The dramatic emergence of DeepSeek, a free Chinese alternative to U.S. artificial-intelligence programs, is an opportunity to buy U.S. AI stocks at attractive valuations.
Despite the histrionics around DeepSeek's reported innovation, all that is really known is that it was developed by a Chinese hedge fund that oddly decided to create a free app rather than use it to facilitate its own trading. The decision seems strange, given that hedge funds exist to make money, not give anything away.
DeepSeek may represent an alternative to top AI companies, but investors shouldn't panic. Instead, they should buy top U.S. technology stocks, or bullishly trade options while buying some protection.
Consider Alphabet, one of the world's most innovative and successful companies. In reaction to the DeepSeek news, investors started aggressively selling its stock and buying put options. (Puts give investors the right to sell stocks at certain prices at set times. When stocks decline, put prices tend to increase.)
With Alphabet at $195.30, investors could buy its February $190 put and sell two February $180 puts for about 59 cents each. The so-called ratio spread is worth a maximum of $9.41 if Alphabet is at $180 or less at its Feb. 21 expiration. The strategy provides a cushion against the potential for an additional plunge while enabling investors to buy Alphabet stock at the $180 strike price.
The Alphabet move can be applied to other tech leaders, too. The strategy monetizes a belief that tech is a 21st-century battlefield that the U.S. will continue to dominate.
While DeepSeek's reported ability to function effectively at a lower cost than previously thought has rattled investors, the AI battle is still in the early stages. Most investors have no material understanding of artificial intelligence beyond the fact that AI stocks have dramatically increased in price.
Investors should consider tech companies as pieces on a chessboard in a multidimensional battle for global dominance. It isn't happenstance that America's top tech leaders sat with President Donald Trump's family at his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Similarly, at a Monday meeting in Beijing, DeepSeek's founder, Liang Wenfeng, 40, attended a symposium hosted by Premier Li Qiang. His appearance coincided with a sharp decline in U.S. stocks, especially tech shares.
DeepSeek's sudden emergence should be treated as an act of provocation by China's leaders. At a time when a new presidential administration is asserting itself, China has reminded the world of its power to create technological applications that are irresistible to Americans and others. TikTok is one example.
In such moments, it's easy to forget that the U.S. essentially created the global economy after World War II and the U.S. military created the internet in the 1960s. Innovation, and the rule of law, are the essence of America. Competition from foreigners, especially those who would challenge us for world leadership, is thus likely to be met with even greater dedication to the task that lies ahead.
The U.S. Army launched a Futures Command in 2018 during Trump's first term to stay at the forefront of tech innovation. Gen. James Rainey, the command's leader, described the pace of disruption as alarming in June 2024 remarks during the Strategic Landpower Dialogue series, hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.
Rainey noted that technological change is the most disruptive since before World War II, when the airplane, radio, and the combustible engine were created.
"Anything you think you know now is going to be different, certainly in a year, maybe 90 days," he said.
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