Six-Chart Sunday (#6)
6 Infographics from the week + 1 interview (The relentless optimism of entrepreneurial great Steve Case). Forward to friends!
Mind the (Enthusiasm) Gap: Trump supporters twice as excited as Biden voters per new New York Times / Siena College poll.
It’s Still the Economy, Stupid: Americans view strengthening the economy as the top policy priority for Biden and Congress to address this year. It’s bipartisan… the #1 issue for GOP & tied for #3 among Dems. (Source: Pew).
Fewer Polling Places per Voter: 39,844 polling places have closed down since the 2013 Shelby v Holder decision, primarily in communities of color but with 27% in California (Sources: various per GZero Media).
Companies Remain Cautiously Cash-Heavy: Corporate cash piles had risen as a percentage of GDP to 16% as of Q3 2023 from 12% in March 2020 due to the Covid liquidity shock… creates cushion vs slow-down & potential investment resources (Source: Carfang Group).
Bad Neighbors Make Good (De)Fence Budgets: While most NATO nations fail to live up to their commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, every Member bordering Russia exceeded that target in 2023 (Source: NATO)
Joe’s Traders: Democratic Members of Congress out-invested the market and crushed Republicans in 2023, earning 33% on average vs the S&P’s 22% and Republicans’ 18%. Of 100 members who traded stocks, 33% beat the Index with their portfolios (Source: Unusual Whales).
VIDEO
Entrepreneurial Hall of Famer & super-optimist Steve Case on the “Rise of the Rest”
Great charts, again. The voter's priorities are always interesting - especially what is less of a priority - global trade and climate change. But the most interesting chart compared the Republican and Democratic ETFs (who knew?). Interestingly, the Democrats do much better in the stock market than the Republicans. I am of the opinion that Members of Congress should not invest in individual stocks, but only ETFs and Mutual Funds. Now we can see why many on the Hill do not share that opinion.