Happy Tax Day to our American readers. I hope today is not too painful for you (at least you’re not paying as much as this guy).
It's a golden moment for Private Credit ☀️
And the best opportunities may be found abroad
The private debt market is exploding, and Percent is the only platform exclusively dedicated to private credit.
The US pioneered this asset class. But today, a majority of the world’s private credit assets are invested outside the US.
Why? Because the fastest-growing economies are abroad, and contain millions of unbanked citizens.
Some of the best private credit opportunities lie abroad. This ePesos payroll lending deal on Percent closed in late 2022 and has been fully repaid.
A geographically diversified private credit mix could be an especially productive strategy right now.
Check out Percent. As a subscriber, you can earn up to a $500 bonus with your first investment.
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📰 Market Headlines
Last week was rough, with the Dow sliding 2.5% and the S&P500 down 1.6%.
Then Iran attacked Israel with over 300 drones and missiles on Sunday, but nearly all of them were intercepted.
The U.S. signaled it would not support a counter-attack on Iran, and escalation has stalled for the moment. Undeterred, Israel has vowed to “exact a price” for the attacks.
Oil spiked then settled as tensions settled Sunday evening. Some predict $100 oil soon.
All eyes are on Israel’s response.
Earnings season kicks off for real this week, including reports from heavies like Netflix, Blackstone, TSMC, and Procter & Gamble.
March’s retail sales report prints tomorrow, a 0.4% uptick is expected vs February. Canadian inflation and US building permits data will also be released.
Civil War topped the box office over the weekend, beating estimates while unseating Godzilla.
🕶️ Market Vibes
🎰 Market Forecasts and Futures
The odds of a rate cut by June…👀 👀 👀
😱 Fear and Greed Index
Ouchtown.
📈 Trends you need to know
Search volume for World War 3 is up more than 300% month over month.
🧠 What do you think?
💬 Have your say
With Iran’s escalation over the weekend and recent reports China is funneling support to Russia in Ukraine, the odds of a global conflict are higher than they’ve been for decades.
Do you have an investment plan for WW3?
🎤 What you said last time
I’d love to meet the three of you who think OJ didn’t do it.
📊 Stocks
Get $20 free shares at public.com using code ALTSCO.
Winners and losers
Earnings, upgrades, and acquisitions
A slew of earnings calls this week will keep us busy.
Market movers
The SAG-AFTRA union reached a tentative deal with major record labels that includes protections against the use of AI.
CSG is closing in on buying Kinetic Group to control 20% of the West's small ammunition market.
Ideas, trends, and analysis
Gen Z helped drive enrollment in vocational education programs up 16% last year and pushed down the median age.
The personal saving rate fell to 3.6% in February, the lowest in over a year.
Childcare costs have outpaced inflation, with the average cost of daycare hitting $16,692 annually in 2024.
Morgan Stanley sees a "hot summer" ahead for the energy sector and names BP, TotalEnergies, and Repsol as its top picks.
🌍 Global Perspectives
🇦🇺 A knife attacker killed six people in a Sydney mall before being shot dead by police. “Five of the six victims killed were women, while eight people, including a nine-month-old baby, were taken to hospital with stab wounds.”
🇬🇧 UK weather-related insurance claims reached a record £573m in 2023.
🇮🇹 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called surrogacy an "inhuman practice" and is backing penalties like fines and prison sentences.
🇸🇴🇪🇹 Somalia said it will never accept Ethiopia's plan to build a naval base in its breakaway Somaliland region.
🇰🇭 An astonishing array of 700 different species were discovered in Cambodia's threatened mangrove habitats.
📊 Crypto
Bitcoin's halving is one week away, set to arrive around April 20th. The block subsidy will drop from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC.
The crypto market plunged, with total liquidations hitting $468 million in one hour.
Bitcoin fell 8% to below $62k before rebounding to around $65k.
🧠 Errata
This kid’s pet octopus had 50 babies, started an electrical fire, and cost $3,000+ in food and repairs.
Homicides are way down in big cities like NYC and San Fran.
Scientists have begun plotting to resurrect unknown extinct species using DNA from fossils. What could go wrong?
📺 What to Watch Today
Is Tehran playing 3D Chess?
That’s all for today. Did I miss anything? Smash the reply button to let me know.
Cheers,
Wyatt
