Weekly

The week that was, ending 20th April 2025.

Tariff volatility driven by the Trump Whitehouse has reduced, with only China and the United States still in a major fight. Georgia Meloni (Italy PM) visited Trump and wanted to make the West great again. The global economy and perhaps the US are waking up to what a longer economic fight may mean to the growth prospects. Certain pundits expect a short-term retest of the lower 4000’s with the S&P500 (currently 5300), we have some sympathy with this, the global buy on weakness in the equity markets might be too presumptive.

The UK supreme court put a strong marker in the sand by defining a woman, with regards to men assuming to be women. The judge delivering the verdict was at great pains to explain this should not be a victory for the anti-trans movement. Common sense needs to come the forefront here, the majority are happy for trans to exist and have some protections but the criminalization of those who will not fully adhere to trans rules needs to stop. The UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the legal definition of "woman" under the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex, excluding transgender women, even those with Gender Recognition Certificates (GRCs).

Interesting fight between Harvard and the Federal Government on freedom of speech and action versus Federal funding. The ongoing conflict between Harvard University and the federal government represents a critical battle over academic freedom, free speech, and the role of federal funding in shaping institutional policies. This dispute, which has escalated in recent weeks, centers on the Trump administration’s decision to freeze $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts to Harvard, with threats to withhold up to $9 billion more, citing the university’s alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. Any failure by an entity to protect individuals from persecution or harm, should be litigated vigorously.

Hints of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b (April 16, 2025. Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected tentative evidence of life on K2-18b, a planet 120 light-years away. The study identified potential biosignatures like dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), which are associated with life on Earth.

In a "Do Your Own Research" Comment: The $MSTY ETF is often misunderstood in the U.S. market. It’s not Bitcoin or MicroStrategy ($MSTR) stock itself, but a sophisticated options strategy designed to capitalize on MicroStrategy’s high volatility (around 100%). With a correlation of roughly 0.5–0.7 to $MSTR, $MSTY offers an attractive dividend yield, driven by the stock’s significant volatility. Investors should understand its unique mechanics before diving in.

Curious.