Natural gas in the doldrums, inflation re-accelerates, and Cisco's 26-year comeback

In this episode, Scott Slayton, Partner and Chief Strategist at Capital Creek Partners, breaks down three key market themes for the week. Scott explains why natural gas is one of only two commodities down in 2026 despite a roaring commodity bull market, pointing to surging shale production that continues to outpace export capacity while noting that the massive US-Europe price arbitrage and summer weather could change the picture fast. He then digs into this week's CPI and PPI releases, arguing that a re-acceleration in inflation is clearly underway in both core services and goods, a trend that was building before the Iran war and is now reflected in a global bond sell-off. Lastly, Scott salutes Cisco Systems for finally reclaiming its dot-com-era all-time high 26 years later, driven by record revenue, hyperscaler AI orders expected to grow four and a half times in 2026, and a renewed position at the center of the AI infrastructure boom.