Hey Builders, Happy Sunday! Another week, another round of headlines—shutdown standoffs, AI capital floods, and oil’s uneasy dance. Behind it all runs one question: who pays when systems stall? Let’s zoom in on the pulse points of power—policy, markets, and innovation—and what they signal for Builders shaping what comes next. ⸻ 🇺🇸 Shutdown, Day 12: From furloughs to firings The U.S. government shutdown that began on Oct 1 is now in its 12th day. The White House has signaled “tough decisions” on federal layoffs; legal experts warn mass terminations during a funding lapse would be uncharted territory. Agencies sent—and in some cases walked back—pink slips: the CDC notified about 1,300 employees before rescinding hundreds amid backlash. At the core is a standoff over extending enhanced ACA subsidies. Vice President JD Vance criticized the credits as fraud-prone; Senate Democrats insist no stopgap without a healthcare deal. Expect more union suits and heavier macro drag the longer this persists. (Reuters, AP) ⸻ 📈 Markets & Money: Rally pauses, cuts debated With federal data partially offline, traders leaned on Fed commentary. After fresh highs earlier this month, stocks chopped as shutdown risk, geopolitics, and rate-cut paths collided; tech outperformed on some sessions, profit-taking hit others. Futures still imply additional 2025 easing, but major houses are split on pace. Gold printed new records above roughly $3,900 an ounce as the safety valve. Founder takeaway: volatility ≠ signal—fundraising windows can stay open even when headlines flash red. (Reuters) ⸻ 🛢️ Energy & Inputs: Oil’s mixed tape Crude steadied after last week’s slide as OPEC+ stuck to a modest November supply hike of about 137,000 barrels per day and Russian-supply chatter swirled. Translation for operators: shipping and energy budgets may whipsaw; lock hedges where feasible and stay nimble on logistics. (Reuters) ⸻ 💸 Venture & Exits: AI still soaks up capital Early Q3 reads show the strongest funding and exits in nearly three years, with AI taking an outsized share of total deal value. New raises this week—from launch systems to home-battery financing—underscore the “infrastructure for AI and electrification” thesis. Keep data rooms tight: the SEC updated shutdown guidance so some IPO registrations can move forward, but diligence standards aren’t relaxing. (CB Insights, PitchBook, Reuters) ⸻ 🏛️ Representation & Power: Who’s in the room—and who’s out • Japan’s leadership race remains fluid after coalition turbulence, leaving Sanae Takaichi’s historic bid in play but uncertain—signal: leadership diversity in major economies is shifting, even as politics stay volatile. (Reuters) • In U.S. boardrooms, recruiters are leaning on experienced directors to navigate AI, tariffs, and supply chains; CEO churn remains elevated versus long-run norms. Governance scrutiny is up, tolerance for missteps is down. (Reuters) • Corporate DEI remains politically fraught; some retailers pared public-facing programs while keeping elements operational—plan enterprise partnerships accordingly. (Reuters) ⸻ 🧑🏽‍💻 The Builders’ Dilemma Founders are threading the needle: a data-light macro tape, buyers pressed by shutdown uncertainty, and longer internal approvals. The work: ruthlessly prioritize revenue moments, convert pilots to multi-year agreements, and extend runway without starving growth experiments. In this tape, clarity of problem > charisma of pitch. ⸻ 🔭 What to Watch This Week • Shutdown trajectory: litigation over furloughs and firings and any movement on ACA subsidies as a bargaining chip. (Reuters) • Fed & rates: readouts and speeches guiding the path for additional 2025 cuts. (Reuters) • IPO lane-keeping: how issuers use the SEC’s updated shutdown guidance to keep offerings moving. (Reuters) • Energy supply signals: OPEC+ chatter into November allocations; watch volatility bleed into freight and input costs. (Reuters) • Capital concentration: AI-heavy deal flow persists—non-AI founders should emphasize measurable ROI and faster paybacks. (PitchBook) ⸻ 🗣️ Closing Summary The shutdown moved from brinkmanship to balance-sheet pain, while markets toggled between optimism and caution without full federal data to anchor pricing. Globally, leadership and board dynamics continue to shift as institutions retool for an AI-shaped economy. For Builders, this is a week to stay loud about value, quiet about burn, and surgical about timing. ⸻ ⚡️OHUBNext Daily Brief — investments, edge tech, and moves that matter. For more than twelve years, OHUB has built pathways to multigenerational wealth without reliance on inherited capital. Through exposure, skills, entrepreneurship, and capital markets, we’ve helped people create new jobs, new companies, and new wealth.