Politics was an overarching theme in 2024 – and, regrettably, will remain so in 2025 as global investors figure out likely policy action by central banks and the growth outlook for 2025. “This time it’s different” (TTID) and FOMO remain the most malign forces acting on asset prices, but is a new full blown European Sov Debt Crisis also on the cards?

Let’s be dispassionate about the US election result. What kind of upside will a Bonfire of Regulations and Surging Confidence bring to markets? What are the risks of Trump’s new start for US markets? The next four years look… interesting.

The UK election will contain few surprises but leaves the new government massive problems to solve. Biden’s inevitable withdrawal from the US Presidential race adds new uncertainty to the political mix – and may obscure some the critical economic issues.

The threat list to global markets lengthens, but the Truth will be found in the bond markets. Like inflation and rising rates, the effects of a bond market slide are lagging – It’s going to take other financial assets time to catch up on the bond crash!

Fitch threw a spanner into the works last night downgrading the US – but they were right to do so. Political risks in the US and UK – both are approaching peak electoral cycle crises points  – are rising and the disinformation wars will ensure it gets… fruity.

AI has become the markets new, new thang/bubble as investors pile into the new, new narrative forgetting the fundamental rules of investment are about generating dull, boring, predictable returns which look frothy in hot stocks, negative yields in bonds, thus positive returns from real assets stand out!

Markets wobbled yesterday on the current litany of fear: interest rates, inflation and Ukraine. The bigger issues are just how unsustainable current equity valuations remain, and where to invest in range-bound markets.

Consumption and a cost-of-living crisis are upon us, but markets blithely assume it’s all upside to 2023. The risk is not a massive crash, but growing realisation the global economy has peaked, needs a period of normalisation and a reset after the madness of the last decade.

US Mid-Terms will dominate the news this week. Gridlocked US politics might be good in terms of zero legislative surprises, but polarisation will punish stocks and diminish the US over the long-term.