Protests over the soaring cost of fuel spread disruption across Ireland on Saturday with many gas stations running dry as truck and tractor drivers staged a fifth day of blockades at the country’s sole fuel refinery and several depots.
Vehicles blocking traffic led to closures of the main highway around the capital, Dublin, as well as six other major roadways.
More than a third of the 1,500 service stations in the republic are out of fuel and that number is expected to grow dramatically if the roadblocks remain, Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan said.
Irish police put all its officers on notice they could be called to duty over the weekend and the military was on standby to help remove the vehicles as the government was due to renew talks Saturday to resolve the dispute.
Frustration over the soaring cost of fuel led to the protests that began Tuesday and have continued to grow as word spread on social media.
Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the price spike is global and due to the conflict in the Middle East that has restricted oil exports.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin said Friday that the country was on the brink of turning tankers away during a global shortage and was in jeopardy of losing its oil supply.
“It is unconscionable, it’s illogical, it is difficult to comprehend,” Martin told the national broadcaster RTE.
Truckers, farmers, and taxi and bus operators are among those who have staged the blockages and called for caps in fuel prices or cuts to excise or carbon taxes.
The government approved a range of measures two weeks ago to cut fuel prices, including a temporary reduction in excise taxes on motor fuels, expansion of a rebate for truckers and bus operators that use diesel fuel, and extension of a program that helps low-income people with their heating costs.
But those reductions were quickly overtaken as international prices continued to rise.
Protests began with slow-moving convoys that restricted access to some of the busiest streets in Dublin and blocked fuel depots that supply half the country. Some protesters slept in their vehicles overnight, demanding that the government speak with them.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said Thursday that outsiders were manipulating the demonstrators to advance their own agendas or “really want to damage our country.”
Mortgage rates have had one of their best two-week spells in a long time.
And they’ve done it during one of the most uncertain times in years, with a war raging in the Middle East.
Despite oil priced near $100 per barrel, the 30-year fixed remains priced near its lowest level in years.
Not quite as low as it was at the end of February, but not much higher either.
The big question is can rates hold here, or even improve, without slipping back toward the 7s again?
Why Did Mortgage Go Up? And Why Did They Fall Again?
First, a quick summary. Mortgage rates were sub-6% at the end of February, their lowest point in roughly 3.5 years.
Then we got the unexpected strikes in Iran that took out the country’s leadership and led to a wide-scale conflict in the Middle East.
That led to spiking oil prices as the Strait of Hormuz shuttered to virtually all tanker traffic, pushing mortgage rates back up to around 6.625%.
It was a very fast and steep move higher basically throughout the month of March.
However, as talks of a ceasefire surfaced, mortgage rates began to ease and have since fallen about 0.25% in the past two weeks.
Mortgage Rates Don’t Change on Weekends, But Talks This Weekend Will Play a Major Role in Their Next Move
Mortgage rates don’t change during the weekend, but what takes place this weekend could have a big impact on which way rates go next week and beyond.
Pakistan facilitated a crucial two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran earlier this week, and will be hosting talks on Saturday.
Hence why this weekend will matter so much to mortgage rates.
If those talks go well, mortgage rates could extend their rally next week, potentially falling to 6.25% or even lower.
If those talks don’t go well, or if something else comes up during the weekend, such as another attack or escalation, or new threat, mortgage rates may break their winning streak.
It’s all very tenuous as both sides seem to want a lot of concessions to end this thing.
Both apparently want an exit-ramp, but only on their terms. And both will want to feel like they “won” in order to move on.
Chances of Another Escalation Are High
Not to be pessimistic, but relations between these countries have always been tumultuous.
And if history is any guide, things could get worse before they get better.
I asked Grok what the chances of an escalation were and it said about 40-60% at this juncture.
It also noted that during past “serious negotiations or ceasefires between Iran and the U.S./Israel over the past 15+ years, low-level or proxy incidents have continued or even spiked.”
So to think all will be hunky-dory seems a bit too optimistic, as much as we all want peace and a lasting solution.
Even if things do go well at the meeting, it’s going to take a long time to sort everything out and get back on track.
Chances are the disruptions to date will result in increased inflation and elevated gas prices for months to come.
Gas Prices Are Quick to Rise, Slow to Fall (Like Mortgage Rates)
Like mortgage rates, gas prices are quick to rise and slow to fall. Funny how that works isn’t it?
Likewise, don’t expect mortgage rates to keep falling, even if we get more good news.
Any little thing could set them off again and result in a re-test of recent levels or even higher.
I still believe we see mortgage rates climb back toward 6.75% or possibly above that in coming months.
