I can't possibly believe that his goal is to simply a certain group of people opportunities for investment appreciation.

Say what you will about Trump, but I think he wants the economy as a whole to grow, he clearly wants large corporations to stop utilizing foreign labor markets.

Hard to want to buy stocks right now with where prices are at, unless you think there is a much higher ceiling. All the run up currently seems to be more on optimistic views of the Trump administration rather than tangibles. I'm actually surprised with the protectionist rhetoric Trump comes up with that the market hasn't gotten worried about that yet.

Not just the protectionist talk, but the intervention nature that the Trump administration appears is going to have or want to have on markets. Hard to be bullish for traders I'd think given what they normally want, but stock prices don't reflect that yet.

Mixed. We're due for a recession. On the other hand, in order for a recession to take place there has to be some fairly strong GDP growth first (which has been basically non-existent for the last eight years) for there to be a noticeable pullback (economic cycle.)

One thing is almost certain. Fairly soon after Trump takes office, the media will be ringing the recession bell once again, same as they did with Bush for the better part of his two terms. They will be thinking once again they can talk the economy into a recession, regardless of the data, or at least try to convince the public we are in a recession when we're not. Been there, done that.

Bank on it, and once again it will be the Republicans fault as per usual. Fake news is nothing new.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/30/investing/trump-rally-stocks-travel-ban/index.html?iid=hp-stack-dom

Will Trump kill the Trump rally?
by Matt Egan @mattmegan5
January 30, 2017: 11:55 AM ET

The big test for the stock market's Trump rally may be President Trump himself.

Wall Street's post-election surge was built on hopes of a "pro-growth" agenda getting swiftly implemented. Investors bet big that Trump's promises to slash taxes, unleash infrastructure spending and cut regulation would accelerate the sluggish American economy.

But those hopes are already getting undercut by Trump's turbulent first days in office.
Instead of focusing on pushing his stimulus plans through Congress, as investors had hoped, Trump is instead acting first on polarizing issues like the ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations. The White House has also taken an aggressive stance on trade, raising concerns on Wall Street over the risk of a trade war.

In other words, investors want tax cuts and spades in the ground, not deeply divisive travel bans.

After a weekend of confusion and protests over the Trump travel ban, the Dow dropped more than 200 points on Monday.

It's not a panic, but still leaves the markets on track for their worst day since Trump's victory.

"There is a palpable new feeling out there that this administration is not going to be linearly ideal for markets," Michael Block, chief market strategist at Rhino Trading, wrote in a note.

"Maybe it will be pro-business overall, but this isn't a matter of snapping one's fingers," Block said.

Jurgen Hardt, a German foreign ministry official, said he's anxiously awaiting the moment when the stock markets "turn from good to bad."

"An America that operates by itself will no longer be attractive for investors," Hardt said.

Of course, Monday's market pullback barely puts a dent in a post-election rally that had carried the Dow more than 1,700 points higher. In fact, the losses don't even wipe out last week's strong gains as the Dow blew past the 20,000 milestone.

It's only reasonable -- and healthy -- for the markets to take a breather after such a move.

It's especially apt because there are growing doubts that Trump will be able to get his stimulus plans done fast enough to support the big gains on Wall Street.

Trump's promises to cut taxes and ramp up infrastructure spending were always going to be complex and time-consuming to deliver on, even with the GOP in charge of Congress.

The risk is that Trump's early focus on the travel ban, alleged voter fraud and other controversial issues will slow his stimulus plans by emboldening opponents and fracturing would-be allies in Congress.

Chris Krueger, a policy analyst at Cowen & Co., expressed frustration with the "surreal" start to Trump's presidency.
He said the lack of coordination between the White House and Congress doesn't bode well for "gigantic legislative deals" on Obamacare, infrastructure and tax reform.

"This is Trump's second full week as President. With his party in charge of Congress. It really shouldn't be this hard," Krueger wrote.

And then there's Trump's tough trade rhetoric. Trump formally withdrew the U.S. from the TPP trade deal and wants to renegotiate the NAFTA alliance with Canada and Mexico.

The White House has also suggested paying for a wall along the border with Mexico by putting a 20% tax on Mexican imports -- even though that could risk a trade war and would hurt American consumers.

The trade rhetoric, along with new immigration policies, add to a sense that the U.S. is retreating from the global stage.

Block noted that while the market has brushed off political turmoil many times lately, "now we're dealing with a bigger issue -- the U.S. alienating the rest of the world."

Larry Summers, a senior economic official in the Obama administration, believes the markets and economy are "enjoying a sugar-high" that won't last a year.

Writing in the Washington Post's Wonkblog, Summers pointed out that some previous governments with "authoritarian tendencies," including those of Hitler and Mussolini, sparked bull markets "before they led to disaster."

"After the events of the last week, it is much easier to imagine downside than upside scenarios," Summers wrote.

