Rich Habits Podcast: More Market Predictions, Tesla Kills Their Model X & S Vehicles & Amazon's AI-Induced Layoffs

Hosts: Austin Hankwitz (A), Robert Croak (B)
Guest: Katie Stockton (C), Founder of Fairlead Strategies
Date: January 30, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Austin and Robert break down the week’s biggest financial headlines impacting personal wealth and investment strategy, including Meta’s massive fiber optic deal, Amazon and Dow Chemical’s AI-driven layoffs, and Tesla phasing out its Model S and X vehicles to pivot toward robotics. They’re joined by technical analysis expert Katie Stockton, who delivers a deep dive on market rotations, commodity trends, and sector strategies for 2026. The episode wraps up with the hosts’ personal radar callouts on interest rates, sector opportunities, and bitcoin volatility.

Key Headlines and Discussion Points

1. Meta’s $6 Billion Deal with Corning (00:59)

• Meta is spending $6 billion to buy next-generation fiber optic cables from Corning to expand its AI-powered data centers.
• Corning’s US-based facilities, especially in Hickory, North Carolina, will scale up—creating over 5,000 new skilled jobs (01:29).
• This approach mirrors Corning's earlier exclusive partnerships (e.g., with Apple), now applied to data center infrastructure (01:46).
• Austin's takeaway (02:09): This is a “picks and shovels” play—investing in components essential for the ongoing data center boom, but reminds listeners that energy supply remains the main bottleneck for data centers, not connectivity.
  • “The real bottleneck for these data centers aren’t fiber optic or copper cables or anything like that. It’s the energy powering these data centers.” – Austin (02:13)
  • Mentions Bloom Energy as a stock benefiting from this energy demand.

2. Amazon & Dow Chemical AI Layoffs (02:55)

• Amazon: Cutting 16,000 corporate jobs after 14,000 layoffs in October—a stunning total of 30,000 eliminated jobs (02:55).
  • AI is the driver; per CEO Andy Jassy, “Generative AI is a once in a lifetime technological change” (03:22).
  • Austin quips: “I think that's a lot of corporate speak for y'all getting laid off. AI's taking your job.” (03:39)
• Dow Chemical: 4,500 jobs eliminated as part of their “Transform to Outperform” initiative, using AI and automation to improve productivity and save $2B per year (04:03).
• Impact:
  • Robert predicts more white collar layoffs in the next 5–10 years and urges listeners to upskill in AI while also recommending blue-collar professions (engineering, nursing, trades) for greater long-term job security (04:21).
  • “A vast majority of white collar jobs will disappear in the next five to ten years.” – Robert (04:37)

3. Tesla Discontinues Model S & X for Robots (05:19)

• Tesla will stop producing Model S and X at their Fremont, CA plant to transition that space into manufacturing Optimus humanoid robots aiming for 1 million units per year (05:19).
• Elon's quote:
  • “It's time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge...and convert that into an Optimus factory.” (05:28)
• EV sales dropped 16% YoY, but Tesla’s Full Self Driving subscriptions surged 38% to 1.1 million users (06:15).
• Future focus: Tesla will continue developing Cybercab—a fully autonomous, steering wheel-less two-seater (06:30).
  • “At scale, talking about the million robots per year...this could be the tune of tens of billions of dollars more per year to Tesla's bottom line.” – Austin (07:14)
  • Robert: “We still remain bullish on Tesla...if someone is going to achieve that goal...the guy that builds rockets is the most likely candidate.” (07:38)

Interview with Katie Stockton: Market Rotations, Sector Strategies & Commodities

Introductions (08:47)

• Katie Stockton, technical analysis expert and founder of Fairlead Strategies, joins to discuss market predictions for 2026.

A. Small Cap Rotation & Russell 2000 (09:50)

• Katie praises the show’s recent call on sector rotation toward small caps, confirming that the Russell 2000 has broken out to all-time highs in early 2026, forming a textbook “cup and handle” pattern (10:18–11:40).
  • “When you see resistance removed from a chart, that's a bullish development.” – Katie (11:09)
• Austin clarifies they’re discussing broad index-level movements, not just hyped individual stocks (12:00).

B. Precious and Base Metals Momentum (12:51)

• Robert celebrates his call on precious metals; Katie agrees, saying gold, silver, and now copper remain in persistent bull cycles, showing positive momentum across all time frames (13:12–13:42).
  • Not worried about an imminent collapse—no technical signs of widespread overbought conditions yet. For copper, its recent breakout is particularly compelling.
• Sell signals would appear first as a combination of breakdowns, overbought indicators, and volume changes, but currently, trends remain positive (14:00).