Partially because historically mortgage rates are highest in the months of May and June.
And also because this is a very delicate situation that doesn’t seem like it’ll be resolved quickly.
Before creating this site, I worked as an account executive for a wholesale mortgage lender in Los Angeles. My hands-on experience in the early 2000s inspired me to begin writing about mortgages 19 years ago to help prospective (and existing) home buyers better navigate the home loan process. Follow me on X for hot takes.
There’s a pattern I’ve noticed in my own life and in so many physicians I talk to.
It’s late. You finally get a quiet moment and open your inbox: a new real estate opportunity, a different investment, or a business idea from a friend.
You skim it, feel a mix of excitement and anxiety, and tell yourself you’ll look at it later.
You never do. Or you half-look at it, get interrupted, and move on. Weeks go by. More opportunities show up. The pile in your head gets bigger. Your clarity doesn’t.
Most of us don’t lack information. We don’t lack ideas either. What we lack is a way to turn those ideas into real decisions we can stand behind.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Any investment involves risk, and you should consult your financial advisor, attorney, or CPA before making any investment decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The author and associated entities disclaim any liability for loss incurred as a result of the use of this material or its content.
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The Hidden Cost of “I’ll Decide Later”
In medicine, you don’t really get to say “I’ll decide later.” Even when you order more tests or watch and wait, there’s a clear plan and a time frame.
With money and career decisions, “I’ll decide later” often means “I’ll stop thinking about this until it pops up again.” That’s where drift sneaks in.
You tell yourself you’re being prudent, but time passes, and it’s easy to get stuck until you learn how to overcome the fear of making a wrong move.
Opportunities come and go. You stay overexposed to one income stream longer than you meant to. In the background, there’s a quiet sense of, “I should be further along than this.”
For a long time, that was me.
I collected podcasts, webinars, spreadsheets, and conference notes. I had a deal room full of syndication decks I’d half-read and a browser with 30 open tabs on cap rates. I convinced myself that one more article, one more webinar, one more data point would make the next move obvious.
I had more information than I knew what to do with, and very few actual decisions to show for it.
Eventually, I realized the problem wasn’t a lack of information or ideas. It was that I didn’t have a way to turn any of it into choices I could stand behind.
Why Smart Doctors Still Feel Shaky About Investing and Entrepreneurship
On paper, physicians should be great at this.
We’re trained to handle complexity, weigh risk, and act under pressure. But money decisions trigger a different part of the brain.
There’s no residency for “physician real estate investor” or “physician entrepreneur.” Most of us didn’t grow up around people buying buildings or building businesses. And in our day jobs, the cost of a mistake feels enormous, so we bring that perfectionism into our finances, making it harder to rewire your money habits for success.
Layer on a noisy environment with rate changes, headlines, and friends sharing wins and losses, and almost any decision can start to feel like either a landmine or a lottery ticket.
So we research. We open tabs. We ask around in online groups and tell ourselves we’re “not quite ready.”
And deep down, we still don’t fully trust ourselves to choose.
Better Decisions Start With Better Questions
The most helpful shift for me was noticing how experienced investors and entrepreneurs think.
They aren’t calm because they can predict the future. They’re calm because they ask better questions.
Instead of “Is this a good deal?” they’re asking things like:
What problem is this investment or business actually solving for me? Cash flow now? Long-term equity? Tax benefits? Skill-building?
What is the realistic downside, and can I live with it?
How much of my time, attention, and energy does this require in this season of life?
When you start from those questions, a lot of noise falls away.
Plenty of “interesting” opportunities become easy nos. A few become clearer maybes. And one or two start to look like real yeses.
That’s what I mean by making the call. Not a perfect decision, but an aligned and intentional one.
You Can’t Build Great Filters Alone
Here’s the hard part: it’s extremely difficult to develop these filters alone on your couch at midnight.
When you’re isolated, your brain loves extremes. “Everything is unsafe. I should just stay in cash.” Or, “Everyone else is investing. I’m missing out. I should jump in now.”
What helped me the most was getting around people who were already doing what I wanted to do. Physicians who had bought rentals, invested in syndications and funds, launched businesses, and learned from mistakes along the way.
Hearing how they evaluated deals, structured partnerships, protected their downside, and balanced family life gave me something I couldn’t get from a spreadsheet: context.
I could see what being cautious looked like in practice, what “too aggressive” looked like, and what a healthy, sustainable path looked like for someone with a life similar to mine.
That kind of calibration is almost impossible to do in a vacuum.
What the Right Room Can Do
I think about my friend Larry a lot when this topic comes up.
