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Stocks, bonds, gold, and crypto are all falling at the same time. One market just grew 23.1% last year. Here’s how you can invest.
Here's the paradox no one's talking about: the Iran war should be sending investors into safe havens. But they’re selling instead.
Oil doubled since February 28. Historically, that’s helped drive inflation. Inflation drives rate hike expectations (now at 45%, up from 11%).
And higher rates have their impact on everything, gold included.
Still floating at record highs, it’s down 18.6% from its peak. In the middle of a war.
"Whether it's stocks, bonds, or gold, they're all falling," a Bank of East Asia strategist told CNBC this week.
But the art market seems to be in a growth trajectory.
U.S. auction sales rose 23.1% in 2025, and the $1mm-$5mm segment grew 40.8% in value.
Almost no one knows this, but post war and contemporary art grew 10.2% annually over the last 30 years with near-zero equity correlation.*
It trades in any global currency. And supply is scarce.
Masterworks gives you access, offering shares in works featuring Banksy, Basquiat, Picasso, and more. Net annualized returns on completed sales like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.
70,000+ members. $1.3 billion across 500+ works.
*According to Masterworks data. Investing involves risk. Past performance not indicative of future returns. See important disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.
In Today’s Issue of Downingtown Local Pulse…
Township and Library Unite to Add StoryWalk to Walnut Lane Park
WEST PIKELAND TWP — West Pikeland Township and Chester Springs Library have teamed up to bring a StoryWalk to Walnut Lane Park, mounting pages of a children's book at intervals along the park's existing walking track. The project blends outdoor recreation with early literacy, encouraging families — particularly those with young children — to engage with reading in a low-pressure, outdoor setting. The township's public works crew handled the installation, while the library drove the programming effort.
Free Solar Viewing Event Brings the Sun's Peak Activity to Exton
EXTON, PA — On April 24, Chester County Parks + Preservation and the Chester County Astronomical Society will offer the public a rare look at the sun during solar maximum — the peak of the star's 11-year activity cycle — at a free viewing event along the Chester Valley Trail at Exton County Park. Running from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the event gives participants access to three different telescopes, each revealing a distinct layer of solar activity: hydrogen-alpha imaging of plasma prominences and sunspots, full-spectrum photospheric views, and a research-grade spectroscope mapping the sun's elemental composition. Informational displays on heliophysics and spectroscopy will be on hand as well. Because solar maximum occurs only once every 11 years, organizers describe this as a particularly compelling moment to observe phenomena that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye. The event is free and open to all ages, though space is capped at 50 participants. Registration is open through July 1, and the meeting point is the Chester Valley Trailhead at 132 Church Farm Lane in Exton.
Chester County Intermediate Unit Names New Chief Technology Officer
DOWNINGTOWN, PA — ustin Webb has been appointed chief technology officer of the Chester County Intermediate Unit, where he will lead the Technology Services division beginning July 1. Webb brings more than 25 years of experience in technology management across both K-12 education and the corporate sector. He previously served as director of technology for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and the Spring-Ford Area School District, two of the more prominent districts in the greater Chester County area, and built his early career in private industry. The CCIU's Technology Services division manages an unusually wide range of responsibilities — overseeing the organization's own internal technology needs while also functioning as a managed services partner for the county's school districts.
Downingtown Audiovisual Firm Becomes Fully Employee-Owned in Late January Deal
DOWNINGTOWN, PA — Haverford Systems, a Downingtown audiovisual integration firm founded nearly 40 years ago, has completed a transition to full employee ownership through a 100-percent employee stock ownership plan. The move, finalized in late January, was driven by founders Hugh and Eileen Richards, who chose to transfer the company to its workforce rather than pursue a sale to a larger firm or private equity buyer — an increasingly rare path in an era when small and family-owned businesses frequently exit through acquisition. Under the ESOP structure, a trust holds company stock on behalf of employees, who accumulate shares over time as a no-cost retirement benefit layered on top of existing savings plans. Because Haverford is structured as an S-corporation, its ESOP status also eliminates the company's state and federal corporate tax obligations, providing meaningful cash flow advantages that company leadership says will support future growth. Haverford joins roughly 6,300 ESOP companies nationally, a model that research suggests produces significantly better retirement outcomes for participating workers. The transaction was structured with the help of SES ESOP Strategies and law firm Stevens & Lee, which managed financing, trustee selection, and deal documentation.
Market Snapshot for Downingtown
Price Reduced:
232 PARK DR Downingtown ($300,000)
2752 FYNAMORE LN Downingtown ($375,000)
390 MARY ST Downingtown ($470,000)
121 FOUR LEAF DR Downingtown ($565,000)
608 NANCY JANE LN Downingtown ($800,000)
122 AMERICAN Downingtown ($650,000)
1003 TRAVIS CT Downingtown ($789,000)
798 SOUTHWIND LN Downingtown ($860,000)
Just Listed:408 CHESTERFIELD DR Downingtown ($435,000)
409 SUNSET DR Downingtown ($580,000)
12 LILA LN Downingtown ($624,900)
25 N TOMPKINS SQ Downingtown ($689,000) 100 TROWBRIDGE LN Downingtown ($730,000)
Active:
260 MOORE RD Downingtown ($429,900)
10 LOCKS FARM LN Downingtown ($575,000)
120 ARDEN WAY Downingtown ($615,000)
19 PONDS END DR Downingtown ($615,000)
1026 HALTER RD Downingtown ($739,900)
923 STABLE WAY Downingtown ($770,000)
266 ARTERS WAY Downingtown ($840,000)
735 APPALOOSA RD Downingtown ($849,900)
34 BUTTERWORTH CT Downingtown ($850,000)313 S CALDWELL CIR Downingtown ($850,000)
32 DOMINIC DR Downingtown ($899,000)
1464 W STONINGTON Downingtown ($1,199,999)
580 REEDS RD Downingtown ($1,700,000)
Coming Soon:
262 CARLYN CT Downingtown ($250,000)
4 WILLOW CT Downingtown ($450,000)
1307 PARK VIEW LN Downingtown ($550,000)
80 TUCKER DR Downingtown ($849,900)
See more listings at ChesterCountyRealty.com
INSTANT HOME VALUE CLICK HERE
Upcoming local events…
Connection Exchange Networking Event (Downingtown) - April 16, 9am-10am
Save Connor Designer Purse Bingo (Downingtown) - April 20, 5:30pm
Downingtown Farmers’ Market - April 25, 10am-12pm
Shred Event East Caln/Downingtown - May 2, 9am-12pm
Founding Fathers Historic House and Garden Tea Party $ (Caln) - May 9, 1pm-4pm
The Ledbetters and Superunknown- Tributes to Pearl Jam and Christ Cornell $ (Phoenixville) - May 16, 8pm
46th Annual Chester County Antique Car Club Car Show (Downingtown) - May 23, 10am-2pm
Kerr Park Gallery Walk (Downingtown) - May 31, 11am-2pm
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