Financial Motivations
US stocks were mostly higher on Thursday, extending their rally this week as markets assessed how policy pivots by US President Trump may impact corporate returns and future borrowing costs.
The S&P 500 edged higher to remain above the 6,100 threshold, while the Dow outperformed by gaining more than 250 points.
Core sectors of stock exchanges rose sharply, lifting defensive sectors for the Dow following the previous days underperformance.
GE soared by over 7% and Union Pacific over 5% after delivering optimistic earnings results, pushing industrial companies to trade sharpy higher.
On the other hand, the Nasdaq 100 inched below the flatline as investors considered risks to the tech sector after underwhelming SK Hynix earnings in Korea.
Five years ago, Trump delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (here), where he reported on his "Great American Comeback" that was delivering "an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen before."
He encouraged the corporate and government leaders in the room to "reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse” … and follow the American model as an example of "a working system of free enterprise that will produce the most benefits for the most people in the 21st century and beyond."
This was clearly a rejection of the multi-trillion dollar globally coordinated climate agenda that was cultivated out of the World Economic Forum.
Thus, solving the Trump problem became priority, above all else. It dominated the Davos meetings back in 2020. They didn’t hide it. It was all about Trump (anti-Trump). Not the global economy. Not even climate change.
Yesterday, Trump improbably returned to the World Economic Forum (virtually), to detail the damage done from the globally coordinated climate agenda, and declare the beginning of "the Golden Age of America" and a "revolution of common sense."
He detailed his plan (already well in motion) to rapidly execute the America first agenda.
This time, the tone in Davos was said to be one of optimism!
Why? Perhaps the "populist" political shakeup is just getting started, globally.
Or, it's fair to say that the financial rewards for global corporate leaders (and government leaders) from the prospects of a complete overhaul/transformation of global energy was an enticing carrot, over the past decade, to recruit support for the global climate agenda.
But now, just considering financial motivations only, the Trump agenda is offering the potential for global stability in a time of chaos, and a focus on aggressively facilitating the AI-driven technology revolution, which could result in a doubling of global energy demand (which will require all sources of energy, including renewables).
The financial opportunity is as big, if not bigger. Not too surprisingly, the bankers, investors and techies in the (WEF) room are suddenly receptive to Trump 2.0.
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