😶 Q1 begins with a whimper

💥 While tensions escalate in the Middle East

It was a big week over at our private investor community, Altea.

🏡 Tap into home equity without borrowing

This week we're exploring a new alternative asset class that has quietly but swiftly materialized: home equity investing.

Home equity investments (HEIs) provide homeowners a lump sum upfront payment, without loading them up with debt.

​Hometap opens up access to this asset class. Fund managers, insurance companies, family offices and accredited individuals can now get a very unique type of exposure to the US residential real estate market.

Home equity investing is a fascinating concept that hasn’t really existed before — at least not in a broad consumer sense.

Now's the time for the industry to shine, and as you'll see in this issue, Hometap is carving an intelligent path forward.

SPONSOR

📰 Market Headlines

  • The Dow retreated from record highs, falling almost 1%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also slipped as bond yields jumped.

  • The 10-year Treasury yield surged nearly 13 basis points to 4.319%, its largest one-day gain since mid-February.

  • U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in March for the first time since September 2022, halting a 16-month contraction streak.

  • Gold prices hit fresh all-time peaks yesterday while Bitcoin retreated.

  • China's factory activity expanded at the fastest pace in 13 months in March.

  • Iran and Syria blamed Israel for an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The strike killed a top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and might further escalate a regional conflict.

🕶️ Market Vibes

🎰 Market Forecasts and Futures

Forecasts via ​Kalshi​, the prediction market.

😱 Fear and Greed Index

🧠 What do you think?

🎤 What you said last time

It's a shocking lack of love for Purdue, given Vegas rates them as second favorites.

💬 Have your say

Jobs numbers come out this week.

  • Unemployment: 3.9% consensus (3.8% at Kalshi)

  • Non-Farm payrolls: 200k consensus (222k at Kalshi)

What will Friday’s print reveal?

🏢 Jobs numbers will

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

📈 Trends you need to know

Search volume in Italy

The birthrate in Italy fell to an all-time low in 2023, declining for the fifteenth year in a row.

📊 Stocks

Get $20 free shares at ​public.com​ using code ALTSCO.

Winners and losers

Earnings, upgrades, and acquisitions

  • PVH shares fell 18% following a disappointing guidance report.

  • Oxford Industries reported downbeat Q4 results sending shares tumbling 6% after hours.

  • Intrusion beat EPS estimates by 95% but missed revenue by 2.9%, causing shares to drop 20%.

  • Biora Therapeutics experienced a 9.8% drop in shares following a reported $124.3 million net loss.

Market movers

  • UPS announced it would replace FedEx as the US Postal Service's primary air cargo provider in a "significant" contract win; FedEx shares slid 2%.

  • The Biden administration plans to greenlight an $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel.

  • Trump Media & Technology Group shares plummeted over 25% after reporting a net loss of $58 million in 2023.

  • Layoffs:

    • Citigroup is laying off 430 employees across New York. Shares have gained 23% YTD.

    • Certain Affinity is cutting 10% of its staff for the first time in its 17-year history.

    • SAIC reported plans for layoffs at its GM and VW joint ventures after sales fell 16% in two months.

Ideas, trends, and analysis

  • The US national debt is projected to hit $141 trillion by 2054, potentially leaving the country with "irreversible scars". [Ed: forecasting anything this far out is stupid]

  • The World Bank says Asia's economic region is "underachieving its own potential" as growth is forecast to slow to 4.5%.

  • Amazon is battling Microsoft to be the leading cloud platform for generative AI. The stock is up 15% this year.

  • The oil field services company TechnipFMC has become a "grand slam" for investors.

🌍 Global Perspectives

  • 🇵🇭 🇨🇳 The Philippines announced plans to boost defense capabilities in response to China's conduct in the South China Sea.

  • 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Israeli forces left Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital after a two-week operation.

  • 🇮🇳 India's Weather Office said increased heat waves are expected to hit agricultural production.

  • 🇪🇨 Ecuadoran gangsters abducted and killed five tourists in a case of mistaken identity.

📊 Crypto

  • Trading volume on South Korea's Upbit crashed 75% in March as altcoin speculation cooled.

  • Tether became the 7th largest Bitcoin holder with over 75,000 BTC.

  • Thailand's top crypto exchange Bitkub announced plans for a 2025 IPO to raise capital.

  • PeckShield reported that crypto hacks have decreased 48% from February.

🧠 Errata

  • South Korean sustained 100 million degree plasma for 48 seconds, a key step towards commercial nuclear fusion.

  • New evidence revealed Russia may be behind the mysterious "Havana Syndrome" affecting US diplomats.

  • The first human case of avian flu in the U.S. has been confirmed in a Texas dairy worker.

  • OpenAI has removed CEO Sam Altman's ownership of its Startup Fund.

  • A giant chunk of California's iconic Highway 1 collapsed into the ocean, stranding 1,600 people in Big Sur.

📺 What to Watch Today

That’s all for today. Did I miss anything? Smash the reply button to let me know.

Cheers,

Wyatt

*Disclosures: Paid for by Public Investing. Options are not suitable for all investors and carry significant risk. Option investors can rapidly lose the value of their investment in a short period of time and incur permanent loss by expiration date. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Prior to buying or selling an option, investors must read and understand the “​Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options​”, also known as the options disclosure document. If you are enrolled in Public's Options Order Flow Rebate Program, Public Investing will share 50% of our estimated order flow revenue for each completed options trade as a rebate to help reduce your trading costs. Must activate Options Account by March 31 for revenue share. To learn more, see ​Fee Schedule​. US members only.

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