Breaking Up is Hard to DoBreaking up is always hard to do. Your dog looks at you dazed and confused... your Netflix account is no longer shared. And who gets the air fryer? The whirlwind bromance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump appears to be over. It's not a clash of gigantic egos. And like most breakups - things seemed to have moved to the second of five (breakup) phases.. anger
Zero Sum GameTrump's favorite word in the dictionary is "tariff". In his view, it just needs a little public relations (PR) help. I don't know about that. Personally, I'm not a fan of tariffs. Over the long-run, history has shown they do more harm to the economy vs help. Better PR won't change that. However, in the very near-term (24-36 months) - they can be seen to add jobs and create benefits for the protected industry(s). From that lens, people are mistaken to believe they're working (as that's what's visible). But what about the unseen? To help explain, I'll draw on the timeless work of Adam Smith. The protectionist policies of today are not only reminiscent of those in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries -- but are arguably worse in their complexity and scale.
Price vs ValueMarkets could not be more optimistic about the future. We see it with consumer sentiment, spending and in the stock market. For example, the S&P 500 surged to a new record high 6090 - far exceeding the most bullish of forecasts from 12 months ago. Will analysts be equally bullish about 2025? Post Trump's Nov 5th win - the bulls have found another gear. Trump has painted a compelling vision of a US economic resurgence built on three primary pillars: (i) lower taxes; (ii) sweeping deregulation and government reform; and (iii) an
emphasis on domestic production. Why does this have corporate America very excited?
Tariffs: More than Just Trade ImbalancesSince Trump's election win - it's clear he's willing to use access to (lucrative) U.S. markets as leverage to achieve broader objectives. And major trading partners are taking notice. For e.g., the ECB's Chief - Christine Lagarde - has suggested European countries should look at how to avoid (new) tariffs by buying more US made goods. And South Korea is looking at buying more US based LNG. What's clear is any potential tariffs are becoming an integral part of a larger strategy to reorient global trade relations around issues such as greater security, immigration and health priorities. That is, they're not exclusively aimed at reducing economic imbalances.
Red Sweep Turbocharges the MarketTrump's decisive win last week has seen significant shifts in market sentiment. Markets are optimistic that Trump's tax cuts and deregulation will turbocharge growth. And they might. But what implications will Trump's policies mean for the US dollar, long-term bond yields and foreign trade? As investors, you need to evaluate both what is seen vs unseen. There will be both opportunities and challenges... however they will be very sector specific.
