The Dow Jones Industrial Average squeaked to a seventh straight record high on Friday, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also closed at all-time highs.
After suffering losses for most of the Friday session, the Dow and S&P 500 turned positive in the final minutes of the week. Stock values, fueled by the “Trump Rally,” have surged since the November presidential election, gaining over 10% in value. It has been a remarkable run that has more than a few investors scared that the bubble may burst any minute.
Lindsey Bell, an investment strategist at CFRA Research, is quoted as saying “What makes me nervous is that it feels like the market is ignoring what could come on immigration, trade, healthcare – the negative implications that could come from a protectionist government.”
Mr. Bell’s skepticism toward this positive financial news is a vestige of the consistent pessimism that has infused the American economic mindset these past years.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just enjoy a good steak dinner every now and then without worrying about clogged arteries?
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What a shame it is that only boomers and historians know what it feels like to have lived in a time of economic prosperity and financial security. Guarded optimism is the rule these days, and uncertainty over the future is like a cancer to the entrepreneurial spirit. When Trump says “Make America Great Again,” this is what he is talking about. It is a shame that millennials don’t have an understanding of what it was like to be able to raise a family on one middle-class income, or they would probably realize that MAGA isn’t a rallying cry for creating social dysfunction.