Hi There! If you know me, you know that I have dope friends who do dope shit. (And I do my best to keep up!)

As we kick off Women’s History Month, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to honour this year’s theme, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future”, than by celebrating a woman who just reshaped history with her own two feet.

On March 1st, my dear friend of close to four decades, Philomena Robertson (Philo), crossed the finish line of the Tokyo 2026 Marathon. It was her 32nd marathon! Best yet, it was her coronation. Philo is officially the FIRST Grenadian to complete the World Marathon Majors and earn the coveted Six Star medal.

To put it into perspective, in the entire OECS and CARICOM regions, only a tiny handful of people have achieved this. In the Windward Islands, she is only the second. Seeing this kind of historic representation for Grenada isn't just inspiring, it is a masterclass in what happens when you refuse to let "impossible" abide in your vocabulary.

I’ve had a front-row seat to the blood, sweat, and tears Philo has poured into this journey. But if you’re sitting there feeling "stuck" in your own goals, whether it’s your finances, your fitness, or a project you’re leading, I want you to look closely at the mechanics of her win.

Philo’s preparation for Tokyo was anything but "perfect." After nursing a knee injury, she didn't resume training until January. While most people spend months preparing for a Major, she had six weeks.

How did she do it? Compounding effort.

Those six weeks weren't a miracle; they were the interest earned on years of discipline and consistency. She didn't start with 26 miles in January; she started with a two-mile run that she was "ecstatic" to finish pain-free.

If you have a "marathon" goal ahead of you and you don't know where to start, take these pages from my friend’s playbook:

Philo, I am still soaking in the magnitude of what you’ve done. You stayed focused through the restrictions, the adversity, and the pressure. You earned every bit of this historic moment. Soak it all in!

To the rest of you: What’s your "two-mile run" this week?

Start there. Let it compound. I’ll see you at the finish line.

Last week, U.S. stocks slid as AI disruption fears pushed markets into a risk-off posture. Tech and banks led the weakness, while defensive areas like utilities, consumer staples, and healthcare held up better. Bonds caught a bid as growth worries outweighed a hot wholesale inflation print, and commodities strengthened on rising geopolitical tension tied to U.S. Iran headlines. The dollar eased slightly as yields fell and trade policy uncertainty lingered.

U.S. Markets Recap (February 22, 2026 -February 28, 2026)

Equities:

The S&P 500 finished last week lower, with last Friday’s drop sealing a down month for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, while the Dow ended February roughly flat. The market’s main stress point stayed the same: AI as a business model disruptor. The fear widened into job loss concerns and fresh anxiety around private equity and private credit spillovers.

Even Nvidia’s strong results last Wednesday, could not lift sentiment for long. The initial pop faded quickly, and selling pressure returned. Dip buying in beaten-down software names, early last week, did not stick.

Rotation was the real story. Defensive sectors posted solid weekly gains, and energy also advanced as crude climbed on rising Iran strike risk.

Fixed Income:

Core bonds rose even with modest spread widening because Treasuries rallied. The 10-yr yield fell roughly 30 bps from the year’s peak of 4.293%, with most of that move happening in February. Most of the decline can be attributed to weaker growth expectations, reinforcing that the bond market is signaling slowing momentum.

Treasuries led fixed income performance, with the Bloomberg Treasury Index up more than 1.5% month to date. Auctions were mixed. There was a softer demand at the 2-yr and 5-yr, stronger at the 7-yr. These hinted that some investors see the rally as stretched. With the 10-yr still within the stated fair-value range of 3.75% to 4.25%, neutral positioning makes sense in this setup.

Commodities:

Commodities strengthened, led by precious metals. Silver gained 5.6%, gold rose 1.3% and pushed through resistance near mid-February highs. WTI crude added nearly 1% as safe-haven demand increased amid U.S. Iran tension, tariff uncertainty, and equity weakness. OPEC+ April production expectations added another layer of uncertainty.

Currencies:

The U.S. dollar eased modestly as falling rates and trade uncertainty outweighed the hotter wholesale inflation read.

