Trump's Policies

The 10% tariff hike announced on Saturday will likely serve as the opening salvo in a broader wave of protectionist measures. In this report, we assess the increase in US import tariffs on China. While the direct impact on China’s overall economy may be manageable, the country’s economy faces significant risks from potential disruptions in global trade.

Markets and forecasters anticipate a “Golden Age” for Trump’s America, with US growth expectations soaring while the rest of the world lags. However, this extreme optimism means that there is a lot of room for disappointment. Cooling income growth, weak housing and less deficit spending than expected will result in US growth underperforming expectations. Maintain a modest underweight to equities and modest overweight to fixed income. US markets have become more expensive relative to the rest of the world even as quality differentials have stabilized. Prepare to downgrade US equities to underweight and to upgrade Euro Area and China to overweight. We will wait to pull the trigger until we have more clarity on trade policy and when the dollar's momentum turns negative.

Should investors take seriously the possibility of Canada becoming part of the US? We strongly argue that such a union is not in the cards. Conservative America will fight it tooth and nail, despite President Donald Trump’s suggestions. There is no mythical “conservative Canada.” The entire country is as liberal as the state of Vermont, with Alberta only as conservative as Minnesota. However, in the very long term, the probability is not zero.

Simple games allow us to model several of the Trump administration’s most disruptive policies in 2025. We find that markets face an increase in volatility as Congress expands the budget, Trump implements tariffs on the world, China retaliates, and Taiwan tensions persist. A ceasefire in Ukraine is a marginally positive outcome for Europe, although it is not a long-term peace treaty. 

In this Special Report, we share our “thoughts from the field,” gathered during a week of panels and conversations at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Our main takeaways include China’s rising global presence (despite its deceptive absence at the forum), the rising consensus on AI investment as the new corporate best practice, mounting stakes in the AI race, and the global shift toward MAGA-branded ideology as President Trump enters his second term. We also reflect on the surprising lack of geopolitical focus in the discussions and the forum’s broader role in the global geopolitical landscape. 

We anticipate decisive tariff measures early in Trump’s second term. In this Special Report, we explore how the costs of higher tariffs might be distributed among foreign suppliers, U.S. importers, and consumers.

There is no better way to gauge the macro policies of the new US administration than being privy to President Donald Trump’s discussions with the new Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent. While we do not have inside information, we have put the pieces of the puzzle together to help clients see the big picture. This report presents our take on a hypothetical conversation between President Trump and Scott Bessent that led to the latter’s appointment as Treasury secretary.

President Trump is only the second president to have won, lost, and won again in US history, so today’s inaugural address was unlike any other since Grover Cleveland in 1893.