I hope this doesn’t sound too insane given that currently this is “good news” or at least good metrics for us: But I often worry about using the stock market as a metric for anyone notable.
For instance, I picture a future where a politican pushes hard for increases to minimum wage…and the stock market tanks because “free labor is ruined”. There are some bubbles where it really should tank and I just worry that we’d be excusing it then, and now now.
Granted: It is my belief that there’s no bubbles now and that Biden handed us a working system - one that Trump is throwing wrenches into. I just think after the GME fiasco, we shouldn’t necessarily trust the stock market as a perfect system run by level-headed people.
I don't like Trump whatsoever, but I feel like we gotta be showing how bad he is, could've painted this as "old man loses it, tanks the economy even though we said he would"
You know, personally, I don't think the rumours of Trump being an active foreign agent instead of "just" a narcissist grifter are useful, because they can be used to argue that things weren't already pretty borked before in the status quo.... (and I think they are wrong, personally)
But I do have to admit - if I was a foreign agent wanting to destroy the US and its influence in the world, I would basically do exactly what he is doing.
My college degree focused on the collapse of the USSR and the US diplomatic response to it. I studied a lot of Soviet and Russian foreign policy. If Donald Trump is not a Russian asset he weirdly backs every single position you would expect a Russian asset to have.
He's in Putin's pocket for sure. You remember the closed door meeting with him and Putin his first time in office? Putin came out looking smug af and Trump looked like he'd just seen the ghost of his dead dad. Trump was best mates with Epstien and famously can't keep it his pants. My bet is that Putin has footage of him fucking a minor and is threatening to release it unless Trump toes the line.
I think he's inept, stupid, and doesn't have a plan or idea about what he's doing. Tariffs, eg, are the polar opposite of what he claims.
His puppeteers, however? They're just letting him run wild, destroying everything he touches, because they have the wherewithall to withstand the damage.
And they are all making $$$. Insiders make out like crazy when the economy crashes, buy the low and hold. Open a for-profit prison. Get shady government contracts. Get the President to do a commercial for your cars in front of the White House. And on and on.
You think Trump cares about all these things enough to run around destroying everything? His train of thought chugs for a second, sputters and switches lines. He's obviously being fed things to be upset about and talking points, then an executive order is put in front of him to sign. He's not writing these orders.
I get the feeling such rumours are just the other face of the same kind of blind Nationalism as the MAGAts exhibit - the latter group is all about how America is a great country whilst the group spreading the "it's all due to Foreign interference" rumours are really just denying that the huge problems in America are mainly the fault of Americans.
Both are just spewing self-serving nationalism in the same direction: that Americans are good and it's foreigners who are bad.
It's generally a good idea to be skeptical of "explanations" which make the people giving them indirectly it look better, either by claiming than the group they're in is better than the rest or by exhonerating the group they're in as the cause of the problems that group is having.
You put it better than I myself had formulated it in my head yet, why I am weary of those rumours. I find similar arguments here in Europe, where our fascist movements, which are without a doubt supported by Russia, are then sometimes reduced to being some sort of wholly foreign influence, instead of admitting that Russia is stoking flames in embers that had always been part of us and the problems we face.
I realize the title is rhetorical, but just a reminder that AB not only reversed their support for the Bud Light campaign after just a few weeks of fascist bigot whining, they also fired the advertising manager responsible.
All over a single can of beer.
You probably can't buy beer regularly without giving them some of your money, but let's not forget what spineless cowards they are. (Just like Target.)
Saw a great video of his approval numbers and he is underwater compared to every other president for this soon in. His only competition, and President he still comes in 2nd worst to depending on the topic, is himself from his first term. 🤣🤣
I've often heard people describe the stock market as a graph of rich people's feelings. Looking at this, if that was true? This is the most relatable the 1% have been in a century.
Meh. Really rich people are so fucking diversified that it doesn’t matter to them what the hell the stock market does on a 4-year scale. They’ll benefit from other assets and wait out the storm, buying equities when others are selling. Shit, even upper middle-class people can often do this without sweating too much.
I watched this video essay by Benn Jordan on American Capitalism that suggests the ultra wealthy are trading their net worth for control. Companies don't want to make more money, they want to have more control over your life. They'll buy out every competing company and give out their products or services at a loss even if it means losing a billion dollars a year with no plan to turn a profit anytime soon. They do it with the goal of becoming the only company that provides something people rely on.
Musk's net worth has dropped $100 billion but he now controls what government programs get funding and who gets government jobs. He traded his net worth for control.
On a similar note there are arguments that claim Putin or MBS are far wealthier than Musk for similar logic as that video. At those points money means nothing and the next step is influence.
This is actually what real 1%ers want. They can easily absorb the blow, and now they can actually buy more for less. When the market recovers, they will have increased their wealth exponentially. They paid for this to happen.
1% in the US is about ½ million annual income. A lot of money to be sure but common enough that you're not anything exceptional. You'll never worry about money, but you're still working a job and you're still fucked if you lose it. You're still incapable of solving world hunger. Maybe you could sort out a neighbourhood hunger problem.
1% globally is about $50,000 income annually. Now you're really amongst the working population in the US. They're not absorbing any blows.
Im definitely not even in the 1%, but ive made money on this market by making some obvious trades. Long Lockheed after their massive correction and short tesla. Im certain the 1% know even more than what to do here and are making even more money. When someones manipuling the market, it doesnt matter which way it moves for these people, it matters that they know which direction it moves before it does that
No, it's the reflection of speculation within the market. It's not just rich people because if major banks analysts think the working class is going to buy less that will also be reflected in the markets.
The Lehman Brothers would have to also include Bush's term, and no where near any inaguration. The first term of obama would still have left Trump II looking pretty lonely down there, with a smidge of the fallout from the 2008 meltdown still going down for the first few weeks, but by March it had recovered enough to be above his inauguration numbers. Either Bush term would have kept Trump II company down there indexed from inauguration, which is consistent with the reality that republicans seem to be bad for the economy.
The first hundred days would have been good as the market hates uncertainty. The reason why it is falling now is because Trump isn't being consistent in his policy and is upending the world order. In 2016 there would have been some hope the economy would improve
Bud Light's 2023 partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney led to significant backlash and boycotts, resulting in a notable decline in sales. As of March 2025, the brand has not engaged in similar marketing campaigns, indicating a shift away from such initiatives. In contrast, Apple's iPhone 8 has maintained consistent marketing strategies, focusing on product features rather than social issues.