💰 5 Fact Friday: 'Sell America' Was A False Alarm

OUR PARTNER: IGNITE FUNDING
Secure Passive Income Through Real Estate Trust Deeds

Ignite Funding provides investors an opportunity to earn predictable, passive income with 10–12% annual returns through Trust Deed investments backed by real property.

These short-term, collateral-backed loans allow you to invest in real estate without the headaches of managing tenants, handling repairs, or overseeing property maintenance.

Trust Deeds are structured to provide defined terms and interest schedules, offering a transparent and reliable way to grow your wealth. Learn how Trust Deeds work and why they are a smart alternative to traditional real estate investing here.

Ready to start? Explore how you can begin investing with as little as $10,000 and take advantage of these returns here.

Money invested through a mortgage broker is not guaranteed to earn any interest and is not insured. Prior to investing, investors must be provided applicable disclosure documents.

GOVERNMENT
1. Why Markets Don’t Mind A Shutdown ⏳

Well, it’s official: the U.S. government hit snooze on itself this week.

After failing to pass a funding bill by Tuesday night, lawmakers triggered a federal shutdown — the 21st in 50 years.

Why? A tug-of-war over healthcare spending. Democrats want more money for Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid. Republicans aren’t on board. With no compromise in sight, the lights are (mostly) off in Washington.

What’s Happening Now

Roughly 750,000 federal employees are likely to be furloughed. Meanwhile, 2 million essential workers (including military personnel and air traffic controllers) are clocking in unpaid.

Don't worry, furloughed workers are legally entitled to backpay. Private contractors, on the other hand, have no such guarantee.

What It Means for Markets

The S&P 500 has risen since the shutdown began, which is not usual.

Historically, markets have been neutral to positive during these periods. During the most recent (and longest ever) shutdown in 2019, markets ripped ~10% in 35-days.

That said, it’s not totally painless:

• The IPO and merger pipeline may slow, due to delays at the SEC and FTC.

• Key economic data (jobs report, inflation) won’t get published.

• The Fed may have less visibility, but don’t expect a U-turn. They're leaning more on private data lately, and rate cut expectations remain intact.

As for GDP? Expect a very minimal impact. S&P Global estimates the 35-day shutdown in 2019 dinged GDP by 0.02%, or $3 billion in a $20 trillion economy.

How Long Will This Last?

The policical parties are digging their heels in, and prediction markets are placing their bets:

• Kalshi traders foresee a 2-week shutdown.

• Polymarket bettors favor a longer haul, with Oct. 15 or later as the most popular outcome.

If they’re right, we’re in for another few weeks of political theater, airport delays, and frozen economic data. But so far, the market is popping popcorn — not Prozac.

ECONOMY
2. “Sell America” Was A False Alarm 🇺🇸

Earlier this year, analysts were calling the decline in the U.S. dollar: "Sell America." Fears of runaway deficits, tariff chaos, and a potential Fed shake-up created panic.

Fast forward to today, and as it turns out, foreign investors didn’t flee. They doubled down. Here’s what’s happening:

From “Sell America” to “Hedge America”

• The U.S. dollar recently hit a 4-year low.

• Normally that might spook investors. Instead, foreigners snapped up $290.7B of U.S. assets in Q2, a record.

• Foreign ownership of U.S. stocks now tops 30% of the market, the highest since 1968.

Global investors haven’t stopped buying U.S. stocks and bonds — they’re just hedging against a weaker dollar. Derivative activity suggests a $1 trillion wave of dollar hedging is building.

The most popular move? Selling dollars forward to lock in better exchange rates. That’s putting more pressure on the greenback, even as U.S. asset prices climb.

Why It Matters for You

A weaker dollar may sound bad, but it’s not that simple. In fact, it may even boost your portfolio:

1. Multinationals Win: A falling dollar boosts profits for companies that earn overseas (think: Apple, Microsoft). Those foreign revenues convert back into more dollars.

2. Stocks Look Cheap to the World: A weaker dollar makes U.S. assets cheaper to foreign buyers. Translation: more demand, higher prices.

The Big Picture

• Foreigners now hold $20T+ in U.S. stocks and $14T in U.S. debt.

• U.S. assets are still seen as the most liquid, resilient, and earnings-rich in the world.

• With the Fed easing and the dollar dipping, that demand may keep rising.

Bottom line? The era of “Sell America” may be over before it began. And ironically, a weaker dollar may even support asset prices.

OUR PARTNER: IGNITE FUNDING
Earn Passive Income with Real Estate-Backed Loans

Invest in Trust Deeds with Ignite Funding and earn predictable monthly income backed by real property.

Learn more about how short-term, collateral-backed loans work. Plus, view Ignite’s track record and past investment performance here.

Money invested through a mortgage broker is not guaranteed to earn any interest and is not insured. Prior to investing, investors must be provided applicable disclosure documents.

