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☕️ GM Munchers! It’s Monday, and the markets are having a meltdown—so basically, they’re just like us after a weekend of bad decisions.

On today’s menu:

• 📉 Why The Market Just Had Its Worst Day of 2025

• 🚨 Bitcoin Drops Below $96K – Is the Bull Run Over?

• 🇨🇦 Is The Canadian Dollar About To Rally?

• 🇭🇺 The Hungarian Prime Minister Just Announced Something Crazy

• 🇩🇪 Germany’s Election & What’s Next

MARKET OVERVIEW

🦠 Market Panic: Virus Fears + Bad Vibes Tank Stocks

Well, that escalated quickly. The stock market just had its worst day of 2025 on Friday — and no, it wasn’t because my wife found my secret snack stash.

The real culprits?

A double whammy of poor consumer sentiment and the terrifying words: “Covid-like bat virus discovered in China.” Yeah… déjà vu, anyone?

🏛️ Consumer Sentiment? More Like Consumer Panic

The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index tanked harder than my first crypto trade — falling to 64.7, its lowest in months.

And inflation expectations? They surged to a 30-year high.

Why does this matter?

Because it puts the Federal Reserve in the ultimate catch-22:

• Consumers are worried and pulling back spending.

• Inflation is still sticky, making it harder for the Fed to justify cutting rates.

If the Fed cuts rates to boost sentiment, it risks fueling inflation.

But if it keeps rates high, consumer confidence could spiral even lower.

It's like choosing between going long on Dogecoin or Shiba Inu — either way, you're sweating bullets.

🦠 New Virus in China?

Adding to the chaos, reports came out about a new Covid-like bat virus discovered in a Chinese lab. Important details:

• The virus hasn’t infected humans yet (phew), but

• It uses the same cell-entry mechanism as SARS-CoV-2 (uh oh).

Markets freaked out faster than a scalper seeing spreads widen.

Vaccine stocks pumped, and traders got flashbacks of 2020.

While lockdowns aren’t on the radar (yet), this is something traders need to keep on their charts.

Remember: markets hate uncertainty, and viruses bring a ton of it.

**Side note: Why the heck hasn’t that lab in Wuhan been shut down yet!?**

📉 The Wait-and-See Game

Here at Pip Munch, we've been screaming this from the rooftops (and our intern won’t shut up about it): we’re in a "wait and see" market.

• Swing trades? Good luck. This choppy market will chew you up.

• Inflation data? Still messy.

• The Fed? Talking tough, but markets aren’t buying it.

Traders are basically ignoring what Jerome Powell is saying and betting on rate cuts this year — even though inflation’s still being a stubborn little gremlin.

It’s like watching your friend swear they're done with trading meme stocks... and then they ape into another one.

💡 So, What’s the Play?

• Stay nimble. Short-term trades are your friend.

• Watch consumer sentiment — it’s becoming a leading market mover.

• Keep an eye on virus headlines — we know how quickly those can spiral.

• And for the love of all things pips, don’t fight the Fed… unless the market keeps doing it successfully, then maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a shot.

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CRYPTO

🚨Bitcoin Drops Below $96K – Is the Bull Run Over?

It’s a quiet week on the economic calendar, so instead of staring at an empty news feed, let’s turn to our old friend Bitcoin and see what’s cooking.

Spoiler: It’s not great. ❌ 

After flirting with $100K last Friday—topping out at $99,500—Bitcoin had everyone dusting off their laser eyes and prepping for an all-time high retest at $108K.

But fast forward a few days, and BTC is now trading at $95,600, down 9% over the last month.

So, what happened? Why did the rocket ship stall mid-flight?

Let’s break it down. 🚀👇

💥 The Perfect Storm of Market FUD

1. Trade War Fears Are Back (Yay?)

Threats of a trade war between the US and other countries are making the rounds again.

Tariff talks have investors feeling jittery, and when risk sentiment takes a hit, Bitcoin usually does too.

BTC might be called “digital gold,” but when global tensions rise, real gold tends to win the safe haven crown.

2. The Dollar Won’t Quit 💪

Jerome Powell is still playing hard to get with rate cuts.

Until the Fed makes it clear that cuts are on the way, the US dollar will stay strong—and a strong dollar often weighs on Bitcoin.

Traders love BTC when the Fed is handing out cheap money like Halloween candy, but right now, Powell’s still holding the bowl.

3. Gold’s Shining While Bitcoin’s Slipping 🏆

Speaking of safe havens, gold is at all-time highs, breaking through $2,950 like it’s on a mission.

With inflation fears still hanging around, some investors are parking their cash in the OG store of value instead of Bitcoin.

It’s hard for BTC to outshine gold when the yellow metal is having its moment.

4. Institutional Weakness – ETF Outflows 📉

Remember when US spot Bitcoin ETFs launched and everyone thought Wall Street was about to go full degen?

Well, last week those ETFs saw $540 million in net outflows.

Ouch.

That signals weakening institutional demand, and when the big money pulls out, it hits the market hard.

5. Bybit’s $1.4 Billion Hack Didn’t Help 🫣

As if that wasn’t enough, crypto exchange Bybit got hit with a massive $1.4 billion hack—the largest in crypto history.

Even though Bybit is now back up and running, the hack sent a shockwave through the crypto community, denting overall sentiment and making traders a bit more cautious.

🤔 So… What Now?

Is the bull run over? Not necessarily. But BTC is in a tricky spot.

• If risk sentiment bounces back, Bitcoin could easily take another shot at $100K and beyond.

• If the FUD sticks around—especially with the Fed still playing coy—BTC could see more downside before finding strong support.

For now, Bitcoin is caught between narratives: the long-term bulls still believe $100K+ is coming soon, but the short-term bears are getting louder.

And as our Pip Munch intern likes to say (between coffee breaks): “Trade what’s in front of you, not what you wish you were seeing.”

This week might be light on the data, but Bitcoin’s giving us plenty to chew on. 🍿

Stay sharp out there, traders.

🚀 Pre-Market Fuel

1. 🇨🇦 Is the Canadian Dollar on the verge of a rally? This was a great 5-minute video that goes against the common sentiment right now.

2. 🇩🇪 Germany’s Conservative Party won this weekend’s election. Here is what Trump had to say.

3. 🇭🇺 The Hungarian prime minister announced that moms with 2+ kids will be exempt from income tax for life. How do we become Hungarian women?

4. 🇺🇲 US mortgage rates are down for a 5th straight week. Still nowhere near to where they were pre-Covid though.

5. Need a laugh? This video of a goat is making this Monday morning easier for us at the office.

🍪 Munchy Memes

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