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🚀 Happy Friday, Munchers! Or is it happy? The market just had its worst day of 2025 (so far), and while we can’t cover your trading losses, we’re here to bring some clarity to what’s going on.

On today’s menu:

• 😬 Is Trump Crashing the Market on Purpose?

• 🎢 ECB Cuts Rates & Your NFP Preview

• 🚨 Trump Just Made Bitcoin Untouchable

• 🇨🇳 Is China About To Unleash Massive Stimulus?

• 📉 Costco & Netflix Take A Hit

• 😍 Japan Lowers Taxes on Crypto

NEWS

📉 Is Trump Crashing the Market on Purpose?

Step aside, Jay Powell—there’s a new market maker in town, and his name is Donald J. Trump.

After a week of economic chaos, traders are starting to wonder: Is Trump actually trying to crash the market, or is this just another episode of “Tariff Wars: The Sequel”?

Let’s break it all down.

🚨 Trump: “I’m Not Even Looking at the Market”

When asked about the market meltdown, Trump had one response:

Translation: Forget the Nasdaq. We’re playing the long game, baby.

But investors? Yeah, they’re definitely looking at the market—and they don’t like what they see.

• Nasdaq officially entered correction territory (down 10% from its highs).

• The S&P 500 tested a major support level, triggering panic selling.

• Tech stocks have been getting annihilated, with AI and semiconductor names leading the plunge.

And Trump isn’t exactly throwing them a lifeline. Instead, he’s doubling down on tariffs.

🔥 The Tariff Drama Continues

This week’s market carnage can be traced back to Trump’s latest policy playbook:

✅ Tariffs on Canada & Mexico officially took effect
✅ China threatened to retaliate, calling the new duties "economic sabotage"
✅ The U.S. granted a one-month tariff exemption to automakers (so they don’t riot)
✅ The White House hinted at more tariff exemptions—but only if other countries “do their part”

This has sent the market into a full-blown identity crisis.

• Is the U.S. economy strong? 💪 

• Or is the labor market cooling? 🥶 

• Will tariffs make America great again? 🇺🇲 

• Or will they just make my wife’s Trader Joe bill more expensive? 😢

Which brings us to…

📉 The Nasdaq’s Big Fall

The Nasdaq didn’t just trip—it faceplanted.

• It’s now down over 10% from its recent highs, officially in correction territory.

• The S&P 500 barely held the “line in the sand” 200-day moving average.

• Tech stocks are getting smoked, with AI and chip stocks leading the decline.

This isn’t just a “bad week” for stocks. It’s a shift in sentiment.

Why? Because markets are finally realizing that Trump’s tariffs might actually stick.

🤔 So… What Happens Next?

If we knew the answer to that, I’d be sitting on a beach drinking a margarita and counting my billions.

Nobody knows what’s next and if anybody says they do, run away from them faster than your high school bully.

But even though we don’t have a magic ball that can tell the future, here are a couple of scenarios we see playing out:

1️⃣ Will Trump blink?

• If markets keep tanking, will he pull back on tariffs? History suggests… maybe.

2️⃣ Will the Fed step in?

• The weaker dollar and cooling jobs data could fuel rate cut expectations.

3️⃣ Will the dip get bought?

• Spoiler: It always does. But where? That’s the million-dollar question.

For traders, this is prime volatility.

Keep your eye on the headlines (and our emails), and go grab those pips.

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FOREX

🇪🇺🇺🇲 ECB Cuts Rates & NFP Is Here

The ECB just hit the gas pedal on rate cuts, and now all eyes are on the U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) report.

The market is moving fast, so let’s break down what’s happening and why today could be a very volatile session for traders.

The European Central Bank (ECB) just cut rates by 25 basis points, bringing the deposit rate down to 2.50%. No surprises there—this was widely expected—but the real question is: What’s next?

• Lagarde signaled more cuts could be on the table, but the ECB isn’t committing to a set path.

