Finance

What the Pros Are Doing with Their Money During Market Chaos

Take a deep breath and close the tab where you’re checking your 401(k) balance.

Feeling a bit better? Great.

The past week has been challenging for those with significant investments in the market. The S&P 500, the most commonly tracked market index, dropped 10% from its recent peak by Thursday's close, officially marking a “market correction.” However, it rebounded with a 2.1% gain on Friday.

We’ve just come off a decade of exceptional stock market performance. If you’ve grown accustomed to seeing constant upward movement, this recent volatility might be unsettling, keeping you up at night. The usual advice is to hold on when the market dips and wait for it to eventually rebound. But we’re in an era with unique challenges. In times like these, does that conventional wisdom still apply?

According to financial experts, yes. The overarching advice remains: leave your stocks alone for now. While the market is down and we may be heading into a period of slower economic growth—potentially even stagflation or recession—selling now means locking in those losses. History often repeats itself, and although there are no guarantees in the stock market or life, the most probable outcome is that the market will eventually recover.

TECH

Green, Gold, and Gadgets: The Tech Transforming St. Patrick’s Day

The fusion of technology and Irish traditions has sparked innovations in sectors like financial services, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing, reshaping how businesses and consumers experience St. Patrick’s Day.

Banking Goes Green: Digital Promotions in Financial Services

St. Patrick’s Day presents a unique opportunity for financial institutions to engage with customers digitally. While the holiday isn’t a federal U.S. holiday and most banks will remain open, they’ll enhance their digital presence with festive touches. Some institutions take advantage of the holiday’s spirit by rolling out special promotions.

Gone are the days of simply dyeing rivers green. Financial institutions often illuminate their buildings with green lights for the occasion, creating eye-catching moments for social media. For example, U.S. Bank Tower in Sacramento is known for lighting up its building in green each year.

Digital banking apps also use the day to interact with users by incorporating holiday-themed interfaces, often paired with promotional offers linked to pots of gold. Many financial institutions leverage St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to promote financial wellness, framing smart money management as a path to finding your "pot of gold." This strategy encourages better budgeting and saving habits, all while increasing user engagement with digital platforms.

AI-Powered Creativity Transforms Holiday Content

Artificial intelligence is transforming how businesses craft and personalize their St. Patrick’s Day content. AI art generators like Midjourney empower financial marketers to create unique, branded holiday visuals without the need for extensive design resources. Similarly, Appy Pie’s AI St. Patrick’s Day Poster Generator enables businesses to quickly design custom promotional materials.

A notable example comes from Ireland’s postal service, An Post, which teamed up with Microsoft last year to offer AI-generated St. Patrick’s Day cards. Customers could personalize their cards by selecting holiday-related keywords, and Microsoft’s AI would generate unique designs based on those inputs, even including AI-written greetings or limericks.

Other platforms are adopting similar AI tools to help businesses craft personalized St. Patrick’s Day messages. These technologies enable smaller institutions to create professional-quality content tailored to their audience, all while reducing production costs and turnaround times.

CRYPTO

Russia's Quiet Crypto Moves: A Leak Signals a Potential Bitcoin Price Bombshell

In recent years, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have gained acceptance among global leaders, with former U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly planning to acquire substantial amounts of Bitcoin.

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Bitcoin’s price has surged to nearly $80,000, up from around $50,000 last year. Meanwhile, a legendary trader’s bold Bitcoin price prediction suggests a significant shift is already underway.

As traders rush to anticipate the next wave of nations following the U.S. lead on Bitcoin, a recent leak reveals that Russia is using cryptocurrency to trade with China and India, bypassing international sanctions. Additionally, the Bank of Russia is opening Bitcoin and crypto purchases to a “select group of Russian investors.”