Major investments in AI infrastructure have some investors worried about corporate balance sheets, but new research from Alger shows today’s buildout looks nothing like the debt-fueled telecom boom of the late 1990s.
Companies today generate earnings that exceed their interest obligations by a wider margin than during the dot-com bubble peak and well above the 30-year average of 6.7x, according to Alger.
While U.S. investment-grade corporate bond issuance exceeded $1.5 trillion in 2025, corporate fundamentals relative to outstanding debt are in better shape than during the internet buildout.
AI Infrastructure Funding Differs From 1990s
The companies deploying AI infrastructure today maintain strong cash flow and healthy balance sheets with sustainable leverage, unlike many telecommunications firms that financed the Internet buildout during the late 1990s, Alger found. Hyperscalers building data centers and equipment can fund capital expenditures from operating cash flow rather than taking on excessive debt.
The Alger AI Enablers & Adopters ETF (ALAI) holds companies funding expansion primarily through free cash flow rather than leverage, according to Alger research. The S&P 500’s interest coverage ratio — earnings before interest and taxes relative to interest expense — stood at 8.4x as of 11/30/25, nearly double the 4.7x recorded in December 1999, according to the report.
Alger believes this quality-focused approach has resonated with investors. ALAI attracted over $245 million in net inflows in 2025, with $54.5 million flowing into the fund during Q4, according to ETF Database.
The ETF returned 40.3% in 2025. The fund carries a 0.55% net expense ratio and holds $298.2 million in assets under management. As of 1/16/26, NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA) represents the largest holding at 12.3% of ALAI’s assets, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) at 8.7%, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) at 8.2%, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSM) at 6.0%
For more news, information, and analysis, visit the Artificial Intelligence Content Hub.
Disclosure Information
Click here for standard performance and more information on the Alger AI Enablers & Adopters ETF.
Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. DUE TO MARKET VOLATILITY, CURRENT PERFORMANCE MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN THE FIGURES SHOWN. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold in the secondary market, may be worth more or less than original cost. Returns less than one year are not annualized. Performance does not reflect the deduction of commissions, which a broker may charge to execute a transaction in Fund shares, and an investor may incur the cost of the spread between the price at which a dealer will buy shares and the price at which a dealer will sell shares. Market performance is determined using the official closing price on the New York Stock Exchange. Market performance does not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. To obtain performance data current to the most recent month end, please visit www.alger.com. Index performance does not represent the fund’s performance. Investors may not invest directly in an index.
Performance shown is net of fees and expenses.
The views expressed are the views of Fred Alger Management, LLC (“FAM”) and its affiliates as of January 2026. These views are subject to change at any time and may not represent the views of all portfolio management teams. These views should not be interpreted as a guarantee of the future performance of the markets, any security or any funds managed by FAM. These views are not meant to provide investment advice and should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell securities. Holdings and sector allocations are subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
Risk Disclosures: Investing in the stock market involves risks, including the potential loss of principal. Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks as their prices tend to be higher in relation to their companies’ earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political, and economic developments. Companies involved in, or exposed to, AI-related businesses may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel as they face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence, and many depend significantly on retaining and growing their consumer base. These companies may be substantially exposed to the market and business risks of other industries or sectors, and may be adversely affected by negative developments impacting those companies, industries or sectors, as well as by loss or impairment of intellectual property rights or misappropriation of their technology. Companies that utilize AI could face reputational harm, competitive harm, and legal liability, and/or an adverse effect on business operations as content, analyses, or recommendations that AI applications produce may be deficient, inaccurate, biased, misleading or incomplete, may lead to errors, and may be used in negligent or criminal ways. AI technology could face increasing regulatory scrutiny in the future, which may limit the development of this technology and impede the future growth. AI companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. A significant portion of assets will be concentrated in securities in related industries, and may be similarly affected by adverse developments and price movements in such industries. A significant portion of assets may be invested in securities of companies in related sectors, and may be similarly affected by economic, political, or market events and conditions and may be more vulnerable to unfavorable sector developments. Investing in companies of small and medium capitalizations involves the risk that such issuers may have limited product lines or financial resources, lack management depth, or have limited liquidity. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified fund” under federal securities laws because it can invest in fewer individual companies than a diversified fund. Private placements are offerings of a company’s securities not registered with the SEC and not offered to the public, for which limited information may be available. Such investments are generally considered to be illiquid. Foreign securities involve special risks including currency fluctuations, inefficient trading, political and economic instability, and increased volatility. ADRs and GDRs may be subject to international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks. Active trading may increase transaction costs, brokerage commissions, and taxes, which can lower the return on investment. At times, cash may be a larger position in the portfolio and may underperform relative to equity securities.
ETF shares are based on market price rather than net asset value (“NAV”), as a result, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund may also incur brokerage commissions, as well as the cost of the bid/ask spread, when purchasing or selling ETF shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation and/or redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. Thus, you may pay more (or less) than NAV when you buy shares of the Fund in the secondary market, and you may receive less (or more) than NAV when you sell those shares in the secondary market. The Manager cannot predict whether shares will trade above (premium), below (discount) or at NAV. The Fund may effect its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than for in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently recognize gains on such sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind. As such, investments in Fund shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that distributes portfolio securities entirely in-kind. Brokerage fees and taxes will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed shares in-kind. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Manager or an affiliate of the Manager, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the shares of the Fund. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.
S&P 500® Index: An index of large company stocks considered to be representative of the U.S. stock market. Index performance does not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes.
The S&P indexes are a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by Fred Alger Management, LLC and its affiliates. Copyright 2026 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a subsidiary of S&P Global Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Redistribution or reproduction in whole or in part are prohibited without written permission of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the ability of any index to accurately represent the asset class or market sector that it purports to represent and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of any index or the data included therein.
Alger pays compensation to VettaFi to sell various strategies to prospective investors.
Before investing, carefully consider a Fund’s investment objective, risks, charges, and expenses. For a prospectus and summary prospectus containing this and other information or for a Fund’s most recent month-end performance data, visit www.alger.com, call (800) 992-3863 (for a mutual fund) or (800) 223-3810 (for an ETF), or consult your financial advisor. Read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing. Distributor: Fred Alger & Company, LLC. All underlying series of The Alger ETF Trust listed on NYSE Arca, Inc. NOT FDIC INSURED. NOT BANK GUARANTEED. MAY LOSE VALUE.