🕺 Stocks rally with more scope

and the changing rental market

Good morning investors! Fear is no longer ruling the market as investors are back in the game.

Today we cover:

  • The changing rental market

  • Stocks gain after US-China talks

  • More about day trading

Spencer Rascoff co-founded Zillow, scaling it to a $16B valuation. But everyday investors couldn’t invest until the IPO, missing early gains. So he made sure that wasn’t the case with Pacaso.

Pacaso has earned over $100M in gross profits by disrupting the $1.3T vacation home market. And unlike Zillow, you can invest while Pacaso is private.

Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com.

Reminder: With stocks going up again, now might be a good time to use our AI tool to determine top picks.

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📊 Economy and News 

U.S. Rents Dip Year Over Year Amid Rising Supply

The median U.S. asking rent dropped 1% in April to $1,625—$80 below the August 2022 peak—marking the sharpest annual decline since February. Despite the yearly dip, rents rose 1.2% month over month, a seasonal norm.

The softness is linked to a supply glut from post-pandemic multifamily construction.

Vacancy rates in buildings with five or more units held at 8.2% in Q1, the highest since early 2021, with fewer than half of new units leased within three months.

Still, rents have stayed relatively stable for over a year, following volatile swings during the pandemic. In Austin, rents fell the most—down 9.6% year over year to $1,399—followed by declines in Minneapolis, Portland, San Diego, and Raleigh.

Meanwhile, affordability challenges in the for-sale market are pushing more people toward renting. Buyers now need to earn over $50,000 more than renters to cover mortgage costs.

Some cities, however, saw gains: rents rose in Cincinnati (8.7%), Pittsburgh (7.5%), and Baltimore (5.9%). By unit size, 0–1 bedrooms dropped 1.2% to $1,481, 2-bedrooms fell 1.5% to $1,699, and 3+ bedrooms slipped 1% to $1,999.

Global hits:

Just in: Trump signs order aiming to cut some U.S. drug prices to match lower ones abroad. Also, there may be more negotiations between China and the US as the two countries aim to discuss semiconductors, steel, and pharmaceuticals. This helped names like Pfizer and Eli Lilly jump.

Customs duties totaled $16.3 billion for the month, some 86% above the $8.75 billion collected during March and more than double the $7.1 billion a year ago.

Check this: Chegg to lay off 22% of workforce as AI tools shake up edtech industry. Also, Stellantis eyes November for start of hybrid Fiat 500 production. Lastly, Healthcare company KindlyMD jumped 250% on news it is merging with Nakamoto, a bitcoin investment company founded by David Bailey. a key cryptocurrency advisor to President Donald Trump.

Sponsored by BOXABL


What if building a house could be as simple as building a car? Where a car rolls off the assembly line every few minutes. 

BOXABL is inspired by Ford and Tesla’s manufacturing process. Their mission is to make upscale, low-cost housing available globally by bringing assembly line automation to the housing industry. BOXABL’s patented technology allows them to create modular, prefabricated homes that are designed to fold up for transport, which significantly decreases the cost of shipping & the complexity of installation. 

BOXABL has raised over $170M from over 40,000 investors since 2020. They recently achieved a significant milestone: raising over 50% of their Reg A+ funding limit! BOXABL is now only accepting investment on their website until the Reg A+ is full. 

If you want to join over 40,000 existing investors and be a part of the story, click below to explore investing in BOXABL.

Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for BOXABL’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular here. This is a message from BOXABL

*Reserving a Nasdaq ticker does not guarantee a future listing on Nasdaq or indicate that BOXABL meets any of Nasdaq's listing criteria to do so.

📈 Stocks

S&P 500 5,844.19 (+3.26%)
DJIA 42,410.10 (+2.81%)
NASDAQ 18,708.34 (+4.35%)
BRENT CRUDE 64.82 (-0.22%)
* Prices as of May 13th, 12:20 AM UTC

Tech Stocks Surge After U.S.-China Tariff Truce — What Comes Next for Markets

U.S. stocks surged on Monday, fully recovering losses since Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” trade announcement, driven by a U.S.-China tariff pause.

Tech giants like Apple (AAPL, +6.3%), Tesla (TSLA, +6.75%), Nvidia (NVDA, +5.4%), Amazon (AMZN, +8.1%), and Intel (INTC, +3.55%) led gains, adding over $800 billion in market value.

Chipmakers like Nvidia and TSMC also jumped. Luxury goods stocks, including Hermes (+3.5%) and LVMH (+7%), and automakers like Stellantis (+6.5%) and GM (+4.4%) rallied.

Toy makers, benefiting from reduced tariffs (from 108.8% to 27%), saw strong gains.

Some retail stocks like RH (+16.35%) and Nike (+7.34% ) also jumped on the news.

Safe-haven assets like gold (-2.7%) and U.S. Treasuries fell, with 10-year yields above 4.45%.

The Nasdaq, up over 20% from its yearly low, exited bear market territory, though it’s still down 3.1% in 2025. But having gained 20% since the lows, it is again in a bull market.

Analysts are cautiously optimistic, with some seeing potential for new tech highs in 2025.

Exciting: Coinbase is joining the S&P 500, replacing Discover Financial, which is being acquired. This news sent the stock up 11% after the bell. In other news, GM has hired Sterling Anderson, a former Tesla executive and co-founder of autonomous vehicle company Aurora Innovation, as its chief product officer. Lastly, Perplexity AI is in late-stage talks to raise $500 million at a $14 billion valuation.

Good to know: McDonald’s plans to hire up to 375,000 workers across its company-owned and franchised U.S. restaurants this summer. Elsewhere, Google launched an artificial intelligence fund to invest in startups. Eligible startups will get Google investment, early access to AI models and hands-on support from Google employees.

Apple shares climbed after CEO Tim Cook spoke with Donald Trump, as the company weighs iPhone price hikes this fall. While aiming to avoid linking increases to tariffs, Apple has been stockpiling inventory and reaffirming its commitment to U.S. manufacturing.

💵 Personal Finance

How to be a day trader - Part XII

Let’s continue our How to be a Day Trader guide and talk about day trading tools as trading relies on robust tools to streamline decision-making.

Charting platforms like TradingView or MetaTrader offer advanced features for technical analysis, including customizable indicators and real-time data.

Order execution platforms, such as Interactive Brokers or Thinkorswim, provide fast trade execution and low latency, critical for scalping or momentum trading.

News aggregators like Bloomberg Terminal or free alternatives like Yahoo Finance keep traders updated on market events.

Level II market data and time-and-sales tools help gauge liquidity and order flow, offering insights into price movements.

Automation tools, like trade alerts or basic bots, can flag opportunities but require oversight to avoid errors.

Beginners should prioritize user-friendly platforms with low fees and practice integrating tools into their workflow.

Ensure a reliable internet connection and backup systems to avoid disruptions. While tools enhance efficiency, they don’t replace strategy or discipline. Traders must regularly evaluate their toolkit to stay competitive in dynamic markets, balancing cost and functionality.

💰 Be a Better Investor

"Money is the rarest service, but the easiest to render."

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👩🏽‍⚖️ Legal Stuff
Nothing in this newsletter is financial advice. Always do your own research and think for yourself.