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Welcome to yet another insightful edition of Market Mosaic.
Before we dive in…
On Thursday, May 14, we host our first Global Market Intelligence Briefing, unpacking what founders, investors, and ecosystem builders need to understand about scaling through 2026's global market volatility.
Register for the Global Market Intelligence Briefing →
Now, let's dive into the insights.
— Insights Team, Rwazi
Technology
Economy
Consumer Universe
Supply Chain
100,443 tech jobs cut in 4 months
The technology industry has eliminated over 100,000 jobs in the first four months of 2026 across 155 reported layoffs.
March was the anomaly, 49,802 cuts, nearly double January and double February, driven almost entirely by one event.
Oracle cut 30,254 positions in a single month, accounting for 60.7% of March's total and 30.1% of all 2026 tech layoffs through April. April's figure of 1,820 suggests the acute phase has passed.
Key Insights 💡
Oracle's March restructuring is the clearest example yet of the AI era's defining trade: workforce reduction funding infrastructure expansion. For consumer businesses dependent on technology vendors, supplier stability deserves closer scrutiny than it would have 12 months ago.
Gas hit $4.45 in the United States, the fastest fuel price surge ever
Chart: U.S. average regular gasoline by state, May 4, 2026. Data visualisation by Rwazi Insights
The national average reached $4.45 per gallon on May 4, up 8% from the previous week and more than 50% from the pre-war level. Brent crude briefly touched $126 on April 30.
Since the US-Israel airstrikes on Iran began on February 28, prices surged 52% in just 10 weeks.
Hitting a consumer already stretched by tariffs and the highest CPI reading in nearly four years.
Key Insights 💡
A 52% gas price surge in 10 weeks is a consumer spending story first. The retailers most exposed are those serving consumers in high-fuel-cost states where real income growth was already thin before this shock arrived.
🎙️ THE GLOBAL MARKET INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING
We are hosting our first-ever live briefing.
Join us on Thursday, May 14, for our Global Market Intelligence Briefing, a 60-minute deep dive into global entrepreneurial ecosystems with Prof. Erik Stam, one of the world's leading economic experts.
🌍 Where are the world's most overlooked market opportunities?
📊 How do you turn global data into a competitive advantage?
⏰ Thursday, May 14 | 3:00 PM UTC
Consumer sentiment just hit its lowest recorded point
CPI rose 0.9% in March, the highest monthly jump in nearly four years, and 3.3% year over year.
Energy drove it entirely: gas up 21.2% in a single month, fuel oil up 30.7%. Core CPI rose just 0.2%, confirming the pressure is energy-driven for now.
Consumer sentiment index fell to 47.6 in April, the lowest point ever recorded. The number may partially recover. The underlying anxiety driving it will not.
Key Insights 💡
Brands that give consumers a clear and immediate reason to keep spending, value packs, price cuts, loyalty propositions, are the ones that will hold volume when the environment gets harder before it gets easier.
Tariff refunds are finally moving
US Customs and Border Protection confirmed the first round of tariff refunds will be sent electronically. An April portal opened to process importer reimbursements.
How quickly the funds arrive and whether they are passed to consumers or retained to rebuild margins is the question every retailer is watching.
April retail sales data will be released on Thursday. We expect continued resilience, with 1.7% month-over-month growth in March and 4% year-over-year.
Key Insights 💡
The US consumer is under pressure but not broken. Brands that move inventory through off-price partners now will be better positioned than those holding out for a full-price recovery that may not arrive on schedule.
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