🎢 Roller Coaster Markets Ahead?

What’s on the Menu 🍴

What a wild week we saw last week!

And it seems like the “fun” is just beginning.

With signs of volatility on the horizon, we’re preparing for some big price swings this summer.

Let’s get into it:

• What to Watch This Week 👀

• Roller Coaster Markets Ahead? 🎢

• Return On Hassle: The Personal Side Of Finance 💲

Today’s newsletter is a 5 minute read.

What to Watch This Week 👀

Despite persistent inflation, geopolitical turmoil, elections, and economic uncertainty, US stock indices made a new all time high last week.

Crypto also joined in the party, as Bitcoin surged 8% and ended just below $67,000.

Risk appetite was high with the resurgence of meme stocks such as GME & AMC, although they faded towards the end of the week.

Is the meme stock mania over or is there more to come?

Investors will also be watching the semiconductor and AI sectors closely this week as the major bellwether Nvidia reports earnings on Wednesday.

If that wasn’t enough, metals and mining stocks have been surging in recent weeks, with silver up 12% and copper up 9% last week!

The macro data calendar is relatively light this week:

• Australia consumer confidence (Mon)

• Canada inflation (Tues)

• Japan trade balance (Tues)

• UK inflation (Wed)

• Germany manufacturing PMI (Thurs)

• UK retail sales (Fri)

• US durable goods orders (Fri)

Besides Nvidia, retailers and software companies will make up the bulk of the remaining earnings reports this week:

Chinese stocks have been another recent bright spot in the market lately, so add them to the long list of sub-sectors to keep an eye on.

We’ll be watching those as well as the following:

📈 Rising Recently:

• Gold Miners (GDX / GDXJ)

• Silver (SLV)

• Copper (CPER / ICOP)

• Meme stocks (GME / AMC)

• Chinese stocks (KWEB / FXI)

• Semiconductors (SOXX)

• Cleantech & Solar (TAN / PBW)

• Biotech (XBI)

• Crypto (BTC / ETH / WGMI)

📉 Falling Recently:

• MLPs (AMLP)

• Industrials (XLI)

Roller Coaster Markets Ahead? 🎢

Seeing a lot of frustration and confusion about financial markets and the economy lately?

You're not alone.

There's a good mix of FOMO and regret swirling around right now, and it's painting the town with a nice shade of volatility.

Bitcoin Blues?

First up, we have the folks who missed out on the latest 14+ month Bitcoin bull run.

Watching BTC climb and wondering if they should've YOLO'd in back when it was struggling around $20k. They feel like they're standing outside the hottest club in town, listening to the beats from the sidewalk.

GameStop Manipulation?

Then there are the apes who got burned on the $GME pump and dump last week.

The infamous “Roaring Kitty” started posting memes about GME last week, and self-proclaimed “apes” started buying GameStop’s stock, giving it just a quick two-day pop before falling over 70% from the weekly highs.

They rode the meme wave, hoping to cash in big, but instead, they were left holding the bag.

It's the classic story of "diamond hands" turning into "bag holders."

Fear Sells, But Doesn’t Pay

Let's not forget the perma-bears, those who’ve been predicting doom and gloom for years, convinced that both stocks and Bitcoin are overinflated bubbles ready to burst.

Yet here we are, with the stock market sitting at all-time highs, making them question everything they thought they knew about market cycles and rationality.

This collective tension is a recipe for some serious market swings.

When everyone is on edge, even a small spark can ignite a wildfire of volatility. Traders are nervously watching every tick, ready to either jump in or pull the plug at the slightest hint of movement.

What does this mean for you?

Brace yourself for a roller coaster ride.

The market could swing wildly in either direction, driven by news, sentiment, and the sheer unpredictability of mass psychology.

Whether you're a seasoned trader or a cautious investor, now's the time to tighten your seatbelt and keep your strategy in check.

Stay calm and remember: in the world of investing, volatility is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Return On Hassle:
The Personal Side Of Finance 💲

When we think about financial planning, we’re quick to think about the numbers.

What do the numbers tell us? Which decision wins out with the quantitative data?

However, it’s called “personal finance” for a reason. Many decisions require more thought beyond the quantitative into the qualitative.

Decisions like:

• Moving your savings account to get a higher yield

• Buying a real estate investment property

• Moving your family for a new job

• Selling a property/asset

• and many more…

Return on hassle can’t be measured… it’s felt.

For example, if you’re thinking about moving your family across the country for a higher paying job, is it going to be worth moving your kids to a new school, leaving your family or friends, buying or renting a new home, or simply having to start all over in a new place?

It really depends. It’s not always just about the money with these types of decisions (and someone may need to help you discern the financial from the emotional in a healthy way).

Many large and even small decisions have to be made throughout our financial lives in this way.

Even a decision as commonplace as buying vs. renting can come with a “return on hassle” analysis depending on where you live and what housing is available.

It’s important to let our gut instinct (to a point) help guide us. A lot of times, if something doesn’t “feel” right, it could be for a good reason. You just have to make sure fear isn’t driving you.

Especially with big financial decisions that will have a huge impact on your life.

If you’re nervous about the maintenance and vacancy costs of a potential rental property for example, it could be for a good reason.

Maybe you’re not excited about being a landlord and the “hassle” it can bring into your life.

This is a great reason to pause, do the analysis and really get to the bottom of what’s best for YOU. Just because your best friend loves being a landlord doesn’t mean you will.

The goal is to make investing and financial decisions with little to no regrets. To get there, you have to look at the numbers, but, also the emotional side of money.

A lot of decisions we will never know “what could have been” on the other side, and some decisions we WILL eventually have more data to look back on.

It happens often where a decision gets (or doesn’t get) made and you end up kicking yourself later for it. Maybe it’s impossible to FULLY live life not regretting ANY decisions. That is a big ask from life.

However, we can at least know that we made the best decisions for ourselves in that moment and find peace in the outcome. If we don’t approach life (and finances) in this way, it can be an exhausting way to live in a constant state of “would have, could have, should have”.

Food For Thought 🧠

"Be stubborn about your goals, and flexible about your methods.”
- Anonymous

DISCLAIMER: We are not investment advisors, and this content is for educational purposes only. We don’t offer financial, legal, or tax advice. Nothing we say is a recommendation to buy or sell any assets. Trading and investing are extremely risky, so please be careful and do your own research.