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Beating the Banks

Posted March 20, 2023

Ray Blanco

By Ray Blanco

Beating the Banks

Last week, we saw what the fallout from a major banking blunder could cause in the markets. 

Turns out, if you tried your best to ignore the Silicon Valley Bank run and focus on other areas of the market, you likely made it out unscathed. 

In fact, other pockets of the market like tech, bitcoin, and precious metals all made sizable moves higher while other names treaded water.

Take a look at a one-week heatmap for the S&P 500: 

chart

As you can see, big tech stocks had quite the week while bank and energy stocks bit the dust. 

Moreover, one of the more interesting stories out there can be found in bitcoin. The flagship cryptocurrency has been on a steady move higher the past two weeks, climbing from just under $20,000 to over $27,000 in just ten days. 

That’s a 40% move! 

Will bitcoin be able to break out above that important $30,000 level? That’s anybody's guess, we’ll have to wait and see but the price action is certainly getting interesting here. 

Elsewhere in the markets, we have the Fed meeting and rate hike decision looking to potentially throw some volatility into the mix. 

The market seems to have priced in an expected 25 bps move. 

However, we might get more of a reaction from what Powell says than the hike itself this time. 

A lot of investors out there will be looking to see if the Fed gives any hints about its plans to slow or stop rate hikes. 

Regardless, the meeting this Wednesday will almost certainly be followed by an emotional market reaction.

We’ll see what we get! 

In the meantime, read below for everything I have my eye on this week…

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Inside Notion’s Strategic Bet on Generative AI

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As Steel Giants Face Climate Goals, Investors Focus on Decarbonization and Emissions

ArcelorMittal aims to invest $100 million annually for steel-focused climate-tech companies. Read more…

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Amazon to Cut 9,000 More Jobs After Earlier Layoffs

CEO Andy Jassy cites an ‘uncertain economy’ and more uncertainty in the near future. Read more…

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Chinese Antigraft Watchdog Lodges Corruption Allegations Against Ex-Head of Chip Conglomerate

Case of Tsinghua Unigroup’s ex-chairman is the latest in a series of probes targeting the semiconductor industry. Read more…

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