Stock Markets Hit Harder Than Life

The Nasdaq Enters A Bear Market

The Nasdaq just got hit by the bear market, crashing over -20% since February 19 — one of the fastest tech selloffs in modern history, rivaling the crashes of 1929, 1987, 2008, and 2020. What started as a tremor has become a market earthquake.

“The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”

— Rocky Balboa

Right now, the market is finding out just how hard Trumps economic policies can hit. And it’s not going down from a single punch — this is a relentless barrage: collapsing consumer confidence, manufacturing contraction, rising unemployment, and a reignited global trade war.

The stock market just took a punch straight to the face. And this time, it wasn’t just a jab — it was a combination of slowing economic data, tariff retaliation, and a Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell insisting today (April 04,2025) the economy is “still strong,” even as the numbers tell a far more brutal story.

This week, the global economy got a grim wake-up call: recession signals are flashing across every screen from Wall Street to Main Street. U.S. consumer confidence has cratered to levels last seen during the 2020 lockdown recession. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index shows Americans are bracing for a storm.

Manufacturing, often the economy’s canary in the coal mine, has officially stalled. The ISM Manufacturing Index dropped below the critical 50 mark — signaling contraction. The S&P Global Manufacturing PMI hit 50 and has started to roll over — the economic version of standing at the cliff’s edge.

And perhaps most damning of all, the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow — once the most bullish in the room — now forecasts Q1 growth between -1.0% and -2.8%.

This isn’t a soft patch. This is a body blow to the economy.

And the markets have already felt it.

The Bear is Here. Just Like We Called It.

Back in January, Gregory Crennan, Chief Market Strategist at Golden Coast Consultants, called 2025 “The Year of the Bear.” Critics like Ed Yardeni, Tom Lee, Dan Ives, Stephanie Link and Josh Brown of CNBC dismissed him. But now, as the Nasdaq slides more than -20% from its February 19th peak — officially entering a bear market — his words are starting to feel more like prophecy.

“This was always a game of fundamentals,” Crennan said in January. “When you’re trading at 26X earnings, and earnings start to fall, the floor drops out.” Which was highlighted here in the article “ Valuation vs. AI”.

And that’s exactly what’s happening.

Trade War Escalation: The Global Gut Punch

President Trump reignited his trade war playbook on steroids, announcing sweeping new tariffs on Chinese imports over 70%. China responded with a haymaker — a 34% retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods, including tech components, autos, and agriculture. In an already fragile macro environment, this tit-for-tat tariff war is no longer just talk — it’s become an economic brawl.

Trump fired back, declaring, “China made the wrong move,” which only further fueled fears of prolonged escalation.

Where to Hide When Stocks Get Hit

Crennan hasn’t just been sounding the alarm — he’s been offering a plan. Since Trump’s election, he’s been pounding the table to get into Gold, Bonds, and dividend payers — the safe havens of stormy markets. And they’ve delivered.

• Gold: Up 15% YTD

• Bonds: Up 7%

• Dividend portfolios: Yielding double-digit returns

• Nasdaq: Down -20% YTD

  

In his recent strategy report titled “Money Ball,” Crennan presents a comprehensive blueprint for safeguarding purchasing power and fostering wealth accumulation across the spectrum for Main Street to Wall Street, from ordinary citizens to institutional investors, even amidst challenging market conditions.

The Market Is Still Expensive — And Earnings Haven’t Even Hit Yet