The S&P 500 is heading for its longest streak of weekly losses since 2022. The Nasdaq fell into correction territory (down 10% from its peak.) And right now, does not seem like there is no ceasefire in sight.

Oil is still the pain transmitter. Brent topped $111 after Chinese container ships were turned away from the Strait of Hormuz, the first attempt by a major carrier to cross since the war started.

Inflation is back. The OECD raised their US inflation forecast to 4.2%, up sharply from 2.8% previously, and well above the Fed's estimate. The stagflation word is creeping back into the conversation.

Gold is holding. It was under $3,000 a year ago. It hit $5,589 in January. Now it's around $4,428. Pulled back but still elevated.

VIX is elevated but not screaming. It's ranged from 17.50 to 35.30 over the past month currently mid-20s. Nervous, not panicked yet.

Apart from the war and it`s tailwinds there where some other quite interesting events taking place:

Social media just had its "Tobacco" moment. A California jury found Meta and Google liable for the addictive design of their platforms. The damages are tiny ($6 million), but the decision could influence more than 1,600 similar lawsuits. Meta's stock dropped 8%. this might be pivotal, and it mirrors the tobacco lawsuits of the '90s, the ones that started small, then snowballed into industry-wide settlements and advertising bans. Back then, one jury verdict became a thousand. And for social media, there are already 1,600+ lawsuits waiting.

SpaceX is about to go public. Elon Musk rarely fails to make the headlines, and now SpaceX aims to file its IPO prospectus as soon as this week, potentially raising more than $75 billion, the largest IPO in history. Target valuation: $1.75 trillion.

Google rattled the AI hardware trade. Google unveiled TurboQuant, a compression method that could reduce AI memory requirements by 6x. Micron has fallen 22% since March 18. The long-term impact is debatable, but memory chips got hammered.

I just wrote a deep dive on creatine and its effects on the brain, coming to WxH soon. But another thing I've been exploring lately is 40Hz gamma frequency while working. It genuinely puts me in a locked-in, producing state, and I can't believe it took me this long to discover this. BrainFM explains it well: the secret lies in the rhythms of your brain, and the music you listen to can actually shift your mental state. Can't wait to dig deeper and share my take with you

Calming down and just focusing on one task becomes increasingly hard with the current state of the world, and all the media we are fed. When the algorithm decides you need to see something terrible, it's not informing you, but harvesting your attention through your nervous system.

I have always been a fan of a phone-detox, meaning spending scheduled time away from your phone, but i think the importance is amplified in the current territory. With the Epstein files, war coverage, AI, and conspiracy theories floods your feed, it impacts your nervous system, and makes it hard to switch back to productive work.

We have a negativity bias, our brains are wired to prioritize threats (thanks, evolution). Alarming content captures attention 2-3x more than neutral or positive content. Fear-based content activates our fight-or-flight response, bypassing our rational brain entirely, and stress hormones keep us in a state of hypervigilance, making us scroll for more "updates" to feel safe.

The cost is enormous, and sneaky. It's deeply disturbing for your overall output, especially if you absorb other people's energy like a sponge (guilty), so it is crucial that we protect our energy.

1) Notice the body first. Before you "need to know more”, ask: what is my body doing right now? Shallow breathing, tight shoulders, and a racing mind are signs your nervous system is thrown off balance, not just informed.

2) Set information boundaries. Decide when you consume news and social media, not just how much. Morning scrolling sets a stress baseline for your entire day. Consider some clear boundaries like; news after 12pm only. I personally feel much calmer consuming heavier content in written format, instead of videos as the graphics are much more triggering to my nervous system, and an excellent way of protecting myself, and staying informed.

3) Curate your feed, unfollow, mute, and block without guilt. Your feed is not a civic duty.