Larry came to the very first PIMDCON. He was a high-income physician, doing well by every traditional measure, but he knew almost nothing about real estate investing. He just knew he wanted more time. More time with his family, more freedom to travel and go on adventures, more of a life that wasn’t dictated by a call schedule.
He didn’t leave that first event with a deal. He left with something more important: he saw what was possible. He met physicians who were actually doing it. Not theoretical. Real people, real portfolios, real stories about how they got there.
From that point, he decided to dive into real estate. Within a few short years, he had built up a portfolio that replaced his clinical income.
I’m not saying those results are guaranteed. Larry worked incredibly hard, made smart decisions, and took real risk. But being in that room, hearing those stories, meeting people who were a few steps ahead of him, that’s what made the difference between “someday I’ll figure this out” and actually starting.
And Larry’s story isn’t unique. I’ve watched it happen again and again. Someone walks into PIMDCON not sure where to begin. They sit next to someone at lunch who’s two years ahead of them. They hear a speaker break down a deal structure that finally clicks. They leave with three clear priorities instead of 30 open tabs.
The talks matter, but honestly, it’s the hallway conversations and the dinner tables that tend to change people’s trajectory. That’s why we do PIMDCON every year, focusing on the core philosophy of living by design rather than by default. This September 24 through 26 in Dallas, we’re doing it again. If you’ve been circling the idea of attending, this might be the room that helps you stop circling and start choosing.
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A Simple Question to Ask Before Your Next Opportunity
Whether or not PIMDCON is on your radar, I’d invite you to borrow one question I ask myself when a new idea, deal, or business possibility shows up:
“Is this helping me make better decisions, or just giving me more to think about?”
If the answer is “more to think about,” I either let it go or park it for later.
If the answer is “better decisions,” I lean in. That might mean learning a specific skill, talking to someone who’s already done it, or getting into a room where my thinking gets sharpened.
Whichever path you choose, my hope is the same: less second-guessing, fewer ‘I’ll decide later’ moments, and more choices you can stand behind in your pursuit of true financial freedom.
PIMDCON 2026 is September 24-26. I’d love to see you there.
Learn more and grab your spot here → JOIN PIMDCON!
Were these helpful in any way? Make sure to sign up for the newsletter and join the Passive Income Docs Facebook Group for more physician-tailored content.
Peter Kim, MD is the founder of Passive Income MD, the creator of Passive Real Estate Academy, and offers weekly education through his Monday podcast, the Passive Income MD Podcast. Join our community at the Passive Income Doc Facebook Group.
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Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s Weekly Round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s Round-up is exclusively supported by BMI, a global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music.
This week, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire Universal Music Group in a deal worth approximately $64 billion — with Ackman telling investors he expects “overwhelming shareholder support”, while JP Morgan analysts expressed skepticism that key stakeholder Bolloré would back the transaction.
Meanwhile, Udio signed a licensing agreement with Kobalt, marking the AI music platform’s fourth major deal since settling copyright litigation with UMG in October 2025 — and its latest step in its transformation from courtroom defendant to licensed service provider.
Elsewhere, Wireless Festival was canceled after the UK government blocked headliner Ye (Kanye West) from entering Britain, ruling that his presence would not be conducive to the public good — prompting promoter Festival Republic to confirm that refunds will be issued to all ticket holders.
Also in the past seven days: UMG and Believe settled the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the Paris-headquartered company and its distribution platform TuneCore in late 2024, with all claims dismissed with prejudice.
Here are some of the biggest headlines from the past week…
1. BILL ACKMAN CONFIDENT HE’LL WIN OVER UMG SHAREHOLDERS TO $64 BILLION BID, SAYS BOLLORÉ RESPONSE WAS ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’
Bill Ackman told investors on Tuesday (April 7) that he expects “overwhelming shareholder support” for Pershing Square’s $64 billion takeover proposal for Universal Music Group.
The deal — a cash-and-shares offer — would see UMG shareholders receive EUR €9.4 billion in cash, plus 0.77 shares of a newly created company for each share held.
Ackman said that his first call before launching the bid was to the Bolloré Group, UMG’s largest single shareholder, and that the initial response was encouraging.
However, not everyone shares Ackman’s confidence. In a research note circulated on Tuesday, JP Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven said he would “be surprised” if Bolloré supported the deal, arguing there is nothing in Pershing’s proposal that UMG could not do itself with the backing of its major shareholders and board… (MBW)
2. AFTER UNIVERSAL, WARNER, AND MERLIN DEALS, NOW UDIO INKS LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH KOBALT
Udio has signed a licensing agreement with independent music publisher Kobalt, adding to a growing roster of industry partners as the AI platform continues its transformation from copyright defendant to licensed service provider.