Can't Afford No Shoes"
Frank Zappa

Heh-heh-heh . . .
Have you heard the news?
(News? What news?)
Can't afford no shoes
(Ow! Get a deal on tape)
Have you heard the news?
(News? Can't afford a paper)
Can't afford no shoes
(Hi-yo-hi)

Went to buy some cheap detergent
Some emergent nation got my load
Got my load
Got my toad
That I stowed

Well, well,
Hey lawdy mama,
Can't afford no shoes
Maybe there's a bundle of rags that I could use
Hey anybody,
Can you spare a dime
If you're really hurtin', a nickel would be fine
Hey everybody
Nothin' we can buy
Chump Hare Rama, ain't no good to try
Recession
Depression

Wah-ooh-wah-ooh WAH-WAH
Wah-ooh-wah-ooh WAH-WAH

Well, well,
Hey lawdy mama,
Can't afford no shoes
Maybe there's a bundle of rags that I could use
Hey anybody,
Can you spare a dime
If you're really hurtin', a nickel would be fine
Hey everybody
Nothin' we can buy
Chump Hare Rama, ain't no good to try

Recession
Depression

According to my financial guy, there isn't really a 'Trump bump', most of the gains have been due to the fact that the projection in the 3rd quarter was for -3% growth and it was instead +3% - they are just getting 4th quarter numbers now, but positive earnings reports are driving the increase. US stocks are over priced, but they have been much higher over priced before. Other markets are not as over priced (Europe, Japan, emerging markets)....

Everybody is expecting a market "correction", but it is difficult to predict when that will actually be....

Is Trump's Goal to create buying opportunities for the super rich?.......hmmmm

I know the markets don't look that way right now but.........

2nd great depression is in the works. 😮

And it has been as far back as when Clinton repealed Glass-Steagal. The banks almost went under (despite Clinton getting tons of credit for a positive economy) and everyone but Clinton got blamed. The gov't printed enough funny money so that people's net worth has bounced back - but is only worth half as much

Is Trump's Goal to create buying opportunities for the super rich?.......hmmmm

I know the markets don't look that way right now but.........

2nd great depression is in the works. 😮

And it has been as far back as when Clinton repealed Glass-Steagal. The banks almost went under (despite Clinton getting tons of credit for a positive economy) and everyone but Clinton got blamed. The gov't printed enough funny money so that people's net worth has bounced back - but is only worth half as much

That's one way of looking at it.

Is Trump's Goal to create buying opportunities for the super rich?.......hmmmm

I know the markets don't look that way right now but.........

2nd great depression is in the works. 😮

And it has been as far back as when Clinton repealed Glass-Steagal. The banks almost went under (despite Clinton getting tons of credit for a positive economy) and everyone but Clinton got blamed. The gov't printed enough funny money so that people's net worth has bounced back - but is only worth half as much

That's one way of looking at it.

It may seem simplistic but it does help explain why the poor working class/previously middle class has fallen so far behind - there assets were negligible to begin with so they were hurt even worse by the "printing press." The 2016 election showed major support for two totally disparate political beings (Trump and Bernie) who reached out to that marginalized segment of the population

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/06/business/dealbook/sorkin-seth-klarman-trump-investors.html?_r=0

A Quiet Giant of Investing Weighs In on Trump
Andrew Ross Sorkin
DEALBOOK FEB. 6, 2017

He is the most successful and influential investor you have probably never heard of. His writings are so coveted and followed by Wall Street that a used copy of a book he wrote several decades ago about investing starts at $795 on Amazon, and a new copy sells for as much as $3,500.

Perhaps that’s why a private letter he wrote to his investors a little over two weeks ago about investing during the age of President Trump — and offering his thoughts on the current state of the hedge fund industry — has quietly become the most sought-after reading material on Wall Street.

He is Seth A. Klarman, the 59-year-old value investor who runs Baupost Group, which manages some $30 billion.

In his letter, Mr. Klarman sets forth a countervailing view to the euphoria that has buoyed the stock market since Mr. Trump took office, describing “perilously high valuations.”

“Exuberant investors have focused on the potential benefits of stimulative tax cuts, while mostly ignoring the risks from America-first protectionism and the erection of new trade barriers,” he wrote.

“President Trump may be able to temporarily hold off the sweep of automation and globalization by cajoling companies to keep jobs at home, but bolstering inefficient and uncompetitive enterprises is likely to only temporarily stave off market forces,” he continued. “While they might be popular, the reason the U.S. long ago abandoned protectionist trade policies is because they not only don’t work, they actually leave society worse off.”

In particular, Mr. Klarman appears to believe that investors have become hypnotized by all the talk of pro-growth policies, without considering the full ramifications. He worries, for example, that Mr. Trump’s stimulus efforts “could prove quite inflationary, which would likely shock investors.”

And he appears deeply concerned about a swelling national debt that he suggests could undermine the economy’s growth over the long term.

“The Trump tax cuts could drive government deficits considerably higher,” Mr. Klarman wrote. “The large 2001 Bush tax cuts, for example, fueled income inequality while triggering huge federal budget deficits. Rising interest rates alone would balloon the federal deficit, because interest payments on the massive outstanding government debt would skyrocket from today’s artificially low levels.”

Much of Mr. Klarman’s anxiety seems to emanate from Mr. Trump’s leadership style. He described it this way: “The erratic tendencies and overconfidence in his own wisdom and judgment that Donald Trump has demonstrated to date are inconsistent with strong leadership and sound decision-making.”

He also linked this point — which is a fair one — to what “Trump style” means for Mr. Klarman’s constituency and others.

“The big picture for investors is this: Trump is high volatility, and investors generally abhor volatility and shun uncertainty,” he wrote. “Not only is Trump shockingly unpredictable, he’s apparently deliberately so; he says it’s part of his plan.”

While Mr. Klarman clearly is hoping for the best, he warned, “If things go wrong, we could find ourselves at the beginning of a lengthy decline in dollar hegemony, a rapid rise in interest rates and inflation, and global angst.”