The surge in artificial intelligence has sparked a growing appetite for energy and power, creating a bullish environment for utilities (XLU). This trend has propelled the sector to outshine the broader market, prompting Evercore ISI to upgrade the utilities sector from In Line to Outperform. Evercore ISI managing director Durgesh Chopra, who covers Power and Utilities, joins Morning Brief to shed light on why he foresees continued growth in the sector. Chopra points to two key factors driving the potential outperformance of regulated traditional utilities. First, their current valuations are attractive, trading at a 20% discount. Second, the sector benefits from improving fundamentals, including lower interest rates, easing inflation, and increasing electricity demand. These elements combine to create what Chopra describes as “a great setup for utilities” as markets approach 2025. Addressing the potential impact of the upcoming election on the utility sector, Chopra notes while utilities have historically thrived under Democratic leadership, the sector’s current focus on reducing carbon emissions has shifted the dynamics. This transition is more closely tied to economic development rather than politics. “Whether it’s Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, I think the policy backdrop is going to be very supportive,” Chopra states. As of late, Big Tech has been leaning into and making deals with nuclear energy developers to power their AI data centers, including Amazon (AMZN, Microsoft (MSFT), and Alphabet’s Google (GOOG, GOOGL). Kairos Power Co-Founder and CEO Mike Laufer sat down with Yahoo Finance earlier this week to elaborate on the energy startup’s nuclear agreement with Google. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here.
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