Consumer confidence rebounded, helped by improved views on employment. Consumers reported the most plentiful job opportunities since November, and the six-month job outlook improved. Spending plans for restaurants and travel also ticked higher, a positive signal for discretionary demand.

Do not ignore the broader trend. The past 14 months still point downward as geopolitics and trade uncertainty keep households cautious. Fed officials see the balance of risks tilted toward inflation, which supports a hold stance for the next few meetings, even if core PCE is projected to be near 2.2% by December.

AI-related caution spilled into international markets, but developed international and emerging market stocks still managed modest gains, helped by rotation away from U.S. tech leadership.

The Caribbean region is quietly pushing payments modernization and capital formation while keeping monetary policy steady. That combination tends to favour banks, payments, and infrastructure linked activity when global conditions cooperate.

Crypto had another volatile, bearish week with total market cap hovering around $2.19T to $2.23T and Fear and Greed stuck in Extreme Fear (11 to 16). Bitcoin fell about 6.3% on the week, whipping from roughly $67.7K to a brief move near $70K, then sliding toward $63K before stabilizing into the close range of roughly $63.6K to $66K. Ethereum dropped about 5.6% to around $1.86K, despite a brief spike above $2K.

Key drivers in your notes:

Top crypto gainers (last week): RIVER, NEAR, JUP, DOT, APT

Here are other key highlights from last week

Key U.S. economic development so far:

Key U.S. economic releases ahead:

Fed Speakers (Tues and Fri):

Williams, Kashkari, and Hammack

Notable earnings releases are outlined in red below.

In the world of investing and trading, there is a core pillar we call market sentiment. It is simply the collective mood of investors and traders in any given moment. Most days, that mood lands in one of two buckets: bullish, meaning optimistic and willing to take risk, or bearish, meaning cautious and expecting trouble.

Sentiment is often driven less by spreadsheets and more by crowd psychology, the same way a room full of people can shift from calm to tense without anyone naming it out loud. That is why you will often see major outlets like The New York Times reach for colourful metaphors when they describe the market. Sometimes a metaphor is the cleanest way to explain a complicated emotional seesaw.

One of my favourites is Climbing a Wall of Worry, the idea that prices can keep rising even while the headlines stay uncomfortable.

Imagine you are walking up a staircase while people on both sides keep handing you sticky notes that say things like “inflation,” “war,” “elections,” “tech layoffs,” “rate cuts might not happen,” and “earnings could disappoint.” You would think you would stop climbing.

Instead, you keep going.

This is the “wall of worry.” It means stock prices are rising even while the news cycle stays uncomfortable. Investors do not feel carefree. They feel cautious, slightly tense, and still invested anyway.

This metaphor is basically a mood detector. When markets climb a wall of worry, it often signals three specific things:

A simple way to say it is that the crowd is nervous, but not running away.

Right now, a fresh brick got added to the wall: Middle East conflict risk and energy driven inflation fears. Reuters reported investors worrying that escalation involving Iran could disrupt oil flows and revive inflation concerns. Stocks pulled back on those headlines and volatility ticked up.

Yet, the bigger point is that markets have not fully fallen apart. Even with the anxiety, major indexes have stayed relatively close to highs. This is the wall of worry in action: uneasy headlines, but persistent participation.

If you are investing or trading, treat the wall like a checklist. Here are portfolio protection ideas that do not require fancy tools:

You can also look for specific signals in the price action. Buy signals often show up when bad news hits but the market does not make new lows, or when prices reclaim key levels despite scary headlines. On the other hand, sell or reduce signals often look like the wall disappearing. When everyone suddenly sounds certain and carefree, or when good news no longer pushes prices higher, that feeling of safety is usually the warning.

Quick risk note: Markets can stay irrational longer than any of us expect. Manage position size, use stops when trading, and never risk money you cannot afford to lose.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is strictly educational. The information this report provides does not constitute investment, financial, trading, or any other advice. You should not treat any of the report’s content as such. Please be careful and do your research.