If you're investing in this market and you're not following what the President says on social media, you're flying blind. That's not a political statement – it's a risk management fact. Here are 18 documented instances where a single post moved billions in market value.
Let's start with the numbers.
March 23, 2018: SPY -2.10%. Early morning, the President threatened not to sign a $1.5 trillion spending bill. Markets tanked. He signed it the same day. Markets bounced.
April 2, 2018: SPY -2.23%. A post criticizing Amazon for taking advantage of the USPS sent Amazon down 5.2% and dragged the broader market with it.
December 4, 2018: SPY -3.24%. Suggested a "real" deal with China was uncertain. Markets sold off hard.
December 21, 2018: SPY -2.06%. Threatened to keep the government shut down. Markets hated it.
December 24, 2018: SPY -2.71%. Christmas Eve, worst on record. The President took his first shot at removing Jerome Powell, saying "The only problem our economy has is the Fed." That spooked everyone.
May 13, 2019: SPY -2.41%. Posted about failed negotiations with China. Markets tanked again.
August 23, 2019: SPY -2.59%. Ordered US companies to find alternatives to China. Not that he has the power to enforce it, but hope for a trade deal evaporated.
Now here's where it gets interesting – he also moved markets up.
April 2, 2020: SPY +4.22%. A simple post suggesting a deal with Russia and Saudi Arabia on oil. WTI Crude spiked 26% off that post alone. Markets boomed.
