Weekly SmartPills #75
Financial Markets
Cryptocurrency Market
In recent weeks, Bitcoin (BTC) has shown resilience, briefly dipping below $75,000 midweek before rebounding to around $85,000, supported by improving investor sentiment and reduced risk aversion.
Ethereum (ETH) experienced significant volatility, dropping to approximately $1,472 on April 8 before rising to around $1,645 by April 13, marking a weekly gain of over 11%.
ETH’s rebound was driven by renewed investor optimism and a more favorable market environment.
Traditional Financial Markets
The S&P 500 fell nearly 6% at the beginning of the week due to renewed U.S.-China trade tensions but then staged a strong rebound after the U.S. announced a 90-day suspension on most tariffs, gaining over 9% in a single day.
In Europe, the euro peaked at 1.1474 before dropping to 1.1360 by Friday.
Germany’s DAX declined by around 5%, driven by weakness in the banking and industrial sectors, while Italy’s FTSE MIB remained stable, supported by the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Investors remained cautious due to ongoing concerns over inflation and slowing growth.
Economy and Regulation
China has raised tariffs on all U.S. goods to 125% in retaliation for the same rate imposed by the U.S., escalating the trade war.
Beijing stated it will not further raise tariffs for now but warned of strong countermeasures if the U.S. continues to undermine its interests.
The announcement caused market volatility, with U.S. stock markets falling and the dollar losing nearly 2% against the euro.
President Trump had suspended most tariffs for other countries but excluded China, accusing it of market manipulation.
China, which holds $759 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds, is seeking international support against U.S. trade measures.
Germany’s economy is expected to stagnate in 2025, with growth forecasts downgraded to just 0.1%, down from a previous estimate of 0.8%.
U.S. tariffs on metals and vehicles are expected to reduce growth by 0.1 percentage points this year and next.
Economists warn that the impact could be more severe if broader tariffs proposed by Trump are fully implemented.
The overall effect remains uncertain due to the unprecedented scale of the measures.
Germany’s new government, likely led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, aims to revitalize a struggling economy.
Blockchain and Innovation
Over the past week, several key developments emerged in blockchain technology.
Vitalik Buterin proposed new measures to enhance privacy on Ethereum, focusing on wallets and DeFi applications.
At the same time, President Trump repealed a controversial IRS regulation targeting DeFi brokers, which was welcomed as a boost to decentralized finance innovation.
Meanwhile, the Lomond School in the UK announced it will begin accepting Bitcoin for tuition payments and will introduce a new Austrian economics-based curriculum.
These updates reflect the growing integration of blockchain into finance, education, and digital privacy.
Trends and Statistics
How long would it take teachers to buy a home in Europe?
In Ireland, a 100 m² home costs 106 months of a teacher’s salary, making it the most affordable among 24 European countries.
Teachers in Spain (112 months), the Netherlands (114), Belgium (120), and Denmark (126) also face relatively accessible housing markets.
In contrast, teachers in Hungary need 443 months of salary, in Slovakia 398, and in the Czech Republic 383 — the least affordable countries.
In England, a teacher needs 175 months, with an average net monthly salary of €2,553.
France (230), Austria (203), and Italy (191) also require longer timeframes.
Overall, affordability depends on both housing prices and teacher salaries.