The deal, announced on Thursday (April 9), will see Udio’s forthcoming subscription platform trained on authorized and licensed music from Kobalt’s catalog, with participating creators credited and paid for remixes, covers, and new songs made using their voices and compositions.
The agreement marks Udio’s fourth significant licensing deal since it settled copyright infringement litigation with UMG in October 2025. That settlement was followed by a similar agreement with Warner Music Group in November 2025, and a licensing deal with Merlin in January 2026… (MBW)
3. SECRETLY DISTRIBUTION ACQUIRES MUSIC DATA AND ANALYTICS FIRMS ENTERTAINMENT INTELLIGENCE AND BABEL OPS
Secretly Distribution has acquired Babel Ops, the technology company behind music data and analytics platform Entertainment Intelligence (Ei).
The deal, announced on Wednesday (April 8), brings both companies under the ownership of the independent distributor, which says Babel Ops will continue to serve its existing client base of independent labels and music businesses.
Secretly Distribution CEO Darius Van Arman framed the acquisition in the context of growing consolidation in major label-land, pointing to the majors’ recent acquisitions of digital supply chain companies like FUGA and Revelator, as well as Bill Ackman’s $64 billion bid for UMG… (MBW)
4. WIRELESS FESTIVAL CANCELED AFTER UK GOVERNMENT BLOCKS KANYE WEST FROM ENTERING BRITAIN
London’s Wireless Festival has been canceled after the UK government denied headliner Ye (Kanye West) permission to enter the country, with the Home Office ruling that his presence would not be conducive to the public good.
The move followed a wave of political condemnation over the announcement that West had been booked as the sole headliner for all three nights of the festival, scheduled for Finsbury Park from July 10-12.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the booking “deeply concerning” in view of West’s previous antisemitic remarks, while at least three sponsors — including headline partner Pepsi, drinks giant Diageo, and Rockstar Energy — had withdrawn from the festival… (MBW)
5. UMG AND BELIEVE SETTLE LAWSUIT THAT ALLEGED ‘INDUSTRIAL-SCALE’ COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT OF UNIVERSAL’S MUSIC
Universal Music Group and Believe have settled the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the Paris-headquartered music company and its distribution platform TuneCore in late 2024.
UMG had filed a complaint against Believe and TuneCore on November 4, 2024, seeking damages of at least $500 million. At the heart of the case was a sweeping allegation that Believe had built its business through what UMG described as “industrial-scale copyright infringement,” focusing heavily on the distribution of so-called “manipulated” audio — sped-up or remixed versions of copyrighted recordings uploaded to streaming platforms… (MBW)
Partner message: MBW’s Weekly Round-up is supported by BMI, the global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. Find out more about BMIhere. Music Business Worldwide
LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ latest Cybercrime Report reveals key global fraud trends emerging over the past year. The report shows a significant 8% rise in global fraud rates driven by attacks targeting the gaming, gambling and e-commerce sectors, cost of living pressures and new emerging fraud tactics.
Key takeaways from the 2026 LexisNexis Risk Solutions Cybercrime Report
First-party fraud reigns: Customers defrauding organizations remains the leading source of fraud globally for the second year running, comprising 38.3% of reported frauds. This varies significantly by region: 51.7% of fraud in EMEA is first-party fraud, compared to less than 10% in Latin America, where synthetic identity fraud (48.3%) is far more prevalent.
Significant rise in synthetic fraud: 11% of fraud now involves a synthetic identity, representing an eight-fold global increase year over year and making it the fastest growing fraud type globally. Synthetic fraud represents a shift in tactics away from short-term opportunism to long-term goals, since they can take months to properly establish. Fraudsters stitch together new identities from various stolen identity attributes and use them to commit a variety of crimes. With no victim to immediately raise the alarm and high potential returns, synthetic fraud is proving attractive to fraudsters globally, particularly in LATAM (48.3% share).
Agentic traffic rises 450% between January and December 2025: This traffic was mainly linked to credit card payments and logins at gaming and gambling sites. While there is no indication of malicious intent, these agents present a new challenge for fraud detection longer term, introducing a third type of digital interaction in addition to genuine human transactions and traditional bots carrying out a defined instruction set.
Malicious ‘bad’ bots are getting better at impersonating people: Bots can now mimic genuine human actions, such as how we move a cursor around a login screen, with a high degree of plausibility to fool the latest behavioral fraud detection tools. Last year saw a 59% rise in malicious bot attacks as criminals test and deploy these sophisticated tools, with significant peaks seen throughout March and April and again in August 2025.
