"Bulls, Bears, or Doves!"

Hi There! As Women's History Month concludes, let’s remember and honour the myriad of women who've paved our paths. This month isn't just a time to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women in public and professional arenas—whom we deeply admire—but also to spotlight those who've chosen quieter lives of immense impact. These women, the silent giants, lay the foundations for future generations, nurturing spaces where tomorrow's leaders can grow. Their contributions, though often behind the scenes, are pivotal to shaping a healthier, more enabling world for all.

This year's theme, advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion, underscores the importance of recognizing all women's efforts toward a more inclusive society. It's a call to acknowledge not just the well-known figures in our history, or HERstory, but every woman who plays a role in empowering and educating others.

Let this month serve as a reminder that celebrating women should extend beyond March. It's about expressing gratitude year-round to those who've made significant impacts, both in the limelight and in privacy. Their roles in our communities and families are invaluable, forming the backbone of our society. To every woman who has shaped our past, influences our present, and inspires our future: your legacy is our guiding light. Thank you for your indispensable contributions to our lives and the world.

Alright, let’s dig in!

Last week, the financial markets witnessed a notable uptick, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average registering its best week of the year, propelled by optimism over the Federal Reserve's plan to cut rates within the year. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

• Stock Market Performance: The S&P 500 surged 2.3%, marking its largest weekly percentage gain since mid-December. Similarly, the Dow Jones climbed by 2%, and the Nasdaq Composite saw a 2.9% rise, its most significant weekly jump since mid-January.

• Corporate Highlights:

  • Lululemon (LULU) faced a significant downturn after unveiling a disappointing forecast and a deceleration in U.S. sales growth, experiencing its worst day since March 2020.

  • On the brighter side, FedEx (FDX) enjoyed a 7.4% surge following a quarterly earnings report that exceeded Wall Street expectations.

• Commodities:

  • Crude oil prices experienced a dip in the previous session, ending the week flat amid ceasefire hopes in Gaza and a stronger U.S. dollar. Brent and U.S. crude oil futures saw minimal changes on the week.

• Cryptocurrency:

  • Bitcoin (BTC) witnessed a notable increase following the Federal Reserve's announcement to maintain interest rates, coupled with the projection of three rate cuts in 2024.

 Here are other key highlights from last week:

• The SEC is attempting to classify Ether (ETH) as a security.

• MetaMask partners with CoinLedger to make tax reporting easier

• Dogwifhat memecoin’s iconic photo sold as NFT for $4.3 million

• Nomura Bank launched Libre with Polygon for on-chain tokenization

This week short week has been bustling with economic data releases :

• Key US Economic Data:

  • New Home Sales (Monday): Less homes sold than expected.

  • Consumer Confidence (Tuesday): People are feeling less optimistic about the economy.

  • Durable Goods Orders (Tuesday): More orders for long-lasting products, showing some business optimism.

  • FOMC Member Waller Speech (Wednesday): Member Waller stated that he doesn't see a need to lower interest rates despite high costs of living.

  • US Q4 GDP (Thursday): The economy grew more than expected, showing strength.

  • Initial Jobless Claims (Thursday): More people are applying for unemployment benefits.

  • Pending Home Sales (Thursday): Slightly more homes are about to be sold, but it's still low.

  • Consumer Sentiment (Thursday): People are feeling the most positive about the economy since July 2021.

  While the U.S. Stock Markets is closed for the Good Friday Holiday, Friday’s Core PCE Inflation Data and Fed Chair Powell’s Speech are highly anticipated, with the potential to influence market directions ahead of the Easter weekend.

The most anticipated earnings releases this week are outlined in the chart below.

Key Global Economic Events:

Economic indicators from Australia, including CPI and Retail Sales, and Canada's GDP, along with Tokyo's CPI, will offer a glimpse into the global economic climate.

Trading Tip: April is often the best month for utilities!

Week 3/17/24 - 3/23/24 Recap

Special Tools and Strategies

In a recent interview, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock (one of the most influential investment firms globally) stated that after Bitcoin ETFs, the next step is tokenization for financial assets.

So, what is Tokenization?

Tokenization is transforming how we own and trade assets by converting real-world items and rights into digital tokens on a blockchain. These tokens can represent anything from pieces of real estate and art to shares in a company, offering a secure and transparent method for buying, selling, or exchanging assets.

Key Points of Tokenization

• What Can Be Tokenized? Real-world assets like properties and art, financial instruments such as company shares, and even rights like access to services or voting.

• Benefits: Tokenization increases liquidity, making assets easier to trade; enhances transparency and security through blockchain; streamlines transactions by reducing intermediaries; and broadens accessibility to investment opportunities.

• How It Works: Through smart contracts on the blockchain, tokens are created and governed by predefined rules, allowing them to be traded or transferred easily.

Impact on Business and Investment

• For Businesses: It offers faster transaction times, a deeper understanding of asset values, reduced dependency on intermediaries, and a new way to incentivize customer engagement.

• Examples: Real estate can be fractionally owned through tokens, artwork can be partially owned to democratize art investment, and loyalty points can be tokenized for easier redemption.

Tokenization is on the rise, promising to make investment more accessible and operations more efficient for businesses. While the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, the potential for tokenization to reshape the world of finance and business operations is enormous.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is strictly educational. The information this report provides does not constitute investment, financial, trading, or any other advice. You should not treat any of the report’s content as such. Please be careful and do your research.