To The Moon

Speaker: Dr. Franklin Wu (Quantitative Researcher at a financial institution in Shanghai; PhD, University of Chicago — background in physics, quantitative research and trading strategy development) Live Date: September 2, 2026 (Review Live >>)

Dr. Franklin Wu spent the session turning macro noise, chip fundamentals and chart patterns into a single repeatable process. Along the way, he dropped a handful of lines simple enough to remember mid-trade — here are the ones worth keeping.

1. On what actually moves tech valuations

Before touching a single stock, Franklin's rule is to check the macro weather first — because a good company can still get hit if the market suddenly demands a higher return.

"Inflation and oil affect the Fed. Long-term yields affect valuations. VIX tells us roughly how nervous the market is. Earnings tell us whether AI demand is actually becoming revenue."

And on why the pace of a yield move matters as much as the level:

"The key point is speed. A slower rise in bond yields can give tech stocks room to breathe."

2. On not chasing every AI ticker

With dozens of names across the AI compute chain, Franklin's advice is to go narrow, not wide.

"For beginners, one simple approach is to own a clear leader and watch one or two companies that supply the next bottleneck."

"Choose one or two parts of the value chain, and maybe two or three companies in each."

His filter for whether a name even belongs on the list:

"If you cannot explain in one sentence what the company sells and why AI should help it, maybe do not trade it yet."

3. On reading a chart without overcomplicating it

Franklin's technical toolkit is deliberately small — three tools, used together.

"Moving averages help us see the trend. Support and resistance show areas where buyers or sellers showed up before. Volume tells us whether a move has real participation."

For sharply-dropped, news-driven names specifically, where "cheaper" can be a trap:

"I prefer small first, confirmation second, bigger later."

4. On building a process instead of chasing a feeling

Rather than one bold forecast, Franklin runs the same checklist every time and reacts to the evidence as it comes in.

"A simple scorecard might ask: Is the trend up? Is volume improving? Are rates calm? Is the expected gain larger than the possible loss? The exact score can stay behind the curtain."

Applied to September specifically:

"I prefer three scenarios. Base case: range-bound market, selective winners. Bull case: yields fall and earnings stay strong. Risk case: yields rise again and expensive AI stocks lose valuation support."

5. On the one rule that ties it all together

If there's a single sentence to walk away with, it's this one:

"Never let a big story override a specific stop."

Which folds into his closing four-step playbook:

"Macro: check rates, VIX and Fed expectations. Industry: make sure AI demand is showing up in actual earnings. Technicals: use support, moving averages and volume to improve the entry. Risk: control position size, stop and holding period."

Closing Takeaway

Strip away the tickers and the chart levels, and Franklin's session comes down to one habit repeated five different ways: know why you're in a trade, and know exactly what would prove you wrong. Whether it's picking a layer of the AI supply chain instead of chasing every ticker, waiting for confirmation before sizing up into a news-driven drop, or running the same four-step checklist before every position — the through-line is discipline over conviction. A strong thesis on AI doesn't disappear because you sized a trade correctly; a good thesis paired with no stop can still wipe out the account. That's the real "golden sentence" underneath all the others.