Hi There!

Human beings are in one big entanglement, and a lot of our suffering comes from pretending we are not.

I have been sitting with that thought for months, especially when I look at how many good people feel stuck right now. Stuck in careers that no longer fit. Stuck in financial pressure that makes every decision feel heavier than it should. Stuck in comparison, watching somebody else move ahead and quietly wondering what is wrong with them. A lot of that pain gets sharper when we start living as though life is a solo battle and everyone else is either competition, threat, or proof that we are behind.

When I say entanglement, I think about those old Biology class food webs with the worms at the bottom, the animals in the middle, and the human sitting at the top as if we are somehow above the whole arrangement. Life humbles that illusion quickly. The worker needs the company. The company needs the worker. The investor needs the consumer. The consumer depends on systems built by owners, operators, teachers, cleaners, drivers, and builders. No group gets to stand fully apart, no matter how much money, status, or education they have. We rise, strain, earn, and fall in relation to one another more than we care to admit.

Once you understand how tied up we are in each other, envy starts to look like wasted energy, comparison loosens its grip, and gratitude begins to grow where bitterness used to live. You start to see that someone else’s success is not always an insult to your struggle, and someone else’s hardship is not proof that you are safe. No one is fully separate. No one is entirely self made. Dr. King called it an “inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny”. Adam Smith, from a very different corner of thought, warned that “no society can truly flourish when most people are poor and miserable”. Different men, different language, same hard truth.

Here is why this matters when you feel stuck. Once you stop living as though life is a solo fight, you move differently. You notice people, lessons, opportunities, and support you were too bitter, too scared, or too distracted to see. Your heart softens. Your perspective widens. Gratitude clears some of the fog. Aspiration starts replacing envy. You stop wasting precious energy resenting other people’s place in the web and start asking how to take your next right step within it.

Maybe that is the invitation this week. Love your neighbor directly. Respect the worker, the owner, the cashier, the investor, the cleaner, the teacher, and, most of all, yourself. See people as people before sorting them by status.

We really are tied up in each other, and understanding that may be one of the most practical ways to get unstuck.

Last week markets found their footing as easing geopolitical tension sparked a broad risk-on move across global assets. A temporary U.S.-Iran ceasefire helped calm fears around energy supply disruptions, and that shift in tone gave stocks room to rally, pulled crude oil off its highs, and softened the dollar. Investors were still dealing with headline noise, but by last week’s end the market had largely chosen relief over panic.

The bigger lesson is that markets were not trading pure fundamentals last week. They were trading the probability of escalation versus de-escalation. Once the ceasefire bought time, money rotated back into equities, bonds steadied, and safe haven demand for the dollar cooled.

Equities: Last week, U.S. stocks pushed higher as traders responded to improving ceasefire negotiations and falling oil prices. The S&P 500 posted a string of gains before momentum cooled slightly ahead of the weekend meeting between Washington and Tehran in Pakistan. Markets also had to digest continued AI chatter. Chip and compute names stayed in focus, while software names remained under pressure as investors wrestled with concerns about AI disruption. Palantir briefly caught a bid after President Trump praised the company on social media, even as broader software sentiment stayed shaky.

Fixed Income: Core bonds moved higher, last week. This was supported by a full slate of Treasury auctions and a calmer geopolitical backdrop. The Treasury sold $58 billion in 3-year notes, $39 billion in 10-year notes, and $22 billion in 30-year bonds. Demand was strongest at the short end, which suggested investors were still comfortable adding duration where inflation and fiscal risk felt more manageable. The 10-year auction was decent but not especially strong, while the 30-year bond saw softer demand. Still, foreign buyers did not visibly step back, which helped ease concerns. The key point is this, the ceasefire moved rates more than the auctions did. This was relief, not a reset.

Commodities: Commodities pulled back after a strong run. WTI crude fell sharply from around $117 per barrel to near $98 as the temporary truce reduced the geopolitical risk premium. Even so, supply concerns did not disappear completely because Strait of Hormuz access remained limited and shipment relief takes time. Gold extended its rebound for a third straight weekly gain as the weaker dollar and renewed hopes for a Fed cut supported prices. Silver outperformed gold, while copper also posted a solid week.

Currencies: The U.S. dollar weakened as safe haven flows faded. The DXY index fell 1.6% on the week, opening the door for stronger performance in other major currencies.

For traders, that move showed a classic shift in sentiment. When geopolitical fear cools, the dollar often loses some of its defensive bid and risk sensitive currencies get breathing room.

U.S. Economic Recap (April 5 - 11, 2026)

Last week, the March CPI came in largely as expected, but the details matter. Headline inflation rose 0.9%, with at least 80% of that increase tied to energy. Core services inflation excluding housing rose just 0.18%, which was the lowest monthly gain in almost a year. Medical care and used vehicle prices both declined.

Headline inflation was pushed higher by war-related energy pressure and transportation costs, not by a broad-based reacceleration across every category. At the same time, the extended disruption around the Hormuz chokepoint means one or two more hot inflation prints are still possible, especially in transportation services and some durable goods. For now, the Fed looks firmly on hold for the next several meetings.

