Criticize Donald Trump all you want, but the stock market keeps breaking all-time highs . Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 875 points, or 1.73%, to 51,562.  Well, actually, the Dow dropped today.  But Monday? Why the stock market is doing so well is kind of a mystery. There are no sure signs of greater peace in Iran and Lebanon. Initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose 6.1%, first quarter productivity was revised sharply lower and corporate layoffs jumped 11% in May to 97,000. 40% coming from AI expansion.  But I did ask Google AI, did the stock market rise when Donald Trump was president from 2016 to 2020? True, the stock market experienced significant growth during the 2016 to 2020 timeframe of the Donald Trump administration . During his first full term from January 2017 to January 2021, the S&P 500 generated a total return of over (67%). [ 1 , 2 ] I further inquired about his current term. Since the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. stock marke...

Venezuelan Democracy Advocate Maria Corina Machado today received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize .  Machado is a 58-year old industrial engineer known as Venezuela's Iron Lady, who has led the opposition to authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, whose last two elections were obviously fixed, and therefore not recognized by many countries, including the USA. The Nobel Committee awarded this prize for  her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy . If Trump wants to be the victor for this medal next year, he should understand that the Nobel Peace Laureate fights dictatorships, not reach out to become one.   Reaction from  Time  magazine?   TRUMP LOSES NOBEL PEACE PRIZE HE SHAMELESSLY CAMPAIGNED FOR . Donald Trump was no doubt disappointed, but shouldn't have been because the winner is decided most on what that person accomplished i...

President Donald Trump's 90-day tariff reprieve, with China being the only exception, spurred the stock market to soar yesterday, the S&P by 9%, the third-largest gain in a day since WW2, the Dow Jones had its biggest percentage gain since March 2020 and the Nasdaq the biggest one-day gain since January 2001, and second largest ever. However , noting that this 90-day delay will still mean a 145% duty of all goods from China, 25% tariffs targeting much from Canada and Mexico and 10% levy on all other imports from the world over, the market sank again today:  S&P dropped 3.46%, Dow Jones down 2.5%  (1,015) and Nasdaq Composite declined 4.31%.  Gold rose to $3117.60/ounce, 3.2% higher.  Bitcoin fell to just under $80,000, Coinbase fell 6%, while Ether and Strategy lost 8%.  Tomorrow?  Depends on what Trump does to further his insider options. Time  magazine speculated : Other Democrats raised more serious concerns. Sen. Adam Schiff of California t...