🧪 Who’s Buying, Selling, and Hiding It

Plus: If you're trying to track where the power players are quietly placing money, Scott Franklin and Markwayne Mullin just gave us some breadcrumbs.

March 28, 2025

Good Morning!

It’s Friday, the markets are twitchy, and the headlines are dripping with drama, so naturally, we’ve got receipts. Trump’s back on his tariff game, inflation is making a cameo, and gold is throwing a party at all-time highs. Meanwhile, politicians are quietly placing some very interesting bets (hi Scott Franklin 👋), and crypto just took a slap from tariff jitters.

Whether you’re trying to out-trade Congress or just understand why Doge is down 7%, we’ve packed this issue with everything that actually matters, and none of the fluff.

Let’s get into it 👇

🌡 TradingLab’s Headline Roundup

Stock Markets

28th March, 2025

Crypto

Forex/Commodities

Upcoming Earnings

📅 FRI.

  • No Notable Earnings

👀 BOXABL round on StartEngine is closing tomorrow!

Most houses take seven months to complete. BOXABL can put one out of the assembly line every four hours, including electrical, HVAC, and plumbing! Now, the company is raising funds and has made shares available to the public but the round is closing soon on StartEngine!

The company already has two home models and is developing a 20x30 and 20x40 home as part of their phase 2 plan!

Currently, shares are being offered at $0.80 per share. With a $1,000 minimum investment, you can join 40,000 investors to help solve the housing crisis.

Time is running out, TOMORROW is the last day to invest in BOXABL on StartEngine.

*This is a paid advertisement for Boxabl’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular here. This is a message from Boxabl

🕵️‍♂️ Pol Watch: Who’s Buying, Selling, and Hiding It

Only two names made moves this week, but they made a lot of them.

If you're trying to track where the power players are quietly placing bets, Scott Franklin and Markwayne Mullin just gave us some breadcrumbs.

🛒 Scott Franklin's Amazon and Defense Shopping Spree

Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL) was very busy, with multiple trades across tech, defense, retail, and bonds, some on behalf of himself, others for his spouse, and many tagged as "undisclosed" ownership (classic).

Most trades were filed with delays of 20–49 days. Here's the meat:

📌 Notable Moves:

  • Amazon (AMZN)

    • 🛍 Three separate buys totaling as much as $130K around $214.35/share

    • Timing: Feb 26 – right as tech stocks were rallying

    • Ownership split between himself, spouse, and undisclosed

  • Costco (COST)

    • 🛒 Three sales totaling up to $130K, filed 49 days late

    • Sold around $958.67/share, locking in profits

  • Lockheed Martin (LMT)

    • 💣 Three buys worth up to $80K

    • Bought near $428.54/share in mid-Feb, right as defense stocks started heating up on geopolitical headlines

  • Fidelity Advisor Total Bond Fund (FBKWX)

    • 💼 Six bond fund buys (split between him and spouse), indicating a hedging play or defensive move

📉 TL;DR: Franklin's moves show bullish bets on Big Tech and defense, while rotating out of retail and adding some fixed income stability to the mix.

🏗 Markwayne Mullin’s Municipal Buys

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) made three big buys, all between $50K–$100K, and all in public sector bonds or related entities. No specific tickers here, just institutions:

📌 Where the Money Went:

  • 🏛 University of Houston System

  • 🚇 Metropolitan Transportation Authority

  • 🏙 West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency

🤔 These kinds of moves suggest a long-term, low-risk, income-focused strategy, or possibly interest in areas where future federal funding may flow.

👀 No Trades Reported This Week From:

  • Brian Higgins

  • Susan Collins

  • Nancy Pelosi

  • Dan Crenshaw

  • David Rouzer

  • Roger Williams

  • Josh Gottheimer

  • Tommy Tuberville

Which honestly might be more telling than anything… sometimes the smartest move is sitting tight.