C. Katie’s TAC ETF & Sector Rotation (15:04)

• Austin asks about the Fairlead Tactical Sector ETF (TAC), which rotates S&P 500 sector exposure based on technical indicators.
  • “At its essence it's a sector rotation fund...the sectors that have the best momentum and the best relative performance versus the broader market.” – Katie (15:34)
  • When sectors weaken, TAC adds gold or Treasuries for safe haven exposure—this strategy worked well in 2025 with gold (15:54).
• The current environment is seeing new sectors (like healthcare) entering the portfolio, reflecting true sector rotation (19:21).

D. Commodities Beyond Gold (20:07)

• Robert asks about overlooked opportunities in commodities.
  • Katie identifies energy commodities (esp. crude oil) as attractive, noting that WTI recently cleared the 200-day moving average—a potential catalyst for further upside (20:29–22:09).
  • “Crude...has advanced from its lows...and we've seen this relief rally that took it above the 200 day moving average...that’s a positive catalyst.” – Katie (21:14)
• Also flags the energy sector (XLE ETF) as breaking a multi-year trading range, signaling possible long-term outperformance (22:47–24:51).

E. Emerging Markets Outlook for 2026 (24:51)

• Hosts predict strength in emerging markets due to a weaker USD and rising commodities.
  • Katie agrees: the EEM ETF is showing an early 2026 breakout with outperformance vs. the S&P 500 (25:22).
  • Notes that China has lagged, but technical signals suggest downside exhaustion—China could soon become a positive catalyst for the whole EM segment (27:56, 28:14).
  • “If we have China kick back in here...that's something that can help sustain that bull cycle for EM in general.” – Katie (28:28)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “A vast majority of white collar jobs will disappear in the next five to ten years.” – Robert (04:37)
• “It's time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge.” – Elon Musk, via Austin (05:28)
• “When you see resistance removed from a chart, that's a bullish development.” – Katie Stockton (11:09)
• “Crude...has advanced from its lows...and we've seen this relief rally that took it above the 200 day moving average...that’s a positive catalyst.” – Katie (21:14)
• “If we aren't preparing you for the markets and you're surprised by anything, we're not doing a good enough job.” – Robert (22:09)

Host Radar Callouts: Rapid Fire Headlines

(29:11 – 35:44)

Austin’s Callouts

1. Fed Holds Rates Steady (29:46):
   Fed leaves rates unchanged for the sixth month, hinting at 2–3 possible cuts in 2026.
2. Southwest Airlines Profits (29:55):
   Charging for seat selection and checked bags boosts profits, aiming to reach $2B in incremental profits (31:07).
3. Alibaba & Robo-Vans (32:00):
   Alibaba merges logistics with Zelos to tap into China’s $70B projected robo-taxi market by 2035.

Robert’s Callouts

1. Space Tourism & Data Centers in Space (33:08):
   Watches Rocket Lab, ASTS Space Mobile, and the anticipated SpaceX IPO as investments for the new “space economy.”
2. S&P 500 Tops 7,000 (33:47):
   Notes milestone but sees continued volatility—bullish on small caps and broader markets.
3. Bitcoin Dips Below $83,000 (34:08):
   Sees this as market nerves, not a long-term bear trend, and suggests reallocation into less volatile sectors.

Closing Thoughts

• Robert warns of further crypto volatility—a “wild ride” ahead for bitcoin and Ethereum in 2026.
• The team encourages audience feedback to improve these timely Friday headline episodes.

Summary Table of Key Timestamps

| Segment | Speaker | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|------------|-----------| | Meta x Corning Deal | All | 00:59–02:55| | Amazon & Dow AI Layoffs | All | 02:55–05:19| | Tesla Discontinues S/X, Focuses on Robots | All | 05:19–07:53| | Katie Stockton Introduction | All | 08:47–09:28| | Small Cap Rotation / Russell 2000 | Katie | 09:50–12:45| | Precious Metals & Commodities | Katie | 12:51–15:34| | TAC ETF & Sector Rotation | Katie | 15:34–20:07| | Commodities Beyond Gold | Katie | 20:07–24:51| | Emerging Markets | Katie | 24:51–28:53| | Radar Callouts | Austin & Robert | 29:11–35:44|

Listener Takeaway:
This episode is packed with actionable insights on AI’s impact on employment, disruptive moves by Tesla, and granular technical perspectives on market rotations and commodities for 2026. Katie Stockton’s analysis emphasizes the value of technical signals for maneuvering sector exposure, while both hosts encourage vigilance around new trends—from data center infrastructure and energy, to space tech, small caps, and EM outperformance.

For further insight:
Check out the resources and links provided in the episode show notes, including more from Katie Stockton and Fairlead’s TAC ETF.