.06% FSLR -6.67% NWS -6.35% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Earnings Surprises UI Ubiquiti Inc. Q2 $3.88 Beat by $0.80 BIIB Biogen Inc. Q4 $1.99 Beat by $0.37 ROIV Roivant Sciences Ltd. Q3 $-0.24 Beat by $0.07 CBOE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Q4 $3.06 Beat by $0.11 CNC Centene Corporation Q4 $-1.19 Beat by $0.03 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at ignoble.experiment@arconati.us. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call +1 (877) 697-6783 (U.S.), 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time or e-mail info@chaikinanalytics.com. 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