Thursday links: A.I. pessimism

MarketsGold has given up all its 2026 gains. (axios.com)Oil prices are back down to pre-war levels. (semafor.com)Bitcoin is well off its highs. (ft.com)Fund managementActivist investors are on a cold streak. (semafor.com)The State Street SPDR Portfolio Nasdaq 100 ETF ($QNDX) is here. (thedailyupside.com)AppleApple ($AAPL) has announce price increases for Macs and iPads. (wsj.com)Even Apple ($AAPL) can't dodge rising memory prices. (spyglass.org)A look at iPhone prices over time. (asymco.com)EconomyThe PCE shows a 4.1% jump from a year earlier. (axios.com)Signs that the wealth effect is holding up consumer spending. (bonddad.blogspot.com)New business formation is surging. (marginalrevolution.com)Earlier on Abnormal ReturnsLongform links: building taste. (abnormalreturns.com)We are rapidly running out of road to kick the proverbial Social Security can. (abnormalreturns.com)What you missed in our Wednesday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)Personal finance links: family MVPs. (abnorma