• Inflation is slowing, but still sticky, meaning they’ll be watching data closely.

• GDP growth forecasts were cut, reflecting concerns about slowing exports and weak consumer confidence.

Why does this matter?

Because the ECB is officially ahead of the Fed in cutting rates. 

That puts pressure on the U.S. to follow suit, which makes today’s NFP report even more critical.

The U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) report drops today at 8:30 AM ET, and traders are locked in.

Here’s what’s expected:

✅ Total NFP: 143K jobs added (prev. 160K)
✅ Private NFP: 111K jobs added (prev. 142K)
✅ Government Payrolls: 32K jobs added (prev. -20K)
✅ Participation Rate: 62.6% (unchanged)
✅ Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (unchanged)

So, why does this matter?

1️⃣ A WEAK JOBS REPORT = DOLLAR DROP & STOCKS RIP

• If job growth slows more than expected, the Fed could lean toward rate cuts sooner. That’s bullish for risk assets like stocks, crypto, and gold.

2️⃣ A STRONG JOBS REPORT = DOLLAR SURGE & STOCKS DUMP

• If hiring remains strong, the Fed might delay rate cuts, which could send stocks lower and the dollar higher.

3️⃣ THE WILD CARD = UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

• A rising unemployment rate could add fuel to the rate-cut narrative, while a drop could spook markets into thinking the Fed will stay hawkish longer.

👀 What Traders Should Watch

If you’ve made it to Friday without blowing your account, congrats—you’re already ahead of the curve.

Now, what should you watch? Everything.

In markets like this, there’s no magic setup or single headline that tells the whole story.

It’s about trading what’s in front of you, taking what the market gives, and not getting greedy.

Keep those stops tight and get after it, Munchers.

CRYPTO

Trump Just Made Bitcoin Untouchable 🚨

Well, well, well… looks like Bitcoin just got its own Fort Knox.

Last night, Trump signed an executive order establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR)—a government vault for all the seized BTC from criminal and civil asset forfeitures.

That’s roughly 200,000 BTC now off the market and locked up under Uncle Sam’s watch.

Here’s what you need to know:

✅ The U.S. government will NOT sell Bitcoin in the SBR
✅ The Treasury can create strategies to buy more BTC
✅ A U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile will also store seized digital assets beyond Bitcoin
✅ No additional Bitcoin purchases are happening (yet)

This is the first time a major government has openly declared Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset. Six months ago, this would’ve been unthinkable.

What This Means for Bitcoin & Markets:

1️⃣ No Sell Pressure – Unlike past cycles where the government dumped seized BTC on the market (cough Silk Road cough), this BTC is staying put. That’s a huge shift.
2️⃣ Institutional Green Light – If the U.S. government is treating Bitcoin like digital gold, you think BlackRock, JPMorgan, and other big players aren’t taking notes?
3️⃣ Market Confusion – The knee-jerk reaction from traders may be negative (since there’s no new buying), but long-term? This is bullish.

The Bigger Picture

This move is more than just politics—it’s a massive validation for Bitcoin as an asset class.

If the U.S. is securing Bitcoin like it’s gold, expect other governments to follow.

The next big question: Will the government eventually start accumulating Bitcoin outright? 🤔

🚀 Pre-Market Fuel

1. 🇨🇳 China has a GDP target of 5%. This means only one thing: Government spending. Remember, the AUD is used as a proxy to the Yuan so we could see some movement.

2. 🌭$COST ( ▼ 0.09% ). Their poor earnings dropped the stock 2% in after-hours.

3. ✅ Japan lowered the capital gains tax on crypto to just 20%.

4. 🤭 Sam Bankman-Fried was just interviewed by Tucker Carlson.  

5. 🍿 $NFLX ( ▼ 0.31% ). The stock is down over 8% on fears that growth is slowing.

6. 😃 Walgreens is going private. In a $10 billion deal, the private equity firm Sycamore Partners is taking over.

🍪 Munchy Memes

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