🚨 Financial Red Alert: U.S. credit card debt hits a staggering $1.17 trillion, with serious delinquencies at 11.1%—levels reminiscent of the 2008 crisis. Middle-class families are drowning in debt, yet Wall Street profits soar. Is the American Dream turning into a nightmare?

Major indices closed lower:
• S&P 500: 6,046.14 (-0.2%)
• Dow Jones: 44,150.32 (-0.3%)
• Nasdaq: 14,200.55 (-0.1%)

Investors are cautious ahead of the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, with concerns about potential interest rate hikes impacting market sentiment.

Bitcoin briefly topped $100K, hitting $103,656 before retreating to $97,950 (-3.2%). Ethereum steady at $3,870.90, XRP at $2.32 (-1.3%), Litecoin up 4.3% to $137.37, and Dogecoin rises 1.1% to $0.437. Total crypto market cap: $3.41T as Bitcoin’s milestone sparks interest.

Bitcoin retreats to $94,006 after nearing $100K. Ethereum at $3,556. XRP up 1.2% to $2.46. Litecoin gains 1.9%, now $125.78. Dogecoin down 4.4% to $0.400. Total crypto market cap at $3.32T. Investors monitor altcoins amid Bitcoin’s pullback.

📈 Pre-Market

U.S. futures are steady after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs yesterday. 

• U.S. Steel (X): Down 7% following President-elect Trump’s renewed opposition to Nippon Steel’s takeover bid. 
• Tesla (TSLA): Slight decline after a judge invalidated Elon Musk’s $50B pay package. 

Over the past 48 hours, several altcoins have shown significant movements:
• XRP (XRP): Jumped 11.92%, trading at $2.16.
• Dogecoin (DOGE): Rose 5.03%, priced at $0.443741.
• Litecoin (LTC): Surged 17.72%, reaching $120.26.

These gains suggest a potential altcoin season on the horizon.

We often tell new investors how the market averages "around 8%-9% a year".

But we never warn them of the volatility.

Over the past 150 years, the market has returned between 0%-10%, only 20% of the time.

And it has had negative returns 36% of the time.

🚀 Market Recap 🚀
Dow surged +460 pts, S&P +0.5%, Nasdaq flat. Big movers: Nvidia +0.5% (AI demand), Snowflake +32% (earnings beat), Alphabet -6% (antitrust fears). Bitcoin hit $96K, rallying crypto stocks. Resilient jobless claims show labor strength. What’s your take on today’s action? 📈

Volatility is a rollercoaster this week – watching tech stocks bounce around more than my morning coffee in a travel mug 📈📉 Curious how other investors are navigating this wild ride. Are you holding steady or making moves? Sometimes doing nothing is the smartest strategy. #investing #stockmarket