Fraudsters target e-commerce and online betting accounts: The e-commerce fraud attack rate grew 64% year over year and the attack rate at login where fraudsters work to gain control of customer accounts jumped 216%. Growth occurred across all regions, particularly in the US, Canada and APAC. Gaming and gambling sites experienced a notable 76% rise in global attack rate in 2025.
“Fraud continues to evolve at pace with digital innovation,” said Stephen Topliss, vice president of fraud and identity at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “While organizations are strengthening defences across channels, cybercriminal networks are scaling automation, shifting tactics and probing for any available weaknesses across the digital customer journey. Increasingly, attackers rely on advanced bots and AI-driven tools to mimic human behavior and test defences with unprecedented speed and accuracy.”
Regional fraud trends highlight evolving global threat patterns
North America experienced periodic spikes in e-commerce fraud activity during the year, although the overall attack rate remained steady at roughly 2.2%. Fraud attacks most frequently target login events and e-commerce platforms.
EMEA’s attack rate increased significantly for the first time in several years, rising 27% year over year, largely driven by account takeover attempts as fraudsters target authentication weaknesses across digital services.
APAC continued to see strong digital transaction growth alongside rising fraud activity, with the attack rate increasing to 1.7%. Desktop browser attacks rose sharply as fraudsters deployed more sophisticated automation tools.
LATAM fraud patterns remained diverse across industries, though the region saw growing concerns around synthetic identity fraud linked to expanding digital services and regulated online gaming markets.
“Cybercriminals are experimenting with the same technologies that are transforming digital commerce and organizations must prepare for a future where both legitimate users and malicious actors rely on automated agents to interact online,” Topliss noted. “Those that succeed must be able to confidently distinguish between humans, bots and agents as well as determining intent. We continue to see increasing collaboration between organizations with global digital intelligence, advanced analytics and strong cross-industry partnerships. Organizations that share risk intelligence are best positioned to protect consumers and build trust in the digital economy.”
Cybersecurity is becoming more important than ever. A hacker’s abilities are increasingly enhanced by technology, including access to agentic AI, which can help bad actors exploit vulnerabilities in a company’s information systems.
Ensuring a business has the best available cybersecurity protection is key. It’s an industry not likely to be disrupted by generative artificial intelligence. It will be boosted by it.
I think the best stock to buy in this space is CrowdStrike(CRWD 3.86%). CrowdStrike is a major cybersecurity player already, and the company is taking its protection to the next level by incorporating several key elements in defending its clients from cybersecurity attacks.
Image source: Getty Images.
CrowdStrike’s stock is on sale thanks to AI
As AI coding agents become more popular, many software stocks have heavily sold off in fear that someone could re-create the platform in-house with the aid of an AI coding platform.
While I think some companies are rightfully worried, I don’t think the cybersecurity industry should be. If someone makes an error (be it the AI platform or the human directing it), the results could be catastrophic. This makes this area too risky to use internal resources to build a cybersecurity platform, so they need to turn to experts like CrowdStrike.
Today’s Change
(-3.86%) $-15.23
Current Price
$379.44
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$96B
Day’s Range
$364.50 – $396.14
52wk Range
$342.72 – $566.90
Volume
424K
Avg Vol
4.1M
Gross Margin
74.53%
CrowdStrike’s base functionality is endpoint security, which protects network endpoints from cyberthreats. It uses AI to detect abnormal activity on each endpoint, then shuts down the attack before it has a chance to do serious damage. In total, it has more than 30 modules of increased functionality, with each add-on increasing the level of protection a client has. Indeed, 50% of clients have more than six modules, showcasing the strength of CrowdStrike’s ability to upsell clients.
Cybersecurity is a massive and expanding market, and CrowdStrike believes that its total addressable market will more than double by 2030. This should make the market bullish on the stock and cybersecurity in general, but because CrowdStrike is grouped with other software companies, its stock is being hammered.
CrowdStrike’s stock is down around 30% from its all-time high, and its valuation has seldom been this cheap.
CRWD PS Ratio data by YCharts
While 21 times sales may appear expensive (and it is), CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity leader and deserves a premium compared to its peers. I still think the company can deliver market-crushing returns, and the need for best-in-class security products is only going to rise as cyberthreats ramp up.
The Canadian economy added a modest 14,100 jobs in March, in line with economists’ expectations but marking only a partial reversal of the 109,000 positions lost in the first two months of the year.