Europe: Europe joined the relief rally. The STOXX 600 rose more than 3% over four trading days in the holiday-shortened week. Cooling Middle East tensions did most of the heavy lifting, while reduced expectations for further rate hikes from the ECB and Bank of England (BoE) gave the move extra support. Progress comments tied to Ukraine negotiations also helped sentiment.

Asia: Asia Pacific markets also leaned risk-on. Taiwan and South Korea led gains, with technology enthusiasm driving advances of more than 8% in those markets. South Korea also got support from a housing proposal by President Lee Jae Myung and a 26.2 trillion won budget package aimed at softening war related effects. In greater China, optimism around DeepSeek’s upcoming model launch helped lift sentiment. Japan’s Nikkei posted a strong gain, though the Topix lagged as investors weighed Bank of Japan warnings about the economic fallout from conflict and energy disruptions.

The Caribbean had a steady week, with no major rate decisions or surprise financial shocks. The biggest headline came from Guyana, which received a record US$761 million in oil revenue in Q1 2026 as production averaged about 916,000 barrels per day across four FPSOs. The government also approved ExxonMobil’s US$10 billion Yellowtail project, reinforcing expectations for production to move above 1 million barrels per day by year end.

In Jamaica, the Bank of Jamaica released routine Treasury bill auction results with no surprises, and the policy rate held at 5.50% following the March hold. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett also called for a dedicated Caribbean Tourism Bank to better serve the region’s financing needs.

In the ECCU, the ECCB warned that SKN Online Media Bank is not licensed under the Banking Act 2015 and is not supervised by the central bank. That was an important consumer protection reminder. Overall, the region stayed calm, with healthy credit and deposit growth and attention now shifting toward the ECCB’s April 22 to 24 Growth and Dialogue event and upcoming Q1 inflation prints.

Last week, crypto posted a modest rebound, but conviction still looked weak. Total crypto market cap stabilized around $2.47 trillion. Bitcoin climbed from roughly $68,000 early in the week to test $73,000 before settling in the $72,000 to $73,000 area, up about 5% to 6% overall. Ethereum traded near $2,200, while altcoins were mixed.

The Fear and Greed Index stayed in Extreme Fear, sitting in the 11 to 17 range and extending a low sentiment streak beyond 60 days. This was not a clean risk-on breakout. It was more of a relief bounce fueled by ceasefire optimism, short covering, and continued whale accumulation as exchange reserves fell.

Regulatory progress remained slow. The CLARITY Act stayed in a holding pattern, though lawmakers signaled work could resume in the April 13 to April 20 window. For now, crypto still looks trapped between improving price action and unresolved policy questions.

Top crypto gainers (last week): RAVE, ZEC, DASH, SIREN, and JST.

Key U.S. economic releases (April 13 -17, 2026):

Events to watch: The market is still highly sensitive to geopolitics. Any update tied to U.S.-Iran negotiations, Middle East shipping routes, or broader regional stability could move oil, equities, and bond yields quickly. That remains the main driver.

Fed Speakers: This week’s Fed schedule is busy.

With inflation still sticky on the headline side and the Fed expected to remain on hold, markets will likely listen closely for any shift in tone around energy driven inflation, growth risks, and timing for future cuts.

Twenty eight S&P 500 companies are scheduled to report this week, with major financial institutions leading the way.

Big banks will set the tone for Q1 earnings season. Their results could shape expectations around credit quality, consumer strength, loan growth, and deal activity.

Notable earnings releases are shown below.

If you’ve pulled up to a gas station lately and felt a pang of "wallet-woe," you aren’t alone. On April 10, the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) dropped a bombshell: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March 2026 surged 0.9% in a single month. On an annual basis, inflation jumped to 3.3%, a sharp U-turn from the 2.4% we saw in February.

The culprit? A massive 10.9% explosion in energy costs fueled by rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Gasoline alone surged 21.2% in March. This is a direct hit to your monthly budget.

Think of the CPI as the "national price tag." Every month, the BLS tracks a fixed "basket of goods", everything from milk and medical care to hoodies and house paint. It covers about 90% of the U.S. population, reflecting the real-world spending patterns of everyday Americans.

When the CPI climbs, your purchasing power shrinks. It’s the difference between buying the name-brand cereal and the "generic" bag on the bottom shelf.

Inflation is a thief in your pantry.

For those dreaming of a lower mortgage rate, this CPI report was a bucket of cold water. When inflation stays "hot," the Federal Reserve is forced to keep interest rates elevated to cool the economy down.

A 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.5% versus 4% can add hundreds of dollars to your monthly payment. This "higher-for-longer" environment means car loans, credit card balances, and mortgages remain expensive, pricing many out of the market.

We’ve seen this panned out before. In March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CPI spiked to 8.5%, the highest in forty years. The current energy surge related to the Middle-East conflict echoes that playbook: geopolitical instability disrupts supply, sending oil prices and other essential items through the roof and feeding directly into the CPI.

At The Rhoda Report, we look at data to find opportunity. "Hot" CPI reports generally lead to:

CPI is the pulse of your financial health. By tracking it monthly at BLS.gov, you can adjust your sails before the storm hits.

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.