FAST FACTS
3. Wall Street’s Deal Sheet Of The Week 📰

🪫 Lithium Americas Surges on U.S. Stake: The U.S. government is taking a 5% equity stake in Lithium Americas in exchange for a $2.3B loan. The company’s Nevada mine is expected to produce enough lithium for 800K EVs per year. Shares are up 142% in the past month. [Read]

🧠 Meta Hands CoreWeave $14B AI Deal: Meta is spending up to $14.2B on CoreWeave’s cloud power to fuel its AI push, just a week after OpenAI inked a similar $6.5B agreement with the infrastructure provider. The move helps CoreWeave diversify beyond Microsoft, which once made up 71% of its revenue. [Read]

💻 Intel Might Make Chips for… AMD?! Yep, the rivals are reportedly in talks for Intel to manufacture chips for AMD. This would be a huge win for Intel’s struggling foundry business. [Read]

📉 Reddit Slips as ChatGPT Move On: Reddit fell 12% after a report showed ChatGPT now cites Reddit far less often lately (from 14% of answers to just 2%). Reddit was banking on data licensing fees, but AI models are beginning to explore synthetic data. [Read]

🛒 Amazon Settles FTC Case for $2.5B: Amazon agreed to a massive settlement over “dark patterns” in Prime sign-ups. The breakdown? $1B in penalties, $1.5B in customer refunds. Amazon will proactively contact up to 35M affected customers. [Read]

🎮 Saudi-Backed Group Buys EA for $55B: Electronic Arts is going private in the lagest leverage buyout of all time, courtesy of Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. The $210/share buyout includes $20B in debt financing from J.P. Morgan. [Read]

🛢️ Buffett Buys More Oxy (Sort Of): Berkshire Hathaway is paying $9.7B in cash for Occidental Petroleum’s chemical unit, OxyChem. The deal is Berkshire’s largest since 2022, and could be Buffett’s swan song. [Read]

💊 Pfizer Benefits From TrumpRx Debut: Pfizer dodged 100% drug tariffs by agreeing to list products on a discounted direct-to-consumer site, TrumpRx. In exchange, it secured a three-year grace period on pharmaceutical tariffs — a template other drugmakers may soon follow. [Read]

PERSONAL FINANCE
4. October Marks The Start Of Sale Season 🛍️

It’s not even Halloween yet, but retailers have already flung open the holiday shopping gates. Amazon, Walmart, and Target are now racing to win your wallet more than a month before Black Friday.

Whether you're looking to save big or just cross some gifts off early, here’s your cheat sheet:

🛒 Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

Dates: Oct. 7-8

Access: Prime members only

Top Deals:

• Up to 40% off kitchen appliances

• Up to 50% off Amazon devices (Echo, Ring, Fire TV)

• Up to 65% off bestselling books and popular electronics

🔑 Note: Amazon pushes hardest on its own connected devices. For external brands, keep an eye on Lightning Deals — they go fast. [Sale details]

🏷️ Walmart Deals

Dates: Oct. 7-12 (early access for Walmart+ members on Oct. 6)

Access: No membership needed after the 6th

Top Deals:

• Up to 50% off toys, fashion, and decor

• $400 off ASUS gaming laptops

• Over 6,000 total rollbacks

🔑 Note: Walmart is gunning for Amazon here. There’s a longer sale, in-store options, and no Prime-style paywall. [Sale details]

🎯 Target Fall Circle Week

Dates: Oct. 5-11 (early access for paid Circle 360 members on Oct. 4)

Access: Free Target Circle account required

Top Deals:

• Up to 40% off Halloween costumes and holiday decor

• Up to 50% off kitchen and home essentials

• Extra 5% off with Target Circle Card

🔑 Note: Best for household essentials, holiday prep, and stacking discounts with your Circle account. [Sale details]

STOCKS
5. Guess That Stock 🕵️‍♂️

This Oregon-born brand started as a humble distributor, eventually became the face of global athletic wear, and is now lacing up for a comeback.

Can you guess the stock?

1. Once the undisputed leader in sneakers, this brand is down nearly 60% from its 2021 highs despite a recent uptick in revenue.

2. Its new CEO has been clearing out excess inventory, patching up retailer relationships like Foot Locker, and even returning to Amazon after a six‑year hiatus.

3. Running shoes are leading the comeback with 20%+ growth, while a collab with Kim Kardashian’s Skims added a celebrity boost to the Swoosh.

4. Still, not everything’s clicking. Digital sales are falling, China revenue fell for the fifth straight quarter, and tariffs are expected to cost $1.5 billion a year.

5. The turnaround is looking more marathon than sprint. But with wholesale rebounding and core franchises back in focus, investors are betting this brand can “just do it” once more.

Got a guess? Tap here for the answer → 

Thanks For Reading!

Spread The Wealth 💸

Like what you read? Do me a favor and don’t keep it a secret! Send this newsletter to a friend and help them level up their financial game—one fact at a time.

Click the button above -or- copy and paste this link: https://read.themoneymaniac.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER