Impeachment Economy...?

7-7 Market Highlights (January 12 – January 18, 2020) 

Behold Phase One China-US trade agreements signing by Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. The politics and economics who’s who in the East Room of White House, Wednesday January 15, 2020 witnessed paradigm shift as the world takes a big sigh of relief.  But, nearly all Democrats fixated on Trump impeachment... Euphoric…?  Well, stocks rallied to historical highs as the Senate begins the impeachment trial. History repeats…?  Remember President Clinton impeachment, the market rallied as the proceedings went through the House and Senate trial.  Evidently, both markets were affected much more by economic and market forces than by the political dramas in Washington.  If history is any indication market should continue to expand near future…  Meanwhile, thundering rhetoric will ensue… However, low interest rates, market surges, tax benefits, and strong consumer spending bode very well for the continued American economic expansion.  What to think of these oxymoron predicaments...? Hmmmm...

1/17/2020:  DOW-29,348; S&P500-3,329; NASDAQ-9,389; Gold-$1,556.70; Oil-$58.75; US 10-Year: 1.825% 

Here are the highlights of the 3rd week of 2020:  

1.   China-US Trade Deal Phase One Signed.        Trump signs ‘phase one’ trade deal with China in push to stop economic conflict, and to rein in a more than 18-month trade war. The deal includes provisions to root out intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers and increase Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, though it leaves open questions about enforcement. The Trump administration aims to start negotiating the next piece of the trade agreement before the November 2020 election. For now, China agrees to purchase an additional $200 billion in U.S. goods over the next two years. The composition is as follows: 1) Manufactured goods: $32.9 billion in 2020, $44.8 billion in 2021, 2) Agricultural goods: $12.5 billion in 2020, $19.5 billion in 2021, 3) Energy goods: $18.5 billion in 2020, $33.9 billion in 2021, and 4) Services: $12.8 billion in 2020, $25.1 billion in 2021. The president said the U.S. and China are “righting the wrongs of the past and delivering a future of economic justice and security for American workers, farmers and families.”

2.   A Solemn Impeachment Theatre.       Trump impeachment trial begins as Chief Justice Roberts and senators sworn in. The Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was sworn in, and he administered the same oath he took to all 99 senators -- to do "impartial justice" as the trial is to decide on the fate of Donald Trump on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.  Here we go…  God bless America.

3.   Russia’s Putin Forever in Power…?        President Vladimir Putin moves to shore up power as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev unexpectedly resigns. Well, you seen this type of song n dance in China when Xi crowned himself as the forever president.  Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed constitutional changes that could enable him to wield political power after his presidency ends.  Shortly after Putin's announcements in his State of the Union Address, his entire cabinet, led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, announced their resignations. The changes laid out by Mr. Putin on Wednesday would limit the power of a potential successor after 2024, when he is required by law to step down. He also proposed boosting the role of the State Council, which he already heads. As head of an empowered State Council, Putin could remain in control and guide policy after his presidential term expires. Putin is looking for ways to remain influential in Russia, whether he steps down or contrives another way to prolong his official position at the top.  

4. Drones, $100 Billion Industry... Drones are growing into a $100 billion industry.  Unmanned flying vehicles are growing in popularity all over the world. The technology is developing quickly with drones able to fly further and carry ever heavier payloads. But will the skies above our heads be safe? Well, Qassem Soleimani was killed with precision missile fire from drone. Drones can be deployed for law enforcement, aerial image captures, logistics, weather forecasting, vlogging, marine explorations, general mapping, military espionage, unmanned military arsenals, monitoring security threats, improving communications, space telescopes, medical exploration such as ultrasonography, endoscopy procedures, study land animal behaviors,…, exploring undiscovered tribes, and creatures…  Perhaps invest in drone technology and companies…?

5.   Self-Driving Cars—Future of Auto Industry?          Many say Self driving cars are the exact future of automotive industries. The self-driving cars are the newest trend around the world. You can see number of autonomous cars on the roads these days. The digits will increase to a greater extent in the upcoming five years. Many companies working on self-driving cars: Tesla, Apple. Audi. Baidu. BMW. Bosch. DAF. Daimler… So, many argue about the Self-Driving Cars Pros and Cons… Some key issues are: Increasing safety by providing blind-spot assistance to the driver, Remote car ignition, A/C, heater and locking doors made possible through smart phone apps, Artificial Intelligence (IA) allowing warnings to alert drivers for dangers on the road, Parallel parking made easy through automation, Cars could drop off the passengers before parking… Some disadvantages are: cost, job loss (truck and taxi drivers…), computer malfunctions, unforeseeable troubles… Well, would you buy, and ride in a self-driving car…?

6.   Soft and Hard Skills Needed for 2020.        It's 2020, and a new year means new perspectives and changing demands in the workplace. LinkedIn Learning's annual "The Skills Companies Need Most" report identifies the top skills listed on LinkedIn profiles of people who are getting hired at the highest rates. Covering over 660 million professionals and more than 20 million jobs, LinkedIn's insights shed light on the most in-demand soft and hard skills for which companies are looking in the coming year. 5 Soft Skills companies need most in 2020: 1) Creativity, 2) Persuasion, 3) Collaboration, 4) Adaptability, and 5) Emotional intelligence. And, 5 Hard Skills companies need most in 2020 are: 1) Blockchain, 2) Cloud computing, 3) Analytical reasoning, and 5) User experience/design. Perhaps it may be an opportune time for you to inventory your skill sets and improve upon these if you need to…  

7.   Best Jobs in America 2020.   The 20 best jobs in America in 2020, according to a new ranking—and they’re hiring.  All these roles offer a salary of $80,000 or more, and they all have a satisfactory rating of 3.9 or above.  Here are the top 20 spots on Glassdoor’s list of best jobs in America in 2020. 20. Physical therapist (Median base salary: $71,483), 19. Clinic manager ($70,000), 18. Applications engineer ($76,854), 17. Program manager ($87,005), 16. Accounting manager ($85,794), 15. Finance manager ($120,644), 14. Salesforce developer ($81,175), 13. Operations manager ($70,189), 12. HR manager ($83,190), 11. Nursing manager ($85,389), 10. Business development manager ($78,480), 9. Strategy manager ($133,067), 8. Speech language pathologist ($71,867), 7. Software engineer ($105,563), 6. Data engineer ($102,4720, 5. Devops engineer ($107,310), 4. Product manager ($117,713), 3. Data scientist ($107,801), 2. Java developer ($83,589), and 1. Front-end engineer, Median base salary: $105,240.

These are my researches and analysis of the highlights of the week. Perhaps you should take a closer look at them, do additional research and analysis if these are interesting to you. This “7–7 Market Highlights” is presented for general knowledge, the resource for management, and perhaps as a tool for career development, and building wealth. As always, “Stay Curious” and “Think for Yourself” and you decide on your own terms. 

Mahalo. I welcome your thoughtful comments, “like” notes, and “share” of this publication. 

~ S. Vincent Shin

   www.dhirubhai.net/in/vshin

References and Image credits to Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journals, Getty image, AP Photo, Reuters, CNBC..., and special thanks to Image & Visual Consultant @U.Y. All references, news, and images are from open source and public domain.