📈 What’s Moving Markets Today?

🔥 Futures Dip: Tariffs, Inflation, and Shrugging Traders

If you're a trader, maybe less so. U.S. stock futures are trending lower, and it’s not just because people forgot how to trade. Blame a combo platter of Trump tariffs, inflation worries, and general market indigestion.

As of early Friday morning:

📌 Key Points:

  • 📉 Dow Futures: Down 113 points (-0.3%)

  • 🧮 S&P 500 Futures: Slipped 21 points (-0.4%)

  • 🧠 Nasdaq 100 Futures: Dropped 113 points (-0.6%)

Investors are still chewing on the new 25% auto import tariffs, which Trump says will hit on April 3, with more to come May 3. Fun! And all this while they brace for February’s PCE report—the Fed’s inflation crystal ball.

📈 PCE Incoming: The Fed’s Favorite Metric Gets the Spotlight

We all know the Fed doesn’t look at CPI like the rest of us mortals, they love the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, and Friday’s release could shake things up.

📌 What to Watch:

  • 💡 Headline PCE: Expected to match last month’s numbers, boring, but stable

  • 🔎 Core PCE (strips out food & energy): Forecasted to tick up slightly year-over-year

  • 🎯 Why it Matters: Markets are nervy about inflation heating up again, especially with Trump throwing tariffs around like confetti

Fed Chair Jerome Powell says the economy is still “strong,” but the central bank is playing wait-and-see thanks to all this policy chaos.

🇨🇦 Canada Isn’t Having It

Canadian PM Mark Carney didn’t mince words. In response to Trump’s auto tariffs, Carney basically told the U.S.: “We’re not your doormat.”

📌 Highlights:

  • 💥 No Carve-Outs: Tariffs include Canada and Mexico, despite their long-standing trade ties

  • 🔁 Retaliation Promised: Carney vowed “maximum impact in the U.S., minimum at home”

  • 💔 Breakup Confirmed: “The economic relationship with the U.S. is over”, that’s a real quote

Canada, whose economy is heavily dependent on U.S. exports, is now stuck prepping for what looks like a full-blown trade war sequel.

🪙 Gold Hits Record High… Again

While the markets panic, gold just keeps doing gold things. The yellow metal climbed to yet another record high in early Friday trading. When the world feels like it’s on fire, investors sprint for the shiny stuff.

📌 Gold Glows:

  • ✨ Spot Gold: Up 0.5% to $3,073.52/oz

  • 📈 Gold Futures: May contracts up 0.7% to $3,112.74/oz

  • 🔒 Why? Inflation fears, Trump’s tariffs, and global unrest (Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza) all have people hedging with bullion

  • 💼 SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD): Still riding high

When in doubt, hoard the metal. That’s the market’s current love language.

🛢 Oil Cools Slightly but Still on Track for Gains

Oil prices are taking a breather today, but don’t be fooled, they’re still heading for a third straight weekly gain.

📌 The Crude Breakdown:

  • 🛢 Brent Crude: Down 0.5% to $72.99/barrel

  • 🇺🇸 WTI Crude: Down 0.4% to $69.62/barrel

  • 🔥 Still up ~2% for the week, thanks to:

    • Falling U.S. crude inventories

    • Tariff threats on Venezuela oil buyers

    • Global supply tightening

Oil markets are jittery but firm. Sounds familiar.

🎢 The Takeaway: Trade Tantrums and Inflation Games

Markets are twitchy heading into the weekend. Between Trump’s tariff cannon, inflation landmines, and geopolitical tension from every corner of the map, there’s no shortage of drama.

Expect a choppy ride as traders flip coins over whether we’re headed for a soft landing or the next chapter of the trade war saga.

Until Monday, watch the charts, ignore the noise (mostly), and maybe keep a little gold under your mattress. 🛏️

Stay ahead, stay informed, and most importantly, stay profitable.

‘til next time,

TradingLab