CoreWeave is facing a crisis of confidence on Wall Street that's playing out in real time among equity and bond investors.
With interest rates spiking and AI buildout concerns mounting, debt-heavy neoclouds like CoreWeave are being viewed by many market participants as the most vulnerable trade in the artificial intelligence space.
"Sentiment is decidedly negative," Andrew Keches, a credit analyst at Barclays, wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday, referring broadly to corporate debt in tech. Keches highlighted the "speed at which AI vibes are shifting on a day-to-day basis."
CoreWeave, which went public in March of last year and reached a peak market cap of about $90 billion three months later, is now valued at roughly $34 billion, with its stock down 29% this month. Its unsecured debt, meanwhile, is sporting a yield of about 15%.
The spread on CoreWeave's five-year credit default swaps, which are insurance against default, is up 164% in the past year and 30% in October. It last stood at nearly 1,067 basis points, or 10.67%.